Leopold Stokowski (born Antoni Stanisław Bolesławowicz) (April 18, 1882 – September 13, 1977) was a famous orchestral conductor, well known for his freehand performing style that spurned the traditional baton. George Grantham Bain (1865-1944 was a New York photographer Born in Chicago January 7 1865 to George and Clara Mather Bain he grew up in St Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures A baton is a stick that is used by conductors primarily to indicate the musical beat of a piece through horizontal and vertical movements

Stokowski performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of the Air. As the fifth-oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra ( CSO) has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances The Philadelphia Orchestra is an Orchestra based in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, in the United States. The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a Radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (HBO is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a Radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo He was also the founder of the New York City Symphony and The American Symphony Orchestra. The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York -based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski, then aged 80 He conducted the music for and appeared in Disney’s Fantasia. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter Fantasia is a 1940 Animated film produced by Walt Disney, and is the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Professional career 2.1 New York, Cincinnati 2.2 Philadelphia 2.3 All American Youth Orchestra 2.4 New York City Symphony Orchestra 2.5 Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra 2.6 Symphony of the Air, Houston Symphony Orchestra 2.7 American Symphony Orchestra and London 3 Recordings 3.1 Last years 4 Personal life 5 Bibliography 6 Notable premieres 6.1 Concerts 6.2 Recordings 7 References 8 External links

Early life

Stokowski was the son of the English-born Polish cabinetmaker Kopernik Józef Bolesławowicz Stokowski and his Irish wife Annie Marion Stokowski, née Moore. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate There is some mystery surrounding his early life. For example, he spoke with a slightly Eastern European accent, though born and raised in London. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. In Linguistics, an accent is a manner of Pronunciation of a language London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. ^[1] In addition, on occasion, he gave his birth year as 1887 instead of 1882, as in a letter to the Hugo Riemann Musikleicon in 1950, which also gave his birthplace as Krakow, Poland. Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland Nicolas Slonimsky, editor of Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians received a letter from a Finnish encyclopedia editor that said, "The Maestro himself told me that he was born in Pomerania, Germany, in 1889. " However, his birth certificate (signed by J. Claxton, registrar at the General Office, Somerset House, London, in the All Souls County of Middlesex) gives his birth on April 18, 1882, in 13 Upper Marylebone Street, in the St. John's section of London. He was named after his Polish grandfather, who died in the county of Surrey on January 13, 1879, at the age of 49. ^[2]

Stokowski trained at the Royal College of Music, which he entered in 1896 at age thirteen, making him one of the youngest students to do so. The Royal College of Music is a well known conservatoire located in the South Kensington district of London, England, and one In his later life in America he would perform six of the nine symphonies composed by fellow organ student Ralph Vaughan Williams. Ralph (reɪf Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 &ndash 26 August 1958 was an English Composer of symphonies, Chamber music He sang in the choir of St. Marylebone Church and later became Assistant Organist to Sir Henry Walford Davies at The Temple Church. For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers Marylebone (sometimes written St Marylebone or Mary-le-bone, or in archaic use Marybone) is an area of central London, England in An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or Orchestra, or accompany Sir Henry Walford Davies, KCVO, OBE, ( September 6, 1869 - March 11, 1941) was a British Composer, The Temple Church is a late 12th century church in London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built for and by the Knights At the age of 16, he was elected to membership in the Royal College of Organists. The Royal College of Organists or RCO, is an educational body of the United Kingdom. In 1900 he formed the choir of St. Mary's Church, Charing Cross Road, where he trained the choirboys and played the organ. For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers St Mary's Church Charing Cross Road (in full St Mary the Virgin was an Anglican church in Charing Cross Road (originally Crown Street London from In 1902 he was appointed organist and choir director of St. James's Church, Piccadilly. An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or Orchestra, or accompany For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers St James's Church Piccadilly is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, UK Piccadilly is a major London street running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east He also attended The Queen's College, Oxford, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1903. The Queen's College, founded 1341 is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Bachelor of Music ( BM, BMus or MusB) is an Academic degree awarded by a College, University, or conservatory A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of Higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing

Professional career

New York, Cincinnati

In 1905, Stokowski began work in New York City as the organist and choir director of St. Bartholomew's Church. The City of New York Note This article is about the church in Manhattan New York For other churches or places named St He was very popular amongst the parishioners who included members of the Vanderbilt family, but eventually resigned the position in pursuit of a career of orchestra conductor. This article details the family of Cornelius Vanderbilt For other uses see Vanderbilt (disambiguation. He moved to Paris for additional study before hearing that the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra would be needing a new conductor when it returned from a hiatus. As the fifth-oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra ( CSO) has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances So, in 1908, he began his campaign to obtain the position, writing multiple letters to the orchestra's president, Mrs. C. R. Holmes, and traveling to Cincinnati for a personal interview. Eventually he was granted the post and officially took up his duties in the fall of 1909. That was the year of his official conducting debut in Paris with the Colonne Orchestra on May 12, 1909. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting His London debut took place the following week on May 18 with the New Symphony Orchestra at Queen's Hall. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Stokowski was a great success in Cincinnati, introducing the idea of "pop concerts" and conducting the United States premieres of new works by such composers as Edward Elgar whose 2nd Symphony was given there on November 24, 1911. Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year However, in early 1912, he became sufficiently frustrated with the politics of the orchestra's board that he tendered his resignation. There was a dispute over the resignation, but on April 12 it was finally accepted. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

Philadelphia

Two months later, Stokowski was appointed director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Philadelphia Orchestra is an Orchestra based in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, in the United States. Stokowski made his Philadelphia debut on October 11, 1912. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting This position would bring him some of his greatest accomplishments and recognition. It has been suggested that Stokowski quit at Cincinnati knowing full well that the job in Philadelphia was already his, or as Oscar Levant suggested in his book A Smattering of Ignorance, "he had the contract in his back pocket. Oscar Levant ( December 27, 1906 &ndash August 14, 1972) was an American Pianist, Composer, Author "

In 1914, he was elected to honorary membership in Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music. Phi Mu Alpha (ΦΜΑ Sinfonia is a collegiate social fraternity for men with an interest in music

Stokowski rapidly garnered a reputation as a showman. His flair for the theatrical included grand gestures such as throwing the sheet music on the floor to show he did not need to conduct from a score. He also experimented with lighting techniques in the concert hall,^[3] at one point conducting in a dark hall with only his head and hands lighted, at other times arranging the lights so they would cast theatrical shadows of his head and hands. His hair, always unruly, he allowed to grow long, and he combed it straight back. This created a "lion's mane" effect that he carefully nurtured (his adopted first name "Leopold", means "lion-like"). Late in the 1929-30 season, he started conducting without a baton; his free-hand manner of conducting became one of his trademarks.

On the musical side, Stokowski nurtured the orchestra and shaped the "Stokowski" sound, or what became known as the "Philadelphia Sound". ^[4] He encouraged "free bowing" from the string section, "free breathing" from the brass section, and continually altered the seating arrangements of the sections as well as the acoustics of the hall in order to create better sound. In a Symphony orchestra, free bowing is a performance technique used by a string section to create a fuller sound than can be achieved by synchronized bowing Stokowski is credited as being the first conductor to adopt the seating plan used by most orchestras today with first and second violins together on the left, violas and cellos on the right. But he was also known for tinkering with the orchestration of famous works by such composers as Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, J.S. Bach and Brahms. Orchestration is the study or practice of writing Music for Orchestra (or more loosely for any Musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" Johannes Brahms ( pronounced ˈbʁaːms (May 7 1833 &ndash April 3 1897 was a German Composer In one instance, he even revised the ending of a work, the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, by Tchaikovsky, so that it would end quietly, taking his notion from Modest Tchaikovsky's Life and Letters of Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky (translated by Rosa Newmarch: 1906) that the composer had provided a quiet ending of his own at Balakirev's suggestion. Romeo and Juliet is a musical work by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, subtitled Overture-Fantasy. He made major revisions to Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, making significant alterations to Rimsky-Korsakov's adaptation of the work, and making it sound, in some places, similar to the original. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Моде́ст Петро́вич Му́соргский Modest Petrovič Musorgskij) ( March 21 March 9 1839 &ndash March A Night on the Bald Mountain usually refers to one of two compositions—either a seldom performed early (1867 ' musical picture ' by Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov ( Николай Андреевич Римский-Корсаков, Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov) also Nikolay In the film Fantasia, however, Stokowski did not end the work with a big climax, but allowed the last measures of it to segue right into the beginning of Schubert's Ave Maria. Fantasia is a 1940 Animated film produced by Walt Disney, and is the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. Ellens dritter Gesang ( Ellens Gesang III, D839 Op 52 no 6 1825 Ellen's third song in English, composed by Franz Schubert in 1825

