Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein 1971
Born	Louis Bernstein (1918-08-25)August 25, 1918 Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	October 14, 1990(1990-10-14) (aged 72) New York City, U.S.
Burial place	Green-Wood Cemetery
Education	Harvard University (BA) Curtis Institute of Music (Dip)
Occupation(s)	Conductor, composer, pianist, teacher
Years active	1940s–1990
Notable work	West Side Story, Candide
Spouse(s)	Felicia Montealegre ​(Married 1951; died 1978)
Children	3
Website	leonardbernstein.com
Signature

Leonard Bernstein (August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American composer, conductor, pianist, teacher, and writer. He is known as one of the most important conductors of the 1900's. Music critic Donal Henahan called him "one of the most talented and successful musicians in American history."^[1] Bernstein won a lot of awards, including seven Emmy Awards^[2], two Tony Awards^[3], 16 Grammy Awards^[4]. He also the Kennedy Center Honor in 1981.^[5]

As a composer, Bernstein wrote many different kinds of music. He created music for orchestras, ballets, movies, and theater. His most famous work is the Broadway musical West Side Story, which was made into a movie in 1961 and 2021. Some of his other works include On the Town (1944), Wonderful Town (1953), Candide (1956), and Mass (1971). He also wrote music for the movie On the Waterfront (1954), three symphonies, Serenade after Plato's "Symposium" (1954), and Chichester Psalms (1965).

Bernstein was the first American-born conductor to lead a major American orchestra.^[6] He was the music director of the New York Philharmonic and worked with many of the world's best orchestras. He recorded many performances^[7], and his recordings are still important today. He helped bring back the music of composer Gustav Mahler, which he loved.^[8] He also played the piano and sometimes conducted while playing piano concertos.^[9] On television, Bernstein introduced classical music to millions of people through his Young People's Concerts.^[10]

Bernstein cared about social issues and human rights.^[11] He supported civil rights, protested the Vietnam War,^[12] and raised money for AIDS research. He also worked for nuclear disarmament and world peace. After President John F. Kennedy was killed, Bernstein conducted Mahler's Resurrection Symphony to honor him. In 1989, Bernstein conducted Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Berlin to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall.^[13]

Although he had a wife, scholars agree that Bernstein was gay.^[14] He was a heavy smoker who had emphysema. He died of a heart attack in New York City.^[15]

In 1935, Bernstein studied music at Harvard.^[16]There, he met Aaron Copland. He graduated in 1939, cum laude.

Next, Bernstein studied at the Curtis Institute of Music. During this time, he studied conducting with Serge Koussevitzky, the conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Bernstein graduated with a diploma in conducting from Curtis in 1941.^[17]

In September of 1943, Bernstein became the assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic. He was 25 years old. This is very young for the job. On November 19, 1943, Bruno Walter, was sick and couldn't conduct. Bernstein then conducted the New York Philharmonic without practicing first.^[18]

His first concert was very well liked. The next day, it was the front page story in the New York Times. Many other newspapers across the country published the story. The concert was broadcast on the radio. He became famous. He became the first American-born, American-trained conductor to be internationally famous. This was during time when conductors traditionally came from Europe.

Bernstein stated that composers like Aaron Copland, Dimitri Mitropoulos, George Gershwin, Gustav Mahler, Kurt Weill, Sergei Koussevitzky, Randall Thompson, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and Robert Schumann were his influences.

• Official website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leonard Bernstein.

This short article about a person from the United States can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.