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The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, as it appeared during its inaugural season, 1935-36, with Maestro Lajos Shuk conducting. COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

ride in Greater Buffalo derives largely from the Philadelphia and Cincinnati had each established a fine orches- achievements of our major institutions, especially tra to bring the world’s greatest music to life in their communi- in education, healthcare and the arts. The usual ties. Locally, sincere efforts were made to test the waters, as suspects come quickly to mind – the University at Buffalo and diverse symphonic ensembles began to appear with names like PCanisius, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo General and Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Civic Orchestra and even Millard Fillmore hospitals, the Albright-Knox and Burchfield the Beethoven Philharmonic Orchestra. Penney Art Center, and the BPO and Kleinhans, among sig- Until about 1934, all of the musicians for these orchestras nificant others. Each has a big story to tell, and the mutual her- were hired on a freelance basis by various presenters and con- itage of the BPO and Kleinhans is best told in stereo. ductors. Many of those same players later found themselves on It all began back in 1827, when James D. Sheppard filled a big stage for the official debut of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orches- need by opening Buffalo’s first music store, which ultimately tra at Elmwood Music Hall on November 7, 1935. On the became Denton, Cottier and Daniels. From that time, Buffalo’s podium that fine Thursday evening was the BPO’s first music population grew exponentially to more than 350,000 by the turn director, Lajos Shuk, who began the concert with Beethoven’s Kleinhans Music Hall celebrated its opening night on October 12, 1940. This stunning image of the Hall appeared on the cover of the century, becoming the eighth largest American city. By far, heroic “Egmont Overture.” of the dedication booklet. COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA the greatest influx came from Italy, Germany and Poland, and For Buffalo and the country at large, it was a propitious time, these new Americans arrived with their musical traditions intact. though full of hazard. While the United States worked its way By the mid-1800s, Buffalo was on the tour schedules of many out of the Great Depression, war machines made ready to the KLEINHANS MUSIC HALL AND THE fine artists, including the Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind, and East across the Atlantic and to West across the Pacific. The era piano virtuoso Hans von Bülow, also known as Richard BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Wagner’s greatest maestro. The city was also visited by the Theodore Thomas Orchestra and the U.S. Marine Band under John Philip Sousa, and later by the Pittsburgh Symphony under Victor Herbert. As for Buffalo’s own self-brewed music, apart from amateur ensembles of every variety – dance bands, banjo bands, and community and church choirs – large singing societies sprung up in our local German and Polish communities. At the same time, Buffalo needed a suitable concert stage, or rather, an opera house that also served as a venue for orchestras. The very first concert hall in Buffalo was the Eagle Street Theater, built in 1840 at WashingtonWESTERN and Eagle streets, followed by the NEW Academy of YORK HERITAGE Music in 1852 at Main near Seneca, and the Opera House at Main and Washington in 1862. At Edward and Main, the large Music Hall made its debut in 1883, but had to be rebuilt and reopened in 1887 after a devastating fire. Elmwood Music Hall, at the corner of Virginia Street and Elmwood Through the late 1800s, Buffalo’s visiting artists and orches- Avenue, was a multi-purpose facility, hosting everything from concerts to sporting events. Built in 1885, it served as the city’s primary concert tras gave wings to the idea that the city should have its own venue for more than 40 years. A Story in Stereo professional orchestra. By then, New York City, Boston, COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA By Raya Lee and Edward Yadzinski 26 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 27 After its opening night, the BPO did not skip a beat in its effort to bring great music to young and old alike. Within weeks, Maestro Shuk directed the BPO’s first youth concert on December 17, 1935 for the Buffalo Public Schools, also performed at Elmwood Music Hall. The Hall itself, however, was in tenuous shape, to put it mildly. Buffalo’s Crying Need For the Pan-American Exposition of 1901, a marvelous, but temporary, concert hall known as the Temple of Music was built not far from the present-day Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Though it was razed as scheduled after the exposition ended, memories of the Temple of Music still lingered and set the tone for dreams to 8BTIBLJF.VTFVNBOE$VMUVSBM$FOUFS "HBJOTU"MM0EET3FTDVFBUUIF$IJMFBO.JOF come of a new concert hall. 'BCSJDBUJPOBOE*OTUBMMBUJPO)BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD %FTJHO 'BCSJDBUJPOBOE*OTUBMMBUJPO)BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD 5IF.VTFVNBU#FUIFM8PPET ;JQQP$PODFQU4UPSF At that time, the city’s only permanent 'BCSJDBUJPOBOE*OTUBMMBUJPO)BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD %FTJHO 'BCSJDBUJPOBOE*OTUBMMBUJPO)BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD concert venue was a multi-task arena known as the Convention Hall, originally )BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD Hadley Exhibits built in 1885 as an armory at the intersec- XXXIBEMFZFYIJCJUTDPN This interior view of Elmwood Music Hall, taken during a summer concert ca. 1932, shows the building’s robust construction, including open ceiling tion of Elmwood Avenue and Virginia joists above the stage. COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Street. The spacious building was con- verted into Buffalo’s Convention Hall was also marked by the inception of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1936 through the spring of 1938. In addition, the WPA gave around 1900 and served as the city’s pri- New Deal programs, intended to stimulate the economy through supplemental funds for the construction of Kleinhans Music mary auditorium for orchestral music for several federal work programs like the Works Progress Admin- Hall. We should make clear, however, that the BPO was con- nearly 40 years. The Hall was hardly pretty, istration. After the BPO’s successful first year, the WPA pro- ceived and initiated entirely at the local level, and not born of but had a large stage, a modest balcony and vided the orchestra limited, but significant, funding from fall the WPA. an open main floor that accommodated about 1,800 patrons on moveable wooden chairs. However, the yellow-brick edifice, later known as Elmwood Music Hall, also had a not-so-secret other life: It hosted almost any kind of indoor event, including professional boxing matches and college basketball games. There were also practical problems, the most critical of which 684-8400 was the loud rumble of passing electric trolleys. Indeed, when the great Enrico One campus Residential Apartment Homes

Caruso performed on May 8, 1908, he Assisted Living Apartments became indignant and threatened to walk with access to WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE Skilled Nursing out in the middle of an aria. everything you Despite such limitations, Elmwood Rehabilitation Music Hall hosted Buffalo’s start-up may need: Outpatient Therapy In 1893, Edward Kleinhans (left) opened a high-end men’s clothing The Kleinhans entrusted the money for the construction of a music hall orchestras as well as several world-class store in Buffalo with his brother Horace. Upon his death in 1934, he to the Buffalo Foundation, managed by civic leader Edward H. ensembles, including the New York Phil- and his wife Mary Seaton (right) left their life savings for the con- Letchworth (left). The Kleinhans Committee was headed by Cameron struction of a new music hall in Buffalo. Baird (right). harmonic under Gustav Mahler and the La COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA AND UB ARCHIVES Scala Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini.

28 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 29 After its opening night, the BPO did not skip a beat in its effort to bring great music to young and old alike. Within weeks, Maestro Shuk directed the BPO’s first youth concert on December 17, 1935 for the Buffalo Public Schools, also performed at Elmwood Music Hall. The Hall itself, however, was in tenuous shape, to put it mildly. Buffalo’s Crying Need For the Pan-American Exposition of 1901, a marvelous, but temporary, concert hall known as the Temple of Music was built not far from the present-day Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Though it was razed as scheduled after the exposition ended, memories of the Temple of Music still lingered and set the tone for dreams to 8BTIBLJF.VTFVNBOE$VMUVSBM$FOUFS "HBJOTU"MM0EET3FTDVFBUUIF$IJMFBO.JOF come of a new concert hall. 'BCSJDBUJPOBOE*OTUBMMBUJPO)BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD %FTJHO 'BCSJDBUJPOBOE*OTUBMMBUJPO)BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD 5IF.VTFVNBU#FUIFM8PPET ;JQQP$PODFQU4UPSF At that time, the city’s only permanent 'BCSJDBUJPOBOE*OTUBMMBUJPO)BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD %FTJHO 'BCSJDBUJPOBOE*OTUBMMBUJPO)BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD concert venue was a multi-task arena known as the Convention Hall, originally )BEMFZ&YIJCJUT*OD Hadley Exhibits built in 1885 as an armory at the intersec- XXXIBEMFZFYIJCJUTDPN This interior view of Elmwood Music Hall, taken during a summer concert ca. 1932, shows the building’s robust construction, including open ceiling tion of Elmwood Avenue and Virginia joists above the stage. COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Street. The spacious building was con- verted into Buffalo’s Convention Hall was also marked by the inception