Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

## Introduction

Louis (Leonard) Bernstein was born on August 25th, 1918 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He was the son of Jennie Resnick and Samuel Joseph Bernstein of Ukranian-Jewish descent. When Leonard was a teenager, his father would take him to orchestral concerts. Originally opposing Leonard's interest in music, his father eventually supported his musical education. He would play entire operas or symphonies written by Beethoven. He graduated from Boston Latin School in 1935 and attended Harvard University where he studied music. A major influence on Bernstein's life was his aesthetics professor David Prall, whose view on the arts and life Bernstein shared for the rest of his life.

## Work Analysis

Bernstein's work is described as eclectic, his music fuses jazz, Jewish, and theater music. His main influences that are represented in his works are reminiscent of Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, and George Gershwin. His music for **"West Side Story"** helped bridge the gap between classical and popular music. **"West Side Story"** was originally based on Shakespeares **"Romeo And Juliet"** and describes a gang rivalry between Polish and Puerto Rican immigrants. **"West Side Story"** is considered as one of his most famous and greatest works. Songs included on the broadway musical include, "Maria", "Jet Song", "America", and "Somewhere". The lyrics were written by Stephen Sondheim and together the musical received 10 Academy Awards. Each of these songs contains pop elements that were designed to stay in the listener's ears and his use of hemiolas in "**America"** helped him ease into the popular setting and allowed his pieces to stick in his listener's ears for generations.

Bernstein's **"Four Anniversaries for the Piano"** was composed in 1948 and contains four movements, each representing a major influential person in Bernstein's life.

The first movement, "For Felicia Montealegre (February 6, 1922)" was written for his wife Felicia Montealegre, who was a Chilean Actress. The movement has marks of Tranquillo: Piacevole and Pochiss. The movement starts off as piano and ends on pianissimo.

"For Johnny Mehegan (June 6, 1920)" is the second movement of **"Four Anniversaries for the Piano"**. This piece is dedicated to Johnny Mehegan, who was a jazz pianist. The piece starts off marked Agitato: Scherzo. The movement has a playful feel to it and the syncopation could make it seem as though it could be interpreted as an improvisation. The piece starts off pianissimo ends pianissimo to balance well with the first movement.

"For David Diamond (July 9, 1915)" was written for David Leo Diamond, whose compositions were characterized by the classic structures and the strong sense of melody he incorporated. The piece does exactly what Diamond was remembered for, a strong sense of melody and structure. It can be linked back to the first movement because it starts quietly on the piano and ends on pianissimo.

"For Helen Coates (July 19, 1899)" Helen Coates was one of Bernstein's oldest friends and piano teacher as a child. Later in life, she became his personal secretary. This piece is the most technically difficult piece and is the only one that begins and ends on forte.

## Comparisons

You can hear Bernstein's pop influences and technical prowess in "America", a song that uses techniques such as hemiolas and will remain stuck in your head for years.

## Observations

While Bernstein was heavily involved

in the pop realm, it is easy to see that he is classically trained. He incorporated his favorite influences from composers such as George Gershwin and Aaron Copland. He merely used his influences and brought them into the emerging scene of broadway. Creating unforgettable pop songs which can also be analyzed thoroughly like a classical piece.

Bernstein not only wrote the music for broadway musicals, he also taught young artists and founded the creative Arts Festival at Brandeis University. He was an advocate for world peace and held concerts to represent his passion for bringing peace to the world through music.

Bernstein was the Director of the New York Phil Harmonic from 1958 to 1969.

Leonard Bernstein died on October 14th, 1990 at age 72.

## Sources

https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/the-top-5-works-of-leonard-bernstein/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four\_Anniversaries\_for\_the\_Piano

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard\_Bernstein#Recordings

http://stageagent.com/shows/musical/993/west-side-story/context