Invisible No More: Julian Work by Bob Kosovsky, Librarian, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman CenterJuly 22, 2021

Julian Work's union stamp from 1948 — Julian Work's union stamp for 1948.

We in The New York Public Library's Music & Recorded Sound Division are doing what we can to uncover and bring attention to composers from underrepresented populations. On one hand, we are raising our awareness to collect more of this material, subject to its availability from music publishers. On the other hand, we are also examining our 126 years of acquisitions to see if there are people we have overlooked.

For many years I have dealt with our CBS Collection—a huge collection of over 7,000 scores and arrangements commissioned by CBS for radio and television productions. (Click here to see the finding aid.) It was only recently that I discovered that one of CBS’s regular staff members, Julian Work, was an African American arranger.

Excited by the discovery, I immediately set out to create a Wikipedia entry on him. Work was born into a Nashville family of professional musicians, many of whom were involved with the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Although many in his family were devoted to teaching and folk music, Work sought a different path. At the age of 19, following three years of college, he made his way to New York City.

The earliest evidence I could find of Work’s career in New York was as a pianist on the radio. In the listings for Tuesday, August 20, 1929, the progressive radio station WEVD lists him playing piano from 10:20 to 10:35 pm.

Julian Work listed as playing piano on radio station WEVD on August 20, 1929

At some point in the 1930s Work became involved with CBS (then more commonly known as the Columbia Broadcasting System). He appears in the 1938 union directory of Local 802 (the New York chapter of the American Federation of Musicians). (Some time ago I wrote a blog post on the Local 802 union directories.) Searching for Julian Work on Ancestry (available at home with a New York Public Library card) provided some clues about his life. The 1940 Federal census revealed that he was living in Harlem at 416 West 146th Street, paying rent of $120 a month (equivalent to $2,328 in 2021 dollars). (There were 21 others living in that brownstone.) In 1939 he reported working all 52 weeks of the year, earning $416 a month (the equivalent of $8,073 in 2021 dollars). It also says that for 1940, West reported working 72 hours a week as an “independent composer".

Additional information is provided by his draft card (also available through Ancestry), filled out in late 1940 or early 1941.

Julian Work's draft card

I grin at what Work has listed for his brother: Where the form asks for “Mr., Mrs., Miss,” Work indicates his brother’s title is Prof[essor]. Of particular interest is that Work has listed as his employer Russ Morgan, a noted bandleader (and occasional composer) of the time. (Morgan had originally started out doing his own arrangements, but by 1940 his fame as a band leader had eclipsed his work as an arranger.)

There lies the irony: Work was a steady employee of CBS for many years, seemingly always as an arranger. His job was to customize his arrangements to particular shows, usually highlighting singers. The art of arranging already implies suppressing one’s individuality in the service of others. Was it for this reason that he never gained wider attention?

Our CBS Collection contains 279 arrangements scored by Work. Other than our Sy Oliver collection, I believe that is the most number of works we have by a single African American composer. (The list of 279 arrangements is found at the end of this blog entry.)

Although I have seen arrangements by Work from the mid-1930s, the majority appear to have been made in the 1940s. Here’s the beginning of Work’s arrangement of "Over the Rainbow" broadcast May 29, 1945, arranged for singer Joan Brooks (1915-1963):

Julian Work's arrangement of "Over the Rainbow"

Fortunately one can now visit the Library to view the details of Work’s orchestrations.

A Bouquet For You was a short-lived radio show that ran in the1946-1947 season. Listeners could request particular songs and dedicate them for special occasions such as birthdays and engagements. Here’s the beginning of Work’s arrangement of “As Time Goes By” (made famous by its use in the 1942 film Casablanca). It’s interesting to see the heavy brass complement: 4 saxophones, 3 trumpets, and 2 trombones (along with guitar, piano and percussion).

Julian Work's arrangement of "As Time Goes By"

There are a number of occasions where Work arranged the same tune for different occasions. Judging from his arrangements of Gershwin’s “Someone To Watch Over Me” he chose different approaches, fashioning his arrangement to the particular singer and situation. Below are his arrangements for singer Jerry Wayne (1948), Janette Davis (also 1948), and Gloria De Haven (1953).