of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1936 through the spring of 1938. In addition, the WPA gave around 1900 and served as the city’s pri- New Deal programs, intended to stimulate the economy through supplemental funds for the construction of Kleinhans Music mary auditorium for orchestral music for several federal work programs like the Works Progress Admin- Hall. We should make clear, however, that the BPO was con- nearly 40 years. The Hall was hardly pretty, istration. After the BPO’s successful first year, the WPA pro- ceived and initiated entirely at the local level, and not born of but had a large stage, a modest balcony and vided the orchestra limited, but significant, funding from fall the WPA. an open main floor that accommodated about 1,800 patrons on moveable wooden chairs. However, the yellow-brick edifice, later known as Elmwood Music Hall, also had a not-so-secret other life: It hosted almost any kind of indoor event, including professional boxing matches and college basketball games. There were also practical problems, the most critical of which 684-8400 was the loud rumble of passing electric trolleys. Indeed, when the great Enrico One campus Residential Apartment Homes

Caruso performed on May 8, 1908, he Assisted Living Apartments became indignant and threatened to walk with access to WESTERN NEW YORK Skilled HERITAGE Nursing out in the middle of an aria. everything you Despite such limitations, Elmwood Rehabilitation Music Hall hosted Buffalo’s start-up may need: Outpatient Therapy In 1893, Edward Kleinhans (left) opened a high-end men’s clothing The Kleinhans entrusted the money for the construction of a music hall orchestras as well as several world-class store in Buffalo with his brother Horace. Upon his death in 1934, he to the Buffalo Foundation, managed by civic leader Edward H. ensembles, including the New York Phil- and his wife Mary Seaton (right) left their life savings for the con- Letchworth (left). The Kleinhans Committee was headed by Cameron struction of a new music hall in Buffalo. Baird (right). harmonic under Gustav Mahler and the La COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA AND UB ARCHIVES Scala Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini.

28 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 29 Buffalo, the lack of a fitting concert hall was restated and rephrased in many news articles and concert reviews – lots of talk, lots of ink, but few results. Finally, it was a man from Michigan, Edward L. Kleinhans – a successful menswear entre- preneur, who established the Kleinhans Men’s Store at Main and Lafayette – and his wife Mary Seaton, who together gave their life savings to erect a new concert hall in Buffalo. The Kleinhans Gift Vital to the Kleinhans’ bequest were a small group of community leaders of exemplary dedication and perseverance. Some, The site chosen for the construction of Kleinhans Music Hall was like Edward H. Letchworth, were already distinguished by years located on “The Circle” and occupied by the Avery Mansion. In 1938, of civic leadership, while others were new to the scene, includ- the heirs to the estate of Mrs. Truman Avery offered the mansion to the ing young Cameron Baird, who was a key player in the BPO’s city, and it was razed to make room for the new hall. This plan view of Kleinhans Music Hall clearly WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE PRESS establishment as well. In fact, Baird was named chairman of the shows the fan-shaped design of the main Kleinhans Committee. floor, with the stage and pit – or proscenium – At the same time, Buffalo strained to welcome touring recital- From the moment the Kleinhans’ gift became known around that can be raised or lowered as desired. COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ists, including Maurice Ravel, who performed in the ballroom town, they had the foresight to entrust their combined estates ORCHESTRA of the Statler Hilton Hotel. Clearly, the need for an appropri- to the Buffalo Foundation, which Letchworth scrupulously ate concert venue was compelling. managed. The program book from the night Kleinhans Music Garden. Finally, after much ado, the Just four years after the Pan-Am Exposition, the Buffalo Hall was dedicated on October 12, 1940 contains a letter Letch- group decided to erect the new hall at Express recognized the strong message delivered by the Temple worth wrote, summarizing the Hall’s funding from the Klein- “The Circle” at the intersection of Rich- of Music’s brief tenure. In a long article on September 2, 1905, hans bequest through its first year of operation. According to mond Avenue and North Street, known titled “Buffalo’s Crying Need for a Hall,” the Express noted, Letchworth, the Kleinhans estate left just over $750,000 for the appropriately today as Symphony Circle. “Liberal patrons of the arts have been talking of erecting a Hall initial design and construction, while the federal government At the time, the site was occupied by the which should be a fit ‘temple of music’ – a consummation so contributed about $583,000. Avery Mansion, which was purchased devoutly to be