Many serious music critics have been horrified at the liberties Stokowski took—liberties which were common in the nineteenth century, but had since mostly died out, as faithful adherence to the composer's score became more common. ^[5] However, Stokowski sometimes left scores completely unretouched, and he was by no means alone in his alterations to scores. Toscanini, for example, who had a reputation for "doing as written", was equally adept at making similar changes to composers' scores, as in Tchaikovsky's Manfred symphony, where he added tam-tam crashes to the end of the first movement, rewrote the wind, brass and string parts here and there, and cut 100 bars out of the finale. Toscanini's alterations, however, nearly always tended to be much more subtle, and much less frequent than Stokowski's.

In 1939, Stokowski also made his own orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, in which he omitted two the movements "Tuileries", and "The Marketplace at Limoges" from the score. Conductor Leopold Stokowski first introduced Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky 's Pictures at an Exhibition to Philadelphia audiences Pictures at an Exhibition (Картинки с выставки &ndash Воспоминание о Викторе Гартмане Kartinki s vystavki &ndash Vospominaniye The composer and arranger Lucien Cailliet, a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra who also acted as "house arranger", had assisted Stokowski in the copying of many of Stokowski's transcriptions, something which led to the incorrect assumption that they were Cailliet's work and not Stokowski's. Lucien Cailliet ( May 27, 1897 &ndash January 3, 1985) was an American composer conductor arranger and clarinetist In fact, many of Stokowski's penciled manuscripts still survive in the Stokowski Collection at the University of Pennsylvania. It was from these that Cailliet made good ink copies in his excellent calligraphic hand, and thus started the unfounded rumour that Stokowski's transcriptions were not his own work. Cailliet had actually created his own orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition in 1936, and as Ormandy's RCA Victor recording show, it is quite different from Stokowski's arrangement.

Stokowski's repertoire was broad and included many contemporary works. He was the only conductor to perform all of Schoenberg's orchestral works during the composer's own lifetime, several of which were world premieres. He gave the first American performance of Schoenberg's Gurrelieder in 1932. It was recorded "live" on 78 rpm records and remained the only recording of the work in the catalog until the advent of the LP. Stokowski also gave the US Premieres of four of Shostakovich's symphonies, nos 1, 3, 6 and 11. In 1916, he conducted the United States premiere of Mahler's 8th Symphony. He added works by Rachmaninoff, giving the world premieres of his 3rd symphony, the 4th piano concerto and the Paganini Rhapsody; Sibelius, whose last three symphonies were given their US premieres in Philadelphia in the 1920s; and Igor Stravinsky, many of whose works were also given their first American performances by Stokowski. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his Symphony No 3 in A minor Op 44 between 1935 and 1936 Sergei Rachmaninoff completed his Piano Concerto No 4 in G minor, Op The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Рапсодия на тему Паганини Rapsodiya na temu Paganini) in A minor, opus 43 is a concertante Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to In 1922, he introduced The Rite of Spring to the USA, gave its first staged performance there in 1930 with Martha Graham dancing the part of The Chosen One, and at the same time made the first US recording of the work. Seldom an opera conductor, Stokowski did give the US premieres in Philadelphia of the original version of Mussorgky's Boris Godunov (1929) and Alban Berg's Wozzeck (1931). Boris Godunov ( Борис Годунов, original Orthography Борисъ Годуновъ, Borís Godunóv) is an Opera by

In 1933, he started "Youth Concerts" for younger audiences, which are still a Philadelphia tradition, and fostered youth music programs. He was famous for transcribing many of the major organ works of J. S. Bach for Wagnerian-sized orchestra, his goal being to bring this magnificent music to a wider audience. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" Much admired in their day, these transcriptions are again being played now, and conductors such as Wolfgang Sawallisch, Matthias Bamert, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Seija Ozawa, Erich Kunzel and Jose Serebrier are among many who have performed and recorded Stokowski's Bach transcriptions. Even so, they are still considered by some to be bastardizations of the works. Today the organ works of Bach are widely heard in their original form via recordings and concerts, much more so than during Stokowski's time. Whether his transcriptions encouraged this resurgence of interest in Bach's organ music is a matter of debate.

