And for many a composer nyc provided the inspiration, musicians and of course amazing venues to make it all possible. Looking into some of these can be extremely interesting for both enthusiasts or just those who enjoy the world of music.
New York is the birthplace for quite a few different styles of music. For example hip hop, disco, salsa and punk rock all found their origins here. Although not having their origins in NYC, jazz, rock, folk and blues styles have found a welcoming home here and many devoted fans.
It is the belief of some that the many different styles of music thrive here due to the divergent and large numbers of population groups that have successfully settled in the city. More evidence of the large number of styles is the successful classical style, including operas and ballet which is also a dominant force throughout the region.
It is difficult and perhaps unfair to single out a few from the vast number of accomplished composers. Some do seem to linger in the memory. One such major contributor is Leonard Bernstein. Having worked with both the NYC Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras he had the added talent of being a highly skilled conductor. His noteworthy classical compositions comprise the Serenade for violin, strings and percussion and Prelude, Fugue and Riffs for solo clarinet and jazz ensemble. It is not unlikely though that his most remembered work will be his collaborative effort on the box office hit West Side Story.
With his iconic song Blowin in the Wind and his own brand of protest music style, Bob Dylan is also one of the favoured sons of New York. He was born in Minnesota and only moved to the city in 1960. His compositions spoke about his opposition to the US being involved in armed conflicts abroad as well as trying to expose inequalities within society at home.
Among those who were actually born in NYC and grew up to work there are George Gershwin who wrote the unforgettable melodies Rhapsody in Blue and Summertime. Incredibly Gershwin dropped out of school at age fifteen and started playing professionally in nightclubs around the Tin Pan Alley district. Sadly this great musical talent died of a brain tumour at the young age of thirty eight.
An equally well know born and bred New Yorker was Aaron Copland. Not only a giant amongst composers, Copland was also a teacher, writer and went on in his later career to conduct many orchestras performing his own works. His style of music was perceived to be more accessible to the American public and was actually labelled as a Populist. Works for which proved to become extremely popular included Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid and Rodeo.
For many a composer nyc proved to be the place that was either a natural breeding ground or a magnet for artists composing their way into history. The list of grows ever longer. Just start by adding Billy Joel and John Lennon. Consider William Schuman, who, had he followed his first passion may have become a base ball player, but became a prolific producer of music, including 8 symphonies and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Yes the list goes on and on and indeed is still growing to this very day.
New York is the birthplace for quite a few different styles of music. For example hip hop, disco, salsa and punk rock all found their origins here. Although not having their origins in NYC, jazz, rock, folk and blues styles have found a welcoming home here and many devoted fans.
It is the belief of some that the many different styles of music thrive here due to the divergent and large numbers of population groups that have successfully settled in the city. More evidence of the large number of styles is the successful classical style, including operas and ballet which is also a dominant force throughout the region.
It is difficult and perhaps unfair to single out a few from the vast number of accomplished composers. Some do seem to linger in the memory. One such major contributor is Leonard Bernstein. Having worked with both the NYC Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras he had the added talent of being a highly skilled conductor. His noteworthy classical compositions comprise the Serenade for violin, strings and percussion and Prelude, Fugue and Riffs for solo clarinet and jazz ensemble. It is not unlikely though that his most remembered work will be his collaborative effort on the box office hit West Side Story.
With his iconic song Blowin in the Wind and his own brand of protest music style, Bob Dylan is also one of the favoured sons of New York. He was born in Minnesota and only moved to the city in 1960. His compositions spoke about his opposition to the US being involved in armed conflicts abroad as well as trying to expose inequalities within society at home.
Among those who were actually born in NYC and grew up to work there are George Gershwin who wrote the unforgettable melodies Rhapsody in Blue and Summertime. Incredibly Gershwin dropped out of school at age fifteen and started playing professionally in nightclubs around the Tin Pan Alley district. Sadly this great musical talent died of a brain tumour at the young age of thirty eight.
An equally well know born and bred New Yorker was Aaron Copland. Not only a giant amongst composers, Copland was also a teacher, writer and went on in his later career to conduct many orchestras performing his own works. His style of music was perceived to be more accessible to the American public and was actually labelled as a Populist. Works for which proved to become extremely popular included Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid and Rodeo.
For many a composer nyc proved to be the place that was either a natural breeding ground or a magnet for artists composing their way into history. The list of grows ever longer. Just start by adding Billy Joel and John Lennon. Consider William Schuman, who, had he followed his first passion may have become a base ball player, but became a prolific producer of music, including 8 symphonies and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Yes the list goes on and on and indeed is still growing to this very day.
About the Author:
See the online gallery of Paul Kelly the best composer NYC has to offer at www.paulkelly.com. Read his biography by visiting the official homepage on http://www.paulkelly.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment