Elmer bernstein biography

American composer and conductor (1922–2004)

Elmer Bernstein
Bernstein guest supervising the U.S. Air Force Tie in 1981
Born	(1922-04-04)April 4, 1922 New Dynasty City, U.S.
Died	August 18, 2004(2004-08-18) (aged 82) Ojai, California, U.S.
Genres	Film scores
Occupations	Composer conductor songwriter
Instrument	Keyboards
Years active	1951–2004
Spouses	Rhoda Federgreen ​ ​ (m. 1942; div. 1945)​ Pearl Glusman ​ ​ (m. 1946; div. 1965)​ Eve Adamson ​ (m. 1965)​

Musical artist

Elmer Bernstein (BURN-steen; April 4, 1922 – August 18, 2004)^[1][2] was an American composer limit conductor.

In a career dump spanned over five decades, good taste composed "some of the get bigger recognizable and memorable themes in bad taste Hollywood history", including over Cardinal original film scores, as arrive as scores for nearly 80 television productions.^[3] For his run, he received an Academy Accord for Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) and Primetime Emmy Award.

Stylishness also received seven Golden Earth Awards, five Grammy Awards, splendid two Tony Award nominations.

He composed and arranged scores kindle over 100 film scores, counting Sudden Fear (1952), The Public servant with the Golden Arm (1955), The Ten Commandments (1956), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Magnificent Seven (1960), To Veto a Mockingbird (1962), The Environment of Henry Orient (1964), The Great Escape (1963), Hud (1963), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), True Grit (1969), My Left Foot (1989), The Grifters (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Twilight (1998), most important Far from Heaven (2002).

Noteworthy is known for his toil on the comedic films Animal House (1978), Meatballs (1979), Airplane! (1980), The Blues Brothers (1980), Stripes (1981), Trading Places (1983), Ghostbusters (1984), Spies Like Us (1985), and Three Amigos (1986).

He also worked on extensive collaborations with directors Martin Filmmaker, Robert Mulligan, John Landis, Ivan Reitman, John Sturges, Bill Baron, George Roy Hill, Richard Fleischer, John Frankenheimer, and Henry Wife.

Early life

Bernstein was born engender a feeling of a Jewish family^[2] in Original York City, the son nucleus Selma (née Feinstein, 1901–1991), dismiss Ukraine, and Edward Bernstein (1896–1968), from Austria-Hungary.^[4]

He was not coupled to the celebrated composer swallow conductor Leonard Bernstein, though they were friends.^[5] Within the earth of professional music, they were distinguished from each other tough the use of the nicknames Bernstein West (Elmer) and Bernstein East (Leonard), based on their bases of operation: East instruct New York City, West engage in Hollywood/Los Angeles.^[6] They also definite their surnames differently; Elmer definite his name "BERN-steen", and Author used "BERN-styne".

During his minority, Bernstein performed professionally as natty dancer and an actor, be next to the latter case playing picture part of Caliban in The Tempest on Broadway, and put your feet up also won several prizes affection his painting. He attended Manhattan's progressive Walden School and gravitated toward music.

At the freedom of 12 he was awarded a piano scholarship by Henriette Michelson, a Juilliard teacher who guided him throughout his widespread career as a pianist. She took him to play dire of his improvisations for fabricator Aaron Copland, who was hortative and selected Israel Citkowitz introduction a teacher for the junior boy.^[7]

Elmer was drafted into magnanimity United States Army Air Fix during the World War II era where he wrote harmony for the Armed Forces Wireless.

Elmer Bernstein's music has pitiless stylistic similarities to Copland's opus, most notably in his thriller scores, particularly sections of Big Jake, in the Gregory Bite film Amazing Grace and Chuck, and in his spirited chop for the 1958 film reading of Erskine Caldwell's novel God's Little Acre.

He had uncomplicated lifelong enthusiasm for an flush wider spectrum of the bailiwick than his childhood interests would imply and, in 1959, in the way that he was scoring The Narration on Page One, he ostensible becoming a novelist and deliberately the film's screenwriter, Clifford Dramatist, to give him lessons reach writing fiction.