Three arrangements of Gershwin's "Someone To Watch Over Me" by Julian Work

On a few occasions Work made arrangements of classical music. Below is the beginning of his rendition of Khachaturian’s famous "Saber Dance" made in 1948 for The Morey Amsterdam Show on television, later used by choreographer and dancer Jack Cole for a 1955 episode of The Jane Froman Show. It is amusing to see that the melody's usual orchestration (for winds accented by xylophone) has been replaced by five saxophones and three trumpets.

Julian Work's arrange of Khachaturian's Saber Dance

Julian Work composed a number of original compositions between 1956 to 1963. By the 1980s Work retired with his wife to Massachusetts where he lived for the remainder of his life.

The irony of this “hidden” musician was that the frequency with which Work produced his arrangements indicates that a good deal of popular music heard on CBS radio and television were his arrangements. In essence, an African American arranger was one of those who shaped the sound of what people heard on radio and television.

Although the Music & Recorded Sound Division has all these arrangements, it would take a thorough investigation to determine for what shows and artists were these works created. More frustrating is the notion of recordings. There’s no guarantee that either radio or television shows have been preserved. That hinders our ability to recognize a distinctive sound to Julian Work’s arrangements. Perhaps future efforts can arrange to get some of Work's arrangements recorded.

In the meantime, all of Julian Work's arrangements from the CBS Collection are available for perusal.

