-
Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
-
Frances Patricia Beck to Val Bisoglio
Leonard Bernstein Biography (1918-1990)
Original name, Louis Bernstein; name legally changed in 1934; born August 25,1918, in Lawrence, MA; died of heart attack caused by progressive lung failure, October 14, 1990, in Manhattan, NY; son of Samuel Joseph (a hair dressingsupplies wholesaler) and Jennie (Resnick) Bernstein; married Felicia Montealegre Cohn, December 9, 1951 (deceased, June 16, 1978); children: Jamie, Nina,Alexander.
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- conductor, pianist, composer, teacher, television host
- Birth Details
- August 25, 1918
- Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States
- Death Details
- October 14, 1990
- Manhattan, New York, United States
Famous Works
-
Credits; Television Appearances; Series
- (Television debut) Lecturer on music and conductor, Omnibus, CBS,1954-56, ABC, 1956-57.
- Musical director and conductor, New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts with Leonard Bernstein, CBS, 1957-71.
- Also appeared as conductor on the programs Lincoln Presents and Ford Presents.
-
Credits; Other Television Appearances
-
Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, CBS, c. 1961.
-
Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic in Japan, CBS, 1962.
-
Beethoven's Birthday: A Celebration in Vienna with Leonard Bernstein (special), CBS, c. 1972.
-
Bernstein in London (special), PBS, c. 1973.
- "Bernstein at Tanglewood," Great Performances (special), PBS, c. 1975.
- "Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic," Great Performances (special), PBS, 1975.
-
Bernstein/Beethoven (concert anthology of Beethoven's symphonies and other works), PBS, 1982.
- "Bernstein: Conductor, Soloist, and Teacher," Great Performances (special), PBS, c. 1984.
-
Carnegie Hall: The Grand Reopening (special), CBS, 1987.
-
Bernstein in East Berlin, PBS, 1989.
- Appeared as a guest and conductor on numerous specials on cable, network,and public television. Also appeared as conductor on numerous episodes of American Masters and Great Performances.
-
Recordings; Selected Albums
-
Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah" (also see below), Deutsche Grammophon,c. 1942.
-
Fancy Free (also see below), Columbia, c. 1944.
-
On the Town (also see below), Columbia, c. 1944.
-
Symphony No. 2, "Age of Anxiety" (also see below), Deutsche Grammophon, c. 1949.
-
Wonderful Town (also see below), Columbia, c. 1953.
-
On the Waterfront (also see below), Decca, c. 1954.
-
Candide (also see below), Columbia, c. 1956.
-
Humor in Music (spoken word recording), Columbia, 1961.
-
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf, Columbia, 1961.
-
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals/Britten: Young Person's Guide toOrchestra. Cloumbia, 1962.
-
Bernstein Conducts for Young People, Columbia, 1963.
-
Symphony No. 3, "Kaddish" (also see below), Columbia, c. 1964.
-
Chickester Psalms (also see below), Columbia, 1965.
-
Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E Flat Major, "Symphony of a Thousand,"Cloumbia, 1967.
-
Mass (also see below), Columbia, c. 1971.
-
Bizet: Carmen, Deutsche Grammophon, 1973.
-
The Dybbuk (also see below), Columbiia, c. 1974.
-
Concert of the Century, Columbia, 1977.
-
Songfest (also see below), Deutsche Grammophon, c. 1977
-
Divertimento (also see below), Deutsche Grammophon, c. 1980.
-
Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story" (also see below), Columbia, c. 1983.
-
A Quiet Place, Deutsche Grammophon, c. 1984.
-
West Side Story (cast show album; also see below), 1985.
-
Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Deutsche Grammophon, 1989.
- Also recorded Ives: Symphony No. 2, 1990, and Shostankovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2, 1990. Numerous other recordings of Bernstein's work as a performer, conductor (often with the New York Philharmonic), and composer have been produced on the Columbia and Deutsche Grammophon labels.
-
Credits; Stage Music
- Incidental music, The Birds (play based on the work by Aristophanes), Cambridge, MA, 1939.
- Incidental music, The Peace (play based on the work by Aristophanes), Cambridge, MA, 1940.
-
Fancy Free (ballet; also see below), Ballet Theatre, MetropolitanHouse, New York City, 1944.
- (And lyrics, with Betty Comden and Adolph Green) On the Town (musical; also see below; adapted from Bernstein's ballet Fancy Free), first produced in Boston, MA, then Adelphi Theatre, New York City, both 1944.
-
Facsimile (ballet), Ballet Theatre, Broadway Theatre, New York City, 1946.
-
Peter Pan, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1950.
-
Wonderful Town (musical), first produced in New Haven, CT, then Winter Garden Theatre, New York City, both 1953.
- Incidental music, The Lark, Coronet Theatre, New York City, 1955.
-
Candide (operetta), first produced in Boston, then Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, both 1956; revised version produced at Cheslea Theatre Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, 1973, then Broadway Theatre,1974-75.
