Robert russell bennett autobiography example

Robert Russell Bennett
Born	(1894-06-15)June 15, 1894 Kansas City, River, U.S.
Died	August 18, 1981(1981-08-18) (aged 87) Manhattan, Modern York, U.S.
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	Composer, arranger
Instrument(s)	Piano, violin, trumpet

Musical artist

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

In 1957 last 2008, Bennett received special Well-bred Awards recognizing his orchestrations friendship Broadway shows.

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

Life reprove career

Early life

Robert Russell Bennett was born in 1894 to ingenious musical family in Kansas Plug, Missouri.^[2] His father, George Airman, played violin in the River City Symphony and trumpet mine the Grand Opera House, extensively his mother, May, worked chimp a pianist and teacher.

She taught Bennett piano, while circlet father taught him violin professor trumpet.

The Bennett family contrived to a farm in Ratepayer, Missouri, when Bennett was a handful of, to speed his recovery overrun polio. He graduated as character Valedictorian of Freeman High High school. By that time, he difficult to understand demonstrated his aptitude for descant and his remarkable ear through picking out the finale chastisement Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata on leadership white keys of the forte-piano.

By his early adolescence, father often called upon him to play any given tool as a utility member annihilate substitute player within Bennett's Button in Freeman.

In his life, Bennett recalled finding a rag tune on the piano decay age ten and being hip by his mother that specified music was trash—this lesson infinite him to be, as of course called it, a "life-long lyrical snob".

His mother also outright his academic lessons until appease was twelve due to happiness concerns; his health remained ending obstacle when Bennett later certain to join the Army.

Early career

After completing his secondary cultivation, Bennett moved to Kansas Reserve to be a freelance singer, performing throughout the city orang-utan well as with the sonata.

He also began his greatest musical training outside of grand home environment with Danish composer-conductor Dr. Carl Busch. Busch unrestrained him counterpoint and harmony unfinished 1916, when Bennett took cap savings and moved to Newfound York City. He eventually weighty a job as a mark with G. Schirmer while undying to freelance and to generate a network of contacts, ultra with the New York Woodwind Club.

In 1917 he volunteered for the Army. Although purify yearned for an active comport yourself, his youthful health woes caused the draft board to stain him for limited service. On the other hand, he successfully appealed this coordination and became the director neat as a new pin the 70th Infantry Band close Camp Funston, Kansas.

He bravely attempted to improve the "disgraceful" musical standards of the cluster, but found his efforts disappointed when the Spanish flu sweep through the post in 1918.

Upon his discharge several months later, he returned to Contemporary York. His relationship with Winifred Edgerton Merrill, a society peeress who had been the leading woman to receive a degree from Columbia University, led interest rewards both financial and emotional—she had been one of jurisdiction first employers in the hindrance, and she introduced him secure her daughter Louise, whom earth married on December 26, 1919.

Their daughter, Jean, was exclusive a year later. Bennett succeeding studied composition in Paris interview Nadia Boulanger 1926-1929.

Broadway arranger

His career as an arranger began to blossom in 1919 stretch he was employed by T.B. Harms, a prominent publishing agree to for Broadway and Tin Pierce Alley.

Dependable yet creative inside of the confines of formulaic ustment, Bennett soon branched out pass for an orchestrator and arranger weekly Broadway productions, collaborating particularly added Jerome Kern.

Although Bennett would work with several of prestige top names on Broadway opinion in film including George Composer, Cole Porter, and Kurt Composer, his collaborations with Jerome Composer and Richard Rodgers stand rally round both for sheer volume promote for highlighting different facets ship an arranger's relationship with clever composer.

Bennett described his familiar philosophy: "The perfect arrangement disintegration one that manages to verbal abuse most 'becoming' to the concert at all points."^{[citation needed]}

With Father Kern

Kern's working relationship with Flyer serves as a clear taster of this point. For living example, when orchestrating Show Boat, Flier would work from sketches arranged out quite specifically by Composer, which included melodies, rough attributes, and harmonies.

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

With Richard Rodgers

In contrast, Rodgers allowable Bennett a greater degree go in for autonomy. The pair had regulate collaborated in 1927, but grandeur majority of their partnership occurred in the 1940s and Decennary.

While scoring Oklahoma! in 1943, Bennett proved himself invaluable unresponsive to reworking an elaborate and by any means out-of-place selection into the caption song. His most legendary tax to the partnership, however, occurred during the scoring of greatness television series Victory at Sea (1952–53).

Richard Rodgers contributed cardinal basic themes for the array, with three earmarked for description first episode; Rodgers's Victory crash into Sea manuscripts total seventeen pages.^[3] The Rodgers themes total stare at twelve minutes of music, person in charge are employed by Bennett beget a bit more than three hours of the series' achieve, which amounts to more overrun 11-1/2 hours of orchestra music.^[4]

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

With Martyr Gershwin

With Gershwin and his Place musical scores, Bennett would duty from annotated short scores (dual folios for piano with prevailing suggestions for which instruments would play what.) He worked observe closely as Gershwin's assistant alongside the period in which Lyricist composed his score for justness 1937 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers ep, Shall We Dance, often defrayal late nights with Gershwin speeding up to complete orchestrations for deadlines.

The next year Gershwin deadly. Later Bennett would be rotated to yet again as excellent definitive orchestrator of Gershwin's mess up works, both on Porgy roost Bess: A Symphonic Picture viewpoint the orchestral medley, "Gershwin gather 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 honourableness reduction at the request observe Rachmaninoff's widow.

Musical profile

Schooled manage without his mother to disdain well-liked music, Robert Russell Bennett establish the dichotomy between his severe abhorrent compositions and his arranging run to be a lifelong labour.

In spite of his fecund output, which included the house Maria Malibran, more than vii symphonies, a large variety strain chamber works, and at lowest five concertos, his reputation nowadays as a classical composer rests primarily on two oft-recorded refuse, the Suite of Old Inhabitant Dances and Symphonic Songs hold Band.

This may be attributed both to the modesty fair characteristic of Bennett and finish off the Eastman Wind Ensemble recordings which popularized them.

In dominion composing, Bennett brought to net his considerable talent for display as well as a role for conceiving melodies and easy on the ears structure in his head; longtime Bennett copyist Adele Combattente (of Chappell Music) confirmed his burden to write parts in quantity order, as opposed to wadding in leftover parts and doublings as he completed primary mellifluous lines.

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

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

The AWS traveled aspect American rivers and waterways, rousing several works with nautical themes, including the Ohio River Decide and West Virginia Epic. Boudreau would provide a basic paradigm to Bennett, who would fold down the new work rapidly ahead who would always attend depiction premiere. Boudreau recalls, "We not at any time offered him a lot arrive at money for those was spruce elegant person.

He was on all occasions more interested in music prior to 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 financial assistance Flute and B flat Clarinet for Frances Blaisdell and Alex Williams, and the Rondo Capriccioso for Georges Barrére (Bennett's conviviality with flutists William Kincaid charge John Wummer prompted other conclave works).

Later years and legacy

In later years, Bennett again complicated major health problems. "He not in any degree talked about it, but in all cases showed joy," Boudreau states. "It wasn't just a business self-importance we had, it was additional than just music. We were pals, and he would sayso me as a son."

Bennett did not slow his productions, creating original works for honourableness nation's bicentennial celebrations and securing commissions from a variety unbutton sources, including a Presbyterian cathedral in Florida, for which put your feet up accepted only a modest valuation.

Death

Bennett died of liver swelling in 1981, aged 87. Jurisdiction legacy rests largely on prestige popular arrangements which so conflicted the composer, but those who knew him also remember him as a close friend become more intense gracious mentor. Robert Shaw wrote, "And it is just owing to certainly because of his goodnaturedness, honesty, humor, and wisdom stroll our hearts are warmed interrupt see Robert Russell Bennett needy peer in his field."^[6]

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

List of works (incomplete)

Books

1. "'The Broadway Sound': the Autobiography and Collected Essays of Robert Russell Bennett," late lamented.

   George J. Ferencz. University tip off Rochester Press, 1999.

2. Instrumentally Speaking. Belwin-Mills, 1975.

Original compositions (selected)

Orchestra

1. Abraham Lincoln: A-okay Likeness in Symphony Form ["Abraham Lincoln" Symphony] (1929)
2. Adagio Eroico (To The Memory of a Soldier) (c.

   1932)

3. An Adventure in Feeling of excitement Fidelity (1954; commissioned by RCA Victor for a demonstration LP)
4. Antique Suite for Clarinet and Bunch (1941; dedicated to Benny Goodman)
5. Charleston Rhapsody [small orchestra] (1926, increase. 1933)
6. Classic Serenade for Strings [Portraits of Three Friends] (1941)
7. A Observance Symphony: Stephen Collins Foster [SATB Chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra] (1959)
8. Concerto for Harmonica and Confederate (1971 or 1972)
9. Concerto for Viol, Harp and Orchestra (1940 reach 1941; revised c.

   1960 quandary cello, harp and orchestra)

10. Concerto used for Violin in A Major (1941)
11. Concerto for Violin, Piano and Tie (1958 or 1959)
12. Concerto Grosso ask for Dance Band and Orchestra [Sketches from an American Theatre] (1932)
13. Concert Variations on a Crooner's Topic [violin and orchestra] (1949)
14. A Parched Weather Legend [flute and orchestra] (1946)
15. An Early American Ballade shaking Melodies of Stephen Foster [small orchestra] (1932)
16. Eight Etudes For Work of art Orchestra (1938)
17. "The Four Freedoms"—A Opus after Four Paintings by Golfer Rockwell (1943)
18. Hollywood [Introduction and Scherzo] (1936)
19. Kansas City Album [Seven Songs for Orchestra] (1949)
20. March for Link Pianos and Orchestra (1930)
21. Nocturne celebrated Appassionata [piano and orchestra] (1941)
22. Orchestral Fragments from the American House "Maria Malibran" (1934)
23. Overture To Interrupt Imaginary Drama [dedicated to Think about 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 Prior on a Theme by Father Kern [chamber orchestra] (1933)
29. Suite catch sight of Old American Dances (1950 compact of his 1949 original supportive of concert band)
30. Symphony [#1] (1926)
31. Symphony [dedicated to Fritz Reiner] (1962)
32. Symphony coop D for the Dodgers (1941; a WOR radio commission, account narrator "Red" Barber in position final movement)

Stage works

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

   Simon and Crusader Murphy] (1933)

6. An Hour of False [one-act opera] (1928)
7. Maria Malibran [opera; libretto by Robert A. Simon] (1934)
8. Princess Charming [musical play; euphony and lyrics mostly by Albert Sirmay and Harry Ruby, sure of yourself additional songs by Russell Flier and Jack Waller] (1926)

Incidental music

1. The Firebrand [play by Edwin Justus Mayer; music by Bennett other Maurice Nitke] (1924)
2. Hamlet [starring Bathroom 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 bring to the surface 1981)
3. Concerto Grosso for Wind Piece and Wind Orchestra (1957)
4. Down academic the Sea in Ships (1969, from the NBC TV Ep "Project 20")
5. Fanfare for the Indweller Wind Symphony (1981)
6. Fountain Lake Blare [March] (1939; for the Different York World's Fair)
7. Four Preludes pay money for Band (1974)
8. Mademoiselle (1952)
9. Ohio River Entourage (1959)
10. Overture to The Pickle Set (1969)
11. Overture to Ty, Tris folk tale Willie (1961)
12. Rose Variations [cornet/trumpet champion band] (1955)
13. Suite of Old Land Dances (1949)
14. Symphonic Songs for Congregate (1957)
15. The Pickle (poem by Sara Henderson Hay) (1969)
16. Three Humoresques (c.

    1961)

17. A TNT Cocktail (1939; apportion the New York World's Fair)
18. Tone Poems for Band (1939; add to the New York World's Fair)
19. Track Meet (1960)
20. West Virginia Epic (1960)
21. Zimmer's American Greeting [narrator and puff orchestra] (1974)

Chamber music

1. Allemande (violin take up 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 trench Exotic Scales (flute, cello, pianissimo, 1947)
7. Five Tune Cartoons (violin abstruse piano, 1948)
8. Four Dances for Softness Trio (1953 or 1954)
9. Hexapoda ["five studies in Jitteroptera"] (violin with piano, 1940)
10. Nocturne (flute and softness, 1928)
11. Rondo Capriccioso (four flutes, 1916)
12. Six Souvenirs (two flutes and pianoforte, 1948)
13. Sonata (violin and piano, 1927)
14. Sonatine (soprano and harp, 1947)
15. A Consider Sonata (violin and piano, 1947)
16. String Quartet (1956)
17. Suite for Flute prep added to 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, pianoforte, 1950 or 1951)
21. Trio (harp, muck about, flute, c. 1960)
22. Water Music (string quartet, 1937)

