Hale Smith facts for kids

Hale Smith (born June 29, 1925 – died November 24, 2009) was a talented American musician. He was a composer, which means he wrote music, an arranger, meaning he changed music for different instruments, and a pianist, someone who plays the piano.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Hale Smith was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He started learning piano when he was very young. In high school, he played the mellophone, which is a brass instrument. As a teenager, he played jazz piano in local nightclubs. When he was only sixteen, he met the famous jazz musician Duke Ellington. Ellington was impressed by Hale's own musical pieces.

Music Career and Education

In the early 1940s, Hale Smith joined the U.S. Army. He worked as an arranger, creating music for shows at army camps. After his time in the Army, he decided to study classical music. He went to the Cleveland Institute of Music. There, he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees.

His piece called Four Songs won a special award. It was the first student composer award given by BMI. In the late 1950s, Smith moved to New York City. He worked as an editor for music publishing companies.

Working with Jazz Legends

Hale Smith also continued his work as a jazz pianist and arranger. He collaborated with many famous jazz artists. These included Eric Dolphy, Dizzy Gillespie, Ahmad Jamal, Melba Liston, Oliver Nelson, and Randy Weston. He also wrote music for TV shows, radio, and plays. In 1975, he worked with Chico Hamilton to create music for the movie Mr. Ricco.

Hale Smith's Compositions

Hale Smith wrote many different kinds of music. His compositions included pieces for bands, choirs, and orchestras. He also wrote for jazz groups, small groups of instruments (chamber ensembles), duos, and solo performances. Some of his well-known works are The Valley Wind (1952), Contours for Orchestra (1961), and Ritual and Incantation (1974).

Teaching and Later Years

Besides composing and performing, Smith was also a teacher. He taught music at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University. He also taught at the University of Connecticut. Hale Smith passed away on November 24, 2009, at the age of 84. He died due to a stroke.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Hale Smith received many honors for his contributions to music:

• Cleveland Art Prize in Music, 1973
• Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Association for the Study and Performance of African American Music, 1982
• Honorary doctorate from the Cleveland Institute of Music, 1988
• Composer's Recording Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, 1988
• Letter of Distinction from the American Music Center, 2001
• A special day, "Hale Smith Day," was celebrated in Freeport, New York, in 2010.

List of Compositions

Here are some of the musical pieces composed by Hale Smith:

• Orchestral Set (1952)
• Four Songs for Medium Voice (1952)
• The Valley Wind (1952)
• In Memoriam – Beryl Rubinstein (1953)
• Sonata for Violoncello and Piano (1955)
• Two Love Songs of John Donne (1958)
• Feathers (1960)
• Contours for Orchestra (1961)
• Take a Chance: An Aleatoric Episode (1964)
• By Yearning and by Beautiful (1964)
• Evocation (1966)
• Expansions (1967)
• Music for Harp and Chamber Orchestra (1967)
• Trinal Dance (1968)
• I Love Music (c. 1970) – recorded by Betty Carter, Joe Lovano
• Beyond the Rim of Day (1970)
• Exchanges (1972)
• Somersault: A Twelve Tone Adventure (1974)
• Ritual and Incantation (1974)
• Variations for Six Players (1975)
• Innerflexions (1977)
• Solemn Music (1979)
• Toussaint L'Ouverture, 1803 (1979)
• Meditations in Passage (1982)
• Variations a' Due for saxophone and cello (1984, revised 1995)
• March and Fanfare for an Elegant Lady (1986)
• Dialogues & Commentaries (1990–91)
• Recitative and Aria (1995)