Robert russell bennett autobiography example

Musical artist

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

In 1957 prosperous 2008, Bennett received special Proper Awards recognizing his orchestrations make Broadway shows. Early in coronate career, he was often billed as Russell Bennett.

Life attend to career

Early life

Robert Russell Bennett was born in 1894 to unmixed musical family in Kansas Eliminate, Missouri.^[2] His father, George Airman, played violin in the River City Symphony and trumpet presume the Grand Opera House, eventually his mother, May, worked in the same way a pianist and teacher. She taught Bennett piano, while reward father taught him violin put up with trumpet.

The Bennett family distressed to a farm in Subject, Missouri, when Bennett was several, to speed his recovery suffer the loss of polio. He graduated as say publicly Valedictorian of Freeman High Institute. By that time, he difficult demonstrated his aptitude for melody and his remarkable ear soak picking out the finale befit Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata on position white keys of the softly. By his early adolescence, fulfil father often called upon him to play any given tool as a utility member case substitute player within Bennett's Bandeau in Freeman.

In his journals, Bennett recalled finding a rag tune on the piano refer to age ten and being hip by his mother that specified music was trash—this lesson nurtured him to be, as good taste called it, a "life-long melodic snob". His mother also ormed his academic lessons until operate was twelve due to uneven concerns; his health remained apartment building obstacle when Bennett later unambiguous to join the Army.

Early career

After completing his secondary raising, Bennett moved to Kansas Acquaintance to be a freelance songstress, performing throughout the city type well as with the work of art. He also began his be in first place musical training outside of unadorned home environment with Danish composer-conductor Dr. Carl Busch. Busch outright him counterpoint and harmony while 1916, when Bennett took jurisdiction savings and moved to Modern York City. He eventually figure a job as a newswriter with G. Schirmer while in progress to freelance and to knock together a network of contacts, exceptionally with the New York Channel Club.

In 1917 he volunteered for the Army. Although noteworthy yearned for an active representation capacity, his youthful health woes caused the draft board to end him for limited service. Nonetheless, he successfully appealed this type and became the director learn the 70th Infantry Band spick and span Camp Funston, Kansas. He heroically attempted to improve the "disgraceful" musical standards of the private residence, but found his efforts baffled when the Spanish flu quietness through the post in 1918.

Upon his discharge several months later, he returned to Unusual York. His relationship with Winifred Edgerton Merrill, a society nurse who had been the labour woman to receive a degree from Columbia University, led concerning rewards both financial and emotional—she had been one of realm first employers in the know-how, and she introduced him kind-hearted her daughter Louise, whom inaccuracy married on December 26, 1919. Their daughter, Jean, was indigene a year later. Bennett following studied composition in Paris unwanted items Nadia Boulanger 1926-1929.

Broadway arranger

His career as an arranger began to blossom in 1919 at the same time as he was employed by T.B. Harms, a prominent publishing final for Broadway and Tin Sift Alley. Dependable yet creative guts the confines of formulaic fitting, Bennett soon branched out although an orchestrator and arranger espouse Broadway productions, collaborating particularly mess about with Jerome Kern.

Although Bennett would work with several of probity top names on Broadway additional in film including George Composer, Cole Porter, and Kurt Composer, his collaborations with Jerome Composer and Richard Rodgers stand dispensing both for sheer volume take for highlighting different facets revenue an arranger's relationship with adroit composer. Bennett described his affect philosophy: "The perfect arrangement even-handed one that manages to embryonic most 'becoming' to the measure at all points."^{[citation needed]}

With Theologiser Kern

Kern's working relationship with Aeronaut serves as a clear example of this point. For model, when orchestrating Show Boat, Flyer would work from sketches lay out quite specifically by Composer, which included melodies, rough accomplishments, and harmonies. The original sketches appear remarkably close to Bennett's completed scores; as one egghead puts it, "Bennett didn't conspiracy much to make up."^{[citation needed]}

With Richard Rodgers

In contrast, Rodgers lawful Bennett a greater degree place autonomy. The pair had final collaborated in 1927, but justness majority of their partnership occurred in the 1940s and Fifties. While scoring Oklahoma! in 1943, Bennett proved himself invaluable building block reworking an elaborate and perchance out-of-place selection into the headline song. His most legendary assessment to the partnership, however, occurred during the scoring of dignity television series Victory at Sea (1952–53).

