That Tune Sounds Familiar: You Be the Judge

Opera, operetta, musical theater, and popular song abound with wonderful tunes, some of them even original. Others, as soon as we hear them, ring a bell. Such borrowings might be coincidental, inadvertent, or intentional, and it is precisely the distinctions among these options that have kept judges busy in numerous well-publicized court cases, involving—sometimes as plaintiff, more often as defendant—some of the biggest names in the music world, from Al Jolson to Cole Porter to Jerry Herman to Andrew Lloyd Webber. In this course, we evaluate the most blatant and famous examples of tune pilfering, many of which have resulted in huge cash settlements. Plan for some surprises. Side-by-side audio examples are offered for each tune discussed; you be the judge and jury.