-
West Side Story (musical; also see below), first produced in Washington, DC, then Winter Garden Theatre, both 1957, then Her Majesty's Theatre,London, 1958.
- Incidental music and songs, The Firstborn, Coronet Theatre, 1958.
-
Leonard Bernstein's Theatre Songs, Theatre De Lys, New York City,1965.
-
Dybbuk (ballet), first performed in New York City, 1974.
-
By Bernstein (revue), Westside Theatre, New York City, 1975.
-
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: A Musical About the Problems of Housekeeping (musical), Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York City, 1976.
-
Side by Side by Sondheim, Music Box Theatre, New York City, 1977.
- Song contributor, The Madwoman of Central Park West, 22 Steps Theatre, New York City, 1979.
- Also wrote incidental music for Salome, 1955.
-
Credits; Film Music
-
On the Town, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1949.
-
On the Waterfront (also see below), Columbia, 1954.
-
West Side Story, United Artists, 1961.
-
Credits; Selected Orchestral, Choral, And Chamber Music Compositions
-
Psalm CXLVIII (solo vocal with piano accompaniment), 1935.
-
Music for the Dance, Nos. 1 and 2, 1938.
-
Scenes from the City of Sin (four piano hands), 1939.
-
Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah" (for orchestra), 1942.
-
Seven Anniversaries (piano solo), 1943.
-
I Hate Music (song cycle), 1943.
-
Hashkivenu (Hebrew liturgy; for solo tenor, chorus, and organ), 1945.
-
Afterthought (solo vocal with piano accompaniment), 1945.
-
Choreographic Essay for Orchestra, 1946.
-
La Bonne Cuisine (four "recipes" for solo vocal with piano accompaniment), 1947.
-
Ssimchu na (Hebrew folksong; for four-part choir and piano or orchestra), 1947.
-
Five Pieces for Brass, 1947.
-
Re'ena (Hebrew folksong; for chorus and orchestra), 1947.
-
Four Anniversaries (piano solo), 1948.
-
Symphony No. 2, "The Age of Anxiety" (for piano and orchestra), 1949.
-
Yigdal (Hebrew liturgy; for chorus), 1950.
-
Trouble in Tahiti (opera), 1950.
-
Five Anniversaries (piano solo), 1951.
-
Silhouette: Galilee (solo vocal with piano accompaniment), 1951.
-
Serenade (for solo violin, string orchestra, harp, and percussion), 1954.
-
On the Waterfront (symphonic suite based on film score), 1955.
-
Harvard Choruses (lyrics by Lerner), 1957.
-
West Side Story (symphonic dances based on musical), 1960.
-
Fanfare I (for inauguration of J. F. Kennedy), 1961.
-
Fanfare II (for 25th anniversary of New York High School of Musicand Art), 1961.
-
Symphony No. 3, "Kaddish" (Hebrew liturgy; for orchestra, chorus,boys' choir, speaker, and solo soprano), 1963.
-
Chichester Psalms (for chorus and orchestra), 1965.
-
Shivaree (for brass and percussion), 1969.
-
Mass (theatre piece) commissioned for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, 1971, then Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, 1972.
-
Songfest (a cycle of American poems for six singers and orchestra), 1977.
-
Slava! (overture), 1977.
-
Divertimento (for orchestra), 1980.
-
A Musical Toast (for orchestra), 1980.
-
Touches (piano solo), 1981.
-
Olympic Hymn (lyrics by G. Kunert), 1981.
-
Halil (nocturno for solo flute, string orchestra, and percussion),1981.
-
A Quiet Place (opera), 1983, revised version, 1984.
-
Jubilee Games (for orchestra), 1986.
-
Prayer (for baritone and orchestra), 1986.
-
My Tweleve-Tone Melody, 1988.
-
Arias and Barcarolles (four piano hands and singers), 1988.
-
Credits; Other
-
The Joy of Music (essays and scripts from seven Omnibus episodes), Simon & Schuster, 1955.
-
Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts--For Reading and Listening, Simon & Schuster, 1962, revised edition, 1970.
-
The Infinite Variety of Music, Simon & Schuster, 1966.
-
The Unanswered Question: Six Talks at Harvard, Harvard UniversityPress, 1976.
-
Findings (a collection of short stories, essays, poems, and memorabilia), Simon & Schuster, 1982.
Further Reference
Books
-
Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Volume 21, Gale, 1987.
-
Contemporary Composers, St. James Press, 1992.
-
Contemporary Musicians, Volume 2, Gale, 1990.
- Gradenwitz, Peter, Leonard Bernstein: The Infinite Variety of a Musician, Oswald Wolff Books, 1987.
- Gruen, John, The Private World of Leonard Bernstein, Viking Press,1968.
- Peyser, Joan, Leonard Bernstein: A Biography, Beech Tree Books, 1987.
Periodicals
-
New York Times, October 15, 1990.
-
Time, October 29, 1990.
-
Variety, October 22, 1990, p. 80.
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: