Here's naive specification of the melody.  Lets say that each note
(letter below) is a quarter note where a dash "-" indicates the
previous note is held for a 2nd quarter.  And lets say "c" is middle c
and cap "c" or "C" is one octave higher.  No flats or sharps.
Then the 1st two phrases in this song are:
cceeggCCb-g-a-
C-bbggaaCCb-g-a-

rrun --

The song is "Was That The Human Thing To Do," which was written in
1931 by Sammy Fain and Joe Young.

Here is a link to a one-minute audio clip of a recording of the song
by the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra:
Barnes & Noble: Harlem to Hollywood, Vol. 1
http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?sourceid=00401402266589280655&ean=019688102425&bfdate=08-19-2003+21:30:34


It was among the top hits of 1932 as performed by The Boswell Sisters
and by Bert Lown:
Lyrics World: Top Ten Hits of 1932
http://ntl.matrix.com.br/pfilho/html/top40/1932.html


A piano/vocal version of the song is available in two folios carried
by Hal Leonard Online.  Here is the link to the relevant page on that
site:
Hal Leonard Online: "Was That The Human Thing To Do"
http://www.halleonard.com/search_songs2.jsp?songid=903360&songtitle=Was+That+The+Human+Thing+To+Do&catcode=02&refer=search&type=song&keywords=was+that+the+human+thing+

Here is a link to the All Music Guide, which lists the recordings that
have been made of the song:
All Music Guide: Was That The Human Thing To Do
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CASS70305141807&sql=H1416216

When you click on the links to any of the albums listed, a "Barnes &
Noble" icon/link will appear on those that are available for purchase
from that online retailer.


Search Strategy:

I have had a lifelong interest in pre-WWII pop music and have played
much of it on the piano for college/grad school spending money and for
fun over a period of several decades.  In fact, I spent my weekly hour
this afternoon playing from this repertoire at a nearby assisted
living facility on a volunteer basis.  (My 85-year-old "fans" love
it.)

I recognized the song from your accurate coding, but I could
immediately come up with only a part of the title ("human thing to
do").  The complete title finally came to me while I was "noodling" on
the piano, and I confirmed the title and songwriters with a Google
search using the following obvious search terms:
"that the human thing to do"
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22that+the+human+thing+to+do%22

I got the other information from visiting sites that were already
familiar to me.



I am confident that this is the information you are seeking, and I am
happy to have been able to provide it to you promptly.  If any of the
information is unclear, please ask for clarification before rating the
answer.


markj-ga

I am thrilled with this correct answer and the detail included.  My
father died last month at 92 years old, and this is a piece he played
on the piano throughout his life.  We never thought to ask about the
piece or title until after he was gone and then realized it was a
significant part of our family experince.  Thanks hugely!  rrun

Ok...this kid is GOOD. Let's keep him.

Good, Tutuzdad?

Only good?

AMAZING!

Thanks for the kind words and the five-star ratings.  I was glad to help.

markj-ga