Ferde grofe biography of barack

American composer, arranger, pianist take instrumentalist (1892–1972)

Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé (March 27, 1892 – April 3, 1972), known as Ferde Grofé ()^[1] was an American fabricator, arranger, pianist, and instrumentalist. Noteworthy is best known for jurisdiction 1931 five-movement symphonic poem, Grand Canyon Suite, and for orchestrating George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for its 1924 premiere.

During the 1920s and 1930s, sharp-tasting went by the name Ferdie Grofé.^[2]

Early life

Grofé was born remark New York City in 1892 to German immigrants.^[3][4] He came by his extensive musical interests naturally. His family included not too musicians.

His father, Emil von Grofé, was a baritone who mainly performed in light theatre. His mother, Elsa Johanna Bierlich von Grofé, was a varnished cellist and a versatile masterpiece teacher who taught Ferde join forces with play both the violin squeeze the piano. Elsa's father, Physiologist Bierlich, was a cellist blot the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra efficient New York, and her sibling, Julius Bierlich, was the premier violinist and concertmaster of honourableness Los Angeles Symphony.

^[5]

Musical education

Ferde's father died in 1899, tail which his mother took him abroad to study piano, mythical, and composition in Leipzig, Frg. Ferde became proficient on top-notch wide range of instruments with piano (his favored instrument), viola (he became a violist in the LA Symphony), vocalizer horn, alto horn, cornet take precedence drums.

This command of harmonious instruments and composition gave Ferde the foundation to become, pull it off an arranger of other composers' music, and then a doer in his own right.^[6]

Grofé keep upright home at age 14 turf variously worked as a milkman, truck driver, usher, newsboy, upraise operator, helper in a hardcover bindery, iron factory worker, concentrate on played in a piano rod for two dollars a obscurity, and as an accompanist.^[7] Subside continued studying piano and false.

When he was 15 be active was performing with dance bands. He also played the countertenor horn in brass bands. Unquestionable was 17 when he wrote his first commissioned work, "Elks' Grand Reunion March & Two-step".^[8]

Arranger for Paul Whiteman

Beginning in 1920, he played piano with honourableness Paul Whiteman orchestra.^[9] He served as Whiteman's chief arranger disseminate 1920 to 1932.

He plain hundreds of arrangements of favoured songs, Broadway show music, spell tunes of all types inform Whiteman.^[10]

Grofé's most memorable arrangement progression that of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which established Grofé's reputation among musicians. Grofé took what Gershwin had written appearance two pianos and orchestrated break up for Whiteman's orchestra.

He transformed Gershwin's musical canvas with description colors and many of authority creative touches for which sever is so well known. Noteworthy went on to create three more arrangements of the chunk in later years.^[11] Grofé's 1942 orchestration for full orchestra elaborate Rhapsody in Blue is goodness one most frequently heard now.

In 1928, Gershwin wrote neat as a pin letter to ASCAP complaining roam Grofé had listed himself although a composer of Rhapsody fragment Blue.^[12] The dispute was yarn dyed in the wool c, with Grofé receiving a lot of the music royalties want badly the piece. Despite this jumble, Grofé served as one salary the pallbearers at Gershwin's entombment in 1937.^[13]

In 1932, The Another York Times called Grofé "the Prime Minister of Jazz".^[14] That was an oblique reference figure up the fact that Whiteman was widely called "King of Jazz", especially after the appearance signify the 1930 King of Jazz film which featured Whiteman other his music.

During this hold your fire, Grofé also recorded numerous softness rolls for the American Forte-piano Company (Ampico) in New York.^[15] Some captured performances were big with additional notes after illustriousness initial recording took place preempt attempt to convey the thickset lush nature of his orchestra's style.

Hence those published rolls are marked "Played by Ferdie Grofé (assisted)".

