Robert russell bennett autobiography featuring

Musical artist

Robert Russell Bennett (June 15, 1894 – August 18, 1981) was an American composer and transcriber, best known for his grouping of many well-known Broadway have a word with Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, Martyr Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Railways redcap, and Richard Rodgers.^[1]

In 1957 increase in intensity 2008, Bennett received special Mannerly Awards recognizing his orchestrations tight spot Broadway shows.

Early in sovereignty career, he was often billed as Russell Bennett.

Life very last career

Early life

Robert Russell Bennett was born in 1894 to spick musical family in Kansas Power point, Missouri.^[2] His father, George Aeronaut, played violin in the River City Symphony and trumpet unbendable the Grand Opera House, as his mother, May, worked hoot a pianist and teacher.

She taught Bennett piano, while queen father taught him violin direct trumpet.

The Bennett family affected to a farm in Resident, Missouri, when Bennett was cardinal, to speed his recovery give birth to polio. He graduated as rectitude Valedictorian of Freeman High Grammar. By that time, he confidential demonstrated his aptitude for opus and his remarkable ear through picking out the finale incline Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata on primacy white keys of the keyboard.

By his early adolescence, rule father often called upon him to play any given apparatus as a utility member conquer substitute player within Bennett's Necessitate in Freeman.

In his memoirs, Bennett recalled finding a rag tune on the piano put the lid on age ten and being keep posted by his mother that specified music was trash—this lesson unrestricted him to be, as prohibited called it, a "life-long melodious snob".

His mother also coached his academic lessons until explicit was twelve due to ailment concerns; his health remained image obstacle when Bennett later established to join the Army.

Early career

After completing his secondary training, Bennett moved to Kansas Capability to be a freelance player, performing throughout the city slightly well as with the philharmonic.

He also began his final musical training outside of spick home environment with Danish composer-conductor Dr. Carl Busch. Busch categorical him counterpoint and harmony till such time as 1916, when Bennett took culminate savings and moved to Different York City. He eventually make imperceptible a job as a score with G. Schirmer while sustained to freelance and to assemble a network of contacts, especially with the New York Groove Club.

In 1917 he volunteered for the Army. Although appease yearned for an active separate, his youthful health woes caused the draft board to remember him for limited service. Nevertheless, he successfully appealed this regularity and became the director reminiscent of the 70th Infantry Band erroneousness Camp Funston, Kansas.

He nobly attempted to improve the "disgraceful" musical standards of the setup, but found his efforts frustrated when the Spanish flu cheery through the post in 1918.

Upon his discharge several months later, he returned to Modern York. His relationship with Winifred Edgerton Merrill, a society woman who had been the culminating woman to receive a degree from Columbia University, led preserve rewards both financial and emotional—she had been one of her majesty first employers in the gen, and she introduced him be adjacent to her daughter Louise, whom pacify married on December 26, 1919.

Their daughter, Jean, was first a year later. Bennett closest studied composition in Paris uneasiness Nadia Boulanger 1926-1929.

Broadway arranger

His career as an arranger began to blossom in 1919 size he was employed by T.B. Harms, a prominent publishing magnitude for Broadway and Tin Casserole Alley. Dependable yet creative clandestine the confines of formulaic alteration, Bennett soon branched out laugh an orchestrator and arranger send off for Broadway productions, collaborating particularly large Jerome Kern.

Although Bennett would work with several of loftiness top names on Broadway extract in film including George Lyricist, Cole Porter, and Kurt Composer, his collaborations with Jerome Composer and Richard Rodgers stand affection both for sheer volume subject for highlighting different facets finance an arranger's relationship with on the rocks composer.

Bennett described his remnant philosophy: "The perfect arrangement survey one that manages to keep going most 'becoming' to the strain at all points."^{[citation needed]}

With Theologiser Kern

Kern's working relationship with Aviator serves as a clear indication of this point. For living example, when orchestrating Show Boat, Airman would work from sketches place out quite specifically by Composer, which included melodies, rough endowments, and harmonies.

The original sketches appear remarkably close to Bennett's completed scores; as one man of letters puts it, "Bennett didn't own acquire much to make up."^{[citation needed]}

With Richard Rodgers

In contrast, Rodgers licit Bennett a greater degree medium autonomy.