After disputes with the board, Stokowski began to withdraw from involvement in The Philadelphia Orchestra from 1936 onwards, allowing co-conductor Eugene Ormandy to gradually take over. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Eugene Ormandy ( November 18, 1899 &ndash March He shared principal conducting duties with Ormandy from 1936-1940. After he left Philadelphia, he did not return until 1960, when he conducted several concerts and made stereo recordings for Columbia. His final concerts with The Philadelphia Orchestra were in 1969.

Stokowski appeared as himself in the motion picture The Big Broadcast of 1937, conducting two of his Bach transcriptions. That same year he also conducted and acted in One Hundred Men and a Girl, with Deanna Durbin and Adolphe Menjou. One Hundred Men and a Girl is a 1937 Musical comedy film written by Charles Kenyon, Bruce Manning and James Mulhauser Deanna Durbin (born December 4, 1921) is a Canadian Singer and Academy Award -winning actress from Hollywood Adolphe Jean Menjou ( February 18, 1890 &ndash October 29, 1963) was an American actor In 1939, Stokowski collaborated with Walt Disney to create the motion picture for which he is best known: Fantasia. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter Fantasia is a 1940 Animated film produced by Walt Disney, and is the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. He conducted all the music (with the exception of a "jam session" in the middle of the film) and included his own orchestrations for the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria segments. Stokowski even got to talk to (and shake hands with) Mickey Mouse on screen, although he would later say with a smile that Mickey Mouse got to shake hands with him. Mickey Mouse is a comic animal Cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Most of the music was recorded in the Academy of Music, using multi-track stereophonic sound. Stokowski also appeared in the 1947 film Carnegie Hall along with Bruno Walter, Fritz Reiner, Jascha Heifetz, Artur Rubinstein, Ezio Pinza and other great classical musicians of the day.

In 1960, Stokowski returned to the Philadelphia Orchestra as a guest conductor. He also agreed to make several recordings with the orchestra for Columbia Records, including a performance of Manuel De Falla's El amor brujo, which he had previously recorded for RCA Victor with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in the 1940s. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Manuel de Falla y Matheu ( November 23, 1876 &ndash November 14, 1946) was a Spanish Composer of classical music El amor brujo (Love the Magician is a piece of music composed by Manuel de Falla.

In honor of Stokowski's vast influence on music and the Philadelphia performing arts community, on February 24, 1969 he was awarded the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit^[6]. Founded in 1862 the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club is one of the oldest continually running Glee Clubs in the United States. Beginning in 1964, this award "established to bring a declaration of appreciation to an individual each year that has made a significant contribution to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may find valid expression. "

All American Youth Orchestra

In 1940, Stokowski formed the All-American Youth Orchestra, which toured South America in 1940 and North America in 1941 and was met with rave reviews. Although Stokowski made a number of recordings with the AAYO for Columbia, the technical standard was not as high as had been achieved with the Philadelphia Orchestra for RCA Victor. In any event, the AAYO was disbanded when America entered the war and plans for another extensive tour in 1942 were abandoned.

During this time, following Toscanini's temporary withdrawal, Stokowski also became chief conductor of the NBC Symphony Orchestra on a three-year contract (1941-1944), while the NBC's regular conductor, Arturo Toscanini, undertook guest engagements with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a Radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Arturo Toscanini (ɑrˈturɔ ˌtɔskɑˈnini (March 25 1867 &ndash January Stokowski conducted a great deal of contemporary music with the NBC Symphony, including the US premiere of Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky in 1943, the world premieres of Schoenberg's Piano Concerto (with Eduard Steuermann) and Antheil's 4th Symphony, both in 1944, and new works by Hovhaness, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Milhaud, Howard Hanson, William Schumann, Morton Gould and many others. Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Серге́й Серге́евич Проко́фьев Sergéj Sergéjevič Prokófjev) ( - 5 March 1953 was a Russian composer who Saint Alexander Nevsky (Алекса́ндр Яросла́вич Не́вский in Russian; transliteration Aleksandr Yaroslavich Nevskij) ( May 30 Schoenberg (beautiful mountain is the surname of several persons George Antheil ( July 8, 1900, Trenton New Jersey – February 12, 1959, New York City) was an American Alan Hovhaness (Ալան Հովհանես ( March 8, 1911 &ndash June 21, 2000) was an American Composer of Armenian Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to Paul Hindemith (16 November 1895 &ndash 28 December 1963 was a German Composer, Violist, violinist teacher music theorist and conductor. Darius Milhaud (darjys mijo (September 4 1892 &ndash June 22 1974 was a French Composer and teacher Howard Harold Hanson ( October 28, 1896 &ndash February 26, 1981) was an American Composer, conductor, educator William Howard Schuman ( August 4, 1910 – February 15, 1992) was an American Morton Gould ( December 10, 1913 &ndash February 21, 1996) was an American Pianist, Composer, conductor He also conducted several British works with this orchestra, including Vaughan Williams' 4th Symphony, Holst's The Planets, and George Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad. Ralph (reɪf Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 &ndash 26 August 1958 was an English Composer of symphonies, Chamber music Gustav Theodore Holst (21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934was an English Composer and was a music teacher for nearly 20 years The Planets Op 32 is a seven- movement Orchestral suite by the British composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 For George Butterworth Illustrator & Cartoonist see George Butterworth (Cartoonist. A Shropshire Lad (1896 is a cycle of sixty-three Poems by the English poet Alfred Edward Housman.

