1. Barry Manilow

2. • Barry Alan Pincus
• Born June 17, 1943 in Brooklyn,
New York
• His parents divorced when he was
very young

3. • His stepfather introduced him to
music
• He learned to play the accordion at
the age of 7
• His instrument of choice was the
piano
• At the age of 13, he started to sing

4. • Barry was exposed to different types of music
and Broadway productions
• The music of Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra
influenced Barry in his love for music
• His stepfather supported Barry and played a big
part in nurturing his enthusiasm for music

5. • Barry played local gigs throughout high
school
• He graduated from high school in 1961
• After graduation, he attended Julliard School
of Music
• He paid for school by working in the
mailroom at CBS
• He married his high school sweetheart in
1964, however they divorced in 1965

6. • Barry wrote commercial jingles for
different products and companies such
as:
• Band-Aid
• Stridex
• Bowlene Toilet Cleaner
• State Farm Insurance

7. • Barry also sang some jingles that he did not
write:
• Jack-in-the-Box
• Pepsi
• Dr. Pepper
• McDonalds

8. • Barry worked with Bette Midler in 1971
• She wanted him to be her accompanist at
an upcoming performance
• He continued to work for her for many
years as her piano player, conductor,
arranger and musical director

9. • Barry’s big break came when Bette was
performing in Carnegie Hall. Between
sets, he was able to sing some of his own
songs. The crowd loved him, and he
received a standing ovation.
• It was his first performance of that
magnitude

10. • After his performance in Carnegie Hall, Barry
made a demo tape
• He was signed with Bell Records, which later
became Artista Records
• He recorded his first album titled:
‘Barry Manilow I’
• The sales of this album were respectable

11. ‘MANDY’
• Barry’s first single to be released was ‘Mandy’
• He did not write this song, however it was a big
hit for him
• The song was originally released in 1971 by
Scott English
• In 1974, Clive Davis asked Barry to re-record
the song

12. • The song had originally been released as
a pop tune
• Barry decided to sing it as a ballad
instead
• The song has a beautiful melody and is
soothing to listen to

13. • The introduction to this song is a piano solo
• The 1st verse starts with the singer telling a
story
• He is still accompanied by the piano, in piano
volume
• The harmony of the song are chords played
on the piano while he sings
• As he is singing the last line of the verse, his
voice gets louder (medium piano)
• We can hear cymbals being played to
introduce the second verse of the song

14. • The second verse begins
• The melody plays constantly in this verse
• He tries to make a connection with the
listener, telling how he lost the only person he
cared for
• As we come to the end of this verse, the tempo
stays the same (adagio), but the volume
gradually increases until we get to forte as we
enter into the chorus

15. • The song has taken on a new personality
• The piano is still playing, but we also have
drums playing giving a more distinct beat to
the song
• We can also hear the soft lull of string
instruments in the background
• The instruments subtle on their own, but
make a bold statement together

16. • The chorus takes on the tempo of andante
• The volume is mezzo forte
• This is bringing more emotion to the song and
brings the listener in to be part of the music
• As we come to the end of the chorus, the
singing stops and once again hear the piano
playing the melody as it leads us into the third
verse

17. • The third verse continues with the same melody
as in the previous verses
• The difference between this verse and the first
two verses is the accompaniment
• This verse has piano, percussion, and string
instruments
• The instruments help bring a climax to the song
• The chorus once again plays

18. • The bridge follows
• It brings a new life to the song
• The music is conjuct, the tempo is
moderato
• As you listen, you can hear the
desperation in his voice

19. • The chorus is sung two more times
• The second time is louder and more intense
• The last two words of the song ‘need you’ are
sung differently
• ‘need’ is held out for a count of 4 notes, while
‘you’ is held out for a count of 8 notes
• The song slowly fades out with the piano,
strings, horns and percussion playing for the
last 15 seconds of the song
• The form of this piece is:
• Verse 1 | Verse 2 | Chorus | Verse 3 | Bridge | Chorus | Fadeout

20. ‘COPACABANA (AT THE COPA)’
• Another popular song that Barry sang was
‘Copacabana(At the Copa)’
• This song debuted in May 1978 on the album ‘Even
Now’
• Barry wrote the song along with Bruce Sussman and
Jack Feldman
• The song was written in about 15 minutes
• They were all amazed at this songs success

21. • ‘Copacabana’ earned Barry his first and only
Grammy
• It was also his first gold single for a song he
had composed
• It also became his first international hit record
• Since its release, the song has been made into
a full-length television musical and a two
stage musical in both the US and the UK

22. • The introduction to the song starts w/vivance
tempo
• You can hear the drums and maracas giving
us a lively beat
• As the drums play, you can hear the
repetitious beat
• The string instruments make their appearance
• A brass instrument comes in for the last 3
notes of the introduction
• Then we hear a rest for a quarter note, then
the first verse begins

23. • Verse 1 is accompanied by a kettle drum,
guitar and brass instrument
• The tempo has not changed
• This song is telling a story of two people, and
they are introduced in this verse
• The first and third lines of the song are sung a
little slower than the second and fourth lines
• In the fifth line, the words are emphasized by
the brass instrument being played on the
downbeat