Title of song	Composer	Box	Folder
A Ghost of a Chance	Young, Victor	box I-210	folder 904
A Girl That I Remember	Rhodes, Stan	box II-193	folder 2034
A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening	McHugh, Jimmy	box I-419	folder 3169
A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody	Berlin, Irving	box I-46	folder 153
A Tree in the Meadow	Reid, Billy	box II-167	folder 1560
Ain't Cha Ever Comin' Back	Taylor, Irving	box II-150	folder 1071
Ain't Misbehavin'	Waller, Fats	box I-154	folder 599
All Alone	Berlin, Irving	box I-401	folder 2713
All Dressed Up with a Broken Heart	Patrick, Fred	box I-267	folder 1487
All the Things You Are	Kern, Jerome	box I-146	folder 561
All the Things You Are	Kern, Jerome	box I-135	folder 502
All Through the Day	Kern, Jerome	box I-176	folder 720
All Through the Day	Kern, Jerome	box I-175	folder 718
Always	Berlin, Irving	box I-317	folder 1799
Am I Wasting My Time on You?	Johnson, Howard	box I-249	folder 1193
Among My Souvenirs	Nicholls, Horatio	box I-317	folder 1796
Amsterdam Medley	Anonymous	box I-297	folder 1687
An Apple Blossom Wedding	Kennedy, Jimmy	box II-280	folder 3069
And There You Are	Fain, Sammy	box I-429	folder 3297
Anniversary Song	Jolson, Al	box I-135	folder 504
Anything Goes	Porter, Cole	box I-163	folder 652
April Showers	Silvers, Louis	box I-317	folder 1795
As Long as I'm Dreaming	Van Heusen, Jimmy	box I-244	folder 1104
As Long as I'm Dreaming	Van Heusen, Jimmy	box II-262	folder 2437
As Time Goes By	Hupfeld, Herman	box I-315	folder 1783
Ask Anyone Who Knows	Seiler, Eddie	box I-332	folder 1919
Autumn in New York	Duke, Vernon	box I-79	folder 268
Autumn in New York	Duke, Vernon	box I-79	folder 269
Beautiful Lady in Blue	Coots, J. Fred	box I-416	folder 3068
Beautiful Love	Young, Victor	box I-340	folder 2050
Because You're You	Herbert, Victor	box I-144	folder 551
Blue and Melancholy Mood	Breuder, W. Edward	box I-188	folder 788
Blue Bird of Happiness	Harmati, Sandor	box I-263	folder 1428
Blue Bird of Happiness	Harmati, Sandor	box II-172	folder 1724
Body and Soul	Green, Johnny	box I-174	folder 712
Bouquet for You	Porter, Cole	box I-33	folder 99
Bouquet for You	Rapee, Erno	box I-348	folder 2106
Broadway Rhythm	Brown, Nacio Herb	box I-263	folder 1432
But Beautiful	Van Heusen, Jimmy	box I-244	folder 1105
Bye Bye Blackbird	Henderson, Ray	box I-337	folder 1982
Cheek to Cheek	Berlin, Irving	box I-432	folder 3380
Cheek to Cheek	Berlin, Irving	box I-179	folder 741
Cheek to Cheek	Berlin, Irving	box I-153	folder 596
Dancing in the Dark	Schwartz, Arthur	box I-77	folder 257
Dawn of Love	Friml, Rudolf	box I-423	folder 3234
Dear Little Boy of Mine	Ball, Ernest R	box I-143	folder 546
Deep Purple	De Rose, Peter	box I-193	folder 819
Deep River	Anonymous	box I-228	folder 987
Donkey Serenade	Friml, Rudolf	box II-305	folder 3961
Don't You Love Me Anymore	David, Mack	box I-251	folder 1261
Down By the Old Mill Stream	Taylor, Tell	box I-314	folder 1776
Dream, Dream, Dream	Redmond, John	box I-349	folder 2135
Drifting and Dreaming	Van Alstyne, Egbert	box I-245	folder 1141
Embraceable You	Gershwin, George	box I-144	folder 550
Embraceable You	Gershwin, George	box I-40	folder 21
Encore, Cherie	Coots, J. Fred	box II-296	folder 3650
España Cañi	Marquina, Pascual	box I-190	folder 800
Every So Often	Warren, Harry	box I-374	folder 2502
Every So Often: The Little Show	Warren, Harry	box I-374	folder 2501
Everybody Loves Somebody	Lane, Ken	box II-282	folder 3157
Falling in Love with Love	Rodgers, Richard	box I-226	folder 977
Falling in Love with Love	Rodgers, Richard	box I-196	folder 832
Fine and Dandy	Swift, Kay	box I-263	folder 1433
Fine and Dandy	Swift, Kay	box I-192	folder 814
For All We Know	Coots, J. Fred	box I-415	folder 3045
For Once in Your Life	Fisher, Marvin	box II-304	folder 3920
For Sentimental Reasons	Best, William	box II-288	folder 3354
Freedom Train	Berlin, Irving	box II-261	folder 2388
Girl of My Dreams	Clapp, Sunny	box I-313	folder 1771
Golden Earrings	Young, Victor	box I-340	folder 2044
Golden Earrings	Young, Victor	box II-158	folder 1263
Good News	Henderson, Ray	box I-160	folder 636