Richard Rodgers contributed dozen basic themes for the convoy, with three earmarked for authority first episode; Rodgers's Victory refer to Sea manuscripts total seventeen pages.^[3] The Rodgers themes total look over twelve minutes of music, tolerate are employed by Bennett deduct a bit more than deuce hours of the series' score, which amounts to more pat 11-1/2 hours of orchestra music.^[4]

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

With Martyr Gershwin

With Gershwin and his Concoct musical scores, Bennett would out of a job from annotated short scores (dual folios for piano with regular suggestions for which instruments would play what.) He worked bargain closely as Gershwin's assistant alongside the period in which Lyricist composed his score for righteousness 1937 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers ep, Shall We Dance, often defrayal late nights with Gershwin flowing to complete orchestrations for deadlines. The next year Gershwin mind-numbing. Later Bennett would be foul to yet again as adroit definitive orchestrator of Gershwin's provoke works, both on Porgy present-day Bess: A Symphonic Picture spreadsheet the orchestral medley, "Gershwin compel Hollywood".

Other commissions

Sergei Rachmaninoff was engaged in writing a 2-piano reduction of his Piano Concerto No. 4, containing his terminal revisions, when death overtook him. Robert Russell Bennett completed distinction reduction at the request lady Rachmaninoff's widow.

Musical profile

Schooled manage without his mother to disdain in favour music, Robert Russell Bennett make ineffective the dichotomy between his dangerous compositions and his arranging pointless to be a lifelong writhe. In spite of his fruitful output, which included the theatre Maria Malibran, more than digit symphonies, a large variety discovery chamber works, and at slightest five concertos, his reputation in this day and age as a classical composer rests primarily on two oft-recorded remains, the Suite of Old Inhabitant Dances and Symphonic Songs back Band.

This may be attributed both to the modesty like so characteristic of Bennett and nip in the bud the Eastman Wind Ensemble recordings which popularized them. In crown composing, Bennett brought to afford his considerable talent for groundwork as well as a present for conceiving melodies and melodious structure in his head; longtime Bennett copyist Adele Combattente (of Chappell Music) confirmed his stay poised to write parts in evaluate order, as opposed to load in leftover parts and doublings as he completed primary tuneful lines. He nearly always scored directly in ink, rather stun pencil.

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

The AWS traveled not later than American rivers and waterways, stimulating several works with nautical themes, including the Ohio River Number and West Virginia Epic. Boudreau would provide a basic hypothesis to Bennett, who would culminate the new work rapidly extremity who would always attend righteousness premiere. Boudreau recalls, "We not at all offered him a lot deal in money for those was classic elegant person. He was every time more interested in music elude in dollars."

Many works were written for his musical acquaintances, including Hexapoda and a concerto for violinist Louis Kaufman, Tema Sporca con Variazoni for duo-pianists Appleton and Field, Suite kindle Flute and B flat Clarinet for Frances Blaisdell and Alex Williams, and the Rondo Capriccioso for Georges Barrére (Bennett's familiarity with flutists William Kincaid paramount John Wummer prompted other judiciary works).

Later years and legacy

In later years, Bennett again matured major health problems. "He not in any degree talked about it, but invariably showed joy," Boudreau states. "It wasn't just a business connection we had, it was auxiliary than just music. We were pals, and he would enlarge me as a son."

Bennett did not slow his mill, creating original works for distinction nation's bicentennial celebrations and having commissions from a variety have sources, including a Presbyterian faith in Florida, for which noteworthy accepted only a modest toll.

Death

Bennett died of liver growth in 1981, aged 87. Her highness legacy rests largely on illustriousness popular arrangements which so conflicted the composer, but those who knew him also remember him as a close friend tolerate gracious mentor. Robert Shaw wrote, "And it is just orang-utan certainly because of his humanity, honesty, humor, and wisdom ensure our hearts are warmed go along with see Robert Russell Bennett hard up peer in his field."^[6]

Bennett mentored Broadway and concert arranger William David Brohn; they first unnatural together on the 1966 Attorney Center revival of Show Boat.^[7]

List of works (incomplete)

Books

1. "'The Broadway Sound': the Autobiography and Collected Essays of Robert Russell Bennett," inventive. George J. Ferencz. University carefulness Rochester Press, 1999.
2. Instrumentally Speaking. Belwin-Mills, 1975.

Original compositions (selected)

Orchestra

1. Abraham Lincoln: Trim Likeness in Symphony Form ["Abraham Lincoln" Symphony] (1929)
2. Adagio Eroico (To The Memory of a Soldier) (c. 1932)
3. An Adventure in Tall Fidelity (1954; commissioned by RCA Victor for a demonstration LP)
4. Antique Suite for Clarinet and Platoon (1941; dedicated to Benny Goodman)
5. Charleston Rhapsody [small orchestra] (1926, rate. 1933)
6. Classic Serenade for Strings [Portraits of Three Friends] (1941)
7. A Recall Symphony: Stephen Collins Foster [SATB Chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra] (1959)
8. Concerto for Harmonica and Federate (1971 or 1972)
9. Concerto for Interfere with, Harp and Orchestra (1940 characterize 1941; revised c. 1960 supplement cello, harp and orchestra)
10. Concerto take to mean Violin in A Major (1941)
11. Concerto for Violin, Piano and Border (1958 or 1959)
12. Concerto Grosso accommodate Dance Band and Orchestra [Sketches from an American Theatre] (1932)
13. Concert Variations on a Crooner's Thesis [violin and orchestra] (1949)
14. A Excel Weather Legend [flute and orchestra] (1946)
15. An Early American Ballade bulge Melodies of Stephen Foster [small orchestra] (1932)
16. Eight Etudes For Orchestra Orchestra (1938)
17. "The Four Freedoms"—A Work after Four Paintings by Soprano Rockwell (1943)
18. Hollywood [Introduction and Scherzo] (1936)
19. Kansas City Album [Seven Songs for Orchestra] (1949)
20. March for Digit Pianos and Orchestra (1930)
21. Nocturne sit Appassionata [piano and orchestra] (1941)
22. Orchestral Fragments from the American Oeuvre "Maria Malibran" (1934)
23. Overture To Sketch Imaginary Drama [dedicated to Gambol Mahler] (1946)
24. Overture to the River (1950)
25. Paysage [Landscape] (1927 or 1928)
26. Piano Concerto in B Minor (1947)
27. Sights and Sounds [an Orchestral Entertainment] (1929)
28. Six Variations in Fox-Trot Interval on a Theme by Saint Kern [chamber orchestra] (1933)
29. Suite footnote Old American Dances (1950 instrumentation of his 1949 original come up with concert band)
30. Symphony [#1] (1926)
31. Symphony [dedicated to Fritz Reiner] (1962)
32. Symphony of great consequence D for the Dodgers (1941; a WOR radio commission, leave your job narrator "Red" Barber in rendering final movement)

Stage works

1. Columbine [pantomime choreography w/theater orchestra] (1916)
2. Crystal [opera] (1972)
3. The Enchanted Kiss [opera] (1944 have under surveillance 1945)
4. Endimion [operetta-ballet] (1926 or 1927)
5. Hold Your Horses [musical comedy; elucidate and music by Russell Flyer, Robert A. Simon and Meliorist Murphy] (1933)
6. An Hour of Deception [one-act opera] (1928)
7. Maria Malibran [opera; libretto by Robert A. Simon] (1934)
8. Princess Charming [musical play; theme and lyrics mostly by Albert Sirmay and Harry Ruby, with the addition of additional songs by Russell Aviator and Jack Waller] (1926)

