The composer Paul Bowles praised the clarinet sonata as having a "tender, sharp, singing quality," as being "alive, tough, integrated." It was a prescient assessment, which ultimately applied to Bernstein’s music in all genres.īernstein’s professional breakthrough came with exceptional force and visibility, establishing him as a stunning new talent. His Piano Sonata (1938) reflected his ties to Copland, with links also to the music of Hindemith and Stravinsky, and his Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1942) was similarly grounded in a neoclassical aesthetic. During these early years, Bernstein made his first major forays into composition, writing chamber music with a modernist edge. Marc Blitzstein also became a valued mentor: the two men first connected when Bernstein directed The Cradle Will Rock as a college senior. "I could empty a room, guaranteed, in two minutes," he quipped. Bernstein later recalled tossing off the Variations at college parties. While an undergraduate, Bernstein forged a significant alliance with Aaron Copland, impressing the older composer with performances of his Piano Variations.
Two years later, he received a diploma in conducting from the Curtis Institute of Music. Thus central traits of the adult Bernstein were apparent early on, including his precocious musicianship, affinity for theater, talent for leadership, and delight in working with young people.īernstein graduated from Boston Latin High School, then Harvard College (Class of 1939). Pinafore, and Carmen (the latter performed in drag and in Yiddish). He directed teenage friends in summer productions of The Mikado, H.M.S. As a child, the young Bernstein studied piano and discovered the sheer fun of working in theater. His parents, Samuel Bernstein and Jennie Resnick, were Russian Jewish immigrants whose upward mobility was rapid. Leonard Bernstein was born in 1918 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and the family soon after relocated to Boston. In the process, he shaped works that appealed to musicians of all calibers. He wrote music that was often thoroughly accessible on the surface yet presented rewarding challenges for performers.
He maintained a life-long focus on advocating for social justice, notably civil rights at home and peace around the world.īernstein’s restless creative vision defies traditional categories, with a limber affinity to combining styles and genres in unexpected ways. Bernstein-or "Lenny," as he was often affectionately called-was an extravagantly gifted musician with a common touch. Longtime conductor of the New York Philharmonic, renowned composer of works for the concert hall and Broadway stage, glamorous television personality, virtuosic pianist, and committed educator, Bernstein was a multi-tasker long before the term was coined. He led the way in advocating an open attitude about what constituted "good" music, actively bridging the gap between classical music, Broadway musicals, jazz, and rock, and he seized new media for its potential to reach diverse communities of listeners, young and old. Leonard Bernstein-celebrated as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century-ushered in an era of major cultural and technological transition.
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