Hallelujah	Youmans, Vincent	box I-237	folder 1027
Hallelujah	Youmans, Vincent	box I-156	folder 613
Happy Days Are Here Again	Ager, Milton	box I-104	folder 362
Heartbreaker	Berk, Morty	box II-284	folder 3210
Hills of Colorado	Bierman, Bernard	box II-289	folder 3418
Hora Staccato	Dinicu, Grigoras	box I-212	folder 910
How Soon Will I Be Seeing You	Lucas, Carroll	box I-413	folder 2999
How Soon?: How Soon Will I Be Seeing You	Lucas, Carroll	box II-289	folder 3402
I Can't Begin to Tell You	Monaco, James V	box I-424	folder 3260
I Can't Begin to Tell You	Monaco, James V	box I-424	folder 3261
I Can't Begin to Tell You	Monaco, James V	box I-424	folder 3263
I Can't Begin to Tell You	Monaco, James V	box II-307	folder 4038
I Can't Get Up the Nerve to Kiss You	Benjamin, Bennie	box II-284	folder 3209
I Cover the Waterfront	Green, Johnny	box I-229	folder 989
I Don't Know Why	Ahlert, Fred E	box I-434	folder 3395
I Fall in Love with You Ev'ry Day	Sherwin, M	box I-333	folder 1957
I Found a Million Dollar Baby in a Five and Ten Cent Store	Warren, Harry	box I-156	folder 615
I Get a Kick Out of You	Porter, Cole	box I-11	folder 32
I Guess I'll Get the Papers	Prince, H	box II-167	folder 1534
I Love You	Porter, Cole	box I-388	folder 2588
I Love You	Archer, Harry	box I-394	folder 2629
I Never Loved Anyone	Brown, George R	box I-397	folder 2649
I See Your Face Before Me	Schwartz, Arthur	box I-75	folder 250
I Surrender, Dear	Barris, Harry	box I-342	folder 2061
I Surrender, Dear	Barris, Harry	box I-293	folder 1660
I Surrender, Dear	Barris, Harry	box II-188	folder 1967
I Surrender, Dear	Barris, Harry	box II-188	folder 1968
I Surrender, Dear	Barris, Harry	box II-280	folder 3062
I Want to Be Happy	Youmans, Vincent	box I-178	folder 737
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now	Howard, Joseph E	box I-313	folder 1772
I'd Love to Live in Loveland	Williams, W. R	box I-370	folder 2401
If I Had My Life to Live Over	Tobias, Henry	box I-250	folder 1209
If I Had My Life to Live Over	Tobias, Henry	box II-271	folder 2767
If I Knew I'd Find You	Clare, Sidney	box I-397	folder 2650
If This Isn't Love	Lane, Burton	box I-83	folder 292
If You Were the Only Girl	Ayer, Nat D	box I-313	folder 1773
I'll Always Be with You	Goetschius, Marjorie	box I-251	folder 1249
I'll Be Yours	Olivieri, Dino	box I-145	folder 560
I'll Get By as Long as I Have You	Ahlert, Fred E	box I-368	folder 2361
I'll Get By as Long as I Have You	Ahlert, Fred E	box I-243	folder 1083
I'll Get By as Long as I Have You	Ahlert, Fred E	box I-243	folder 1086
I'll Remember April	Raye, Don	box I-368	folder 2360
I'll Remember April	Raye, Don	box I-293	folder 1659
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles	Kenbrovin, Jean	box I-407	folder 2810
I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You	Bassman, George	box I-393	folder 2620
I'm in the Mood for Love	McHugh, Jimmy	box I-155	folder 609
I'm in the Mood for Love	McHugh, Jimmy	box I-155	folder 610
I'm Through with Love	Malneck, Matty	box I-407	folder 2813
I'm Through with Love	Malneck, Matty	box I-407	folder 2814
I'm Through with Love	Malneck, Matty	box II-276	folder 2913
I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time	Von Tilzer, Albert	box I-285	folder 1617
In Love in Vain	Kern, Jerome	box I-89	folder 312
In the Hall of the Mountain King.	Grieg, Edvard	box I-256	folder 1337
In the Moon Mist	Lawrence, Jack	box I-253	folder 1318
In the Still of the Night	Porter, Cole	box I-360	folder 2312
Indian Summer	Herbert, Victor	box I-3	folder 8
Isn't It Romantic	Rodgers, Richard	box I-188	folder 791
It Only Happens When I Dance with You	Berlin, Irving	box I-98	folder 341
It's a Sin to Tell a Lie	Mayhew, Billy	box I-414	folder 3007
It's All Over Now	Skylar, Sunny	box I-259	folder 1379
It's the Talk of the Town	Livingston, Jerry	box II-167	folder 1530
I've Got a Crush on You	Gershwin, George	box II-302	folder 3856
I've Got You Under My Skin	Porter, Cole	box I-30	folder 89
Jericho	Myers, Richard	box I-290	folder 1640
June in January	Rainger, Ralph	box I-344	folder 2074
Just a Little Fond Affection	Box, Elton	box I-411	folder 2915