24. • The chorus continues with the same beat
• It is sung in an arch at the tempo of vivance
• You can hear the backup singers echoing the
words of the chorus
• Toward the end of the chorus, the music
makes a dramatic pause
• The last four words of the song ‘they fell in
love’ are sung moderato and in a descending
contour
• The backup singers sing the title of the song
and lead us into the second verse

25. • The second verse follows the same pattern as the
first
• The story continues with a new person bringing
conflict into the song
• One line in the song says ‘he called her over’,
then we hear a person whistle. It makes you feel
like you are there, makes the song more real
• This verse leaves you wondering what is going to
happen in the next verse of the song
• The chorus repeats and is the same pattern as the
first time
• At the end of the chorus this time, we hear a
woman scream, then the last four words ‘she lost
her love’, being sung more slowly than the rest of
the chorus

26. • The bridge is sung in allegro tempo and forte
• The bridge of this song starts with the backup
singers repeating the words ‘At the Copa,
Copacabana’
• They are singing in harmony, ascending contour
• The only instruments playing are the maracas
and brass instruments
• We can hear them start at a low note, and slowly
ascend to a higher pitch
• We now hear a repeat of the introduction
• My guess is they want to let us know that many
years have passed and we are continuing the
story from a different time

27. • The third verse is sung in the same pattern as
in verses 1 and 2
• The story has continued, and we find out what
has happened to the woman after all these
years
• We are led into the chorus for a last time
• The chorus follows the same pattern as before
• The last four lines of the chorus ‘don’t fall in
love’ are sung slowly, and repeated once

28. • The conclusion of the song is played in forte and
conjunct
• The tempo is still vivance
• The backup singers repeat the words ‘Copa,
Copacabana’ a few times
• The kettle drums come in and we hear the
percussion for 12 beats
• The song fades out with the drums playing and the
backup singers repeating the same words
• The form of this piece is:
• Introduction | Verse 1 | Chorus | Verse 2 | Chorus | Bridge |
Introduction 2 | Verse 3 | Chorus | Conclusion | Fadeout

29. ‘ONE VOICE’
• The song ‘One Voice’ came to Barry in a
dream
• He sang it into his recorder in the middle of
the night
• The next morning he listened to it and was
amazed
• It is an amazing song, but I don’t feel it got the
recognition it deserved
• The song was released in November 1979 on
the album bearing the same name

30. • There is no introduction to this song
• At this point, the song is sung in mezzo forte,
very solemn
• Verse 1 starts out with only the singers voice,
he is singing acapella
• Singing acapella makes a bold statement in
the song, it helps to convey what the singer is
trying to say in this song
• As you listen to the words, take special note of
when the singer is alone, when other voices
are brought in, and when instruments are
brought in

31. • The second verse begins, and we hear that
other voices have joined in
• The amazing thing about this song is that
Barry sings all the backup on this song
• The song makes a bold statement in that one
voice started, and now others have joined
• The voices are not singing in unison, but are
singing in more of an imitation pattern
• They are also singing in different pitches

32. • The chorus begins
• If you listen closely, you will hear that once
again the singer is being accompanied by
backup voices, still no instruments
• The melody has changed slightly
• As the chorus comes to an end, the singer
lengthens out the last two notes being sung,
while backup voices imitate the words
• Listen to the last two words of the chorus as
we hear the words sung at different pitches

33. • The bridge in this song is once again only
Barry using his voice as the instrument
• There is harmonizing while he sings ‘bah,
bah’ throughout this part of the song
• The song is now homorhythmic, and the
tempo is andante
• At the end of the bridge, we hear the words ‘it
takes that one voice’, and then for the first
time we hear another instrument (the cymbals
and drums)
• We are led into the third verse

34. • The third verse has Barry singing forte with
the background voices being mezzo piano
• We can also hear the beat of a drum in triple
single
• The words are sung a little more slowly and
he is hanging on to almost every note
• Towards the end of this verse, the notes are
held longer, backup voices are a little louder
• The cymbals and a the chimes are playing
more distinctly in the background

35. • The conclusion of this song has Barry stressing
each note that he sings, with a brass instrument
imitating the note being sung
• The last word of the song ‘sing’ is held for a
count of 12 beats
• The song finishes with the backup voices, the
drum and brass instruments making a dramatic
exit to the song
• The music gradually fades out
• The form of this piece is:
• Verse 1 | Verse 2 | Chorus | Bridge | Verse 3 | Conclusion |
Fadeout

36. • Although Barry is considered the most
successful contemporary singers ever, he has
never gained much respect from the music
world.
• Barry and his music will always be a part of
American culture, from the jingles that he has
written, to the beautiful music he as written
and continues to write.

37. References and Bibliography
• Classic Bands. September 2010
<http://classicbands.com>.
• Sing 365. September 2010
<http://www.sing365.com>.
• Songfacts. September 2010
<http://www.songfacts.com>.
• The Biography Channel. September 2010
<http://thebiographychannel.co.uk>.
• VH1. September 2010 <http://vh1.com>.