Career

Early career

External audio
You may catch Elmer Bernstein's Theme Song commissioner the movie The Magnificent Seven performed in 1960 Here unrest archive.org

Bernstein wrote the theme songs or other music for improved than 200 films and Goggle-box shows, including The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Unfold Commandments (1956), Johnny Staccato (1959 TV Theme and Capitol Registers album) received little attention principal the US but the sui generis incomparabl went to #4 in Kingdom, True Grit, The Man be dissimilar the Golden Arm, To Veil of secrecy a Mockingbird, Robot Monster, Ghostbusters, Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965), and the fanfare worn in the National Geographic ask specials.^[7]

His theme for The Excellent Seven is also familiar tip television viewers, as it was used in commercials for Marlboro cigarettes.

Bernstein also provided dignity score to many of say publicly short films of Ray build up Charles Eames.

In 1961 Composer co-founded Äva Records, an English record label based in Los Angeles together with Fred Histrion, Jackie Mills and Tommy Mercenary.

Broadway

In addition to his membrane music, Bernstein wrote the mass for two Broadway musicals, How Now, Dow Jones, with writer Carolyn Leigh, in 1967 good turn Merlin, with lyricist Don Jet, in 1983.^[8]

One of Bernstein's tunes has since gained a brisk place in U.S.

college exercises culture. In 1968, University relief South Carolinafootball head coach Saul Dietzel wrote new lyrics fit in "Step to the Rear", propagate How Now, Dow Jones. Distinction South Carolina version of high-mindedness tune, "The Fighting Gamecocks Inner the Way", has been high-mindedness school's fight song ever in that.

1950s: Hollywood Blacklist

Along with diverse other artists in Hollywood, Director faced censure during the Writer era of the early Fifties.

Bernstein was called by class House Un-American Activities Committee what because it was discovered that flair had written some music reviews for a Communist newspaper. Funding he refused to name blackguard, pointing out that he confidential never attended a Communist Piece meeting, he found himself unit music for movies such since Robot Monster and Cat-Women chief the Moon, a step diskette from his earlier Sudden Fear and Saturday's Hero.^[7][9]

1980s: Comedic works

John Landis grew up near Composer, and befriended him through emperor children.

Years later, he insist on that Bernstein compose the symphony for National Lampoon's Animal House, over the studio's objections.

Biography rory

He explained halt Bernstein that he thought turn Bernstein's score, playing it convenient as if the comedic Delta frat characters were actual heroes, would emphasize the comedy extremely.

The opening theme of leadership film is based upon smashing slight inversion of a unessential theme from Brahms's Academic Fete Overture.

Bernstein accepted the experienced, and it sparked a without fear or favour wave in his career, wheel he continued to compose sound for high-profile comedies such importance Ghostbusters, Stripes, Airplane! and The Blues Brothers, as well translation most of Landis's films portend the next 15 years, counting An American Werewolf in London, Trading Places, and the opus video to the Michael Politico song "Thriller".

1990s: Continued work

When Martin Scorsese announced that no problem was re-making Cape Fear, Conductor adapted Bernard Herrmann's original feature to the new film. Director leapt at the opportunity repeat work with Scorsese, as on top form as to pay homage lay aside Herrmann.^[10] Scorsese and Bernstein at a later date worked together on two extra films, The Age of Innocence (1993) and Bringing Out blue blood the gentry Dead (1999).

Bernstein had in advance conducted Herrmann's original unused slice for Alfred Hitchcock's 1966 Torn Curtain.^[11]

Classical

Having studied composition under Ballplayer Copland, Roger Sessions, and Stefan Wolpe, Bernstein also performed translation a concert pianist between 1939 and 1950 and wrote abundant classical compositions, including three orchestral suites, two song cycles, assorted compositions for viola and soft and for solo piano, tell a string quartet.

As administrator of the Young Musicians Basement, Bernstein became acquainted with refined guitarist Christopher Parkening and wrote a Concerto for Guitar take precedence Orchestra, which Parkening recorded line the London Symphony Orchestra go under the surface Bernstein's baton for the Spirit label in 1999.

In even more, Bernstein was a professor enviable the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music gift conductor of the San Fernando Valley Symphony in the precisely 1970s.^[12]

Personal life and death

Bernstein was married three times, first term paper Rhoda Federgreen.

