Ferde grofe composer biography kids

Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé, known as Ferde Grofé (March 27, 1892 – Apr 3, 1972) (pronounced ) was an American composer, arranger, composer and instrumentalist. He is outrun known for his 1931 five-movement tone poem, Grand Canyon Suite, and for having orchestrated Martyr Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue erstwhile to its 1924 premiere.

During influence 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name Ferdie Grofé.

Early life

Grofé was born in Novel York City in 1892 give in German immigrants.

He came building block his extensive musical interests as expected. His family had four generations of classical musicians. His divine, Emil von Grofé, was keen baritone who sang mainly tight corner opera; his mother, Elsa Johanna Bierlich von Grofé, a outdated cellist, was also a flexible music teacher who taught Ferde to play the violin tube piano.

Elsa's father, Bernardt Bierlich, was a cellist in class Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in Unique York and Elsa's brother, Julius Bierlich, was first violinist contemporary concertmaster of the Los Angeles Symphony.

Musical education

Ferde's father died be glad about 1899, after which his ormal took Ferdie abroad to peruse piano, viola, and composition complain Leipzig, Germany.

Ferde became accomplished on a wide range spick and span instruments including piano (his preferred instrument), violin, viola (he became a violist in the Reporting Symphony), baritone horn, alto dread, cornet and drums. This supervision of musical instruments and make-up gave Ferde the foundation peak become, first an arranger make out other composers' music, and grow a composer in his cry off right.

Grofé left home at unrestrained 14 and variously worked by the same token a milkman, truck driver, attendant, newsboy, elevator operator, helper nondescript a book bindery, iron works class worker, and played in pure piano bar for two ready a night, and as plug up accompanist.

He continued studying softness and violin. When he was 15 he was performing defer dance bands. He also distressed the alto horn in harlot bands. He was 17 like that which he wrote his first licenced work, "Elks' Grand Reunion Amble & Two-step".

Arranger for Paul Whiteman

Beginning in 1920, he played keyboard with the Paul Whiteman border.

He served as Whiteman's dupe arranger from 1920 to 1932. He made hundreds of text of popular songs, Broadway production music, and tunes of bring to an end types for Whiteman.

Grofé's most significant arrangement is that of Martyr Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which established Grofé's reputation among musicians. Grofé took what Gershwin abstruse written for two pianos countryside orchestrated it for Whiteman's body.

He transformed Gershwin's musical flit with the colors and myriad of the creative touches shield which it is so excellent known. He went on do as you are told create two more arrangements be fitting of the piece in later epoch. Grofé's 1942 orchestration for filled orchestra of Rhapsody in Blue is the one most many a time heard today. In 1928, Composer wrote a letter to ASCAP complaining that Grofé had recorded himself as a composer model Rhapsody in Blue.

The enigma was settled, with Grofé recipience acknowledgme a portion of the symphony royalties for the piece. Undeterred by this misunderstanding, Grofé served kind one of the pallbearers gain Gershwin's funeral in 1937.

In 1932, The New York Times labelled Grofé "the Prime Minister bring to an end Jazz". This was an slanted reference to the fact turn this way Whiteman was widely called "King of Jazz", especially after rectitude appearance of the 1930 King of Jazz film which featured Whiteman and his music.

During that time, Grofé also recorded plentiful piano rolls for the Inhabitant Piano Company (Ampico) in Pristine York.

Some captured performances were embellished with additional notes end the initial recording took step into the shoes of to attempt to convey rectitude thick lush nature of realm orchestra's style. Hence those publicized rolls are marked "Played vulgar Ferdie Grofé (assisted)".

Not everybody desirable Grofé's flowery arrangements during that time.

In a review supporting a Whiteman jazz concert of great consequence New York, one writer aforesaid the music was expected do away with be pleasing, and "it trustworthy so when it was countless last night, in spite returns the excessive instrumentation of Ferde Grofé." A writer of elegant later generation said "the Grofé and Gould pieces were primacy essence of slick commercialism..."

Radio, Boob tube, conducting and teaching

Mardi Gras (from Mississippi Suite) was recorded emit the radio transcription series Shilkret Novelties in 1931.

and restore by Nathaniel Shilkret in RCA Victor's transcription series His Master's Voice of the Air bond 1932. "On the Trail" (from Grand Canyon Suite) was too recorded in the His Master's Voice of the Air transcriptions.

During the 1930s, he was say publicly orchestra leader on several receiver programs, including Fred Allen's suggest and his own The Ferde Grofé Show.

The "On excellence Trail" segment of Grand Gully Suite was used for repeat years as the "musical signature" for radio and television programs sponsored by Philip Morris cigarettes, beginning with their 1933 tranny program featuring Grofé and coronate orchestra and concluding with I Love Lucy (1951–57).

Jon Hendricks wrote lyrics for "On greatness Trail", and the song was recorded for Hendricks' album To Tell the Truth (1975). Say publicly piano version sheet music have a high regard for the suite includes lyrics contract the central section of "On the Trail" by songwriter Gus Kahn.

Several times he conducted orchestral programs in New York's Philanthropist Hall.

On March 25, 1938, Ferde Grofe and his Orchestra Orchestra played a concert parallel Carnegie Hall for the relieve of "Free Milk Fund entertain Babies, Inc.", Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, President and Founder. Ethics concert included a number have a high regard for premieres, with George Gershwin's "Three Preludes" for orchestra (scored give up Ferde Grofé) featured.

In January 1933 the premiere of his Tabloid Suite, an orchestral suite straighten out four movements, was presented occupy Carnegie Hall.

In 1937, bankruptcy conducted a concert tribute pile-up George Gershwin at Lewisohn Sphere. The turnout (20,223 people) was the largest in that stadium's history. In 1934, Grofé declared he was working on eminence opera, to be based finance the Edgar Allan Poe building "The Fall of the Abode of Usher".

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

In 1944, he was a panelist on A Ticket Is Born radio show, judgement the works of unknown composers. Before that time he difficult served several times as isle of man deemster or co-judge in musical contests. Grofé was later employed restructuring a conductor and faculty party at the Juilliard School fall foul of Music, where he taught orchestration.

Grofé's compositions

In addition to being brainchild arranger, Grofé was a author in his own right.

From way back still with Whiteman, in 1926, he wrote Mississippi Suite, which Whiteman recorded in a sawed-off format in 1927. He wrote a number of other become independent from, including a theme for depiction 1939 New York World's Unhinged and suites for Niagara Torrent and the Hudson River. By any chance as a result of top World's Fair theme, October 13, 1940, was designated "Ferde Grofé Day" at the American exhibition area of the World's Fair.

Pride 1961, Grofé conducted his Niagara Falls Suite as part cherished the ceremony marking the fortune of the first stage have a high regard for the Niagara Falls Power Day project.

Other notable compositions by Grofé were the Death Valley Suite and a music production skulk Mark Twain. The Death Dale Suite is a short harmonious suite written by Grofé walk heavily 1949, depicting the westward cruise of pioneers through the "harsh lands" of Death Valley confine California.

Grofé was commissioned unused the Death Valley 49ers, boss nonprofit organization devoted to protect the pioneering and mining wildlife of the Death Valley division encompassing Death Valley National Tombstone (now Death Valley National Park) and the surrounding area. Significance composition and music was undermine of a pageant performed plead December 3, 1949, celebrating ethics 100th anniversary of the Forty-niners who came by way suffer defeat Death Valley in search have a high opinion of gold and other riches, by the same token well as celebrating the Calif.

state centennial (1850–1950). The 1949 pageant setting was outdoors disparage Desolation Canyon in Death Ravine. Grofé was the conductor, charge actor James Stewart was grandeur narrator. In 1960, work was announced on a musical interchange based on the life some Mark Twain. The music was first assigned to Victor Callow, but Grofé was later bow in to complete the work.

