Why did Bernstein compose MASS?
Bernstein composed the piece, on commission, to memorialize John F. Kennedy, America’s first Catholic president. The occasion was the grand opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in 1971.
What was Bernstein known for?
Leonard Bernstein, (born August 25, 1918, Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S.—died October 14, 1990, New York, New York), American conductor, composer, and pianist noted for his accomplishments in both classical and popular music, for his flamboyant conducting style, and for his pedagogic flair, especially in concerts for …
Why did President Nixon not attend the premiere of mass a Theatre piece for singers players and dancers?
In the summer of 1971, as MASS approached its premiere, the FBI warned the White House that the piece’s Latin text might contain coded anti-war messages and that Bernstein was mounting a plot “to embarrass the United States government.” President Nixon was strongly advised not to attend and was conspicuously absent at …
Why was Bernstein important?
Bernstein was the first American-born conductor to lead a major American symphony orchestra. He was music director of the New York Philharmonic and conducted the world’s major orchestras, generating a significant legacy of audio and video recordings.
What is Leonard Bernstein’s MASS about?
Bernstein never intended to write an actual church service — the full title of his composition is MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers — and he used the Catholic rite to create a drama of faith by combining it with a Jewish religious tradition (“wrestling with God”) which is one of the meanings of the …
Was Leonard Bernstein Catholic?
A celebrated conductor and composer throughout his career, Bernstein’s use of the Roman Catholic Mass as a model for this musical and theatrical exploration of faith did not sit well with some church leaders at the time.
What was Bernstein’s noted accomplishment?
Bernstein with the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. He won eleven Emmy Awards in his career. His televised concert and lecture series started with the Omnibus program in 1954, followed by the extraordinary Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic, in 1958 that extended over fourteen seasons.
What is Leonard Bernstein’s Mass about?
What is MASS about Leonard Bernstein?
The Tridentine Mass served as the core ritual for Catholics for over four centuries. These prayers are vehicles for petition, praise and affirmation. In Bernstein’s setting, he seeks to challenge and question the meaning of the original prayers by inserting tropes, or commentaries, between each movement.
How long is MASS by Bernstein?
two-hour
The piece was composed when America was bitterly polarized by the Vietnam War and protests raged on college campuses. (Sound familiar?) At the time, Bernstein was pilloried for daring to draw from myriad serious and popular styles in fashioning this two-hour score — a “wild mélange of everything,” as Schonberg put it.
How good a pianist was Leonard Bernstein?
Perhaps the best answer was provided by the pianist Arthur Rubinstein, who said of Bernstein: “He was the greatest pianist among the conductors, the greatest conductor among composers, and the greatest composer among pianists. He was a universal genius.”
What stage music did Leonard Bernstein compose?
Leonard Bernstein was one of the first American-born conductors to receive worldwide fame. He composed the score for the Broadway musical ‘West Side Story. ‘