Leonard Bernstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leonard Bernstein
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Louis Bernstein
August 25, 1918 Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S.
|
| Died | October 14, 1990 (aged 72) New York City, U.S.
|
| Occupation | Composer, conductor, author, lecturer, pianist |
| Years active | 1940–1990 |
|
Works
|
List of compositions |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Leonard Bernstein (August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was a famous American musician. He was a conductor, composer, pianist, and teacher. He also wrote books and helped people around the world. He was the first American conductor to become famous worldwide.
Bernstein won many awards. These included seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and sixteen Grammy Awards. He even received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
As a composer, he wrote many types of music. This included music for orchestras, ballets, and movies. He also wrote for plays, choirs, operas, and the piano. His most famous work is the Broadway musical West Side Story. This musical is still performed often and has been made into two movies. His other works include three symphonies and the music for the film On the Waterfront. He also wrote musicals like On the Town and Candide.
Bernstein was the first American-born conductor to lead a major American orchestra. He was the music director of the New York Philharmonic. He also conducted many other big orchestras around the world. He was the first conductor to share music on television with many people. Through his teaching and books, he inspired many young musicians. He also created two big international music festivals.
Bernstein always cared about helping people. He supported the civil rights movement. He spoke out against the Vietnam War and for getting rid of nuclear weapons. He also raised money for HIV/AIDS research. He worked for human rights and peace around the world.
Near the end of his life, he conducted a special concert. It was Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Berlin. This concert celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was shown live on TV around the world on Christmas Day, 1989.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Leonard Bernstein was born Louis Bernstein in Lawrence, Massachusetts. His parents, Jennie and Samuel Joseph Bernstein, came from Ukraine. His grandmother wanted his first name to be Louis. But his parents always called him Leonard. When he was eighteen, he legally changed his name to Leonard. His friends often called him "Lenny."
His father owned a company called The Samuel Bernstein Hair and Beauty Supply Company. This company did very well. It helped his family during the Great Depression.
When Leonard was ten, his aunt brought her piano to his house. Bernstein started teaching himself piano and music. Soon, he really wanted proper lessons. He had several piano teachers as he grew up. One of them, Helen Coates, later became his secretary. In the summers, the Bernstein family went to their vacation home. There, young Leonard would get all the neighborhood kids to put on shows. They performed everything from operas to musicals. He often played entire operas or Beethoven symphonies with his younger sister, Shirley. His youngest brother, Burton, was born much later in 1932. Even with the age difference, the three siblings stayed close.
At first, Leonard's father did not want him to be a musician. He even refused to pay for piano lessons. So, Leonard started giving lessons to other kids in his neighborhood. One of his students, Sid Ramin, later became a close friend. Sid also helped Bernstein arrange his music.
College Years and Music Studies
Bernstein went to public schools first. He attended the William Lloyd Garrison School. Then he went to the Boston Latin School. He even wrote the Class Song for his graduating class there.
In 1935, Bernstein went to Harvard College. He studied music there. He graduated from Harvard in 1939.
After Harvard, Bernstein went to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. At Curtis, he studied conducting with Fritz Reiner. He also learned piano, how to arrange music, and how to read musical scores.
Personal Life
Bernstein married actress Felicia Cohn Montealegre on September 10, 1951. They had three children: Jamie, Alexander, and Nina. Felicia was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1977. Bernstein moved back in with her and took care of her. She died on June 16, 1978.
Bernstein had asthma. Because of this, he could not serve in the military during World War II.
Death and Legacy
Bernstein announced he was retiring from conducting on October 9, 1990. He died five days later, on October 14, 1990. He was 72 years old. He passed away in his New York apartment from a heart attack.
Bernstein is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. He is buried next to his wife. A copy of Mahler's Fifth Symphony was placed on his heart. On August 25, 2018, which would have been his 100th birthday, he was honored with a Google Doodle. An exhibition called Leonard Bernstein at 100 was also created for his centennial.
Images for kids
-
Leonard Bernstein and Benny Goodman in rehearsal, around 1940–1949
-
Photo of Bernstein by Carl Van Vechten (1944)
-
Bernstein conducting the New York City Symphony (1945)
-
Bernstein, around the 1950s
-
Bernstein with members of the New York Philharmonic rehearsing for a television broadcast
-
Bernstein at the piano, making notes on a musical score
-
Leonard Bernstein during a visit to Finland, 1959
-
Leonard Bernstein by Allan Warren
-
Bernstein with Maximilian Schell on a PBS Beethoven TV series (1982)
-
Conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra, 1985
-
Leonard Bernstein in rehearsal of his "Mass", 1971
-
Audio recording for CBS of the Symphony No. 3 by Danish composer Carl Nielsen in Copenhagen, 1965
-
Place Léonard-Bernstein, a square in the 12th arrondissement of Paris
-
Leonard Bernstein receiving the Edison Classical Music Award in 1968
_-_1944_-_foto_van_Vechten2.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Leonard Bernstein para niños