wished.” The dreamers of that era would have Far more revealing is the 39-page historic account of civic and razed by the city. Come Dine With Us at The Rue been heartbroken to know that a great local shrine to music and bureaucratic “red tape” Letchworth encountered just before Afterwards, the challenge became would not be consummated for another 35 years. And as each the Hall was completed: To say that Letchworth and his asso- agreeing on the practical function and new effort emerged to establish a professional orchestra in ciates were heroic in patience and perseverance would be an style of the new hall, and finding an archi- understatement. Among many salient points in the letter, Letch- tect to design it. The latter became a briar worth quotes from Edward Kleinhans’ will: “I direct that the patch of thorny opinions Letchworth corpus thereof be used to build and erect a suitable music hall described in detail. “Our subsequent in the City of Buffalo, New York, to be known as ‘The Klein- employment of Saarinen and acceptance hans Music Hall’ in memory of my beloved mother and wife, of his beautiful design for the Hall would which at such time as shall be deemed proper and suitable, shall never have occurred except for the vision be turned over to the City of Buffalo, New York. Such music and persistence of Esther Link,” he com- hall shall be for the use, enjoyment and benefit of the people of mented. A music teacher at Hutchinson- the City of Buffalo.” Central High School, Link served on the The Kleinhans’ bequest contained not a word about a favored advisory panel for the planning of Klein- location in the city, nor is there even a hint as to what architec- hans. Realizing there were strong reserva- tural style might be preferred. Both issues generated intense tions about the Greco-Roman design debate and rivalry as the project emerged. Moreover, knowledge styles under consideration, she convinced WESTERN NEW YORKthat WPA funds would HERITAGE supplement the Kleinhans’ gift added a Letchworth and the planning committee big dose of politics to the equation. And, to make matters worse, to consider the modern and elegant work the project became more urgent when the city condemned the of Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen. “I stalwart Elmwood Music Hall in February 1938. knew that any design Saarinen would give Eliel Saarinen, designer of Kleinhans Music Hall (left), chats with the great Undaunted, the Buffalo Foundation performed minor us would be in a different class from any 341 Franklin Street in the Theatre District Serge Koussevitzky, December 10, 1940, during Koussevitzky’s tenure miracles almost every day. First, it reduced 26 possible hall loca- of those which had been submitted to us,” as conductor of the Boston Symphony. Koussevitzky opined that Klein- Dinner served Tuesday – Saturday • Reservations: 852-4416 hans Music Hall was “the dream of a lifetime – perfect and complete.” tions to 13, and finally to just three, including Humboldt Park Letchworth noted. “We are often asked www.ruefranklin.com COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA near the Museum of Science and Delaware Park near the Rose why we did not adopt a classic Greek style

30 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 31 Buffalo, the lack of a fitting concert hall was restated and rephrased in many news articles and concert reviews – lots of talk, lots of ink, but few results. Finally, it was a man from Michigan, Edward L. Kleinhans – a successful menswear entre- preneur, who established the Kleinhans Men’s Store at Main and Lafayette – and his wife Mary Seaton, who together gave their life savings to erect a new concert hall in Buffalo. The Kleinhans Gift Vital to the Kleinhans’ bequest were a small group of community leaders of exemplary dedication and perseverance. Some, The site chosen for the construction of Kleinhans Music Hall was like Edward H. Letchworth, were already distinguished by years located on “The Circle” and occupied by the Avery Mansion. In 1938, of civic leadership, while others were new to the scene, includ- the heirs to the estate of Mrs. Truman Avery offered the mansion to the ing young Cameron Baird, who was a key player in the BPO’s city, and it was razed to make room for the new hall. This plan view of Kleinhans Music Hall clearly WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE PRESS establishment as well. In fact, Baird was named chairman of the shows the fan-shaped design of the main Kleinhans Committee. floor, with the stage and pit – or proscenium – At the same time, Buffalo strained to welcome touring recital- From the moment the Kleinhans’ gift became known around that can be raised or lowered as desired. COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ists, including Maurice Ravel, who performed in the ballroom town, they had the foresight to entrust their combined estates ORCHESTRA of the Statler Hilton Hotel. Clearly, the need for an appropri- to the Buffalo Foundation, which Letchworth scrupulously ate concert venue was compelling. managed. The program book from the night Kleinhans Music Garden. Finally, after much ado, the Just four years after the Pan-Am Exposition, the Buffalo Hall was dedicated on October 12, 1940 contains a letter Letch- group decided to erect the new hall at Express recognized the strong message delivered by the Temple worth wrote, summarizing the Hall’s funding from the Klein- “The Circle” at the intersection of Rich- of Music’s brief tenure. In a long article on September 2, 1905, hans bequest through its first year of operation. According to mond Avenue and North Street, known titled “Buffalo’s Crying Need for a Hall,” the Express noted, Letchworth, the Kleinhans estate left just over $750,000 for the appropriately today as Symphony Circle. “Liberal patrons of the arts have been talking of erecting a Hall initial design and construction, while the federal government At the time, the site was occupied by the which should be a fit ‘temple of music’ – a consummation so contributed about $583,000. Avery Mansion, which was purchased devoutly to be wished.” The dreamers of that era would have Far more revealing is the 39-page historic account of civic and razed by the city. Come Dine With Us at The Rue been heartbroken to know that a great local shrine to music and bureaucratic “red tape” Letchworth encountered just before Afterwards, the challenge became would not be consummated for another 35 years. And as each the Hall was completed: To say that Letchworth and his asso- agreeing on the practical function and new effort emerged to establish a professional orchestra in ciates were heroic in patience and perseverance would be an style of the new hall, and finding an archi- understatement. Among many salient points in the letter, Letch- tect to design it. The latter became a briar worth quotes from Edward Kleinhans’ will: “I direct that the patch of thorny opinions Letchworth corpus thereof be used to build and erect a suitable music hall described in detail. “Our subsequent in the City of Buffalo, New York, to be known as ‘The Klein- employment of Saarinen and acceptance hans Music Hall’ in memory of my beloved mother and wife, of his beautiful design for the Hall would which at such time as shall be deemed proper and suitable, shall never have occurred except for the vision be turned over to the City of Buffalo, New York. Such music and persistence of Esther Link,” he com- hall shall be for the use, enjoyment and benefit of the people of mented. A music teacher at Hutchinson- the City of Buffalo.” Central High School, Link served on the The Kleinhans’ bequest contained not a word about a favored advisory panel for the planning of Klein- location in the city, nor is there even a hint as to what architec- hans. Realizing there were strong reserva- tural style might be preferred. Both issues generated intense tions about the Greco-Roman design debate and rivalry as the project emerged. Moreover, knowledge styles under consideration, she convinced that WPA funds would supplement the Kleinhans’ gift added a LetchworthWESTERN and the planning committee NEW YORK HERITAGE big dose of politics to the equation. And, to make matters worse, to consider the modern and elegant work the project became more urgent when the city condemned the of Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen. “I stalwart Elmwood Music Hall in February 1938. knew that any design Saarinen would give Eliel Saarinen, designer of Kleinhans Music Hall (left), chats with the great Undaunted, the Buffalo Foundation performed minor us would be in a different class from any 341 Franklin Street in the Theatre District Serge Koussevitzky, December 10, 1940, during Koussevitzky’s tenure miracles almost every day. First, it reduced 26 possible hall loca- of those which had been submitted to us,” as conductor of the Boston Symphony. Koussevitzky opined that Klein- Dinner served Tuesday – Saturday • Reservations: 852-4416 hans Music Hall was “the dream of a lifetime – perfect and complete.” tions to 13, and finally to just three, including Humboldt Park Letchworth noted. “We are often asked www.ruefranklin.com COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA near the Museum of Science and Delaware Park near the Rose why we did not adopt a classic Greek style

30 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 31 cert halls and theaters are conceived: the rectangular “shoebox” and the cylindrical “oatmeal box,” most often found with a horseshoe floor plan. Saarinen revealed both savvy and courage in his design choice for the main auditorium in Kleinhans because, at the time, there was not a single celebrated example of the fan-shaped design at any major concert venue in the world. By contrast, successful shoebox or oatmeal-box designs were everywhere. Fine examples of the shoebox style include Vienna’s Musikverein and many larger copies, including Boston’s Symphony Hall. (The BPO has performed at both ven- ues.) The oatmeal-box style is found in many opera houses, like La Scala in Milan, and concert halls, the most famous of which is Carnegie Hall in New York City, where the BPO has performed 22 concerts. Beyond the formative design, it was simply a leap of faith when Saarinen decided to integrate the curved proportions of a violin into his architectural plan for Kleinhans. “The shape of the violin has derived from its own function as a musical instrument,” Saarinen wrote in an essay on the Hall’s construction. “As a concert auditorium in its inmost nature is a musical instrument, its formation must derive accordingly. The shape and character of the main auditorium were conceived as a ‘musical instrument’ where the solution had to grow from within in accord with the demands, both spiritual and An architect’s model of the Hall, showing the Mary Seaton Room and reflecting pool (left) as well as the larger main auditorium. practical, of such an instrument.” COURTESY CRANBROOK ARCHIVES Concert hall design has always been a paradoxical science. Although the fundamentals of auditorium acoustics have been understood for centuries, getting the parameters just of architecture, like the Albright Art room, spacious enough to function as a Chronology can seem surreal at times: right remains a game of chance – not quite a roll of the dice, but close. Despite the best Gallery and the Historical Society build- rehearsal room (the 150-seat Mary Liv- Saarinen was commissioned to draw efforts of modern science, we still don’t know how a hall will sound until opening night. ing. Saarinen himself replied, with a twin- ingston Room). Moreover, the prosce- up plans for a new concert hall on Octo- In that regard, we admire Saarinen’s poetic gambit to blend antiquity with the lyrical curves kle, ‘Because we are not Greeks.’” nium of the large concert stage would ber 19, 1938 – two days after the formal of the violin as the primary element of his design. In addition to the main auditorium, function as a theater pit, to be lowered or groundbreaking for Kleinhans. But Saari- The metaphor of a “vintage music hall” might best describe the very real science the Buffalo Foundation decided that the elevated as needed by electric power. nen worked quickly and the cornerstone behind Kleinhans’ phenomenal acoustics. When musicians describe the sound of a par- grand design should also comprise a sep- Saarinen also suggested a contoured was laid on September 12, 1939, posi- ticular concert hall, a curious jargon arate large recital hall (the 800-seat Mary reflecting pool, adding a sense of natural tioned at the northeast corner of the Hall emerges, as if the subject were about wine Seaton Room) and a smaller recital serenity to the site overall. and clearly engraved, “The Kleinhans – words like body, richness, color, bouquet, Music Hall 1939.” Letchworth and about lively, sweet, dry, robust, mellow and so on. a hundred hearty citizens attended the There are even legends, like the story of event in a pouring rain. A few short years La Scala in Milan, where workers there after the Hall was dedicated, Polish and believed in 1778 that the broken wine bot- Italian community groups expressed their tles they mixed into the concrete gave the pride by erecting sculpted monuments of great opera house its warm, mellow sound. Frederic Chopin and Giuseppe Verdi on To achieve the desired tonal ambiance the grounds adjacent to the reflecting or flavor of a concert hall, designers lose pool, east and north of the cornerstone, sleep over just three elements of sound respectively. propagation: Reflection and diffusion – uniformity of sound throughout the hall A Vintage Venue, Reverberation – the persistence of Par Excellence sound, measured in seconds Absorption – how well sound main- WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGEFollowing a cue from Saarinen, Klein- tains with or without an audience hans Music Hall may be appreciated as a musical instrument unto its own. Of par- By convenient analogy, wine makers ticular importance is the overall form of likewise are concerned with just three nat- Kleinhans, emulating the fan-shaped ural elements as they hope for a “vintage” proportions of amphitheaters from Greek year – sunshine, rain and temperature. And “Never have I performed in such a beautiful auditorium.” — Sergei Rachmaninoff and Roman antiquity. There are just two whether the objective is a vintage harvest or COURTESY CRANBROOK ARCHIVES other general shapes on which most con- a vintage hall, timing is everything. In both 32 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 33 cert halls and theaters are conceived: the rectangular “shoebox” and the cylindrical “oatmeal box,” most often found with a horseshoe floor plan. Saarinen revealed both savvy and courage in his design choice for the main auditorium in Kleinhans because, at the time, there was not a single celebrated example of the fan-shaped design at any major concert venue in the world. By contrast, successful shoebox or oatmeal-box designs were everywhere. Fine examples of the shoebox style include Vienna’s Musikverein and many larger copies, including Boston’s Symphony Hall. (The BPO has performed at both ven- ues.) The oatmeal-box style is found in many opera houses, like La Scala in Milan, and concert halls, the most famous of which is Carnegie Hall in New York City, where the BPO has performed 22 concerts. Beyond the formative design, it was simply a leap of faith when Saarinen decided to integrate the curved proportions of a violin into his architectural plan for Kleinhans. “The shape of the violin has derived from its own function as a musical instrument,” Saarinen wrote in an essay on the Hall’s construction. “As a concert auditorium in its inmost nature is a musical instrument, its formation must derive accordingly. The shape and character of the main auditorium were conceived as a ‘musical instrument’ where the solution had to grow from within in accord with the demands, both spiritual and An architect’s model of the Hall, showing the Mary Seaton Room and reflecting pool (left) as well as the larger main auditorium. practical, of such an instrument.” COURTESY CRANBROOK ARCHIVES Concert hall design has always been a paradoxical science. Although the fundamentals of auditorium acoustics have been understood for centuries, getting the parameters just of architecture, like the Albright Art room, spacious enough to function as a Chronology can seem surreal at times: right remains a game of chance – not quite a roll of the dice, but close. Despite the best Gallery and the Historical Society build- rehearsal room (the 150-seat Mary Liv- Saarinen was commissioned to draw efforts of modern science, we still don’t know how a hall will sound until opening night. ing. Saarinen himself replied, with a twin- ingston Room). Moreover, the prosce- up plans for a new concert hall on Octo- In that regard, we admire Saarinen’s poetic gambit to blend antiquity with the lyrical curves kle, ‘Because we are not Greeks.’” nium of the large concert stage would ber 19, 1938 – two days after the formal of the violin as the primary element of his design. In addition to the main auditorium, function as a theater pit, to be lowered or groundbreaking for Kleinhans. But Saari- The metaphor of a “vintage music hall” might best describe the very real science the Buffalo Foundation decided that the elevated as needed by electric power. nen worked quickly and the cornerstone behind Kleinhans’ phenomenal acoustics. When musicians describe the sound of a par- grand design should also comprise a sep- Saarinen also suggested a contoured was laid on September 12, 1939, posi- ticular concert hall, a curious jargon arate large recital hall (the 800-seat Mary reflecting pool, adding a sense of natural tioned at the northeast corner of the Hall emerges, as if the subject were about wine Seaton Room) and a smaller recital serenity to the site overall. and clearly engraved, “The Kleinhans – words like body, richness, color, bouquet, Music Hall 1939.” Letchworth and about lively, sweet, dry, robust, mellow and so on. a hundred hearty citizens attended the There are even legends, like the story of event in a pouring rain. A few short years La Scala in Milan, where workers there after the Hall was dedicated, Polish and believed in 1778 that the broken wine bot- Italian community groups expressed their tles they mixed into the concrete gave the pride by erecting sculpted monuments of great opera house its warm, mellow sound. Frederic Chopin and Giuseppe Verdi on To achieve the desired tonal ambiance the grounds adjacent to the reflecting or flavor of a concert hall, designers lose pool, east and north of the cornerstone, sleep over just three elements of sound respectively. propagation: Reflection and diffusion – uniformity of sound throughout the hall A Vintage Venue, Reverberation – the persistence of Par Excellence sound, measured in seconds Absorption – how well sound main- Following a cue from Saarinen, Klein- WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE tains with or without an audience hans Music Hall may be appreciated as a musical instrument unto its own. Of par- By convenient analogy, wine makers ticular importance is the overall form of likewise are concerned with just three nat- Kleinhans, emulating the fan-shaped ural elements as they hope for a “vintage” proportions of amphitheaters from Greek year – sunshine, rain and temperature. And “Never have I performed in such a beautiful auditorium.” — Sergei Rachmaninoff and Roman antiquity. There are just two whether the objective is a vintage harvest or COURTESY CRANBROOK ARCHIVES other general shapes on which most con- a vintage hall, timing is everything. In both 32 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 33 Broadway musicals, film music and rock ‘n’ roll. Moreover, the Kleinhans stage has hosted more than 2,600 BPO Clas- sics concerts, featuring hundreds of the finest performers in the world. Beyond live concerts, Kleinhans pro- vides an excellent environment for broadcasts and recorded music, adding its unique “singing silence” to the timbres of the BPO. The vibrant blend can be heard even in recordings of the orchestra’s NBC Radio Network broadcasts from the 1940s, currently preserved in the Library of Congress. The orchestra has released albums on such record labels as Naxos, Fine handcrafted jewelry in gold, platinum & silver 5350 Main Street, Williamsville, entrance on N. Long An elevated view of Kleinhans Music Hall, ca. 1941, taken from the spire of the nearby First Sony, Nonesuch, Turnabout-Vox, Colum- “We’re right around the corner!” 