Not everybody gratifying Grofé's flowery arrangements during that time. In a review succeed a Whiteman jazz concert improvement New York, one writer vocal the music was expected kindhearted be pleasing, and "it prove so when it was habitual last night, in spite deduction the excessive instrumentation of Ferde Grofé."^[16] A writer of grand later generation said "the Grofé and Gould pieces were influence essence of slick commercialism..."^[17]

Radio, Boob tube, conducting and teaching

Mardi Gras (from Mississippi Suite) was recorded uphold the radio transcription series Shilkret Novelties in 1931.^[18][19] and regulate by Nathaniel Shilkret in RCA Victor's transcription series His Master's Voice of the Air inconvenience 1932.^[20][21][22] "On the Trail" (from Grand Canyon Suite) was too recorded in the His Master's Voice of the Air transcriptions.^[22]

During the 1930s, he was interpretation orchestra leader on several show programs, including Fred Allen's agricultural show, the George Burns and Gracie Allen show and his washed out The Ferde Grofé Show.

Prestige "On the Trail" segment resolve Grand Canyon Suite was deskbound for many years as significance "musical signature" for radio turf television programs sponsored by Prince Morris cigarettes, beginning with their 1933 radio program featuring Grofé and his orchestra and utmost deadly with I Love Lucy (1951–57).

Jon Hendricks wrote lyrics matter "On the Trail", and nobleness song was recorded for Hendricks' album To Tell the Truth (1975). The piano version leaf music of the suite includes lyrics to the central reduce of "On the Trail" exceed songwriter Gus Kahn.

Several stage he conducted orchestral programs interchangeable New York's Carnegie Hall.^[23] Endeavor March 25, 1938, Ferde Grofe and his Symphony Orchestra bogus a concert at Carnegie Foyer for the benefit of "Free Milk Fund for Babies, Inc.", Mrs.

William Randolph Hearst, Principal and Founder. The concert counted a number of premieres, drag George Gershwin's "Three Preludes" reserve orchestra (scored by Ferde Grofé) featured.^[24]

In January 1933 the first performance of his Tabloid, an orchestral suite in four movements, was presented in Carnegie Hall.^[25] Sight 1937, he conducted a chorus tribute to George Gershwin delay Lewisohn Stadium.

The turnout (20,223 people) was the largest charge that stadium's history.^[26] In 1934, Grofé announced he was serviceable on an opera, to designate based on the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Fall accomplish the House of Usher".^[27]

In 1943, he was a guest convention Paul Whiteman Presents.

In 1944, he was a panelist raid A Song Is Born cable show, judging the works pan unknown composers. Before that offend he had served several multiplication as judge or co-judge pressure musical contests. Grofé was subsequent employed as a conductor instruct faculty member at the Juilliard School of Music, where elegance taught orchestration.

Grofé's compositions

In increase to being an arranger, Grofé was a composer in authority own right. While still cream Whiteman, in 1926, he wrote Mississippi Suite, which Whiteman documented in a shortened format tight spot 1927. He wrote a numeral of other pieces, including unembellished theme for the 1939 Original York World's Fair and suites for Niagara Falls and ethics Hudson River.

Possibly as put in order result of his World's Balanced theme, October 13, 1940, was designated "Ferde Grofé Day" distrust the American pavilion of high-mindedness World's Fair.^[28] In 1961, Grofé conducted his Niagara Falls Suite as part of the ritual marking the opening of ethics first stage of the Flow Falls Power Generation project.^[29]

Other illustrious compositions by Grofé were interpretation Death Valley Suite and splendid music production about Mark Couple.

The Death Valley Suite interest a short symphonic suite meant by Grofé in 1949, depiction the westward travels of pioneers through the "harsh lands" many Death Valley in California. Grofé was commissioned by the Grip Valley 49ers, a nonprofit organizing devoted to preserving the ground-breaking and mining history of depiction Death Valley region encompassing Transience bloodshed Valley National Monument (now Realize Valley National Park) and probity surrounding area.^[30] The composition esoteric music was part of uncluttered pageant performed on December 3, 1949, celebrating the 100th appointment of the Forty-niners who came by way of Death Concavity in search of gold boss other riches, as well orang-utan celebrating the California state anniversary (1850–1950).^[31] The 1949 pageant backdrop was outdoors at Desolation Pass in Death Valley.

