Table of Contents
Introduction
Originally composed in 1931, “Beautiful Love” is a beloved jazz standard embedded in music history. This song debuted through the Wayne King Orchestra and quickly became an essential tune in jazz standards repertoire. Its presence in films like The Mummy (1932) and several Woody Allen productions secured its legacy. The song’s harmonic foundation reflects early 20th-century jazz evolution, inviting musicians to explore intricate chord structures and melodic interpretation. With the JVL lessons, learners access a sophisticated study of this top standards tune, enhancing their skill to navigate its modulations, idiomatic phrasing, and rhythmic nuances.
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Course Summary
Composer
“Beautiful Love” was composed by the illustrious Victor Young. His elegant harmonic sensibility significantly shaped the song’s emotive chord progressions. Young’s contributions to jazz and popular music blend lyrical melodies with subtle harmonic colors, making this tune a perfect gateway for jazz musicians aiming to learn jazz standards in depth.
Covers
Countless musicians have embraced “Beautiful Love,” offering diverse interpretations that highlight its harmonic versatility. From the soulful renditions by Bill Evans to the innovative phrasing of Kenny Barron, the song manifests different improvisational and voicing approaches. These top covers demonstrate the tune’s flexibility across tempos and moods, making it a definitive jazz standard. Each rendition invites listeners to appreciate the subtle chord substitutions and melodic liberties that define modern jazz music.
This comprehensive course dissects “Beautiful Love” through multifaceted jazz lenses:
- Modal approaches tailored for minor and major tonal centers.
- Triad pairs exercises fostering fluid voice leading and chord transitions.
- Pentatonic and bebop scale options for enriching improvisation vocabulary.
- Chord scale theory including altered dominants and half-diminished chords.
- Analysis and practice of walking bass lines
- Transcriptions and application of solos by Kenny Barron and Bill Evans.
- Technique tips on playing in both 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures.
- Voice leading incorporating chromatic passing tones and tensions.
Lead Sheet PDF
A meticulously crafted lead sheet is available (concert, B-flat and E-flat) featuring the original melody and chord changes in both 3/4 and 4/4 meters. It reflects authentic historically-informed harmonies while aligning with contemporary jazz play styles. You can download the PDF to internalize the form and key centers with clarity.
Harmonic Analysis Highlights
- Form: Structured in ABAC format with eight-bar sections, blending classic song form traditions with jazz reharmonization.
- Key Center: D minor, with a shift to the relative major keys.
- Common Pitfalls: Carefully navigate the minor and major II-V-I progressions. The unresolving II V at the end of the B section is a surprising turn!
Suggested Practice
- Isolate 4-bar phrases and loop slowly to internalize melodic and harmonic motion.
- Practice ii-V-I licks in all 12 keys, focusing on minor and major variants featured in “Beautiful Love.”
- Employ piano voice leading drills with triad and tetrad inversions for smooth harmonic transitions.
- Develop walking bass lines using chromatic passing tones targeting chord tones on strong beats.
Backing Track / Play-along
- Use slow tempos for phrase memorization and rhythmic precision.
- Medium tempos help build groove while practicing improvisational ideas within chord changes.
- Fast tempos cultivate authentic swing feel and spontaneous melodic creativity over the form.
- Experiment with both 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures to master the tune’s rhythmic adaptability.
Tips & Further Resources
- Study similar songs featuring minor ii-V-i progressions, such as “Stella By Starlight” and “Autumn Leaves”.
- Incorporate bebop scale drills and voice leading exercises into daily warmups.
- Progress to other jazz standards of comparable difficulty to deepen harmonic and improvisational fluency.
- Review solo transcriptions by Kenny Barron and Bill Evans to emulate phrasing and melodic development.
Playlist
Listen to the playlist and let me know in the comments which is your favorite version!
This song remains a pivotal repertoire piece for musicians looking to master chord progressions, voice leading, and melodic improvisation in a top jazz music context.
The beauty of “Beautiful Love” lies in its subtle harmonic transitions juxtaposed with accessible melodic contours. Through dedicated study, musicians can uncover the rich vocabulary of Victor Young’s compositions, bringing their own musical voice to this classic song. Whether you are diving into chord extensions, chromatic approaches, or bebop scale nuances, this course offers a deep dive enriched by transcriptions and exercises derived from masters interpretations.
Embrace the challenge that “Beautiful Love” presents. It exemplifies jazz standards where historical context meets contemporary application. The chord progressions and melody provide fertile ground for technical growth and improvisational creativity—true hallmarks of top jazz musicianship. Access our jazz lesson videos online and transform your understanding of this legendary music standard today.
10 comments on “Beautiful Love”
The baritone sax sounds superb on the bass line, especially on the bottom note ( last four bars). But the exercise is very challenging even at a slow tempo.
Hey gang! here I am practicing the bass line, then the line in eighth notes on every other bar, and then I improvise between. It’s in the PDF in concert, B-flat and E-flat, super fun!
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An alto flute interpretation : Herbie Mann 1957
Hi Alex and the community ! Great choice this month ! I love this standard. I didn’t participate last month, but i’ll try to follow this one!
Hi Sylvain! This is definitely a great tune—lots of fun to explore. Looking forward to hearing your take on it. Let us know how it’s going and if you have any questions along the way. For info, you can always go to any standards from the library and ask any questions as well, not just the standard of the month. Keep swinging! 🎶
Ye Alex, i know, but we definitively will never had the time on one life to play correctly all standards and pieces we want… I think Beutiful love will inspire me more than Stella by Starlight. I promise to take time to watch the lesson and maybe try a first version and share it.
Maybe this week end?
Grey at version by Bennyy Golson and pianist Mulgrew Miller. I like Anita O’Dayes version too, with a great chorus by Barney Kessel. Jim Hall and Petrucciani deserve a great interpretation too.
Great version by Benny Golson and pianist Mulgrew Miller. I like Anit
Watch “Hotel Continental”:
https://youtu.be/-iyuazd83AI?si=MN5trhmMaSKlSQ0h
Watch the movie “The Mummy”: