![]() Not everybody appreciated Grofé's flowery arrangements during this time. ![]() Hence those published rolls are marked "Played by Ferdie Grofé (assisted)". Some captured performances were embellished with additional notes after the initial recording took place to attempt to convey the thick lush nature of his orchestra's style. This was an oblique reference to the fact that Whiteman was widely called "King of Jazz", especially after the appearance of the 1930 King of Jazz film which featured Whiteman and his music.ĭuring this time, Grofé also recorded numerous piano rolls for the American Piano Company (Ampico) in New York. In 1932, The New York Times called Grofé "the Prime Minister of Jazz". Despite this misunderstanding, Grofé served as one of the pallbearers at Gershwin's funeral in 1937. The dispute was settled, with Grofé receiving a portion of the music royalties for the piece. In 1928, Gershwin wrote a letter to ASCAP complaining that Grofé had listed himself as a composer of Rhapsody in Blue. Grofé's 1942 orchestration for full orchestra of Rhapsody in Blue is the one most frequently heard today. He went on to create two more arrangements of the piece in later years. He transformed Gershwin's musical canvas with the colors and many of the creative touches for which it is so well known. Grofé took what Gershwin had written for two pianos and orchestrated it for Whiteman's orchestra. Grofé's most memorable arrangement is that of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which established Grofé's reputation among musicians. He made hundreds of arrangements of popular songs, Broadway show music, and tunes of all types for Whiteman. He served as Whiteman's chief arranger from 1920 to 1932. Arranger for Paul Whiteman īeginning in 1920, he played piano with the Paul Whiteman orchestra. He was 17 when he wrote his first commissioned work, "Elks' Grand Reunion March & Two-step". He also played the alto horn in brass bands. When he was 15 he was performing with dance bands. ![]() Grofé left home at age 14 and variously worked as a milkman, truck driver, usher, newsboy, elevator operator, helper in a book bindery, iron factory worker, and played in a piano bar for two dollars a night, and as an accompanist. This command of musical instruments and composition gave Ferde the foundation to become, first an arranger of other composers' music, and then a composer in his own right. Ferde became proficient on a wide range of instruments including piano (his favored instrument), violin, viola (he became a violist in the LA Symphony), baritone horn, alto horn, cornet and drums. Musical education įerde's father died in 1899, after which his mother took Ferdie abroad to study piano, viola, and composition in Leipzig, Germany. Elsa's father, Bernardt Bierlich, was a cellist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York and Elsa's brother, Julius Bierlich, was first violinist and concertmaster of the Los Angeles Symphony. His father, Emil von Grofé, was a baritone who sang mainly light opera his mother, Elsa Johanna Bierlich von Grofé, a professional cellist, was also a versatile music teacher who taught Ferde to play the violin and piano. His family had four generations of classical musicians. He came by his extensive musical interests naturally. Grofé was born in New York City in 1892 to German immigrants. He is best known for his 1931 five-movement tone poem, Grand Canyon Suite, and for having orchestrated George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue prior to its 1924 premiere.ĭuring the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name Ferdie Grofé. ![]() Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé, known as Ferde Grofé (March 27, 1892 – April 3, 1972) (pronounced / ˈ f ər d iː ˈ ɡ r oʊ f eɪ/) was an American composer, arranger, pianist and instrumentalist. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |