My Shining Hour

Harmonic analysis of the jazz standard "My Shining Hour" by Harold Arlen.

My Shining Hour was composed by Harold Arlen in 1943. The song follows a 32 bar form and is originally in the key of Db major. This is an analysis of the harmony in My Shining Hour and an explanation of the concepts used in the analysis. The image above shows my full analysis, which I will explore in more detail below. You can refer to the conventions page to explore the analytic concepts used or get the PDF for free.

The long A section begins with a I-vi-II-V and followed by a I-vi-ii-V, with the only difference being the dominant II7 in the first progression. This is followed by a vi-#IV-ii-V where the sharp four half diminished resolves to the ii. The final four bar phrase in the A section is vi-II-ii-V.

The B section temporarily shifts the key center to the IV with a ii/IV-V/IV-IV cadence. This is followed by a V of bIII leading to the bIII before a ii-V leading to the original tonic.

The C section ascends diatonically with a I-ii before descending chromatically with a #IV-iv-iii-subV/ii leading to a ii-V-I.

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