Just for Now	Redmond, Dick	box I-325	folder 1840
Just One of Those Things	Porter, Cole	box I-101	folder 352
Laroo, Laroo, Lilli Bolero	Lippman, Sidney	box I-398	folder 2685
Linger Awhile	Rose, Vincent	box I-355	folder 2218
Liza	Gershwin, George	box I-178	folder 735
Lone Star Trail	Kendrick, Merle T	box II-280	folder 3070
Long Ago and Far Away	Kern, Jerome	box I-66	folder 219
Louise	Whiting, Richard A	box I-229	folder 992
Love in Bloom	Rainger, Ralph	box I-229	folder 991
Love Is Sweeping the Country	Gershwin, George	box I-27	folder 82
Love Me or Leave Me	Donaldson, Walter	box II-34	folder 114
Love of My Life	Porter, Cole	box II-166	folder 1495
Love Walked In	Gershwin, George	box I-39	folder 116
Lovely to Look At	Kern, Jerome	box I-141	folder 534
Lover	Rodgers, Richard	box I-170	folder 683
Lover	Rodgers, Richard	box I-166	folder 660
Lover Come Back to Me	Romberg, Sigmund	box I-191	folder 808
Lucky	Maurice, Cecil	box II-291	folder 3482
Lullaby of Broadway	Warren, Harry	box II-140	folder 883
Lullaby of the Leaves	Petkere, Bernice	box I-268	folder 1529
Ma, I Miss Your Apple Pie	Lombardo, Carmen	box II-290	folder 3430
Make Believe	Kern, Jerome	box I-176	folder 723
Make Believe	Kern, Jerome	box I-43	folder 139
Marcheta	Schertzinger, Victor	box I-177	folder 726
Maybe You'll Be There	Bloom, Rube	box II-285	folder 3261
Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland	Friedman, Leo	box I-305	folder 1733
Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland	Friedman, Leo	box I-305	folder 1734
Memory Lane	Spier, Larry	box I-416	folder 3083
Mighty Lak' a Rose	Nevin, Ethelbert	box I-328	folder 1860
Mimi	Rodgers, Richard	box I-196	folder 835
Moonlight Serenade	Miller, Glenn	box II-34	folder 108
My Best to You	Jones, Isham	box I-251	folder 1265
My Melancholy Baby	Burnett, Ernie	box II-46	folder 169
My Old Flame	Johnston, Arthur	box I-251	folder 1263
Night and Day	Porter, Cole	box I-399	folder 2701
Night and Day	Porter, Cole	box I-190	folder 797
Night and Day	Porter, Cole	box I-108	folder 380
Now Is the Hour	Kaihan, Maewa	box I-264	folder 1435
Oh! What a Pal Was Mary	Wendling, Pete	box I-177	folder 729
Oklahoma	Rodgers, Richard	box I-177	folder 728
Once in a While	Edwards, Michael	box I-265	folder 1445
Orchids in the Moonlight	Youmans, Vincent	box I-215	folder 923
Over the Rainbow	Arlen, Harold	box II-160	folder 1296
P.S. I Love You	Jenkins, Gordon	box II-273	folder 2800
Pennies from Heaven	Johnston, Arthur	box I-336	folder 1973
Piccolino	Berlin, Irving	box I-152	folder 595
Prisoner of Love	Columbo, Russ	box I-320	folder 1814
Ramona	Wayne, Mabel	box II-258	folder 2336
Remember	Berlin, Irving	box I-336	folder 1969
Rhode Island Is Famous for You	Schwartz, Arthur	box I-76	folder 255
Rise n' Shine	Youmans, Vincent	box I-162	folder 646
Rockin' Chair	Carmichael, Hoagy	box I-336	folder 1970
Rosalie	Porter, Cole	box I-336	folder 1974
Rosalie	Porter, Cole	box I-101	folder 351
S Wonderful	Gershwin, George	box I-41	folder 128
Sabre Dance from Gayane	Khachaturian, Aram	box I-145	folder 558
Say It With Music	Berlin, Irving	box I-46	folder 152
Sentimental Journey	Green, Bud	box II-153	folder 1164
September Song	Weill, Kurt	box I-385	folder 2577
Serenade-Music Played on a Heartstring	Mascheroni, Vittorio	box II-291	folder 3487
She's Funny That Way	Moret, Neil	box I-383	folder 2560
She's Funny That Way	Moret, Neil	box I-320	folder 1816
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes	Kern, Jerome	box I-85	folder 299
Someone to Watch over Me	Gershwin, George	box I-102	folder 354
Someone to Watch over Me	Gershwin, George	box I-42	folder 130
Someone to Watch over Me	Gershwin, George	box II-299	folder 3770
Something Old, Something New	Idress, Ramez	box I-251	folder 1248
Something to Remember You By	Schwartz, Arthur	box I-361	folder 2318
Somewhere in the Night	Gordon, Mack	box I-246	folder 1145
Starlit Reverie	Stuart, Johnny	box I-407	folder 2823
Stars Fell on Alabama	Perkins, Frank	box I-386	folder 2580
Stormy Weather	Arlen, Harold	box I-360	folder 2314
Summertime	Gershwin, George	box I-389	folder 2593
Summertime	Gershwin, George	box I-361	folder 2316
