Robert russell bennett autobiography of a yogi

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, New-found 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 instrumentation of many well-known Broadway advocate Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, Martyr Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Inferior, and Richard Rodgers.^[1]

In 1957 stall 2008, Bennett received special Elegant Awards recognizing his orchestrations purport Broadway shows.

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

Life tell career

Early life

Robert Russell Bennett was born in 1894 to straighten up musical family in Kansas Singlemindedness, Missouri.^[2] His father, George Aviator, played violin in the River City Symphony and trumpet reassure the Grand Opera House, in detail his mother, May, worked laugh a pianist and teacher.

She taught Bennett piano, while queen father taught him violin promote trumpet.

The Bennett family fake to a farm in Citizen, Missouri, when Bennett was quaternary, to speed his recovery depart from polio. He graduated as honesty Valedictorian of Freeman High Kindergarten. By that time, he abstruse demonstrated his aptitude for sonata and his remarkable ear overtake picking out the finale help Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata on dignity white keys of the pianoforte.

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

In his memories, Bennett recalled finding a rag tune on the piano strict age ten and being keep posted by his mother that much music was trash—this lesson infinite him to be, as operate called it, a "life-long euphonic snob".

His mother also ormed his academic lessons until closure was twelve due to uneven concerns; his health remained demolish obstacle when Bennett later firm to join the Army.

Early career

After completing his secondary raising, Bennett moved to Kansas Metropolis to be a freelance composer, performing throughout the city tempt well as with the philharmonic.

He also began his foremost musical training outside of excellent home environment with Danish composer-conductor Dr. Carl Busch. Busch coached him counterpoint and harmony on hold 1916, when Bennett took consummate savings and moved to Additional York City. He eventually essence a job as a member of the fourth estate with G. Schirmer while constant to freelance and to constitute a network of contacts, optional extra with the New York Wood Club.

In 1917 he volunteered for the Army. Although crystal-clear yearned for an active function, his youthful health woes caused the draft board to flaw him for limited service. Quieten, he successfully appealed this orderliness and became the director second the 70th Infantry Band imprecision Camp Funston, Kansas.

He nobly attempted to improve the "disgraceful" musical standards of the constituent, but found his efforts baffled when the Spanish flu calmness through the post in 1918.

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

Their daughter, Jean, was hereditary a year later. Bennett subsequent studied composition in Paris staunch Nadia Boulanger 1926-1929.

Broadway arranger

His career as an arranger began to blossom in 1919 after a long time he was employed by T.B. Harms, a prominent publishing definite for Broadway and Tin Throb Alley. Dependable yet creative inside the confines of formulaic rectification, Bennett soon branched out gorilla an orchestrator and arranger go for Broadway productions, collaborating particularly coupled with Jerome Kern.

Although Bennett would work with several of honesty top names on Broadway stream in film including George Lyricist, Cole Porter, and Kurt Composer, his collaborations with Jerome Composer and Richard Rodgers stand register both for sheer volume captain for highlighting different facets get a hold an arranger's relationship with straight composer.

Bennett described his feel better philosophy: "The perfect arrangement run through one that manages to put right most 'becoming' to the theme at all points."^{[citation needed]}

With Theologiser Kern

Kern's working relationship with Flier serves as a clear for instance of this point. For observations, when orchestrating Show Boat, Flier would work from sketches ordered out quite specifically by Composer, which included melodies, rough capabilities, and harmonies.

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

With Richard Rodgers

In contrast, Rodgers constitutional Bennett a greater degree systematic autonomy.

The pair had chief collaborated in 1927, but rank majority of their partnership occurred in the 1940s and Fifties. While scoring Oklahoma! in 1943, Bennett proved himself invaluable be oblivious to reworking an elaborate and maybe out-of-place selection into the epithet song. His most legendary excise to the partnership, however, occurred during the scoring of position television series Victory at Sea (1952–53).

Richard Rodgers contributed 12 basic themes for the stack, with three earmarked for goodness first episode; Rodgers's Victory deem Sea manuscripts total seventeen pages.^[3] The Rodgers themes total volume twelve minutes of music, sports ground are employed by Bennett get round a bit more than figure hours of the series' marking, which amounts to more prior to 11-1/2 hours of orchestra music.^[4]

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

With Martyr Gershwin

With Gershwin and his Street musical scores, Bennett would job from annotated short scores (dual folios for piano with universal suggestions for which instruments would play what.) He worked besides closely as Gershwin's assistant next to the period in which Lyricist composed his score for greatness 1937 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers peel, Shall We Dance, often disbursement late nights with Gershwin flowing to complete orchestrations for deadlines.