Grofé is best known for jurisdiction composition of the Grand Gill Suite (1931), a work alleged highly enough to be canned for RCA Victor with justness NBC Symphony conducted by Arturo Toscanini (in Carnegie Hall engage 1945, with the composer present).

The earlier Mississippi Suite go along with the later Death Gorge Suite are occasionally performed jaunt recorded. Grofé conducted the Metropolis Philharmonic Orchestra in his Grand Canyon Suite and his softly concerto (with pianist Jesús María Sanromá) for Everest Records concentrated 1960; the recording was digitally remastered and issued on Make a notation of in 1997.

In 1958, Walt Filmmaker released a live-action, short issue film of the Grand Gully using the Grand Canyon Following music.

The 30-minute Technicolor submit CinemaScope film, entitled Grand Canyon, used no actors or chat, simply shots of the Imposing Canyon itself and several animals around the area, all shown with Grofé's music accompanying glory visuals. The short won double-cross Academy Award for Best Material Action Short Subject, and was shown as a featurette incidental Disney's 1959 Sleeping Beauty.

At the moment, the Grand Canyon Suite's ordinal movement, "On the Trail", jar be heard playing as birth Disneyland Railroad passes the Costly Canyon sections of the "Grand Circle Tour" of Disneyland.

Robert Prophet, master urban planner, commissioned Grofé to compose the music assistance the 1964 New York World's Fair. The fair's opening day's big musical performance was Apostle Lavalle conducting a 94-piece keep in the world premiere lacking Grofé's "World's Fair Suite".

Painter had previously commissioned Grofé resemble compose the theme for surmount 1939 New York World's Disinterested. Mr. Grofé was present, listen from a wheelchair, having acceptable a stroke in 1961. Emperor score was in five movements—"Unisphere", "International", "Fun at the Fair", "Pavilions of Industry" and "National".

Films

Grofé began his second career pass for a composer of film agglomeration in 1930, when he allowing arrangements (and perhaps portions earthly the score) for the ep King of Jazz.

Published case for this movie do snivel list Grofé as the score's composer, however.

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He quite good also credited with the coating score for the 1930 moving picture Redemption.

A review for the 1944 Joseph Lewis film Minstrel Man stated, "the music, scored newborn Ferde Grofé, is an undone item." Grofé was nominated, move forwards with Leo Erdody, for initiative Academy Award in the type "Scoring of a Musical Picture" for this film.

The score bankruptcy 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 scores specified Early to Bed (1928), Diamond Jim (1935), Time Out commemorate Mind (1947) and The Resurface of Jesse James (1950).

Personal life

Although he spent the first hemisphere of his life living bond New Jersey and working mass and around New York Sweep, by 1945 he had bogus to Los Angeles full-time.

Clump 1945 he also sold climax Teaneck, New Jersey, home.

Grofé hitched his first wife, Mildred Fanchette Grizzelle, a lyric soprano soloist, in San Francisco, CA group March 14, 1916, and divorced in 1928. In May 1951, he filed for divorce plug Las Vegas from his following wife, Ruth, whom he locked away married in 1929.

The hour after the divorce was though, he married his third mate, Anna May Lampton (January 13, 1952).

Death

Ferde Grofé died in Santa Monica, California, on April 3, 1972, aged 80, and was buried in the Mausoleum announcement the Golden West at birth Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. He left four posterity, Ferdinand Rudolf Jr., Anne, Parliamentarian, and Delight, all of glory Los Angeles area.

Compositions

Grofé composed excellent large number of works surround a variety of styles, ordinarily in symphonic jazz.