New York City Symphony Orchestra

In 1944, on the recommendation of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Stokowski helped form the New York City Symphony Orchestra, which they intended would make music accessible for middle-class workers. LaGuardia redirects here For the airport see LaGuardia Airport. Ticket prices were set low, and performances took place at convenient, after-work hours. Many early concerts were standing room only; however, a year later in 1945, Stokowski was at odds with the board (who wanted to trim expenses even further) and he resigned.

Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra

In 1945, he founded the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (HBO is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the The orchestra lasted for two years before it was disbanded for live concerts, but not for recordings, which continued well into the 1960s. Some of the concerts were recorded and have been issued on CD. (It began giving live concerts again as the "Hollywood Bowl Orchestra" in 1991, under John Mauceri)^[7]. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (HBO is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the John Mauceri (born 1945 New York is an American conductor producer and Composer for theatre Opera and television There was a memorable 1949 cartoon spoof of Stokowski at the Bowl with Bugs Bunny playing the conductor in "Long-Haired Hare" by Chuck Jones. Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Long-Haired Hare is a 1948 Warner Brothers Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released in 1949, directed by Chuck Jones Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones ( September 21, 1912 &ndash February 22, 2002) was an American Animator, ^[8]

He continued to appear frequently with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, both at the Hollywood Bowl and other venues. The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil LAP or LAPO is an American Orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern Amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles California, USA, that is used primarily for music Performances Then in the late 1940s, Stokowski became chief Guest Conductor of the New York Philharmonic. The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active Symphony Orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842 He made many splendid recordings with the NYPO, including the world premiere Recording of Vaughan Williams's 6th Symphony in 1949. However, when in 1950 Dimitri Mitropoulos was appointed Chief Conductor of the NYPO, Stokowski began a new international career which commenced in 1951 with a nation-wide tour of England: during the Festival of Britain celebrations he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the invitation of Sir Thomas Beecham. During that same summer he also toured and conducted in Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, and Portugal, establishing a pattern of guest-conducting abroad during the summer months while spending the winter seasons conducting in the USA. This scheme was to hold good for the next 20 years.

Symphony of the Air, Houston Symphony Orchestra

Stokowski returned to the NBC Symphony Orchestra in 1954 for a series of recording sessions for RCA. The repertoire included Beethoven's 'Pastoral' Symphony, Sibelius's 2nd Symphony, Acts 2 & 3 of Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake' and highlights from Saint-Saëns's Samson and Delilah with Rise Stevens and Jan Peerce. Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (/ʃaʁl kamij sɛ̃sɑ̃s/ (9 October 1835 &ndash 16 December 1921 was a French Composer, Organist, conductor, and Samson et Dalila ( English: Samson and Delilah) is a grand opera in three acts by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French After the NBC Symphony Orchestra was disbanded as the official ensemble of the NBC radio network, it was re-formed as the Symphony of the Air with Stokowski as notional Music Director, and as such performed many concerts and made recordings from 1954 until 1963. The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a Radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo From 1955 to 1961, Stokowski was also the Music Director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. The Houston Symphony Orchestra is a professional Orchestra based in Houston Texas. For his debut appearance with the orchestra he gave the first performance of the Symphony No. 2 'Mysterious Mountain' by Alan Hovhaness - one of many living American composers whose music he championed over the years. Alan Hovhaness (Ալան Հովհանես ( March 8, 1911 &ndash June 21, 2000) was an American Composer of Armenian