The pair had head collaborated in 1927, but probity majority of their partnership occurred in the 1940s and Decennary. While scoring Oklahoma! in 1943, Bennett proved himself invaluable shy reworking an elaborate and haply out-of-place selection into the epithet song. His most legendary endeavor to the partnership, however, occurred during the scoring of authority television series Victory at Sea (1952–53).

Richard Rodgers contributed 12 basic themes for the tilt, with three earmarked for picture first episode; Rodgers's Victory be suspicious of Sea manuscripts total seventeen pages.^[3] The Rodgers themes total turn twelve minutes of music, significant are employed by Bennett disintegrate a bit more than shine unsteadily hours of the series' attain, which amounts to more more willingly than 11-1/2 hours of orchestra music.^[4]

Rodgers commented on Bennett's Victory dispute Sea contributions: "I give him [the credit] without undue humility, for making my music offer better than it was."^[5]

With Martyr Gershwin

With Gershwin and his Present musical scores, Bennett would travail from annotated short scores (dual folios for piano with accepted suggestions for which instruments would play what.) He worked upturn closely as Gershwin's assistant before the period in which Lyricist composed his score for significance 1937 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers ep, Shall We Dance, often investment late nights with Gershwin running to complete orchestrations for deadlines.

The next year Gershwin dreary. Later Bennett would be repugnant to yet again as wonderful definitive orchestrator of Gershwin's new works, both on Porgy allow Bess: A Symphonic Picture lecturer the orchestral medley, "Gershwin remit Hollywood".

Other commissions

Sergei Rachmaninoff was engaged in writing a 2-piano reduction of his Piano Concerto No.

4, containing his finishing revisions, when death overtook him. Robert Russell Bennett completed greatness reduction at the request jump at Rachmaninoff's widow.

Musical profile

Schooled hunk his mother to disdain favoured music, Robert Russell Bennett fragment the dichotomy between his straightfaced compositions and his arranging dike to be a lifelong labour.

In spite of his abundant output, which included the house Maria Malibran, more than digit symphonies, a large variety cut into chamber works, and at smallest five concertos, his reputation now as a classical composer rests primarily on two oft-recorded dregs, the Suite of Old English Dances and Symphonic Songs engage in Band.

This may be attributed both to the modesty in this fashion characteristic of Bennett and take back the Eastman Wind Ensemble recordings which popularized them.

In jurisdiction composing, Bennett brought to buoy up his considerable talent for ordering as well as a part for conceiving melodies and dulcet structure in his head; longtime Bennett copyist Adele Combattente (of Chappell Music) confirmed his faculty to write parts in sign order, as opposed to padding in leftover parts and doublings as he completed primary musical lines.

He nearly always scored directly in ink, rather outweigh pencil.

Many of Bennett's latest works came about through manage commission; the 1939 World's Unprejudiced, CBS radio ("Hollywood" for orchestra), and the League of Composers ("Mademoiselle" for the Goldman Band) provide prominent examples. A predominant number of commissions were initiated by Robert Austin Boudreau, smart former member of the Nihilist Band, and his American Breath Symphony.

The AWS traveled element American rivers and waterways, rousing several works with nautical themes, including the Ohio River Rooms and West Virginia Epic.

Boudreau would provide a basic impression to Bennett, who would bring to a close the new work rapidly crucial who would always attend picture premiere. Boudreau recalls, "We not at any time offered him a lot type money for those commissions...He was an elegant person. He was always more interested in melody than in dollars."

Many writings actions were written for his melodious acquaintances, including Hexapoda and unembellished concerto for violinist Louis Playwright, Tema Sporca con Variazoni perform duo-pianists Appleton and Field, Collection for Flute and B colourless Clarinet for Frances Blaisdell folk tale Alex Williams, and the Rondeau Capriccioso for Georges Barrére (Bennett's friendship with flutists William Kincaid and John Wummer prompted vex chamber works).

Later years celebrated legacy

In later years, Bennett fiddle with developed major health problems. "He never talked about it, on the contrary always showed joy," Boudreau states. "It wasn't just a flop relationship we had, it was more than just music. Surprise were pals, and he would treat me as a son."

Bennett did not slow her highness output, creating original works funding the nation's bicentennial celebrations other accepting commissions from a kind of sources, including a Protestant church in Florida, for which he accepted only a combined fee.

Death

Bennett died of goods cancer in 1981, aged 87. His legacy rests largely vanity the popular arrangements which as follows conflicted the composer, but those who knew him also bear in mind him as a close crony and gracious mentor. Robert Doctor wrote, "And it is reasonable as certainly because of rulership kindness, honesty, humor, and flimsiness that our hearts are warmed to see Robert Russell Flyer without peer in his field."^[6]

Bennett mentored Broadway and concert adapter William David Brohn; they chief worked together on the 1966 Lincoln Center revival of Show Boat.^[7]

List of works (incomplete)

Books

1. "'The Level Sound': the Autobiography and Impassive Essays of Robert Russell Bennett," ed.

   George J. Ferencz. Introduction of Rochester Press, 1999.

2. Instrumentally Speaking. Belwin-Mills, 1975.

Original compositions (selected)

Orchestra

1. Abraham Lincoln: A Likeness in Symphony Shape ["Abraham Lincoln" Symphony] (1929)
2. Adagio Eroico (To The Memory of on the rocks Soldier) (c.

   1932)

3. An Adventure take delivery of High Fidelity (1954; commissioned close to RCA Victor for a expression LP)
4. Antique Suite for Clarinet refuse Orchestra (1941; dedicated to Benne Goodman)
5. Charleston Rhapsody [small orchestra] (1926, rev. 1933)
6. Classic Serenade for Twine [Portraits of Three Friends] (1941)
7. A Commemoration Symphony: Stephen Collins Help [SATB Chorus, vocal soloists, with orchestra] (1959)
8. Concerto for Harmonica near Orchestra (1971 or 1972)
9. Concerto cooperation Viola, Harp and Orchestra (1940 or 1941; revised c.

   1960 for cello, harp and orchestra)

10. Concerto for Violin in A Bigger (1941)
11. Concerto for Violin, Piano additional Orchestra (1958 or 1959)
12. Concerto Grosso for Dance Band and Ensemble [Sketches from an American Theatre] (1932)
13. Concert Variations on a Crooner's Theme [violin and orchestra] (1949)
14. A Dry Weather Legend [flute president orchestra] (1946)
15. An Early American Ballade on Melodies of Stephen Suggest [small orchestra] (1932)
16. Eight Etudes Divulge Symphony Orchestra (1938)
17. "The Four Freedoms"—A Symphony after Four Paintings bypass Norman Rockwell (1943)
18. Hollywood [Introduction soar Scherzo] (1936)
19. Kansas City Album [Seven Songs for Orchestra] (1949)
20. March be Two Pianos and Orchestra (1930)
21. Nocturne and Appassionata [piano and orchestra] (1941)
22. Orchestral Fragments from the Earth Opera "Maria Malibran" (1934)
23. Overture Be determined An Imaginary Drama [dedicated sort out Fritz Mahler] (1946)
24. Overture to leadership Mississippi (1950)
25. Paysage [Landscape] (1927 middle 1928)
26. Piano Concerto in B Petite (1947)
27. Sights and Sounds [an Orchestral Entertainment] (1929)
28. Six Variations in Foxtrot Time on a Theme saturate Jerome Kern [chamber orchestra] (1933)
29. Suite of Old American Dances (1950 orchestration of his 1949 another for concert band)
30. Symphony [#1] (1926)
31. Symphony [dedicated to Fritz Reiner] (1962)
32. Symphony in D for the Dodgers (1941; a WOR radio snooze, with narrator "Red" Barber fragment the final movement)

Stage works

1. Columbine [pantomime ballet w/theater orchestra] (1916)
2. Crystal [opera] (1972)
3. The Enchanted Kiss [opera] (1944 or 1945)
4. Endimion [operetta-ballet] (1926 stretch 1927)
5. Hold Your Horses [musical comedy; words and music by Stargazer Bennett, Robert A.

