View of Leonard Bernstein and NYP on Carnegie Hall Stage
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2009 Leonard Bernstein's and Roger Englander's Educational Mission: Music Appreciation and the 1961-62 Season of Young People's Concerts John Christian MacInnis Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC LEONARD BERNSTEIN‘S AND ROGER ENGLANDER‘S EDUCATIONAL MISSION: MUSIC APPRECIATION AND THE 1961-62 SEASON OF YOUNG PEOPLE‘S CONCERTS By JOHN CHRISTIAN MACINNIS A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2009 Copyright © 2009 John MacInnis All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the Thesis of John Christian MacInnis defended on March 30, 2009. ______________________________ Michael E. Broyles Professor Directing Treatise ______________________________ Charles E. Brewer Committee Member ______________________________ Frank D. Gunderson Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii This thesis is dedicated to the glory of God and in memory of Florence Christina Sutherland. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. II Timothy 1:5 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. vii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ viii INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 1. THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERTS: ―THE MAN MET THE MOMENT‖ .....................5 Young People‘s Concerts in America ..............................................................................5 The Young People’s Concerts under Bernstein and Englander .......................................6 Music Appreciation in America .......................................................................................10 Radio and the Arts in America.........................................................................................13 Television and the Arts in America .................................................................................14 2. THE 1961-62 SEASON OF YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERTS .............................................19 3. ROGER ENGLANDER AND ―THE PHILHARMONIC COHORTS‖ ................................29 Roger Englander ..............................................................................................................29 Young People’s Concert Planning and Development ......................................................34 Young People’s Concert Production ................................................................................38 Broadcast Day ..................................................................................................................39 Young People’s Concert Technology ..............................................................................41 4. YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERT IDEALS: ―A CONCERT IS NOT A SHOW‖ ...................44 Audience Orientation .......................................................................................................44 American, Modern, and Popular Music ...........................................................................45 A ―Middle-Brow‖ Approach............................................................................................47 The Music Appreciation Racket ......................................................................................51 Peace and the Power of Music .........................................................................................54 No Gimmicks ...................................................................................................................55 Enhancing the Performing Arts .......................................................................................57 5. CONCLUSION: ―COMMUNICATION IS WHAT TELEVISION IS ABOUT‖ .................62 Technological Mediation .................................................................................................62 Consequent Young People’s Concert Development ........................................................65 Lasting Impact .................................................................................................................66 APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................................69 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................74 iv BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................................81 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1: 1961-62 YPC Programs and Nielson Ratings ................................................................21 Table 2: 1961-62 YPC Planning Meetings and Rehearsals .........................................................35 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Bernstein New Yorker Cartoon .....................................................................................10 Figure 2: Leonard Bernstein with Roger Englander Seated ........................................................69 Figure 3: YPC Planning Meeting .................................................................................................70 Figure 4: Side View of Leonard Bernstein and NYP on Carnegie Hall Stage ............................71 Figure 5: Leonard Bernstein and Teleprompters .........................................................................72 Figure 6: Full Shot of NYP, Cameras, and Lighting on Carnegie Hall Stage .............................73 vii ABSTRACT This thesis is an examination of the 1961-62 season of New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts with special emphasis on contributions made by director/producer Roger Englander in concert with Leonard Bernstein. The Young People’s Concerts are contextualized in the American tradition of orchestral concerts targeting children (especially by the New York Philharmonic), and connections between radio broadcasts of high culture content and early television programming are examined, particularly in light of the dominating media personalities of Walter Damrosch and Arturo Toscanini. Also, the Young People’s Concerts are explained as a new media manifestation of American music appreciation programs and explained in the context of 1960s television. The developmental processes for the 1961-62 Young People’s Concerts is explored with special emphasis placed on the collaborative professional relationships that made these programs a success. The technology for producing and televising the 1961-62 Young People’s Concerts is outlined and explained. In addition, the production ideals of Leonard Bernstein and Roger Englander are clarified along with a discussion of the lasting impact of the Young People’s Concerts on American culture and musicians and how the show evolved after Bernstein and Englander. viii INTRODUCTION I first experienced Leonard Bernstein as a freshman music major watching his 1973 Harvard lectures with a friend. As many young musicians, I was eager to learn about and understand music on new levels. And, beginning with these taped lectures, I knew I had a kindred spirit in Leonard Bernstein. I bought books by and on Bernstein and watched taped performances with him conducting and teaching. Later, I read articles and started taking notes on what I observed in his most popular lectures, the internationally televised New York Philharmonic (NYP) Young People’s Concerts (YPCs). I soon noticed that although these lectures were universally remembered and admired, especially by musicians, they had not received much scholarly engagement. Moreover, it appeared to me that these concerts represented a unique moment in the twentieth century when art music was presented to and embraced by a stunning number of people. Gradually, I realized that it was not just Bernstein who made the lectures a success—the television technology involved enhanced his discussions. Through a generous research grant from Florida State University in 2008, I took my inquiry to the Leonard Bernstein Collection at the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library Performing Arts Division, and the New York Philharmonic Archive. In studying primary documents, YPC director/producer Roger Englander loomed large. It became readily apparent to me that Englander was instrumental in adapting Bernstein‘s Carnegie Hall lectures to the television medium. I was able to contact Englander through the Leonard Bernstein Office in New York City, and we began corresponding by email and phone. In undertaking this project, my aim is to tell his story along with Bernstein‘s and to provide new insights into understanding their educational legacy. Overview: In a 1977 interview at Carnegie Hall, Leonard Bernstein reflected on his illustrious musical career and proclaimed, ―I am proudest of those fifty odd young people‘s shows— prouder of them than anything