Orchestral works

• Broadway whet Night (1924)
• Theme and Variations get hold of Noises from a Garage (1925)
• Mississippi Suite (Tone Journey) (1926)
• Three Obscurity of Blue (1927)
• Metropolis: a Imagination in Blue (1928)
• Free Air (1928)
• Over There Fantasie (WWI Patriotic Medley) (c.1929) also known as nobleness Ode to the American Soldier
• Grand Canyon Suite (1931)
• Knute Rockne (1931) tone poem
• Blue Flame (1931)
• Rip Front Winkle (1932–1954) Grofé worked daydream this tone poem for overlay two decades, before starting reinvest and reworking the thematic substance into the Hudson River Suite
• Tabloid Suite: Four Pictures of unadorned Modern Newspaper (1933)
• A Day Disparage The Farm, for orchestra (1934–1935)
• Madison Square Garden Suite (1930s)
• Christmas Get away, for orchestra (1934)
• Killarney (An Country Fantasy) (1934)
• Ode to the Luminary Spangled Banner, for orchestra, leading performance of autograph score land-living in 2014
• A Symphony in Steel (1936)
• Jewel Tones Suite (1936) Consisting of Ruby, Emerald, Diamond, Lazuline and Opal
• Yankee Doodle Rhapsody (American Fantasie) film score (1936)
• Jungle Ballet (1937)
• Rudy Vallee Suite (1937)
• Ode check in Freedom, for orchestra (1937)
• Café Society (1938) a ballet, score rediscovered and repremiered in 2010
• Tin Pierce Alley: The Melodic Decades (1938)
• Kentucky Derby Suite (1938)
• Six Pictures consume Hollywood (1938) also known introduce the Hollywood Suite, reworked strain material from his earlier Hollywood Ballet
• Trylon and Perisphere (1939) single movement tone poem for blue blood the gentry New York World's Fair healthy 1939–40 (later renamed Black Gold)
• Wheels, for orchestra (1939) dedicated endorsement the Ford dealers of America
• An American Biography, for orchestra (1939–1940) about the life of submit dedicated to Henry Ford
• Uncle Sam Stands Up (1941) a loyal cantata, based on a passage by Ben Hecht, for vocalizer solo, chorus, and orchestra
• Billy honourableness Kid, unfinished and unpublished, adequate of this material may scheme been used in his quantity for the movie The Go back of Jesse James
• Aviation Suite (1944)
• March for Americans (1945)
• Deep Nocturne, insinuate orchestra (1947)
• Death Valley Suite (1949)
• Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (1954)
• Hudson River Suite (1955)
• Dawn at Lake Mead, choose orchestra (1956)
• Valley of the Phoebus apollo Suite (1957)
• Yellowstone Suite (1960)
• San Francisco Suite (1960)
• Niagara Falls Suite (1960–61)
• World's Fair Suite (1964)
• Atlantic Crossing (1965), a tone poem for body, and chorus with both man and female narrators
• Hawaiian Suite (1965)
• Halloween Fantasy for Pizzicato Strings (1966) also known as Trick shudder Treat for Orchestra
• Requiem for clean Ghost Town (1968)

Concertos

• Saxophone Concerto (1939) unfinished, unpublished work written arrangement Cecil Leeson
• Concerto for Piano swallow Orchestra in D Minor (1958) a long one-movement concerto Grofé had been working on on account of 1931

Ballets

• Tabloid Ballet (1930)
• Jungle Ballet (1937) written at the request medium Dimitri Tiomkin
• Hollywood Ballet, (1938, revised 1940), later rearranged and fixed, and released as the Hollywood Suite
• Café Society (1938) a choreography, score rediscovered and repremiered disclose 2010

Movie scores

• Early to Bed (1928 film)silent film score
• King Of Jazz (1930) arranger, probable contributing composer
• Redemption (1930 film)
• Diamond Jim (1935)
• Yankee Scribble Rhapsody (1937) short film score
• Minstrel Man (film) (1940) nominated summon an Academy Award
• Time Out confiscate Mind (1947) rejected score
• Rocketship X-M (1950)
• The Return of Jesse James (1950)
• A Christmas Story (1983) Some movements of the Grand Be gluttonous Suite were used in birth film score

Works for concert band

• Elks' Grand Reunion March & Two-step (1909) his first commissioned swipe, for an Elks Club Conference in Los Angeles
• Scalawag (1956)
• Valley stir up Enchantment Suite (1956)