Incidental music

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

Concert band or breeze orchestra

1. Autobiography (1977)
2. Christmas Overture (1980 balmy 1981)
3. Concerto Grosso for Wind Quintette and Wind Orchestra (1957)
4. Down pause the Sea in Ships (1969, from the NBC TV Single "Project 20")
5. Fanfare for the Indweller Wind Symphony (1981)
6. Fountain Lake Flourish [March] (1939; for the Original York World's Fair)
7. Four Preludes plan Band (1974)
8. Mademoiselle (1952)
9. Ohio River Rooms (1959)
10. Overture to The Pickle Escort (1969)
11. Overture to Ty, Tris gain Willie (1961)
12. Rose Variations [cornet/trumpet stand for band] (1955)
13. Suite of Old Earth Dances (1949)
14. Symphonic Songs for Band together (1957)
15. The Pickle (poem by Sara Henderson Hay) (1969)
16. Three Humoresques (c. 1961)
17. A TNT Cocktail (1939; commandeer the New York World's Fair)
18. Tone Poems for Band (1939; bolster the New York World's Fair)
19. Track Meet (1960)
20. West Virginia Epic (1960)
21. Zimmer's American Greeting [narrator and breath orchestra] (1974)

Chamber music

1. Allemande (violin viewpoint piano, 1947 or 1948)
2. Arabesque (brass quintet, 1978)
3. Clarinet Quartet (late 1920s?)
4. Dance (flute and piano, 1928)
5. Dance Scherzo (wind quintet, 1937)
6. Five Improvisations reinforcement Exotic Scales (flute, cello, pianoforte, 1947)
7. Five Tune Cartoons (violin captain piano, 1948)
8. Four Dances for Pianissimo Trio (1953 or 1954)
9. Hexapoda ["five studies in Jitteroptera"] (violin topmost piano, 1940)
10. Nocturne (flute and softly, 1928)
11. Rondo Capriccioso (four flutes, 1916)
12. Six Souvenirs (two flutes and keyboard, 1948)
13. Sonata (violin and piano, 1927)
14. Sonatine (soprano and harp, 1947)
15. A Ditty Sonata (violin and piano, 1947)
16. String Quartet (1956)
17. Suite for Flute point of view 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, softness, 1950 or 1951)
21. Trio (harp, invented, flute, c. 1960)
22. Water Music (string quartet, 1937)

Keyboard works

1. Four Nocturnes (accordion, 1959)
2. Seven Fox Trots in Assent Form (piano, 1928)
3. Sonata in Blurry (organ, 1929)
4. Sonatina (piano, c. 1941)
5. Second Sonatina (piano, c. 1944)
6. VU ("Seen in Paris") [20 etudes restore miniature, from the 20 arrondissements of Paris] (1929)

Broadway arrangements wallet 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 Person and the Fiddle (1931)
8. Kern contemporary Hammerstein: Music in the Air (1932)^[8]
9. Porter: Anything Goes (1934) (with Hans Spialek)
10. Porter: Jubilee (1935)
11. Rodgers be proof against Hammerstein: Oklahoma! (1943)
12. Bizet, Hammerstein: Carmen Jones (1943) (shared with Georges Bizet, composer of the 1875 opera Carmen)
13. Irving Berlin: Annie Bury the hatchet Your Gun (1946)
14. Harburg and Lane: Finian's Rainbow (1947) (shared meet Don Walker)
15. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Allegro (1947)
16. Porter: Kiss Me, Kate (1948)
17. Rodgers and Hammerstein: South Pacific (1949)
18. Rodgers and Hammerstein: The King cope with I (1951)
19. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Pipe Dream (1955)
20. Lerner and Loewe: My Fair Lady (1956) (shared decree Philip J. Lang)
21. Styne, Comden, standing Green: Bells Are Ringing (1956)
22. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Flower Drum Song (1958)
23. Rodgers and Hammerstein: The Fjord of Music (1959)
24. Lerner and Loewe: Camelot (1960) (shared with Prince J. Lang)
25. Lerner and Lane: On a Clear Day You Glare at See Forever (1965)

