Camelot by Lerner & Lowe – Improvised by pianist Charles Manning

In honor of President John F. Kennedy

On this date, November 22, in 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. In tribute to President Kennedy, pianist Charles Manning improvises the song “Camelot.” Written by Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music), the song “Camelot” is from the musical of the same name. Based on the King Arthur legend, “Camelot” opened on Broadway in 1960, won four Tony Awards, and was adapted for film in 1967. The original Broadway cast starred Julie Andrews in the role of Queen Guenevere, Richard Burton as King Arthur, and Robert Goulet as Sir Lancelot. The song “Camelot” was sung by King Arthur to Guenevere about the joys of life in Camelot.

In 1961, the original Broadway cast recording peaked at No. 1 on the US Top Monaural LPs Billboard chart. President Kennedy often enjoyed listening to the original cast recording during evening hours at the White House. Kennedy and Lerner had been classmates together at Harvard University. The favorite “Camelot” lines of President Kennedy are in the ending of Act II:

“Don’t let it be forgot
That once there was a spot,
For one brief, shining moment
That was known as Camelot.”

After the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, his widow Jacqueline Kennedy quoted the above “Camelot” lines to ensure that her husband’s legacy would not be forgotten. To this day, the Kennedy presidential years have been remembered as the “Camelot Era.”

Award:
Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (1961), Richard Burton, Recipient