The Concerts at Lewisohn Stadium, 1922-1964
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City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2009 Music for the (American) People: The Concerts at Lewisohn Stadium, 1922-1964 Jonathan Stern The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2239 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] MUSIC FOR THE (AMERICAN) PEOPLE: THE CONCERTS AT LEWISOHN STADIUM, 1922-1964 by JONATHAN STERN VOLUME I A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2009 ©2009 JONATHAN STERN All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Music in satisfaction of the Dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Professor Ora Frishberg Saloman Date Chair of Examining Committee Professor David Olan Date Executive Officer Professor Stephen Blum Professor John Graziano Professor Bruce Saylor Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract MUSIC FOR THE (AMERICAN) PEOPLE: THE LEWISOHN STADIUM CONCERTS, 1922-1964 by Jonathan Stern Adviser: Professor John Graziano Not long after construction began for an athletic field at City College of New York, school officials conceived the idea of that same field serving as an outdoor concert hall during the summer months. The result, Lewisohn Stadium, named after its principal benefactor, Adolph Lewisohn, and modeled much along the lines of an ancient Roman coliseum, became that and much more. Lewisohn Stadium was for over forty years the summer home of America’s oldest symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. More importantly, the Lewisohn concerts witnessed a particularly impressive and innovative array of talent, creative as well as interpretive. For nearly fifty years, audiences of all social and ethnic backgrounds attended concerts that, together, summed up much of the course of twentieth century American serious music at minimal cost for admittance. This dissertation discusses the music concerts that made up the bulk of the shows put on at Lewisohn Stadium throughout its existence as the summer home of the New York Philharmonic. In particular, this dissertation seeks to answer several questions: To what extent was the performed music representative of the canon as it developed over time? And what can be learned from the myriad attempts made during the Lewisohn concerts at forming a distinctly American, as opposed to a European or Euro-American, musical identity? iv Acknowledgements One of the fortunate aspects about the dissertation topic I chose is that virtually everything I needed for my research was available to me in one location: the New York Philharmonic Archives. At the Archives were all the scrapbooks of reviews and articles pertaining to the Lewisohn Stadium concerts compiled by the members of the Stadium Committee from 1922 to 1964. The Archives also owned virtually every program for every concert. Consequently, the research, once the present writer summoned up the energy and courage to undertake it, flowed rather smoothly. For their help and generosity, I would like to thank Archivist Barbara Hawes and Associate Archivist Richard Wandel. Special thanks are also due to former Archives volunteer Roma Korris, who saved me a lot of busywork by typing up lists of the Stadium conductors, repertoire, and soloists from 1922 to 1962. From these large lists, I was able to create a masterlist of every concert, listing each performer and composition under each concert date. Outside of the Philharmonic Archives, several individuals offered some valuable assistance. John Pennino, Metropolitan Opera Archivist, alerted me to the list of Metropolitan Opera concerts of the summers of 1965 and 1966 located on the Company’s official website. Family friend Nancy Milstein was a godsend when it came to issues pertaining to my computer and printer. I also would like to mention other friends who gave me some good advice throughout my career as a doctoral student: Dr. Jim Leach and Dr. Julia Leach, Miriam Margolis, Dr. David Rosenthal (my godfather), Dr. Atanas Serbezov, Dr. Harold Wechsler and his wife, Dr. Lynn Gordon-Wechsler. v To my committee, Dr. John Graziano, Dr. Stephen Blum, Dr. Ora Frishberg Saloman and Dr. Bruce Saylor, I must say many thanks for all of their input, helpfulness and promptness in returning with comments work I sent to them. Special thanks are due to Dr. Graziano, my advisor, who suggested the topic to me and whose patience, insight, and support were endless. I am endlessly grateful to my family for their support, emotional as well as financial, throughout this long journey. I especially would like to thank my parents, Richard and Marcia Stern, and my two beautiful nieces, Jessica and Abigail Stern. Weekly visits to see the latter two were always uplifting. As research can be a lonely undertaking, I would like to thank my cat, Latke (she was a Hanukkah present from my brother Alexander and his wife Sandi), for seeing to it that I was, in fact, rarely alone. Lastly, this dissertation is dedicated to the memory of my good friend, James Giancola (1957-2003). vi Table of Contents VOLUME I Abstract iv Acknowledgements v Introduction 1 Chapter 1 - Developing an American Musical Organization: 1922-1929 8 Conductors 9 Willem van Hoogstraten 9 Five Guest Conductors 14 Other Conductors 25 Repertoire 27 The Canon 32 Contemporary and Recent European Music 34 American Music 45 George Gershwin 53 Soloists 59 Talent Contests 59 Marian Anderson 60 Hall Johnson Negro Choir 64 Opera 67 Other Soloists 68 Summary 70 Chapter 2 - The Depression Years: 1930-1938 72 The Great Depression 73 Conductors 79 Willem van Hoogstraten 79 Five Major Conductors 83 Other Conductors 90 Repertoire 93 Contemporary and Recent European Music 96 American Music 100 George Gershwin 110 Soloists 120 Opera 125 Summary 133 Chapter 3 - Civilization’s Trustee: 1939-1945 136 vii Lewisohn Stadium and World War II 137 Conductors 141 Three Future New York Philharmonic Music Directors 141 Notable Stadium Debuts 147 Other Conductors 151 Repertoire 156 Contemporary and Recent European Music 159 American Music 166 Three Important Composers 166 Other Notable American Compositions 170 Soloists 175 Three Popular Acts 178 Opera 184 Summary 186 Chapter 4 - A Beloved New York Institution: 1946-1964 188 The Final Two Decades 189 Conductors 196 Two Future New York Philharmonic Music Directors 196 Other Notable Guest Conductors 199 Other Stadium Conductors 204 Seven Frequent Stadium Conductors 204 Conductors with Broadway Ties 207 Ballet Conductors 208 New York Conductors 210 Eight Other Guest Conductors 211 Composer-Conductors 212 Symphonic and Operatic Repertoire 213 Pops And Other Repertoire 220 Soloists 228 Summary 236 Epilogue: The Final Two Seasons 237 Conclusion 242 Conductors 242 Repertoire 246 Soloists and Opera 250 Lewisohn Stadium’s Ultimate Legacy 252 Suggestions for Further Studies 255 Appendix: The Lewisohn Stadium Concerts 1922-1964 (Beginning) 256 viii VOLUME II Appendix: The Lewisohn Stadium Concerts 1922-1964 (Conclusion) 496 Bibliography 896 ix Introduction Several years after construction began for an athletic field at City College of New York, school officials conceived the idea of that same field serving as an outdoor concert hall during the summer months. The result, the 6,000-seat Lewisohn Stadium, 1 named after its principal benefactor, Adolph Lewisohn, and modeled much along the lines of an ancient Roman coliseum, became that and much more. In addition to showcasing dance, theatrical, and other orchestral concerts from its opening in 1915, Lewisohn Stadium was for over forty years (1922-1964) the summer home of America’s oldest symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. More importantly, the Lewisohn concerts witnessed a particularly impressive and innovative array of talent, creative as well as interpretive. For nearly fifty years, audiences of all social and ethnic backgrounds attended concerts that, together, summed up much of the course of twentieth century American serious music at minimal cost for admittance. 2 At 8:30 PM every summer night (seven days a week throughout the twenties and thirties into the later forties, from which point concerts were given only four or five times a week), 3 Stadium audiences saw many of the finest conductors of the century direct the New York Philharmonic. Such maestros included regular conductors Willem van Hoogstraten (1884-1965) and Alexander Smallens (1889-1972), about whom little has been written thus far. Other podium 1 http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/plazasite/plazahistory/history1.htm. Over ten to fifteen thousand folding seats were placed on the Stadium field for concerts to bring the total to nearly 20,000 seats. Publicity and newspaper articles throughout the years claimed that certain standing-room- only concerts were attended by as many as 22,000 music lovers. The actual number of seats used at Stadium concerts remains a mystery. 2 Throughout the bulk of the Stadium’s life, concertgoers paid anywhere from twenty-five cents to fifty cents for tickets. During the final years of the concerts, ticket prices increased to as much as $1.25. 3 The Stadium Concerts ran for two weeks in 1918. During the final seasons, concerts took place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Seasons were eight weeks long during the Stadium’s first several decades, but only five weeks long during its final ten years. 1 legends included Pierre Monteux (1875-1964), Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985), Fritz Reiner (1888-1963), Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961), and, of course, such New York Philharmonic music directors as Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), a child prodigy named Lorin Maazel (b.