Baubles, Bangles, & Beads

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"Baubles, Bangles, & Beads" is a popular song from the 1953 musical Kismet , credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. It is based on an 1881 piece by Russian composer Alexander Borodin.

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Background

Like almost all the music in that show, the melody was based on works by Alexander Borodin, [1] [2] in this case the second theme of the second movement of his String Quartet in D. The "Kismet" setting maintains the original's 3/4 waltz rhythm; pop music settings change the rhythm to a moderate four-beat accompaniment. Jazz musicians are especially drawn to the song's beguiling melody and advanced harmonic structure. The familiar AA'BA+Coda structure of the song is energized by a key change up a major third interval for every section; the transition is marked by a harmonic progression from the central major key of one section to the tritone minor key of the following section.[ citation needed ]

1953 recordings

The best-selling version of the song was recorded by Peggy Lee on September 16, 1953 [3] and charted briefly that year. [4] Other versions were recorded that year by Lu Ann Simms and Georgia Gibbs.

Kirby Stone Four recording

Other recordings

The song has appeared on numerous albums over the years including:

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References

  1. ↑ Kaye, Colin. Classical Connections: Stolen melodies, www.pattayamail.com, September 3, 2021.
  2. ↑ McHugh, Dominic “I’ll Never Know Exactly Who Did What”: Broadway Composers as Musical Collaborators. Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 68, Number 3, pp. 605–652 ISSN 0003-0139, electronic ISSN 1547-3848.
  3. ↑ "peggyleediscography.com". peggyleediscography.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  4. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 270. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
  5. ↑ "The Kirby Stone Four Baubles, Bangles And Beads Chart History". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  6. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  7. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  11. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. 1960. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  13. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  14. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  15. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  16. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  17. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  18. ↑ "www.discogs.com". www.discogs.com. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  19. ↑ "www.discogs.com". www.discogs.com. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Borodin, Bangles & Beads" (Borodin's Scherzo from the Quartet n° 2/Baubles, Bangles & Beads) is also on the album Mischief with Mozart - Comical Combat with the Classics (Stradivari Classics).
  21. ↑ "SOFIA HOFFMANN NA SMOOTH FM: ENTREVISTA E NOVO ÁLBUM!" . Retrieved October 25, 2023.

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