John Klenner

{{Short description|German-born American pianist and composer}}

John Klenner (24 February 1899 – 13 August 1955) was a German-born American pianist, composer, and lyricist. He composed both classical and popular music and is best known for writing the song "Just Friends" with Sam M. Lewis in 1931.

Compositions

;Concertante

  • Fantasia for viola and orchestra

;Vocal

  • "Japansy" (c.1928) written with Alfred Bryan{{Cite book |last1=Caesar |first1=Irving |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U4d7j3CSifgC |title=Crazy Rhythm |last2=Meyer |first2=Joseph |last3=Kahn |first3=Roger Wolfe |publisher=Harms Inc |year=1928 |location=New York |pages=11}}
  • "My Window of Dreams" (c.1928) written with Alfred Bryan{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iJvvdjVCfpsC |title=The Canadian Patent Office Record and Register of Copyrights and Trade Marks |date=June 26, 1928 |publisher=Patent Office |pages=XV |language=en}}
  • "Down the River of Golden Dreams" (1930)
  • "Heartaches" (1931) (lyrics; music composed by Al Hoffman{{Cite book |last=Tyler |first=Don |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hSCfBQAAQBAJ |title=Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era |date=2007-04-16 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-2946-2 |pages=296 |language=en}})
  • "Just Friends" (1931)
  • "Round the Bend of the Road" (1932)
  • "Smoke Dreams" (1937)
  • "Let's Go Back to the Bible" (written with Bob Miller){{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBNhAAAAIAAJ |title=Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical compositions |date=1945 |publisher=Library of Congress, Copyright Office. |pages=321–695 |language=en}}
  • "My Old Brown Fiddle" (words and music)
  • "My Old Canadian Home" (written with Wilf Carter and Bob Miller)
  • "My Mother's Roses" (written with Bob Miller)
  • "On the Street of Regret" (1942)
  • "Summer Moon", lyrics for a Leeds Music Corporation 1947 adaptation of the Princesses' Round Dance (actually a Russian folksong In The Garden) licensed from Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird; the music was likely arranged by Lou Singer){{Cite book |last=White |first=Eric Walter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rZVRysD6FJsC |title=Stravinsky: The Composer and His Works |date=1979 |publisher=University of California Press |pages=154 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Walsh |first=Stephen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzXtKwJQv1gC |title=Stravinsky: The Second Exile: France and America, 1934–1971 |date=2008-03-03 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-25615-6 |pages=206 |language=en}}

Notes

{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=Jeremy |title=John Klenner Biography |website=JazzBiographies.com |url=http://www.jazzbiographies.com/Biography.aspx?ID=66 |access-date=23 October 2013 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029205111/http://www.jazzbiographies.com/Biography.aspx?ID=66 |url-status=dead }}

{{cite book |last=Jasen |first=David A. |title=Tin Pan Alley: The Composers, the Songs, the Performers and Their Times: The Golden Age of American Popular Music from 1886 to 1956 |publisher=D.I. Fine |year=1988 |isbn=978-1-55611-099-3 |page=131}}