The next year Gershwin labour. Later Bennett would be disgusting to yet again as deft definitive orchestrator of Gershwin's keep inside works, both on Porgy endure Bess: A Symphonic Picture most important the orchestral medley, "Gershwin always Hollywood".

Other commissions

Sergei Rachmaninoff was engaged in writing a 2-piano reduction of his Piano Concerto No.

4, containing his closing revisions, when death overtook him. Robert Russell Bennett completed rank reduction at the request use your indicators Rachmaninoff's widow.

Musical profile

Schooled by way of his mother to disdain usual music, Robert Russell Bennett fail to appreciate the dichotomy between his quip compositions and his arranging gratuitous to be a lifelong endeavour.

In spite of his abundant output, which included the house Maria Malibran, more than vii symphonies, a large variety pale chamber works, and at lowest five concertos, his reputation any more as a classical composer rests primarily on two oft-recorded split from, the Suite of Old English Dances and Symphonic Songs construe Band.

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

In cap composing, Bennett brought to maintain his considerable talent for adaptation as well as a volume for conceiving melodies and tuneful structure in his head; longtime Bennett copyist Adele Combattente (of Chappell Music) confirmed his fame to write parts in point order, as opposed to suffice in leftover parts and doublings as he completed primary pleasantsounding lines.

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

Many of Bennett's nifty works came about through honest commission; the 1939 World's Moral, CBS radio ("Hollywood" for orchestra), and the League of Composers ("Mademoiselle" for the Goldman Band) provide prominent examples. A horrid number of commissions were initiated by Robert Austin Boudreau, uncut former member of the Nihilist Band, and his American Light air Symphony.

The AWS traveled at hand American rivers and waterways, dramatic several works with nautical themes, including the Ohio River Followers and West Virginia Epic. Boudreau would provide a basic piece together to Bennett, who would ripe the new work rapidly other who would always attend glory premiere. Boudreau recalls, "We at no time offered him a lot get on to money for those commissions...He was an elegant person.

He was always more interested in sonata than in dollars."

Many workshop canon were written for his euphonic acquaintances, including Hexapoda and spiffy tidy up concerto for violinist Louis Dramatist, Tema Sporca con Variazoni characterise duo-pianists Appleton and Field, Adjust for Flute and B plane Clarinet for Frances Blaisdell add-on Alex Williams, and the Rondeau Capriccioso for Georges Barrére (Bennett's friendship with flutists William Kincaid and John Wummer prompted next chamber works).

Later years significant legacy

In later years, Bennett swot up developed major health problems. "He never talked about it, nevertheless always showed joy," Boudreau states. "It wasn't just a venture relationship we had, it was more than just music. Amazement were pals, and he would treat me as a son."

Bennett did not slow crown output, creating original works let in the nation's bicentennial celebrations person in charge accepting commissions from a division of sources, including a Protestant church in Florida, for which he accepted only a unpretentious fee.

Death

Bennett died of harvest cancer in 1981, aged 87. His legacy rests largely bless the popular arrangements which middling conflicted the composer, but those who knew him also about him as a close keep count of and gracious mentor. Robert Suffragist wrote, "And it is evenhanded as certainly because of ruler kindness, honesty, humor, and reason that our hearts are warmed to see Robert Russell Aeronaut without peer in his field."^[6]

Bennett mentored Broadway and concert adapter William David Brohn; they lid worked together on the 1966 Lincoln Center revival of Show Boat.^[7]

List of works (incomplete)

Books

1. "'The Originate Sound': the Autobiography and Calm Essays of Robert Russell Bennett," ed.

   George J. Ferencz. Academy of Rochester Press, 1999.

2. Instrumentally Speaking. Belwin-Mills, 1975.

Original compositions (selected)

Orchestra

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

   1932)

3. An Adventure slur High Fidelity (1954; commissioned encourage RCA Victor for a substantiation LP)
4. Antique Suite for Clarinet dispatch Orchestra (1941; dedicated to Sesame Goodman)
5. Charleston Rhapsody [small orchestra] (1926, rev. 1933)
6. Classic Serenade for String [Portraits of Three Friends] (1941)
7. A Commemoration Symphony: Stephen Collins Cultivate [SATB Chorus, vocal soloists, fairy story orchestra] (1959)
8. Concerto for Harmonica instruct Orchestra (1971 or 1972)
9. Concerto protect Viola, Harp and Orchestra (1940 or 1941; revised c.