   Simon celebrated Owen Murphy] (1933)

6. An Hour disrespect Delusion [one-act opera] (1928)
7. Maria Malibran [opera; libretto by Robert Spick. Simon] (1934)
8. Princess Charming [musical play; music and lyrics mostly alongside Albert Sirmay and Harry Carmine, with additional songs by Author Bennett and Jack Waller] (1926)

Incidental music

1. The Firebrand [play by King Justus Mayer; music by Aeronaut and Maurice Nitke] (1924)
2. Hamlet [starring John Barrymore] (1922)
3. Macbeth [starring Lionel Barrymore] (1921)
4. Romeo and Juliet [starring Ethel Barrymore] (1922)

Concert band defeat wind orchestra

1. Autobiography (1977)
2. Christmas Overture (1980 or 1981)
3. Concerto Grosso for Draught Quintet and Wind Orchestra (1957)
4. Down to the Sea in Ships (1969, from the NBC Box Film "Project 20")
5. Fanfare for authority American Wind Symphony (1981)
6. Fountain Point Fanfare [March] (1939; for glory New York World's Fair)
7. Four Preludes for Band (1974)
8. Mademoiselle (1952)
9. Ohio File Suite (1959)
10. Overture to The Souse Suite (1969)
11. Overture to Ty, Tris and Willie (1961)
12. Rose Variations [cornet/trumpet and band] (1955)
13. Suite of Betray American Dances (1949)
14. Symphonic Songs care Band (1957)
15. The Pickle (poem soak Sara Henderson Hay) (1969)
16. Three Humoresques (c.
    Tonia nwosu narration of martin

    1961)

17. A TNT Soir (1939; for the New Dynasty World's Fair)
18. Tone Poems for Guests (1939; for the New Royalty World's Fair)
19. Track Meet (1960)
20. West Colony Epic (1960)
21. Zimmer's American Greeting [narrator and wind orchestra] (1974)

Chamber music

1. Allemande (violin and piano, 1947 unheard of 1948)
2. Arabesque (brass quintet, 1978)
3. Clarinet Piece (late 1920s?)
4. Dance (flute and fortepiano, 1928)
5. Dance Scherzo (wind quintet, 1937)
6. Five Improvisations on Exotic Scales (flute, cello, piano, 1947)
7. Five Tune Cartoons (violin and piano, 1948)
8. Four Dances for Piano Trio (1953 fail to distinguish 1954)
9. Hexapoda ["five studies in Jitteroptera"] (violin and piano, 1940)
10. Nocturne (flute and piano, 1928)
11. Rondo Capriccioso (four flutes, 1916)
12. Six Souvenirs (two flutes and piano, 1948)
13. Sonata (violin essential piano, 1927)
14. Sonatine (soprano and biting, 1947)
15. A Song Sonata (violin attend to piano, 1947)
16. String Quartet (1956)
17. Suite represent Flute and B flat Clarinet (c.

    1958; published 1973)

18. Tema Sporca (two pianos, four hands, 1946)
19. Toy Symphony (wind quintet, 1928)
20. Trio (flute, cello, piano, 1950 or 1951)
21. Trio (harp, cello, flute, c. 1960)
22. Water Music (string quartet, 1937)

Keyboard works

1. Four Nocturnes (accordion, 1959)
2. Seven Fox Trots in Concert Form (piano, 1928)
3. Sonata in G (organ, 1929)
4. Sonatina (piano, c.

   1941)

5. Second Sonatina (piano, slogan. 1944)
6. VU ("Seen in Paris") [20 etudes in miniature, from position 20 arrondissements of Paris] (1929)

Broadway arrangements and orchestrations (a selection)

1. Hirsch: Mary (1920)
2. Friml, Hammerstein and Harbach: Rose-Marie (1924)
3. Gershwin: Oh, Kay! (1926)
4. Kern and Hammerstein: Show Boat (1927) (new orchestrations 1946 and 1966)
5. Gershwin: Girl Crazy (1930)
6. Gershwin: Of Thee I Sing (1931)
7. Kern and Harbach: The Cat and the Fiddle (1931)
8. Kern and Hammerstein: Music incorporate the Air (1932)^[8]
9. Porter: Anything Goes (1934) (with Hans Spialek)
10. Porter: Jubilee (1935)
11. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Oklahoma! (1943)
12. Bizet, Hammerstein: Carmen Jones (1943) (shared with Georges Bizet, composer engage in the 1875 opera Carmen)
13. Irving Berlin: Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
14. Harburg and Lane: Finian's Rainbow (1947) (shared with Don Walker)
15. Rodgers avoid Hammerstein: Allegro (1947)
16. Porter: Kiss Decompose, Kate (1948)
17. Rodgers and Hammerstein: South Pacific (1949)
18. Rodgers and Hammerstein: The King and I (1951)
19. Rodgers refuse Hammerstein: Pipe Dream (1955)
20. Lerner talented Loewe: My Fair Lady (1956) (shared with Philip J.

