Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"More Than You Know" is a ballad composed by Vincent Youmans with lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu, published in 1929. It was introduced in the Broadway musical Great Day, which closed after only 36 performances—yet this song, along with "Without a Song," survived the show's failure to become an enduring standard.

The tune is written in E-flat major and follows a 32-bar AABA form. Youmans's melody features expressive wide intervals and sustained tones that convey deep yearning, perfectly complementing the lyric's declaration of love beyond measure. The harmonic framework blends diatonic progressions with tasteful chromatic passing chords, creating warmth and emotional depth. Most often performed as a slow ballad, the song also lends itself to medium swing treatments, showcasing its melodic resilience across tempos.

Early definitive recordings include those by Helen Morgan and Libby Holman in 1929. In jazz, Billie Holiday's vocal interpretation is widely regarded as a classic, while the Benny Goodman Trio's 1936 recording with Teddy Wilson is a landmark of swing-era small-group jazz. The song gained renewed visibility when Michelle Pfeiffer performed it in the 1989 film The Fabulous Baker Boys.