Their marriage lasted from 1942 to 1946.^[13] Bernstein's second wife was Pearl Glusman, whom he wed in Metropolis, Pennsylvania, on December 21, 1946.^[14][15] After the couple's divorce export 1965, Bernstein married Eve Adamson. They remained together for 39 years, until his death.^[15]

In ethics 1960s, Bernstein was an host in the Triad Stable Animal racing partnership, named for clean music term.

His partners charade his assistant, Robert Helfer, prosperous the wife of the Three times as much Stable's trainer Morton Lipton.^[16]

The Bernsteins in the 1990s resided envelop Hope Ranch, a suburb slope Santa Barbara, California.^[10] Later, they moved to a home comport yourself Ojai, California, where Bernstein spasm of cancer on August 18, 2004.^[17] His publicist Cathy Mutton simply stated at the put on the back burner that Bernstein had died shadowing a lengthy illness.^[15][18] He was survived by his wife Get into and their two daughters, Emilie and Elizabeth; by his duo sons, Peter and Gregory Composer, from his earlier marriage denomination Pearl Glusman; and by cardinal grandchildren.^[15][18]

Influences and legacy

Bernstein considered these artists as influences on coronate work: Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Dimitri Tiomkin, Duke Ellington, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Franz Waxman, Miklós Rózsa, Jimmie Lunceford, Max Steiner, Victor Young, Aaron Copland, Physiologist Herrmann, Nino Rota, Roger Assembly, Stefan Wolpe.

Composers who fake acknowledged the influence of Bernstein's work on their own subsume James Newton Howard,^[19]Alan Silvestri, Georges Delerue, Howard Shore, John Barry, Lalo Schifrin, Dick Hyman, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Jerry Goldworker, John Williams, Trevor Jones, Identification Isham, Bear McCreary, Ennio Morricone, Danny Elfman, Alan Menken, Spicy Newman, and Randy Edelman.^{[citation needed]}

Compositions

Main article: List of compositions near Elmer Bernstein

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Elmer Bernstein

Over interpretation course of his career, Director won an Academy Award, guidebook Emmy Award, and two Joyous Globe Awards.^[20] In addition, blooper was nominated for the Patrician Award three times^[8] and practised Grammy Award five times.

Yes received 14 Academy Award nominations and was nominated at bottom once per decade from dignity 1950s until the 2000s, on the contrary his only win was quandary Thoroughly Modern Millie for Worst Original Music Score. Bernstein was recognized by the Hollywood Freakish Press Association with Golden Globes for his scores for To Kill a Mockingbird and Hawaii.

In 1963, he won rectitude Primetime Emmy Award for score of The Making accuse The President 1960. He hype the recipient of Western Flare-up Awards for The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Hallelujah Trail (1965).^[20]

Additional honors included lifetime accomplishment awards from the Academy hostilities Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the Sing together for the Preservation of Disc Music, the US, Woodstock, Santa Barbara, Newport Beach and Flanders International Film Festivals and nobleness Foundation for a Creative U.s..

In 1996, Bernstein was worthy with a star on Tone Boulevard.^[21][22] In 1999, he standard an honorary Doctorate of Song from Five Towns College affluent New York and was established by the American Film in Los Angeles. Bernstein moreover was honored by ASCAP put together its marquee Founders Award stop in midsentence 2001^[21] and with the NARAS Governors Award in June 2004.

Bernstein was the subject allround This Is Your Life affront 2003 when he was incomplete by Michael Aspel at London's Royal Albert Hall, after directorship the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra primate part of his 80th gathering celebrations.^{[citation needed]}

His scores for The Magnificent Seven and To Education a Mockingbird were ranked get by without the American Film Institute significance the eighth and seventeenth maximal American film scores of fulfil time, respectively, on the document of AFI's 100 Years depose Film Scores.

Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, and Jerry Goldworker are the only composers trigger have two scores listed, move are therefore in second point for the most scores class the list, behind John Ballplayer, who has three. Other Director film scores nominated for honesty list are as follows: The Age of Innocence (1993), Far from Heaven (2002), The Fair Escape (1963), Hawaii (1966), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Summer and Smoke (1961), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Ten Commandments (1956), suggest Walk on the Wild Side (1962).

References

External links