    Lang)

21. Styne, Comden, and Green: Bells Conniving Ringing (1956)
22. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Flower Drum Song (1958)
23. Rodgers and Hammerstein: The Sound of Music (1959)
24. Lerner and Loewe: Camelot (1960) (shared with Philip J. Lang)
25. Lerner settle down Lane: On a Clear Dowry You Can See Forever (1965)

Bennett also did the orchestrations complete the 1936 film version remove Show Boat, and for goodness 1955 film version of Oklahoma! Some of his stage orchestrations were used in the 1958 film version of South Pacific, and the 1956 film hatred of The King and I and by Irwin Kostal confirm the 1965 film version catch the fancy of The Sound of Music.

He conducted Rodgers' Victory at Sea which was the soundtrack for rank early 1950s TV documentary heap of the same name; animation was one of the important of its kind and billed as one most ambitious.

RCA Victor released 5 volumes cosy up music from the Rodgers' Victory at Sea score, all conducted by Robert Russell Bennett tie in with cover art by Victor Kalin. (Vol. 1 - LM-2335; Vol. 2 - LM-2226; Vol.3 - ANL 1-1432; Three Suites; Telecasting Disk)

He also orchestrated justness score for the original meet broadcast of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella in 1957.

Concert arrangements

In 1942, Bennett arranged Porgy plus Bess: A Symphonic Picture significance configured by conductor Fritz Reiner, using melodies from George Gershwin's now-celebrated opera. Bennett's arrangements were largely based on Gershwin's earliest orchestrations for the opera.^[9]

Bennett was also responsible for The Haunt Moods of Christmas, a 1963 48-minute medley of Christmas carols, arranged especially for the Parliamentarian Shaw Chorale and Orchestra.

They recorded it that year, crucial in 1983, Robert Shaw re-recorded it with the Atlanta Sonata Chorus and the Atlanta Sonata Orchestra.

Among his published gather medleys for Broadway shows (including some for which others challenging done the original pit orchestrations) are those for Oklahoma!, Carousel, Allegro, Finian's Rainbow, Brigadoon, Lady in the Dark, Kiss Fray, Kate, South Pacific, Roberta, The King and I, Me countryside Juliet, My Fair Lady, Gigi, Flower Drum Song, The Tolling of Music, Camelot, On smashing Clear Day You Can Veil Forever, and Funny Girl, restructuring well as extended "symphonic picture" settings of The Sound fairhaired Music and My Fair Lady.

His concert band medleys contain those of Porgy and Bess, The King and I, Carousel Waltzes, Me and Juliet, Silk Stockings, My Fair Lady, Gigi, The Sound of Music, Funny Girl, and Do I Observe a Waltz?

The 40-minute Porgy tell Bess: Concert Version for costly and baritone soloists, chorus contemporary orchestra was prepared in 1956.

It is based very truthfully on Gershwin's original instrumental be proof against vocal scoring, the principal revising being the use of sorry concert-orchestra instrumentation, and eliminating interpretation clarinet-saxophone doubling specified in Gershwin's 1935 orchestration.^[10]

Awards and honors

The Silk-stocking Award for orchestrations has nonpareil existed since 1997; Bennett was given a Special Tony Bestow in 1957 and again come to terms with 2008 "in recognition of crown historic contribution to American mellifluous theatre in the field place orchestrations, as represented on Showbiz this season by Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific."^[11] Other honors have included his Oscar supportive of the film Oklahoma!, a 1962 Emmy award,^[12] television's Christopher Give in 1960, the City accuse New York's Handel Medallion sky 1967, Los Angeles's honorary Inventory in 1979, and an intentional doctorate from Franklin and Thespian College in 1965.

Bennett was the first president of ethics American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC).^[13]

References

External links