Elmer Bernstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elmer Bernstein
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Bernstein guest conducting the U.S. Air Force Band in 1981
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| Background information | |
| Born | April 4, 1922 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | August 18, 2004 (aged 82) Ojai, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Film scores |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, conductor, songwriter |
| Instruments | Keyboards |
| Years active | 1951–2004 |
Elmer Bernstein (born April 4, 1922 – died August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. He created music for movies and TV shows for over 50 years. He wrote some of the most famous and memorable tunes in Hollywood history.
Bernstein composed over 150 original movie scores and music for nearly 80 TV shows. He won an Academy Award for his work on Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). He also received a Primetime Emmy Award, seven Golden Globe Awards, five Grammy Awards, and was nominated for two Tony Awards.
He wrote music for many well-known films. These include The Ten Commandments (1956), The Magnificent Seven (1960), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and The Great Escape (1963). He also composed for popular comedies like Animal House (1978), Airplane! (1980), and Ghostbusters (1984).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Elmer Bernstein was born in New York City on April 4, 1922. His parents were Selma and Edward Bernstein.
He was not related to another famous composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein. To tell them apart, people called Elmer "Bernstein West" because he worked in Hollywood. Leonard was called "Bernstein East" because he was based in New York City. They also said their last names differently! Elmer said "BURN-steen," and Leonard said "BERN-styne."
As a child, Elmer was a talented dancer and actor. He even performed on Broadway. He also won awards for his painting. But he loved music the most. When he was 12, he won a piano scholarship. His teacher, Henriette Michelson, helped him throughout his piano career. She even introduced him to the famous composer Aaron Copland.
During World War II, Elmer joined the United States Army Air Forces. He wrote music for the Armed Forces Radio.
Bernstein's music sometimes sounded similar to Aaron Copland's. You can hear this in his Western movie scores.
A Career in Music
Starting Out in Hollywood
Elmer Bernstein wrote music for more than 200 films and TV shows. Some of his most famous early works include themes for The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and The Ten Commandments. His theme for The Magnificent Seven was even used in commercials!
In 1961, Bernstein helped start Äva Records, a record label in Los Angeles. He worked with famous people like Fred Astaire.
Music for Broadway Shows
Besides movies, Bernstein also wrote music for two Broadway musicals. These were How Now, Dow Jones in 1967 and Merlin in 1983.
One of his songs, "Step to the Rear," from How Now, Dow Jones, became very popular. In 1968, the University of South Carolina football team used it as their fight song. It's still their fight song today!
Challenges in the 1950s
In the early 1950s, many artists in Hollywood faced difficulties. Bernstein was asked questions because he had written some music reviews for a newspaper that was linked to certain political groups. He refused to give out names of other people. Because of this, he found himself working on lower-budget films like Robot Monster and Cat-Women of the Moon. This was a change from his earlier, bigger movies.
Making People Laugh: Comedies in the 1980s
Filmmaker John Landis grew up near Bernstein and became his friend. Later, Landis asked Bernstein to compose music for his comedy film National Lampoon's Animal House. The movie studio wasn't sure about this choice. But Landis believed that Bernstein's serious-sounding music would make the funny parts even funnier.
Bernstein agreed, and it started a new part of his career. He began writing music for many popular comedies. These included Ghostbusters, Stripes, Airplane!, and The Blues Brothers. He also worked on most of Landis's films for the next 15 years, like Trading Places and the music video for Michael Jackson's song "Thriller".
Continuing Work in the 1990s
When director Martin Scorsese decided to remake the movie Cape Fear, Bernstein adapted the original music for the new film. He was excited to work with Scorsese and to honor the original composer, Bernard Herrmann. Bernstein and Scorsese then worked together on two more films: The Age of Innocence (1993) and Bringing Out the Dead (1999).
Classical Music
Elmer Bernstein also studied and wrote classical music. He learned from famous composers like Aaron Copland. From 1939 to 1950, he performed as a concert pianist. He wrote many classical pieces, including orchestral suites and music for piano.
He also wrote a special piece called a Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra. The famous guitarist Christopher Parkening recorded this piece with the London Symphony Orchestra. Bernstein himself conducted the orchestra for the recording. He also taught at the University of Southern California and conducted the San Fernando Valley Symphony in the 1970s.
Personal Life
Elmer Bernstein was married three times. His last marriage was to Eve Adamson, and they were together for 39 years until his death. He had two daughters, Emilie and Elizabeth, and two sons, Peter and Gregory.
In the 1960s, Bernstein was part of a horse racing group called Triad Stable. He loved horses and named the group after a music term.
Bernstein passed away from cancer on August 18, 2004, in Ojai, California.
Influences and Legacy
Elmer Bernstein was inspired by many other artists. Some of his influences included Aaron Copland, Bernard Herrmann, and Max Steiner.
Many composers today say that Elmer Bernstein influenced their own music. These include John Williams, who composed for Star Wars, and Danny Elfman, known for his work on The Simpsons and Batman.
Compositions
Awards and Honors
Elmer Bernstein won many awards during his career. He received an Academy Award for Thoroughly Modern Millie. He also won an Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. He was nominated for the Tony Award three times and the Grammy Award five times. He received 14 Academy Award nominations in total, from the 1950s to the 2000s.
He was honored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association with Golden Globes for his music in To Kill a Mockingbird and Hawaii. In 1963, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for his score for The Making of The President 1960. He also received Western Heritage Awards for The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Hallelujah Trail (1965).
Bernstein received many lifetime achievement awards from different organizations. In 1996, he was honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard. In 1999, he received an honorary music degree.
His scores for The Magnificent Seven and To Kill a Mockingbird are considered among the greatest American film scores of all time by the American Film Institute. They are ranked 8th and 17th on the list of AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores. Bernstein is one of only four composers to have two scores on this famous list.
