Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"If I Should Lose You" was composed by Ralph Rainger with lyrics by Leo Robin, introduced in the 1936 Paramount film Rose of the Rancho. Rainger was a Hollywood film composer whose credits include the Academy Award–winning "Thanks for the Memory."

The tune follows a 32-bar ABAB' form. While originally written in A minor, jazz musicians most commonly play it in G minor (relative to Bb major). Notably, though the song opens in G minor, the tonal center shifts throughout and ultimately resolves to Bb major—creating an evocative ambiguity between minor-key melancholy and major-key warmth. The chord progression is rich with ii-V movement and lends itself to ballad, medium-swing, and more adventurous modern interpretations alike.

Charlie Parker's recording on Charlie Parker with Strings (recorded 1949) brought the tune into the jazz mainstream. Hank Mobley's hard-bop reading on Soul Station (1960) is another essential version, with its confident, soulful approach to the melody and changes.