Bernstein one of ‘musical’ giants of the 20th century

‘Music just is ...’

GBy Cezary Owerkowicz

eorge Gershwin (1898-1937) and Leonard Bernstein (19181990) were, and – ‘are’ top symbols of American music in 20th century. Both were sons of first generation immigrants from Russia as a state, but exactly from the Ukrainian territories.

NB: Prolegomena to ‘nationalism’: we are all migrants, but our, settlement, education and identification would make us citizens of certain place. Like Chopin, semiFrench was the best one expressing Polish spirit and culture as both the above mentioned expressed American spirit the best.

Last year we celebrated the centenary anniversary of Bernstein’s birth and next year we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his death. He has somehow remained ‘alive’ in the hearts of so many because of his music as well as because his activities. I admire and respect him very much with crowds of people having more or less close contact with that field of his life.

Leonard Bernstein was a man of many talents – composer, conductor, great erudite, social activist and media (especially TV personality). It is not surprising that he was proud from his achievements in the field of pedagogic and popularization. He was a man who did not believe in barriers. He was the first American conductor to get to the top in the world but he never neglected pop music, but with satisfaction smuggled into the elements of ‘serious’ (classical) music.

Owerkowicz

Compositions

On the basis of his compositions alone – including everything from major symphonic works to landmark Broadway scores, including West Side Story and On the Town – Bernstein ranked among the musical giants of the 20th century. Simultaneously, he composed the most popular music of his time, except for the musicals mentioned above including ballet music, theater music and film music; jazz for concert stages and symphonic music for Broadway. This is in addition to some songs, famous New York, New York; for Frank Sinatra among others.

Yes, it is the role as The Music Director of New York Philharmonic that he left what may well prove to be his most edifying legacy: the most extraordinary Young People Concerts telecast over CBS between 1958 and 1973.

The Maestro brings considerable charisma to his role as professor, lending the air of mastery class to the proceedings, yet he managed to be accessible without condescending to his presumes school-age audience. In fact, anyone interested in music beyond pop was (and he will until now) benefit from such immersion in Bernstein genius on DVD-sets or repeatedly aired on TV programs his performances – lectures. Today he is one of the most mythical persons of American culture in the 20th century, or may be thanks to his popularization of activities. Huge knowledge, passion, typical American relaxed play and lightness in communication made him a real ambassador of classical music, or music at all.

The idea of popularization concerts in the US, exactly at the New York Philharmonic, was born much earlier, in 1885 as Family Matinee under the baton of Theodore Thomas with ‘Uncle’ Ernest Schelling and developed in 1914 as Young People Concerts. It combined musical performances of the Philharmonic with lectures. The idea was so successful that Uncle Schelling presented that idea in Philadelphia, London, Rotterdam and Los Angeles.

Popular

The music was popular always in every country or place and in every social layer. However, the knowledge of music, understanding, and sublimated taste was rather a privilege of the elite. Simultaneously, the London Promenade Concerts were established to make ‘higher music accessible for broad social strata. However, the best is to address such projects to young people, to wake up their interests and the needs of valuable music.

Bernstein brought Young Concerts to a new level of attention when he arrived as a conductor of the New York Philharmonic in 1958. Young Concerts take place at the most prestigious locations and in front of really mass audience. Crucially, the first performance with him as music director, on Jan 18, 1958, at the Carnegie Hall, NY City, was the first of these concerts to be televised.

From 1962, the Young People Concerts became the first series of concerts ever televised from the Lincoln

Center. Bernstein presented and conducted a total of 53 such performances, all of which were telecast on CBS and syndicated in over 40 countries.

Bernstein told the TV audience that at the start of the first ever Young People Concert: “No matter what stories people tell you about what music means, forget them. Stories are not what music means. Music is never about things. Music Just Is. It’s a lot of beautiful notes and sounds put together so well that we get pleasure out of hearing them. So when we ask, ‘What does it mean? What does this place of music mean?’ we’re asking a hard question. Let’s do our best to answer it.” During that first course of the first program the New York Philharmonic performed under the baton of their Master portion of Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Beethoven’s Symphony No 6 and Ravel’s symphonic poem La Valse.

The list of the next tens of programs contains so wide spectrum of ideas as: What is American Music? What is Orchestration? What Makes Music Symphonic? Or what is Classical Music? ‘Exact’ is the word that best defines classical music – explained the Maestro and illustrated it by an indisputable example from Bach, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.

‘Humor in Music’ presented how ‘serious’ it can take an unexpected humorous turn. There were portraits of several composers, not the widest popular and easiest to percept, as Shostakovich, Mahler, Hindemith or Sibelius, as well as some periods of history of music, like Impressionism.

Except for the attractive teaching, young people hear the music of Maestro Leonard use the opportunity to present ‘Young to Young’, exactly the series of Young Performers. There was a double occasion to demonstrate to the young listeners how young musicians make great way the great music, and the same to promote young talents. Fame of Bernstein concerts was so huge and strengthen by ‘TV resonator’ that for young artistes the appearance in such program was a great opportunity.

Lastly I watched one of such program with young Americans, fresh winners of the very prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow: cellist Stephen Kates, Veronica Tyler – wonderful Afro American soprano, and Andre Watts – pianist.

Support

They got such support from the Maestro as an advance for future career. The concert was amazing because of Bernstein’s mastery in conducting and narration but also the skills of those – that time – young musicians especially Veronica’s – ‘delicatissimo’ (the most delicate) in Mimi’s aria from Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’ and the dramatic and strong in Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess’. Soon she became a soloist of New York City Opera. (NB: That time he had already promoted Afro-American young talents.) Not enough for him. We can! It was not enough for him that he was one of the most popular composers of his time. He admired to talk about music, to explain why certain work was good, and what was impressing in it. At the same time when Bernstein made a name for himself, American consciousness started to be managed by TV. The TV took over from the radio and press role as the main medium, became it was the place of public debates and transmitter of ‘hot’ ideas. And he became really – The Master.

The daughter of the composer, Jarnie Bernstein wrote about her father: ‘Father had unrestrained urge to knowledge. Do you know of such a feeling? It wasn’t reduced only to music. He was interested in everything – Shakespeare, Renaissance, biology, Russian literature, history of World Wars, astrophysics. His brain was burning with curiosity. And what he loved the most was to share with the others the knowledge and was excited about it.’

I respect Maestro Leonard as a composer, conductor, pianist and so on, but the most of all I admire his tribute to young people. He won many, many thousands of young hearts for music, for education, for eagerness of knowledge and perception of the miraculous human language. He is an example and guide for all of us, musicians, pedagogues, organizers and patrons! In the field of music he predicted Mr President Obama’s call ‘WE CAN!’

Editor’s Note: Cezary Owerkowicz is the chairman of the Kuwait Chamber of Philharmonia and talented pianist. He regularly organises concerts by well-known musicians for the benefit of music lovers and to widen the knowledge of music in Kuwait. His email address is: cowerkowicz @ yahoo.com and cowerkowicz@ hotmail.com