Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, Lorenz Hart, Gus Kahn, Dorothy Fields, and Johnny Mercer are among the greatest poets in American history, the caveat being, the poetry they were best known for was song lyrics. Less known, the composers and lyricists for hundreds of songs from "The Great American Songbook" era included a witty, often beautiful, but rarely performed verse to begin the song. Sadly, to get more songs to fit on an album, record producers, who had control over the final product, often favored recorded arrangements that neglected the verse.

These introductory verses often clarified the meaning of the song, sometimes even changed its very meaning. Some of the most famous songs of the era included a verse, and our class explores the wording, the humor, even the inner rhymes of these skilled poets. We will also listen to a superb recording of these songs, sung by the most famous artists in music, including the heretofore mysterious verse that the lyricist and composer intended you to hear! You may never listen to (or think about) these classic songs the same way again!

COURESE LEADER
Dave Saltzman is a past board president of CMAP and currently serves on CMAP's Advisory Council. He previously taught an Evergreen Forum course on New Jersey Geography. He has played the piano for decades, though not nearly as well as you would expect.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Join us for part 1 and/or part 2 of It Could Be Verse!

This Evergreen Forum course offers a hybrid experience, allowing participants to join the event either in-person or virtually via Zoom. Please carefully select your registration type, as participants are expected to attend programs based on their chosen in-person or virtual status. Should your circumstances change and you wish to adjust your registration, kindly contact us at 609-751-9699. Our CMAP staff will do their best to accommodate your request based on availability.

SENIOR SCHOLARSHIPS are available. Please submit a request form by following the link here to apply.

Any general questions or concerns about this event should be directed to CMAP at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling 609-751-9699.

REFUND INFORMATION
If you are no longer able to attend an event/program, we invite you to donate the program fee to CMAP — call us for more information.

If you do need a refund, checks are issued for cash, check, and credit card payments; electronic payments are refunded electronically. Refund processing takes approximately 2 weeks. Refunds requested up to 6 business days before class are issued minus a $15 processing fee; no refund is offered 5 business days or less before class begins. No refund is offered for programs costing $15 or less, and a $15 processing fee applies to those who register for the same program more than once.