Composer bernstein4/12/2023 Carpers like Oscar Levant complained, "Leonard Bernstein is telling musical secrets that have been well-known for two hundred years." Yeah, but not among the lay public. Indeed, throughout Bernstein's adult life, new media played an important role in strengthening his celebrity and his career. Coming from an era in which they thought of Toscanini's NBC Symphony as "their" orchestra, New Yorkers now began speaking familiarly of "the Philharmonic." Bernstein strengthened his position with his brilliant series of Young People's Concerts, broadcast nationwide on television. Schonberg, was not kind), Bernstein succeeded in making the orchestra central to the city's intellectual life. Nevertheless, whatever people thought of Bernstein's conducting (the Times's chief music critic, Harold C. A very brief period saw the premieres of his First Symphony "Jeremiah", the ballet Fancy Free, and the Broadway musical On the Town, which contained what became the city's anthem, "New York, New York." He directed the New York Philharmonic from 1958 to 1969, a tenure full of controversy now remembered fondly by many as that orchestra's Golden Age. That concert, broadcast nationwide, bestowed upon him instant fame, which transferred to his composing career as well. In 1943, Artur Rodzinski appointed him assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and that same year, Bernstein filled in for an ailing Bruno Walter on extremely short notice in a program that included some rare modern music. In New York, he contributed to nightclub revues and tried his hand at writing pop, jazz-based songs. Many classical-music listeners today owe their passion to Bernstein's innovative television programs.īernstein, almost from the beginning, straddled both classical and popular music. His brilliant forays into education and outreach yielded much fruit. In his country, he became as famous and celebrated and adored as some pop figures. He was the first fabulously successful American classical musician and conductor born and trained in the U.S. Bernstein became the guy who showed Europe what American music and musicians could do. In Goldwynesque fashion, that comment obliquely sums up Bernstein's stature, at least in the United States. Sam replied, "Who knew he was going to turn out to be Leonard Bernstein?" In light of Bernstein's later success, a reporter asked Samuel why he had put up such resistance to his son's choice of a musical career. He also studied conducting with Koussevitzky at Tanglewood and in 1942 became Koussevitzsky's assistant. The "popular" Copland shows up in various guises almost throughout Bernstein's composing career. Undoubtedly, however, the vast influence on him as a young man was Aaron Copland, who along with David Diamond, gave him advice on his earliest efforts at composition. After Harvard, Bernstein studied at the Curtis Institute with Vengerova (piano), Randall Thompson (orchestration), and Fritz Reiner (conducting). He attended Harvard, where he studied with Edward Burlingame Hill and Walter Piston. His father, however, wanted him to join the family firm, but Leonard was adamant about studying music. He became excellent, even at a young age. Over his father's objections, she sent the boy for piano lessons. His mother, Jennie, had a love of art and music. His father, Samuel, had become successful in the beauty-supply business. This iconic New Yorker was born in the environs of Boston, Mass., the son of Russian immigrants.
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