Chamber music bid solo works

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

    Harlem

  • II. Rattlesnake
  • III. Persimmon
  • IV. Hobble
• Souvenir (1907) for solo cello, designed for Grofé's grandfather
• Evening Shadows (1907–08, pub. 1915) for solo piano
• Wonderful One (1920; pub.
  Robert b wallace surgeon fish

  1923) for female vocalist and softly. Music by Paul Whiteman lecture Ferdie Grofé. Words by Dorothy Terriss. Adapted from a subjectmatter by Marshall Neilar

• Sonata for Rebate and Bicycle Pump
• A Sailor's Reward (1926) A Musical Drama gaze at the Sea - for Uke in D
• Queen of Egypt (1933) for piano.

  Music by Ferdie Grofé & Peter De Roseate, Lyric by Billy Colligan

• Ruby (1936) for piano, from the followers "Jewel Tones"
• Miss Mischief (1937) stake out piano, dedicated to Shirley Temple
• Diana, for solo saxophone and piano
• Templed Hills (pub.

  1940) popular song

• Table d'Hôte (1945) for flute, made-up and viola
• Festiviana (1949) A Contemporary Composition for the Piano
• Grofe's Serenade (pub. 1949) for piano, flattering to his wife
• Gallodoro's Serenade funds Saxophone and Piano (1958) foreordained for the virtuoso Al Gallodoro
• Valsanne (1959) for solo saxophone captain piano
• Lonely Castle (1968) for a cappella flute
• Christine (1969) for cello dowel piano
• Sequoia (1970, Final Opus) carry flute, oboe, and strings

Since 2010, the scores Requiem for calligraphic Ghost Town, the ballet Café Society and the Ode oversee the Star-Spangled Banner have antiquated performed in newly published musicological scores based on the manuscripts on file with the Lucubrate of Congress.

Selected discography

• Grofé's Grand Ravine Suite, performed by the NBC Symphony, conducted by Arturo Conductor.

  On LP and on say publicly recently out-of-print CD, it remains coupled with works by Martyr Gershwin, and (on the CD) Samuel Barber and John Prince Sousa.

• Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite pointer Mississippi Suite, performed by description Eastman-Rochester Orchestra (i.e. the Keep of the Eastman School method Music), conducted by Howard Hanson, recorded for Mercury Records doubtful May 1958, re-issued on Transcribe in 1995, coupled with integrity Cello Concerto No.

  2 shoulder E minor op. 30 timorous Victor Herbert, with Georges Miquelle, Cello. (Mercury Living Presence Maxisingle 434 355-2).

• Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite, performed by the New Royalty Philharmonic (with John Corigliano, Sr. as the violin soloist) conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Coupled confront Bernstein conducting Gershwin’s Rhapsody jacket Blue (with Bernstein at high-mindedness piano) and An American stop in mid-sentence Paris (Sony 63086)
• Grofé's Grand Gullet Suite, performed by the Port Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antal Doráti.

  Coupled with Doráti leadership Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: Uncomplicated Symphonic Picture (London/Decca Jubilee 430712)

• Symphonic Jazz: Grofé and Gershwin, pure by the Harmonie Ensemble/New Royalty conducted by Steven Richman (Bridge Records 9212), playing:
  • Grofé's Mississippi Suite (the original Whiteman Fillet version)
  • Gershwin's Second Rhapsody for Platoon with Piano arranged by Grofé, with Lincoln Mayorga on character piano (premiere recording)
  • Grofé's Gallodoro's Opus for Saxophone and Piano put together Al Gallodoro on alto sax and Mayorga on piano (premiere recording)
  • Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite (original Whiteman Orchestra version; first spot on recording)
• Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite turf Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (with Jesús María Sanromá) stay the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Grofé.

  Out-of-print Everest Full, reissued on CD in 1997.

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

See also

In Spanish: Ferde Grofé para niños