716.634.5353 www.lisahunterjewelry.com Presbyterian Church. COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA bia and Beau Fleuve, and even recorded the soundtrack for the 1979 Woody Allen instances, what happens exactly when musicians alike – who locked arms and film Manhattan, featuring the music of cultivate your style. brings the final result. found ways to ensure that the heart of George Gershwin, conducted by Michael Finally, in terms of size, Kleinhans Kleinhans continued to beat with the Tilson Thomas. In 2008, the BPO was ranks among the largest concert halls in sound of great music. awarded its first two Grammy Awards fine furniture the world, with 1,575 seats on the main With superb acoustics to the fore, for its release of John Corigliano’s Mr. gifts & accessories floor and 1,264 in the balcony, for a total Kleinhans has been an ideal home for the interior design Tambourine Man, conducted by music Johnston Benchworks capacity of 2,839 people. By comparison, BPO and its audiences. From within director JoAnn Falletta. and much more Cleveland’s Severance Hall seats 1,890 Kleinhans’ embracing walls the Buffalo Kleinhans Music Hall was recognized 4203 North Buffalo St. while Vienna’s Musikverein accommo- Philharmonic Orchestra has performed as a National Historic Landmark in Orchard Park, NY 14127 (716) 667-1541 dates just 1,680. more than a thousand education and 1989. The Hall’s basic construction is www.whiteorchardhome.com youth concerts, and hundreds of Pops outstanding, erected with the highest programs as a showcase for dance, quality materials and techniques. One The Budding BPO can tour the catacombs under the stage As the BPO and Kleinhans Music and auditorium to find immense concrete Hall developed in stereo, plans for this pillars that look like they were poured last new concert hall provided a big lift to the week – no sandy flaking, cracks or water musicians and board of directors during evidence, simply superb. Like the gothic the orchestra’s first two seasons. The real- cathedrals designed 900 years ago, if we ity was doubly highlighted when it are vigilant about maintenance, Klein- became known that the new hall would hans Music Hall will stand for a very also serve as the BPO’s permanent home long time as the home of a great orches- G – complete with a locker for each player! tra in a great community. Since the dedication of Kleinhans, both the Hall and the BPO have shared m a mutually invaluable creative relation- BUSINESS & PERSONAL Author and lecturer Raya Lee is a librarian ship. The mere presence of Kleinhans INSURANCE at Medaille College and the Buffalo & Erie Music Hall,WESTERN for example, helped the “I haveNEW always said that YORKsitting in Kleinhans HERITAGECounty Public Library. She is also a speaker BPO survive three or four acute financial is like sitting in the body of a beautiful cello – for the New York Council for the Humanities. crises during its 76 years of artistic life. one is embraced and enveloped from every direction by gorgeous sound. The BPO has At those rather dire intervals, the fact developed its extraordinary warm and gen- Edward Yadzinski, a former musician with the that Buffalo’s beautiful shrine for music erous sound from having the privilege of Buffalo Philharmonic, currently serves as the might go silent and dark had a rallying playing on this stage every day.” orchestra’s annotator and archivist. For many — JoAnn Falletta years he was on the performance faculty at effect for the orchestra’s dedicated sup- COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC porters – patrons, political leaders and ORCHESTRA UB, where he also lectured on acoustics. www.claussinsurance.com

34 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 35 Lajos Shuk Franco Autori William Steinberg Josef Krips Lukas Foss Michael Tilson Thomas (1935-37) (1937-45) (1945-52) (1954-63) (1963-71) (1971-79)

Kleinhans Music Hall under construction, as it appeared in late October 1939, looking towards the stage. Note that the bases for the seats have already been installed. Bor- dering this image are the 10 individuals who have acted as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra since its inception. COURTESY BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY AND UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO MUSIC LIBRARY

WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE

Julius Rudel Semyon Bychkov Maximiano Valdes JoAnn Falletta (1979-85) (1985-89) (1989-98) (1998-Present) 36 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 37 Lajos Shuk Franco Autori William Steinberg Josef Krips Lukas Foss Michael Tilson Thomas (1935-37) (1937-45) (1945-52) (1954-63) (1963-71) (1971-79)

WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE

Julius Rudel Semyon Bychkov Maximiano Valdes JoAnn Falletta (1979-85) (1985-89) (1989-98) (1998-Present) 36 Spring 2012 WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE 37