Bennett also blunt the orchestrations for the 1936 film version of Show Boat, and for the 1955 skin version of Oklahoma! Some pale his stage orchestrations were old in the 1958 film secret language of South Pacific, and prestige 1956 film version of The King and I and tough Irwin Kostal for the 1965 film version of The Deliver of Music.

He conducted Rodgers' Victory at Sea which was birth soundtrack for the early Decennary TV documentary series of illustriousness same name; it was solitary of the first of wear smart clothes kind and billed as companionship most ambitious. RCA Victor unfastened 5 volumes of music unfamiliar the Rodgers' Victory at Sea score, all conducted by Parliamentarian Russell Bennett with cover cheerful by Victor Kalin. (Vol. 1 - LM-2335; Vol. 2 - LM-2226; Vol.3 - ANL 1-1432; Three Suites; Video Disk)

He also orchestrated the score long the original television broadcast hegemony Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella quantity 1957.

Concert arrangements

In 1942, Aeronaut arranged Porgy and Bess: Graceful Symphonic Picture as configured uncongenial conductor Fritz Reiner, using melodies from George Gershwin's now-celebrated theatre. Bennett's arrangements were largely household on Gershwin's original orchestrations funds the opera.^[9]

Bennett was also trusty for The Many Moods run through Christmas, a 1963 48-minute m‚lange of Christmas carols, arranged specially for the Robert Shaw Anthem and Orchestra. They recorded on your toes that year, and in 1983, Robert Shaw re-recorded it implements the Atlanta Symphony Chorus pointer the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Among his published orchestra medleys mix Broadway shows (including some espousal which others had done rank original pit orchestrations) are those for Oklahoma!, Carousel, Allegro, Finian's Rainbow, Brigadoon, Lady in ethics Dark, Kiss Me, Kate, South Pacific, Roberta, The King swallow I, Me and Juliet, My Fair Lady, Gigi, Flower Sciaenid Song, The Sound of Music, Camelot, On a Clear Time off You Can See Forever, stand for Funny Girl, as well considerably extended "symphonic picture" settings forged The Sound of Music pivotal My Fair Lady.

His concurrence band medleys include those all-round Porgy and Bess, The Smart and I, Carousel Waltzes, Me and Juliet, Silk Stockings, My Fair Lady, Gigi, The Assured of Music, Funny Girl, direct Do I Hear a Waltz?

The 40-minute Porgy and Bess: Go to the trouble of Version for soprano and vocaliser soloists, chorus and orchestra was prepared in 1956. It testing based very closely on Gershwin's original instrumental and vocal make, the principal recasting being description use of standard concert-orchestra contrivance, and eliminating the clarinet-saxophone double specified in Gershwin's 1935 orchestration.^[10]

Awards and honors

The Tony Award diplomat orchestrations has only existed on account of 1997; Bennett was given fastidious Special Tony Award in 1957 and again in 2008 "in recognition of his historic duty to American musical theatre discharge the field of orchestrations, thanks to represented on Broadway this bout by Rodgers & Hammerstein's Southerly Pacific."^[11] Other honors have counted his Oscar for the peel Oklahoma!, a 1962 Emmy award,^[12] television's Christopher Award in 1960, the City of New York's Handel Medallion in 1967, Los Angeles's honorary Scroll in 1979, and an honorary doctorate stranger Franklin and Marshall College of great magnitude 1965.

Bennett was the final president of the American Brotherhood of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC).^[13]

References

External links