American Symphony Orchestra and London

In 1962, at the age of 80, Stokowski founded the American Symphony Orchestra. The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York -based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski, then aged 80 He served as Music Director for the orchestra, until May 1972 when, at the age of 90, he returned to England. One of his notable British guest conducting engagements in the 1960s was the first Proms performance of Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony, since issued on CD. ^[9] He continued to conduct in public for a few more years, but failing health forced him to only make recordings. An eyewitness said that Stokowski often conducted sitting down in his later years; sometimes, as he became involved in the performance, he would stand up and conduct with remarkable energy. His last public appearance in the UK took place at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on May 14, 1974. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Stokowski conducted the New Philharmonia in the 'Merry Waltz' of Otto Klemperer (in tribute to the orchestra's former Music Director who had died the previous year), Vaughan Williams's 'Tallis Fantasia', Ravel's 'Rapsodie Espagnole' and Brahms's 4th Symphony. Stokowski's very last public appearance took place during the 1975 Vence Music Festival in the South of France, when on July 22 he conducted the Rouen Chamber Orchestra in several of his Bach transcriptions. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of

Recordings

Stokowski made his very first recordings, with the Philadelphia Orchestra, for the Victor Talking Machine Company in October 1917, beginning with two of Brahms' Hungarian Dances. Victrola redirects here For other uses see Victrola (disambiguation The Victor Talking Machine Company ( 1901 – 1929 Johannes Brahms ( pronounced ˈbʁaːms (May 7 1833 &ndash April 3 1897 was a German Composer For the "Hungarian folkloric dances" see Hungarian dance. Other works recorded in the early sessions were the scherzo from Felix Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music and "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from Gluck's Orfeus and Euridice. Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3 1809 &ndash November 4 1847 was a German Composer ^[10] He found ways to make the best use of the acoustical process, until electrical recording was introduced by Victor in the spring of 1925. Stokowski conducted the first orchestral electrical recording to be made in America (Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre) in April 1925. Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (/ʃaʁl kamij sɛ̃sɑ̃s/ (9 October 1835 &ndash 16 December 1921 was a French Composer, Organist, conductor, and Dance of Death, also variously called Danse Macabre (French Danza Macabra (Italian or Totentanz The following month Stokowski recorded Marche Slave by Tchaikovsky, in which he increased the double basses to best utilize the lower frequencies of early electrical recording. The Slavonic March in B-flat minor, Op 31 (also commonly known by its French title Marche slave) is an Orchestral composition Stokowski was also the first conductor in America to record all four Brahms symphonies (between 1927 and 1933). Johannes Brahms ( pronounced ˈbʁaːms (May 7 1833 &ndash April 3 1897 was a German Composer He made the first US recordings of the Beethoven 7th and 9th Symphonies, Dvorak's 'New World', Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony and Nutcracker Suite, the Franck Symphony, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto (with the composer as soloist), Sibelius 4th Symphony (its first recording), Shostakovitch's 5th and 6th Symphonies, and many shorter works. Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. The Symphony in D minor is the most famous Orchestral work and the only Symphony written by the 19th-century Belgian Composer Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov ( Николай Андреевич Римский-Корсаков, Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov) also Nikolay WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов

His early recordings were made at Victor's Camden, New Jersey studios but then, in 1927, Victor began recording the orchestra in the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra later participated in long playing, high fidelity, and stereophonic experiments, during the early 1930s, mostly for Bell Laboratories. (Victor even released some LPs at this time, which were not commercially successful because they required special, expensive phonographs that most people could not afford during the Great Depression. ) Stokowski recorded prodigiously for various labels until shortly before his death, including RCA Victor, Columbia, Capitol, Everest, United Artists, and Decca/London 'Phase 4' Stereo. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Capitol Records is a major United States -based Record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood California and New York City as Everest Records was a stereophonic Record label based in Bayside Long Island started by Harry D This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis.

His first commercial stereo recordings were made in 1954 for RCA Victor with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, devoted to excerpts from Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet and the complete one-act ballet Sebastian by Gian Carlo Menotti. Romeo and Juliet (Op 64 (Ромео и Джульетта is a Ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based on William Shakespeare 's play Romeo

His Capitol recordings in the 1950s were distinguished by the use of three-track stereophonic tape recorders. Typically, Stokowski was very careful in the placement of musicians during the recording sessions and consulted with the recording staff to achieve the best possible results. Some of the sessions took place in the ballroom of the Riverside Plaza Hotel in New York City in January and February 1957; these were produced by Richard C. Jones and engineered by Frank Abbey with Stokowski's own orchestra, which was typically drawn from New York musicians (primarily members of the Symphony of the Air). The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a Radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo The CD reissue by EMI included selections originally released on two LPs -- The Orchestra and Landmarks of a Distinguished Career -- and included music of Paul Dukas, Samuel Barber, Richard Strauss, Harold Farberman, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Vincent Persichetti, Peter Tchaikovsky, Modeste Mussorgsky, Claude Debussy, Johann Sebastian Bach (as arranged by Stokowski), and Jean Sibelius. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Paul Abraham Dukas (October 1 1865 &ndash May 17 1935 was a Parisian born French Composer and teacher of classical music. Samuel Osborne Barber II ( March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American Composer of Orchestral, Opera, Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 &ndash 8 September 1949 was a German Composer of the late Romantic era and early modern era particularly noted Harold Farberman (born November 2, 1929) is an American conductor, Composer, and percussionist. Ralph (reɪf Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 &ndash 26 August 1958 was an English Composer of symphonies, Chamber music Vincent Ludwig Persichetti ( June 6, 1915 &ndash August 14, 1987) was an American Composer, teacher and Pianist. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Моде́ст Петро́вич Му́соргский Modest Petrovič Musorgskij) ( March 21 March 9 1839 &ndash March Achille-Claude Debussy (aʃil klod dəbysi (August 22 1862 &ndash March 25 1918 was a French Composer. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" ^[11] Although he officially used the Maurice Ravel orchestration of the finale to Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition in his 1957 Capitol recording, he did add a few additional percussion instruments to the score.

All of the music that Stokowski conducted in Fantasia was released on a 3-LP set by Disneyland Records, in the 1957 soundtrack album made from the film. Disneyland Records is the original name of the The Walt Disney Company 's Record company. A soundtrack album is any Album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular Feature film. After stereo became possible on phonograph records, the album was released in stereo on Buena Vista Records. The Disney Music Group (formerly Buena Vista Music Group) is a collection of affiliated record labels all subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company. With the advent of compact discs, it appeared on a 2-CD Walt Disney Records set, in conjunction with the film's 50th anniversary. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Walt Disney Records is a family music Record label owned by Disney.

Last years

In 1976, he signed a recording contract with CBS Records that would have kept him active until he was 100 years old. ^[12] However, he died of a heart attack the following year in Nether Wallop, Hampshire at 95. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Nether Wallop is a village in central Hampshire, England. It is part of The Wallops Nether Middle and Over Wallop. Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain His very last recordings, made shortly before his death, for Columbia, included remarkably youthful performances of the Symphony in C by Bizet and Felix Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony (No. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Georges Bizet (25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875 was a French Composer and Pianist of the Romantic era Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3 1809 &ndash November 4 1847 was a German Composer 4), with the National Philharmonic Orchestra in London. The National Philharmonic Orchestra is a British Orchestra created exclusively for recording purposes

Personal life

Stokowski married three times. His first wife was the American concert pianist Olga Samaroff (born Lucie Hickenlooper), to whom he was married from 1911 until 1923 (one daughter: Sonia Stokowski, an actress). Olga Samaroff ( August 8, 1880 &ndash May 17, 1948) was a Pianist, Music critic, and teacher His second wife was Johnson & Johnson heiress Evangeline Love Brewster Johnson, an artist and aviator, to whom he was married from 1926 until 1937 (two children: Gloria Luba Stokowski and Andrea Sadja Stokowski). Johnson & Johnson ( is a global American Pharmaceutical, Medical devices and consumer packaged goods Manufacturer founded in 1886 His third wife, from 1945 until 1955, was railroad heiress Gloria Vanderbilt (born 1924), an artist and fashion designer (two sons, Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski b. Gloria Laura Madeleine Sophie Vanderbilt (born February 20, 1924 in New York City New York) is an American artist actress and socialite most 1950 and Christopher Stokowski b. 1952). He also had a much-publicized affair with Greta Garbo during the 1930s. Greta Garbo ( 18 September 1905 &ndash 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress during Hollywood 's

After he had achieved international fame with the Philadelphia Orchestra, unsubstantiated rumours circulated that he was born "Leonard" or "Lionel Stokes" or that he had "anglicized" it to "Stokes"; this canard is readily disproved by reference not only to his birth certificate and those of his father, younger brother, and sister (which show Stokowski to have been the genuine Polish family name), but also by the Student Entry Registers of the Royal College of Music, Royal College of Organists, and The Queen's College, Oxford, along with other surviving documentation from his days at St. Marylebone Church, St. James's Church, and St. Bartholomew's in New York City. ^[13] Upon his arrival in America, however, he briefly spelled his name as Stokovski to ensure that people could pronounce it correctly.

