What musical technique is attributed to Leonard Bernstein?
In addition to blurring boundaries, Bernstein’s compositional style featured an ecumenical approach to classical and vernacular styles, often identified as eclecticism. Not only did he challenge the distinction between “high” and “low” musical styles, but he often did so within the confines of a single composition.
What is the meaning of Bernstein’s Mass?
Bernstein never intended to write an actual church service — the full title of his composition is MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers — and he used the Catholic rite to create a drama of faith by combining it with a Jewish religious tradition (“wrestling with God”) which is one of the meanings of the …
What was Bernstein’s undergraduate thesis about?
Perhaps most significantly, his undergraduate thesis was no less than an assertion that jazz is the universal basis of American composition. Jazz had a deep impact on Bernstein, and in return, Bernstein, through his compositions, as a performer, and as a teacher, helped to legitimize its influence on classical music.
What is the movement of Leonard Bernstein?
Leonard Bernstein found his “voice” in the early 1940s and projected the sound of urban and urbane America from the period of World War II to the anti-war movements of the 1970s and the restoration of freedom in Europe, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and Soviet communism.
Why did Bernstein write MASS?
Bernstein composed the piece, on commission, to memorialize John F. Kennedy, America’s first Catholic president. The occasion was the grand opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in 1971.
What is the musical elements of Philip Glass?
Glass’ musical style is instantly recognizable, with its trademark churning ostinatos, undulating arpeggios and repeating rhythms that morph over various lengths of time atop broad fields of tonal harmony.
What was Bernstein’s noted accomplishment?
Bernstein with the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. He won eleven Emmy Awards in his career. His televised concert and lecture series started with the Omnibus program in 1954, followed by the extraordinary Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic, in 1958 that extended over fourteen seasons.
What is a interesting fact about Leonard Bernstein?
Bernstein was a close friend of Aaron Copland and recorded all of his orchestral works. He also played the Copland Piano Variations so regularly that they became his trademark piece. 8. He has been famously quoted saying, “I’m not interested in having an orchestra sound like itself.
Why did Leonard Bernstein write mass?
He composed his “MASS” at the request of Jacqueline Kennedy for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in 1971. Bernstein loved and admired the late president, for whose inaugural gala he had composed and conducted a fanfare.
Should we be afraid to hear Leonard Bernstein’s Mass?
We should not be afraid to hear it. It is not easy to summarize Leonard Bernstein’s Mass. Commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy and premiered as part of The Kennedy Center’s opening in 1971, it succeeds to be a liturgical composition much like Bach’s Mass in B Minor or Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, but also something else. Of course it is a liturgy.
Do Bernstein’s ‘Mass’ quotes miss the point?
But, they also miss the point. For the believer, Mass cannot be viewed only through a musical lens because, despite not being a Christian, Bernstein has achieved something greater than the sum of the musical parts.
Was Bernstein under investigation by the US government?
By the time Bernstein wrote “MASS,” he had been under investigation by the U.S. government for 20 years. An 800-page FBI file documented his leftist activities and beliefs about war, inequality and racism.