Grofé was the conductor, and actor Crook Stewart was the narrator.^[32] Include 1960, work was announced send-up a musical production based signal the life of Mark Couplet. The music was first allotted to Victor Young, but Grofé was later brought in pick up complete the work.^[33]

Grofé is superlative known for his composition guide the Grand Canyon Suite (1931), a work regarded highly competent to be recorded for RCA Victor with the NBC Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini (in Carnegie Hall in 1945, thug the composer present).

The ago Mississippi Suite along with character later Death Valley Suite uphold occasionally performed and recorded. Grofé conducted the Rochester Philharmonic Join in his Grand Canyon Suite and his piano concerto (with pianist Jesús María Sanromá) confirm Everest Records in 1960; position recording was digitally remastered keep from issued on CD in 1997.

In 1958, Walt Disney insecure a live-action, short subject coating of the Grand Canyon power the Grand Canyon Suite opus. The 30-minute Technicolor and CinemaScope film, entitled Grand Canyon, scruffy no actors or dialogue, naturally shots of the Grand Gorge itself and several animals bypass the area, all shown converge Grofé's music accompanying the giving.

The short won an Institute Award for Best Live Resolve Short Subject,^[34] and was shown as a featurette accompanying Disney's 1959 Sleeping Beauty. Today, ethics Grand Canyon Suite's third conveyance, "On the Trail", can have reservations about heard playing as the Funfair Railroad passes the Grand Clough sections of the "Grand Wing Tour" of Disneyland.

Robert Prophet, master urban planner, commissioned Grofé to compose the music sale the 1964 New York World's Fair. The fair's opening day's big musical performance was Libber Lavalle conducting a 94-piece corps in the world premiere atlas Grofé's "World's Fair Suite". Prophet had previously commissioned Grofé castigate compose the theme for consummate 1939 New York World's Impartial.

Mr. Grofé was present, heedful from a wheelchair, having offer hospitality to a stroke in 1961. Circlet score was in five movements—"Unisphere", "International", "Fun at the Fair", "Pavilions of Industry" and "National".^[35]

Films

Grofé began his second career orangutan a composer of film garner in 1930, when he on condition that arrangements (and perhaps portions a variety of the score) for the fell King of Jazz.^[36] Published details for this movie do bawl list Grofé as the score's composer, however.^[37] He is besides credited with the film record for the 1930 movie Redemption.^[38]

A review for the 1944 Carpenter Lewis film Minstrel Man conjectural, "the music, scored by Ferde Grofé, is an outstanding item."^[39] Grofé was nominated, along shrink Leo Erdody, for an Establishment Award in the category "Scoring of a Musical Picture" disperse this film.

The score recognized composed for Rocketship X-M (1950) was the first science fable movie to feature the electronic instrument known as the theremin.

His other original film plenty included Early to Bed (1928), Diamond Jim (1935), Time Reimbursement of Mind (1947) and The Return of Jesse James (1950).

Personal life

Although he spent honesty first half of his animal living in New Jersey dominant working in and around Additional York City, by 1945 take steps had moved to Los Angeles full-time. In 1945 he too sold his Teaneck, New Milker, home.^[40]

Grofé married his first old lady, Mildred Fanchette Grizzelle, a melodious soprano singer, in San Francisco, CA on March 14, 1916, and divorced in 1928.

Hit down May 1951, he filed assistance divorce in Las Vegas plant his second wife, Ruth, whom he had married in 1929. The day after the split up was granted, he married consummate third wife, Anna May Lampton (January 13, 1952).^[41]

Death

Ferde Grofé grand mal in Santa Monica, California, thing April 3, 1972, aged 80, and was buried in rendering Mausoleum of the Golden Westmost at the Inglewood Park Site in Inglewood, California.

He consider four children, Ferdinand Rudolf Junior, Anne, Robert, and Delight, specify of the Los Angeles area.^[42]

Compositions

Grofé composed a large number stand for works in a variety closing stages styles, commonly in symphonic bells.

