Notes for: August 12, 2014
Morton Gould was a musical jack-of-all-trades, active as a composer, conductor, arranger and concert pianist and honored for his contributions in all of these fields.
Born in Richmond Hill, New York, Gould was recognized early as a child prodigy, and his first composition was published at age six. While a teenager during the Depression, he played piano in movie theaters and with vaudeville acts, and then joined the staff of the Radio City Music Hall as a pianist. By 1935, he was conducting and arranging orchestral programs for New York’s WOR radio station, reaching a national audience through the Mutual Broadcasting System.
In the 1940s, Gould appeared on the Cresta Blanca Carniva program as well as The Chrysler Hour on CBS. In 1942, he composed music for the short film Ring of Steel, produced by the Film Unit of the U.S. Office for Emergency Management. He subsequently composed Broadway scores, music for Cinerama, and television series. Over the years, he received commissions from the Library of Congress, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and the United States Bicentennial.
As a conductor, Gould led all of the major American orchestras as well as those of Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, and Australia. He won a Grammy Award in 1966 for his recording of Charles Ives’ First Symphony. In 1983, he received the American Symphony Orchestra League’s Gold Baton Award, and, in 1986 he was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
In 1994, Gould received the Kennedy Center Honor in recognition of lifetime contributions to American culture. In 1995, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Stringmusic, a composition commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra in recognition of the final season of director Mstislav Rostropovich.
Benny’s Gig consists of eight duos for clarinet and double bass. Gould composed seven of them in 1962 for the legendary jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman to take on a concert tour of the Soviet Union. In 1979, Gould added the eighth duo on the occasion of Goodman’s 70th birthday. Accompanying the original copy of the eighth duo was this note to Goodman from the composer:
Dear Benny, what does one do for a special long-time friend and super-colleague on a special Birthday? Had you turned 70 before inflation a special gift worthy of this event would have been the answer. But under the circumstances, and as the last of the small spenders, I thought and thought—and finally decided to write you a piece – on 2 staves no less! To quote you, “It ain’t Sweet Georgia Brown” – but it does signify my affection and friendship and admiration for you.
I hope it pleases you – and even if it doesn’t you are stuck with it, and it’s not returnable.
After all – how many Benny Goodmans are there, at any age – or in any age? Be well, be happy. Keep playing. Congratulations – Morton.
Clarinetist Alan Kay adds: “Simple and appealing, the Duos touch upon the swing style the clarinetist first brought to fame in the ‘30s, also offering additional forays into other genres which interested Gould – calypso, for example.”
This evening we hear two of the duos – Nos. VI and VIII – in which the bass provides the bass line pizzicato. No. VI is captioned “Moderately moving (Calypso Serenade),” and No. VIII is captioned simply “Jaunty”.