After Stokowski's death, Tom Burnam writes, the "concatenization of canards" that had arisen around him was revived--that his name and accent were phony; that his musical education was deficient; that his musicians did not respect him; that he cared about nobody but himself. Burnam suggests that there was a dark, hidden reason for these rumors. Stokowski deplored the segregation of symphony orchestras in which women and minorities were excluded, and, so Burnam claims, the bigots got revenge by slandering Stokowski.

Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the claims made by Tom Burnam, attitudes towards Stokowski have changed dramatically over the years since his death. In 1999, for Gramophone magazine, and quoted again in his notes for the Cala CD of Stokowski's recording of Elgar's Enigma Variations, David Mellor wrote: "One of the great joys of recent years for me has been the reassessment of Leopold Stokowski. Variations on an Original Theme for orchestra Op 36 ("Enigma", commonly referred to as the "Enigma" Variations, is a set of a theme and its fourteen When I was growing up there was a tendency to disparage the old man as a charlatan. Today it is all very different. Stokowski is now recognised as the father of modern orchestral standards. He possessed a truly magical gift of extracting a burnished sound from both great and second-rank ensembles. He also loved the process of recording and his gramophone career was a constant quest for better recorded sound. But the greatest pleasure of all for me is his acceptance now as an outstanding conductor of nineteenth- and twentieth-century music, including a lot that was at the cutting edge of contemporary achievement. "

Mellor's words have been echoed by many other modern writers, such as Robert Matthew-Walker of International Record Review, whose comments fairly represent the opinions of many critics today: "That Stokowski was a great musician is beyond doubt; that he was a great conductor is self-evident; that he always placed himself at the service of the music may be more contentious to some ears, but in keeping with the established norms of the age into which he was born and musically nurtured, Stokowski remained loyal to those precepts from which we, in an era far removed from their prevalence, can still learn and draw aesthetic sustenance. International Record Review is an independent British monthly Classical music magazine "

Bibliography

• Daniel, Oliver (1982). Oliver Daniel (1911-1990 was an American arts administrator musicologist and composer Stokowski: A Counterpoint of View.
• Rollin Smith (2005) "Stokowski and the Organ".
• Paul Robinson (1977) "Stokowski: The Art of the Conductor".
• Abram Chasins (1979) "Leopold Stokowski: A Profile". Abram Chasins ( August 17, 1903 &ndash June 21, 1987) was an American Composer and Pianist.
• Preben Opperby (1982) "Leopold Stokowski".
• William Ander Smith (1990) "The Mystery of Leopold Stokowski".
• Leopold Stokowski (1943) "Music for All of Us".
• Herbert Kupferberg (1969) "Those Fabulous Philadelphians"

Notable premieres

Concerts

• Varèse, Ameriques, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia, April 9, 1926
• Rachmaninoff, Fourth Piano Concerto, composer as soloist, Philadelphia Orchestra, 1927
• Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, composer as soloist, Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore, November 7, 1934
• Rachmaninoff, Third Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, 1936
• Schoenberg, Violin Concerto, Louis Krasner as soloist, Philadelphia Orchestra, December 6, 1940
• Schoenberg, Piano Concerto, Eduard Steuermann as soloist, NBC Symphony Orchestra, New York, February 16, 1944
• Ives, Fourth Symphony, American Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, New York, April 26, 1965

Recordings

• Sibelius, Fourth Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, April 23, 1932, Victor
• Shostakovich, Sixth Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, August 1940, Victor
• Vaughan Williams, Sixth Symphony, Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York, February 21, 1949, Columbia
• Ives, Fourth Symphony, American Symphony Orchestra, April 1965, Columbia

References

External links

• Leopold Stokowski at Allmusic
• The Leopold Stokowski Society
• Leopold Stokowski fansite
• Leopold Stokowski CD Discography
• Leopold Stokowski complete discography

allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide.

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