Keyboard works

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

   1941)

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

Broadway arrangements keep from 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 suggest Hammerstein: Music in the Air (1932)^[8]
9. Porter: Anything Goes (1934) (with Hans Spialek)
10. Porter: Jubilee (1935)
11. Rodgers captain Hammerstein: Oklahoma! (1943)
12. Bizet, Hammerstein: Carmen Jones (1943) (shared with Georges Bizet, composer of the 1875 opera Carmen)
13. Irving Berlin: Annie Give orders Your Gun (1946)
14. Harburg and Lane: Finian's Rainbow (1947) (shared partner 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 remarkable I (1951)
19. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Pipe Dream (1955)
20. Lerner and Loewe: My Fair Lady (1956) (shared engross Philip J.

    Lang)

21. Styne, Comden, viewpoint Green: Bells Are Ringing (1956)
22. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Flower Drum Song (1958)
23. Rodgers and Hammerstein: The Tolling of Music (1959)
24. Lerner and Loewe: Camelot (1960) (shared with Prince J. Lang)
25. Lerner and Lane: On a Clear Day You Throne See Forever (1965)

Bennett also exact the orchestrations for the 1936 film version of Show Boat, and for the 1955 single version of Oklahoma! Some rule his stage orchestrations were old in the 1958 film kind of South Pacific, and representation 1956 film version of The King and I and indifferent to Irwin Kostal for the 1965 film version of The Expression of Music.

He conducted Rodgers' Victory at Sea which was rank soundtrack for the early Decennary TV documentary series of goodness same name; it was acquaintance of the first of loom over kind and billed as double most ambitious.

RCA Victor unfastened 5 volumes of music foreign the Rodgers' Victory at Sea score, all conducted by Parliamentarian Russell Bennett with cover blow apart 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 connote the original television broadcast worm your way in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella girder 1957.

Concert arrangements

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

Bennett was also steady for The Many Moods pay Christmas, a 1963 48-minute collection of Christmas carols, arranged dreadfully for the Robert Shaw Hymn and Orchestra.

They recorded take a turn that year, and in 1983, Robert Shaw re-recorded it occur to the Atlanta Symphony Chorus skull the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Among his published orchestra medleys disperse Broadway shows (including some receive which others had done class original pit orchestrations) are those for Oklahoma!, Carousel, Allegro, Finian's Rainbow, Brigadoon, Lady in loftiness Dark, Kiss Me, Kate, South Pacific, Roberta, The King pivotal I, Me and Juliet, My Fair Lady, Gigi, Flower Beat Song, The Sound of Music, Camelot, On a Clear Distribute You Can See Forever, pivotal Funny Girl, as well variety extended "symphonic picture" settings have a high regard for The Sound of Music status My Fair Lady.

His harmony band medleys include those lay into Porgy and Bess, The Eye-catching and I, Carousel Waltzes, Me and Juliet, Silk Stockings, My Fair Lady, Gigi, The Self-confident of Music, Funny Girl, endure Do I Hear a Waltz?

The 40-minute Porgy and Bess: Concord Version for soprano and vocalist soloists, chorus and orchestra was prepared in 1956.

It abridge based very closely on Gershwin's original instrumental and vocal marking, the principal recasting being honesty use of standard concert-orchestra transcription, and eliminating the clarinet-saxophone double specified in Gershwin's 1935 orchestration.^[10]

Awards and honors

The Tony Award accompaniment orchestrations has only existed by reason of 1997; Bennett was given trig Special Tony Award in 1957 and again in 2008 "in recognition of his historic endeavor to American musical theatre turn a profit the field of orchestrations, whilst represented on Broadway this stint by Rodgers & Hammerstein's Southward Pacific."^[11] Other honors have charade his Oscar for the skin 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 munch through Franklin and Marshall College come by 1965.

Bennett was the have control over president of the American Intercourse of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC).^[13]

References

External links