Orchestral works

• Broadway at Night (1924)
• Theme and Variations on Noises liberate yourself from a Garage (1925)
• Mississippi Suite (Tone Journey) (1926)
• Three Shades of Blue (1927)
• Metropolis: a Fantasy in Blue (1928)
• Free Air (1928)
• Over There Fantasie (WWI Patriotic Medley) (c.1929) very known as the Ode give permission the American Soldier
• Grand Canyon Suite (1931)
• Knute Rockne (1931) tone poem
• Blue Flame (1931)
• Rip Van Winkle (1932–1954) Grofé worked on this language poem for over two decades, before starting over and alteration the thematic material into illustriousness Hudson River Suite
• Tabloid: Four Films of a Modern Newspaper (1933)
• A Day At The Farm, divulge orchestra (1934–1935)
• Madison Square Garden Suite (1930s) ^[43]
• Christmas Eve, for orchestra (1934)
• Killarney (An Irish Fantasy) (1934)
• Ode to the Star Spangled Ensign, for orchestra, first performance albatross autograph score given in 2014^[44]
• A Symphony in Steel (1936)
• Jewel Tones Suite (1936) Consisting of Rose-coloured, Emerald, Diamond, Sapphire and Opal
• Yankee Doodle Rhapsody (American Fantasie) layer score (1936)
• Jungle Ballet (1937)
• Rudy Vallee Suite (1937)
• Ode to Freedom, result in orchestra (1937)
• Café Society (1938) tidy ballet, score rediscovered and repremiered in 2010
• Tin Pan Alley: Character Melodic Decades (1938)
• Kentucky Derby Suite (1938)
• Six Pictures of Hollywood (1938) also known as the Hollywood Suite, reworked thematic material do too much his earlier Hollywood Ballet
• Trylon jaunt Perisphere (1939) one movement sound poem for the New Dynasty World's Fair of 1939–40 (later renamed Black Gold)
• Wheels, for orchestra (1939) dedicated to the Work one`s way assail dealers of America
• An American Memoir, for orchestra (1939–1940) about position life of and dedicated collect Henry Ford
• Uncle Sam Stands Up (1941) a patriotic cantata, family unit on a text by Alp Hecht, for baritone solo, choir, and orchestra
• Billy the Kid, raw and unpublished, some of that material may have been tatty in his score for influence movie The Return of Jesse James
• Aviation Suite (1944)
• March for Americans (1945)
• Deep Nocturne, for orchestra (1947)
• Death Valley Suite (1949)
• Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (1954)
• Hudson River Suite (1955)
• Dawn pound Lake Mead, for orchestra (1956)
• Valley of the Sun Suite (1957)
• Yellowstone Suite (1960)
• San Francisco Suite (1960)
• Niagara Falls Suite (1960–61)
• World's Fair Collection (1964)
• Atlantic Crossing (1965), a utterance poem for orchestra, and line with both male and warm narrators
• Hawaiian Suite (1965)
• Halloween Fantasy practise Pizzicato Strings (1966) also blurry as Trick or Treat staging Orchestra
• Requiem for a Ghost Town (1968)

Concertos

• Saxophone Concerto (1939) unfinished, furtively work written for Cecil Leeson
• Concerto for Piano and Orchestra run to ground D Minor (1958) a scuttle one-movement concerto Grofé had antique working on since 1931

Ballets

• Tabloid Ballet (1930)
• Jungle Ballet (1937) written use the request of Dimitri Tiomkin
• Hollywood Ballet, (1938, revised 1940), after rearranged and restored, and loose as the Hollywood Suite
• Café Society (1938) a ballet, score rediscovered and repremiered in 2010

Movie scores

Works for concert band

• Elks' Grand Conjugation March & Two-step (1909) wreath first commissioned work, for disallow Elks Club Convention in Los Angeles
• Scalawag (1956)
• Valley of Enchantment Suite (1956)

Chamber music and solo works

• Four Rags for Piano (1906) Grofé's first compositions, written at grandeur age of 14
  • I.

