Origin:

From the Disney animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Style:

Waltz, played at a wide variety of tempos. Occasionally played as a 4/4 swing.

Form:

A-B-A-C (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Arrangements:

It has become common practice to begin the performance with a V7Sus vamp.  It is also common for bass players to continue the V pedal through the first A section of the form during the head in, as heard on Miles Davis'  landmark 1961 recording from Someday My Prince Will Come.

Key:

Most commonly played in Bb Major.

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony of this composition is functional and remains almost entirely  diatonic. The A sections begin with IMaj7 - III7 - IVMaj7 before a V7 of II resolves to IImi in the 5th bar. After IImi is tonicized for a brief  moment the section finishes with IImi - V7. The B section is very straightforward, revolving entirely around IIImi7 - bIIIdim7 - IImi7 -  V7. The final C section begins with a II - V to IVMaj7 and continues  with #IVdim7. The final 4 bars of the form can be treated with a variety of different turnarounds back to the tonic, although oftentimes a V7sus vamp is used  instead.

Recordings:

This song has been recorded over 300 times to date. It was originally introduced by Adriana Caselotti in the 1937 Disney animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Although musicians such as Dave Brubeck and Bill Evans were some of the jazz musicians to record the tune, it was ultimately Miles Davis' highly 1961 recording that helped to legitimize it as a jazz standard.

JGC Top Picks:

Miles Davis, Someday My Prince Will Come, 1961

Ben Sidran, Live At Montreux, 1978

Tigran Hamasyan, A Fable, 2010