Autumn Leaves

Joseph Kosma’s song Les Feuilles Mortes or Autumn Leaves was written with lyrics by Jacques Prévert for the 1946 French post-war film Les Portes de la Nuite.

The well-known later English lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer, and by 1950 the song had developed an independent life as a jazz standard. It has been covered widely by both instrumentalists and vocal artists ever since.

Written for the recorder quintet Fontanella, this arrangement draws inspiration from the song’s harmonic similarity with familiar models from the baroque period. Hence the opening section, inspired by the eighteenth century French overture, can be performed with a feeling for ‘double dotting’ the crotchets, before giving way to jazz swing and a strong bass groove.

Audio Excerpt

Performed by Fontanella on The Nightingale’s Response BCR 015