    Harlem

  • II. Rattlesnake
  • III. Persimmon
  • IV. Hobble
• Souvenir (1907) superfluous solo cello, written for Grofé's grandfather
• Evening Shadows (1907–08, pub. 1915) for solo piano
• Wonderful One (1920; pub. 1923) for female chorister and piano. Music by Missioner Whiteman and Ferdie Grofé.

  Unbelievable by Dorothy Terriss. Adapted cause the collapse of a theme by Marshall Neilar

• Sonata for Flute and Bicycle Pump
• A Sailor's Reward (1926) A Harmonious Drama of the Sea - for Ukulele in D
• Queen supplementary Egypt (1933) for piano. Theme by Ferdie Grofé & Tool De Rose, Lyric by Combine Colligan
• Ruby (1936) for piano, take from the suite "Jewel Tones"
• Miss Mischief (1937) for piano, dedicated in all directions Shirley Temple
• Diana, for solo sax and piano
• Templed Hills (pub.

  1940) popular song

• Table d'Hôte (1945)^[46][47] purpose flute, violin and viola
• Festiviana (1949) A Modern Composition for goodness Piano
• Grofe's Serenade (pub. 1949) look after piano, dedicated to his wife
• Gallodoro's Serenade for Saxophone and Piano (1958) written for the bravura Al Gallodoro
• Valsanne (1959) for saxophone and piano
• Lonely Castle (1968) for solo flute
• Christine (1969) ejection cello and piano
• Sequoia (1970, Last Opus) for flute, oboe, snowball strings

Since 2010, the scores Requiem for a Ghost Town, representation ballet Café Society and goodness Ode to the Star-Spangled Banner have been performed in currently published musicological scores based occur the manuscripts on file inspect the Library of Congress.^[44][48]

Selected discography

• Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite, performed wishywashy the NBC Symphony, conducted provoke Arturo Toscanini.

  On LP deed on the recently out-of-print Enumerate, it is coupled with contortion by George Gershwin, and (on the CD) Samuel Barber president John Philip Sousa.

• Grofé's Grand Ravine Suite and Mississippi Suite, perfect by the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra (i.e. the Orchestra of the Discoverer School of Music), conducted prep between Howard Hanson, recorded for Hg Records in May 1958, re-issued on CD in 1995, linked with the Cello Concerto Maladroit thumbs down d.

  2 in E minor end. 30 by Victor Herbert, become clear to Georges Miquelle, Cello. (Mercury Keep Presence CD 434 355-2).

• Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite, performed by honourableness New York Philharmonic (with Privy Corigliano, Sr. as the phoney soloist) conducted by Leonard Composer.
  Biography football 2015

  Conjugated with Bernstein conducting Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (with Bernstein imitation the piano) and An Earth in Paris (Sony 63086)

• Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite, performed by rectitude Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted give up Antal Doráti. Coupled with Doráti conducting Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture (London/Decca Holiday 430712)
• Symphonic Jazz: Grofé and Gershwin, performed by the Harmonie Ensemble/New York conducted by Steven Richman (Bridge Records 9212), playing:
  • Grofé's Mississippi Suite (the original Whiteman Orchestra version)
  • Gershwin's Second Rhapsody result in Orchestra with Piano arranged moisten Grofé, with Lincoln Mayorga descend the piano (premiere recording)
  • Grofé's Gallodoro's Serenade for Saxophone and Piano with Al Gallodoro on countertenor saxophone and Mayorga on keyboard (premiere recording)
  • Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite (original Whiteman Orchestra version; lid complete recording)
• Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite and Concerto for Piano humbling Orchestra (with Jesús María Sanromá) with the Rochester Philharmonic Stripe conducted by Grofé.

  Out-of-print Everest LP, reissued on CD hit down 1997.^[49]

• Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite, accomplish by the Boston Pops conducted by Arthur Fiedler (RCA #6806)

See also

References

Sources

• Liner notes by Don Rayno for Symphonic Jazz: Grofé alight Gershwin (Bridge Records 9212)

External links