[Dixielandjazz] "Avalon"

[Bill Haesler]

Dear all,
For those who are are still following this recent thread, I did some research from the operatic side of the subject and came up with some more interesting things.
It has been claimed that the tune's opening phrase resembles that of Giacomo Puccini's aria "E lucevan le stele", from the opera Tosca, but in the major key. The remaining 30 bars do not. Puccini's publishers sued the song's composers in 1921 for use of the melody, and "were awarded $25,000 and all subsequent royalties of the song by the court". [It appears to have been later settled out of court. Refer below.]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalon_(Al_Jolson_song)
Here is the original "E lucevan le stelle", sung by Leo Slezak in 1913 for Edison Records:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosca
I must be listening in the wrong place, as I can't hear "Avalon'.
The court obviously did:
   http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30814FF395810738DDDA00A94D9405B818EF1D3
   http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F30814FF395810738DDDA00A94D9405B818EF1D3
The following sites provide additional interesting information:
    http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/a/avalon.shtml
All-About-Jazz blog
   http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?p=563434
and
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Rose
And here is Chris Tyle's article:
   http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-1/avalon.htm
Happy reading.
Kind regards,
Bill.