Morton Gould facts for kids
Morton Gould (born December 10, 1913 – died February 21, 1996) was a famous American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist. He was known for mixing different types of music, like classical, jazz, and popular tunes, into his amazing compositions.
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Who Was Morton Gould?
Morton Gould was born in Richmond Hill, New York. From a very young age, he showed incredible musical talent. People called him a child prodigy because he was so good at making up music on the spot (this is called improvisation) and writing his own songs. His first piece of music was published when he was only six years old!
He studied music at the Institute of Musical Art in New York. His main teachers were Abby Whiteside and Vincent Jones.
Early Career and Radio Star
During the Great Depression, when Morton was a teenager, he worked in New York City. He played piano in movie theaters and for vaudeville shows. When Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932, 19-year-old Morton was hired as a pianist.
By 1935, he was leading orchestras and arranging music for the WOR radio station in New York. His shows were heard across the country on the Mutual Broadcasting System. He became famous for combining popular songs with classical music.
In the 1940s, Morton Gould appeared on many popular radio shows. These included The Cresta Blanca Carnival and The Chrysler Hour on CBS. Millions of people listened to his music. In 1942, he wrote music for a short film called Ring of Steel. The next year, he became the musical director for an advertising company. This was a new kind of job at the time!
Morton Gould had four children: Eric, David, Abby, and Deborah.
Music for Stage and Screen
Morton Gould wrote music for many different things. He composed for Broadway shows like Billion Dollar Baby and Arms and the Girl. He also created film music for movies such as Delightfully Dangerous, Cinerama Holiday, and Windjammer.
He also wrote music for television series. These included World War One and the miniseries Holocaust. Morton Gould also composed music for ballets. Some of his famous ballets are Interplay, Fall River Legend, and I'm Old Fashioned.
Awards and Achievements
Many symphony orchestras across the United States asked Morton Gould to write music for them. He also received requests from important places like the Library of Congress and the New York City Ballet. He was amazing at blending different music styles into classical pieces.
As a conductor, Morton Gould led major orchestras in America and around the world. He recorded many classical songs with his own orchestra. He even played piano on his recording of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
He won a Grammy Award in 1966 for conducting Charles Ives' first symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 1983, he received the Gold Baton Award from the American Symphony Orchestra League. He was also chosen to be part of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1986.
For many years, Morton Gould was an active member of ASCAP. This group helps protect the rights of composers and authors. He was its president from 1986 to 1994. During this time, he worked hard to protect artists' rights as the internet became more popular.
Morton Gould kept adding new styles to his music. He even included rapping in a piece called "The Jogger and the Dinosaur." He also used American tap dancing in his "Tap Dance Concerto." In 1993, he received an award for his contributions to Latin music in the United States. In 1994, he received the Kennedy Center Honors for his lifetime contributions to American culture.
In 1995, Morton Gould won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his work Stringmusic. This piece was written for the National Symphony Orchestra. In 2005, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Morton Gould's original music papers and other important items are kept at the Library of Congress. Anyone can look at them.
He passed away on February 21, 1996, in Orlando, Florida. He was 82 years old. At the time, he was a guest composer and conductor at the Disney Institute.
Morton Gould's Work on Broadway
- Interplay (1945) - a ballet he composed for Jerome Robbins
- Billion Dollar Baby (1945) - a musical he composed and arranged
- Arms and the Girl (1950) - a musical he composed and arranged
- Jerome Robbins' Broadway (1989) - a show that featured his song from "Billion Dollar Baby"
Morton Gould's Work in Film and Television
- Delightfully Dangerous (1945) - he composed music and also acted in this film
- Casey, Crime Photographer (1951–1952) - he composed the music
- Cinerama Holiday (1955) - he composed music for this travel film
- Windjammer (1958) - he composed the music
- In Search of the Castaways (1962) - he composed music for this Walt Disney film
- World War One (CBS - 1964) - he composed music for this TV series
Images for kids
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Morton Gould
See also
In Spanish: Morton Gould para niños