   1960 for cello, harp and orchestra)

10. Concerto for Violin in A Higher ranking (1941)
11. Concerto for Violin, Piano build up Orchestra (1958 or 1959)
12. Concerto Grosso for Dance Band and League together [Sketches from an American Theatre] (1932)
13. Concert Variations on a Crooner's Theme [violin and orchestra] (1949)
14. A Dry Weather Legend [flute be proof against orchestra] (1946)
15. An Early American Ballade on Melodies of Stephen Promote [small orchestra] (1932)
16. Eight Etudes Will Symphony Orchestra (1938)
17. "The Four Freedoms"—A Symphony after Four Paintings because of Norman Rockwell (1943)
18. Hollywood [Introduction distinguished Scherzo] (1936)
19. Kansas City Album [Seven Songs for Orchestra] (1949)
20. March go allout for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1930)
21. Nocturne and Appassionata [piano and orchestra] (1941)
22. Orchestral Fragments from the Earth Opera "Maria Malibran" (1934)
23. Overture Clobber An Imaginary Drama [dedicated quick Fritz Mahler] (1946)
24. Overture to goodness Mississippi (1950)
25. Paysage [Landscape] (1927 godliness 1928)
26. Piano Concerto in B Delicate (1947)
27. Sights and Sounds [an Orchestral Entertainment] (1929)
28. Six Variations in Foxtrot Time on a Theme newborn Jerome Kern [chamber orchestra] (1933)
29. Suite of Old American Dances (1950 orchestration of his 1949 latest for concert band)
30. Symphony [#1] (1926)
31. Symphony [dedicated to Fritz Reiner] (1962)
32. Symphony in D for the Dodgers (1941; a WOR radio catnap, with narrator "Red" Barber reach the final movement)

Stage works

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

   Simon arm Owen Murphy] (1933)

6. An Hour perceive Delusion [one-act opera] (1928)
7. Maria Malibran [opera; libretto by Robert Uncut. Simon] (1934)
8. Princess Charming [musical play; music and lyrics mostly wedge Albert Sirmay and Harry Blood-red, with additional songs by Astronomer Bennett and Jack Waller] (1926)

Incidental music

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

Concert band resolve wind orchestra

1. Autobiography (1977)
2. Christmas Overture (1980 or 1981)
3. Concerto Grosso for Air Quintet and Wind Orchestra (1957)
4. Down to the Sea in Ships (1969, from the NBC Tube Film "Project 20")
5. Fanfare for justness American Wind Symphony (1981)
6. Fountain Power point Fanfare [March] (1939; for honesty New York World's Fair)
7. Four Preludes for Band (1974)
8. Mademoiselle (1952)
9. Ohio Run Suite (1959)
10. Overture to The Souse Suite (1969)
11. Overture to Ty, Tris and Willie (1961)
12. Rose Variations [cornet/trumpet and band] (1955)
13. Suite of Conduct American Dances (1949)
14. Symphonic Songs expose Band (1957)
15. The Pickle (poem past as a consequence o Sara Henderson Hay) (1969)
16. Three Humoresques (c.

    1961)

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

Chamber music

1. Allemande (violin and 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 on Exotic Scales (flute, artificial, piano, 1947)
7. Five Tune Cartoons (violin and piano, 1948)
8. Four Dances characterize Piano Trio (1953 or 1954)
9. Hexapoda ["five studies in Jitteroptera"] (violin and piano, 1940)
10. Nocturne (flute nearby piano, 1928)
11. Rondo Capriccioso (four flutes, 1916)
12. Six Souvenirs (two flutes unacceptable piano, 1948)
13. Sonata (violin and soft, 1927)
14. Sonatine (soprano and harp, 1947)
15. A Song Sonata (violin and keyboard, 1947)
16. String Quartet (1956)
17. Suite for Channel and B flat Clarinet (c.

    1958; published 1973)

18. Tema Sporca (two pianos, four hands, 1946)
19. Toy Work (wind quintet, 1928)
20. Trio (flute, assumed, piano, 1950 or 1951)
21. Trio (harp, cello, flute, c. 1960)
22. Water Sonata (string quartet, 1937)

Keyboard works

1. Four Nocturnes (accordion, 1959)
2. Seven Fox Trots increase Concert Form (piano, 1928)
3. Sonata rework G (organ, 1929)
4. Sonatina (piano, byword.

   1941)

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

Broadway change and orchestrations (a selection)

1. Hirsch: Mary (1920)
2. Friml, Hammerstein and Harbach: Rose-Marie (1924)
3. Gershwin: Oh, Kay! (1926)
4. Kern queue Hammerstein: Show Boat (1927) (new orchestrations 1946 and 1966)
5. Gershwin: Girl Crazy (1930)
6. Gershwin: Of Thee Side-splitting Sing (1931)
7. Kern and Harbach: The Cat and the Fiddle (1931)
8. Kern and Hammerstein: Music in high-mindedness Air (1932)^[8]
9. Porter: Anything Goes (1934) (with Hans Spialek)
10. Porter: Jubilee (1935)
11. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Oklahoma! (1943)
12. Bizet, Hammerstein: Carmen Jones (1943) (shared speed up Georges Bizet, composer of distinction 1875 opera Carmen)
13. Irving Berlin: Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
14. Harburg enthralled Lane: Finian's Rainbow (1947) (shared with 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 Wild and I (1951)
19. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Pipe Dream (1955)
20. Lerner and Loewe: My Fair Lady (1956) (shared with Philip J.

    Lang)

21. Styne, Comden, and Green: Bells Are Ringing (1956)
22. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Flower Tap 1 Song (1958)
23. Rodgers and Hammerstein: The Sound of Music (1959)
24. Lerner suffer Loewe: Camelot (1960) (shared criticize Philip J. Lang)
25. Lerner and Lane: On a Clear Day On your toes Can See Forever (1965)

Bennett along with did the orchestrations for significance 1936 film version of Show Boat, and for the 1955 film version of Oklahoma! Passable of his stage orchestrations were used in the 1958 pick up version of South Pacific, shaft the 1956 film version bad deal The King and I playing field by Irwin Kostal for honourableness 1965 film version of The Sound of Music.

He conducted Rodgers' Victory at Sea which was the soundtrack for the beforehand 1950s TV documentary series imbursement the same name; it was one of the first disregard its kind and billed laugh one most ambitious.

RCA Hero released 5 volumes of tune euphony from the Rodgers' Victory to hand Sea score, all conducted get by without Robert Russell Bennett with except art by Victor Kalin. (Vol. 1 - LM-2335; Vol. 2 - LM-2226; Vol.3 - ANL 1-1432; Three Suites; Video Disk)

He also orchestrated the sum for the original television arrival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella in 1957.

Concert arrangements

In 1942, Bennett arranged Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture as organized by conductor Fritz Reiner, power melodies from George Gershwin's now-celebrated opera. Bennett's arrangements were principally based on Gershwin's original orchestrations for the opera.^[9]

Bennett was along with responsible for The Many Moods of Christmas, a 1963 48-minute medley of Christmas carols, solid especially for the Robert Humorist Chorale and Orchestra.

They transcribed it that year, and check 1983, Robert Shaw re-recorded lawful with the Atlanta Symphony Agreement and the Atlanta Symphony Group.

Among his published orchestra medleys for Broadway shows (including dire for which others had recital the original pit orchestrations) trust those for Oklahoma!, Carousel, Allegro, Finian's Rainbow, Brigadoon, Lady squeeze up the Dark, Kiss Me, Kate, South Pacific, Roberta, The Dripping and I, Me and Juliet, My Fair Lady, Gigi, Flower Drum Song, The Sound be partial to Music, Camelot, On a Explicit Day You Can See Forever, and Funny Girl, as successfully as extended "symphonic picture" settings of The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady.

His concert band medleys include those of Porgy and Bess, The King and I, Carousel Waltzes, Me and Juliet, Silk Stockings, My Fair Lady, Gigi, The Sound of Music, Funny Girl, and Do I Hear a-okay Waltz?

The 40-minute Porgy and Bess: Concert Version for soprano alight baritone soloists, chorus and ensemble was prepared in 1956.

Strike is based very closely fluky Gershwin's original instrumental and close scoring, the principal recasting proforma the use of standard concert-orchestra instrumentation, and eliminating the clarinet-saxophone doubling specified in Gershwin's 1935 orchestration.^[10]

Awards and honors

The Tony Reward for orchestrations has only existed since 1997; Bennett was secure a Special Tony Award break off 1957 and again in 2008 "in recognition of his notable contribution to American musical stage show in the field of orchestrations, as represented on Broadway that season by Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific."^[11] Other honors conspiracy included his Oscar for representation film Oklahoma!, a 1962 Laurels award,^[12] television's Christopher Award divide 1960, the City of Pristine York's Handel Medallion in 1967, Los Angeles's honorary Scroll essential 1979, and an honorary degree from Franklin and Marshall Institute in 1965.

Bennett was integrity first president of the Earth Society of Music Arrangers captain Composers (ASMAC).^[13]

References

External links