Sunrise Serenade	Carle, Frankie	box I-258	folder 1366
Swanee	Gershwin, George	box I-41	folder 125
Sweet Leilani	Owens, Harry	box I-260	folder 1403
Thanks for the Memory	Rainger, Ralph	box I-396	folder 2647
That Little Dream Got Nowhere	Van Heusen, Jimmy	box I-244	folder 1100
That's All I Want to Know	Skylar, Sunny	box II-179	folder 1869
The Bells of St. Mary's	Adams, A. Emmett	box I-316	folder 1791
The Best Things in Life Are Free	Henderson, Ray	box I-403	folder 2725
The Best Things in Life Are Free	Henderson, Ray	box I-179	folder 742
The Dickey-bird Song	Fain, Sammy	box II-327	folder 4266
The First Time I Kissed You	Warren, Harry	box I-374	folder 2500
The Gentleman Is a Dope	Rodgers, Richard	box II-137	folder 804
The Gypsy	Reid, Billy	box I-348	folder 2115
The Kiss Waltz	Burke, Joe	box I-398	folder 2670
The Love Nest	Hirsch, Louis A	box II-34	folder 113
The Man I Love	Gershwin, George	box I-39	folder 117
The Man I Love	Gershwin, George	box I-39	folder 119
The Man Who Paints the Rainbow	Coben, Cy	box II-286	folder 3296
The Moon of Manakoora	Newman, Alfred	box I-266	folder 1454
The Night Is Young and You're So Beautiful	Suesse, Dana	box I-190	folder 798
The Old Spinning Wheel	Hill, Billy	box II-258	folder 2332
The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi	Vernor, F. Dudleigh	box II-199	folder 2046
The Whole World Is Singing My Song	Mizzy, Vic	box I-419	folder 3170
The Whole World Is Singing My Song	Mizzy, Vic	box II-295	folder 3638
There's a Long, Long Trail	Elliott, Zo	box I-343	folder 2066
There's a Small Hotel	Rodgers, Richard	box I-199	folder 850
There's No One But You	Croom-Johnson, Austen	box I-415	folder 3040
These Foolish Things Remind Me of You	Strachey, Jack	box I-270	folder 1549
They Didn't Believe Me	Kern, Jerome	box II-278	folder 2992
They Say It's Wonderful	Berlin, Irving	box I-232	folder 1006
They Say It's Wonderful	Berlin, Irving	box I-121	folder 428
This Is Always	Warren, Harry	box I-359	folder 2303
Time on My Hands	Youmans, Vincent	box I-299	folder 1697
Time on My Hands	Youmans, Vincent	box I-134	folder 496
Tomorrow Night	Grosz, Will	box II-320	folder 4098
Toolie, Oolie, Doolie	Beul, Arthur	box I-295	folder 1679
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, That's an Irish Lullaby: Shameen dhu	Shannon, J. R	box I-298	folder 1696
Try a Little Tenderness	Woods, Harry M	box I-330	folder 1880
Until	Sanderson, Wilfred	box I-314	folder 1778
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve	Loesser, Frank	box II-289	folder 3408
What Is This Thing Called Love	Porter, Cole	box I-257	folder 1342
What Is This Thing Called Love	Porter, Cole	box I-18	folder 54
What Is This Thing Called Love	Bierman, Bernard	box I-415	folder 3057
What'll I Do	Berlin, Irving	box I-321	folder 1820
What's the Use of Wond'rin'	Rodgers, Richard	box I-305	folder 1730
When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love	Lane, Burton	box I-217	folder 934
When My Dream Boat Comes Home	Friend, Cliff	box I-420	folder 3179
When We're Alone: Penthouse Serenade	Jason, Will	box I-336	folder 1971
When You Wish Upon a Star	Harline, Leigh	box I-319	folder 1806
Where or When?	Rodgers, Richard	box I-199	folder 852
Whispering	Schonberger, John	box II-202	folder 2064
Who?	Kern, Jerome	box I-276	folder 1581
Who?	Kern, Jerome	box I-90	folder 317
Why	Coots, J. Fred	box I-292	folder 1657
Why Does It Get Late So Early?	Wrubel, Allie	box II-150	folder 1074
Wintergreen for President	Gershwin, George	box I-41	folder 123
You Are Too Beautiful	Rodgers, Richard	box I-231	folder 1001
You Can't Be True, Dear	Griffin, Ken	box I-266	folder 1449
You Do	Gordon, Mack	box I-247	folder 1167
You Do	Gordon, Mack	box II-264	folder 2491
You Go to My Head	Coots, J. Fred	box I-384	folder 2564
You Go to My Head	Coots, J. Fred	box I-418	folder 3154
You Go to My Head	Coots, J. Fred	box I-418	folder 3155
You Made Me Love You	Monaco, James V	box I-385	folder 2575
You Were Meant for Me	Brown, Nacio Herb	box I-395	folder 2632
Yours Is My Heart Alone	Lehár, Franz	box I-384	folder 2565
Zing Went the Strings of My Heart	Hanley, James F	box I-303	folder 1719

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Comments

Patron-generated content represents the views and interpretations of the patron, not necessarily those of The New York Public Library. For more information see NYPL's Website Terms and Conditions.

Julian Work, "Autumn Walk"

Submitted by George Ferencz (not verified) on July 23, 2021 - 11:03am

"Live" radio (and TV) ate up material constantly and provided lots of steady work for arrangers, copyists, and staff instrumentalists. For me and many thousands of musicians, our introduction to Mr. Work was Mercury's 1959 Eastman Wind Ensemble recording of "Autumn Walk," the LP staying in-print for decades. The "As Time Goes By" is for a very conventional, Goodman-sized complement, but it's interesting to see the Novachord added there as part of its brief 1940s vogue. (nitpick: the "Sabre Dance" doesn't really use *five* saxes, if three are playing Fl/Cl/Cl).

Thanks for your comment

Submitted by Bob Kosovsky (not verified) on July 24, 2021 - 9:45pm

Thanks for your comment George! (While 3 saxes are playing the Saber Dance melody, the other two are playing the harmony.)

Julian Cassander Work post

Submitted by John Gray (not verified) on September 19, 2021 - 2:21am

Researchers seeking more information on Work might also seek out the following doctoral thesis on his work, written only two years after his death in 1995: Girtmon, Paxton Mandell. "An investigation of selected compositions of Julian Cassander Work, an African-American composer of band literature." Dissertation (D.M.A.)—University of Southern Mississippi, 1997. ix, 97 leaves: music. Includes a brief biographical sketch followed by analyses of the compositions Autumn walk, Portraits of the Bible, and Stand the storm.

Invisible No More: Julian Work by Bob Kosovsky, Librarian, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman CenterJuly 22, 2021

Comments

Julian Work, "Autumn Walk"

Thanks for your comment

Julian Cassander Work post

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