Leonard Bernstein Essay -- essays research papers

Leonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein was born in Lawrenceville, Massachusettes onAugust 25, 1918. He was the first born barbarian of Samuel and Jennie Bernstein,who lived in Boston, but had foregone to Lawrenceville to visit some relatives.Bernsteins parents had little knowledge of, or interest inclassical medicine. The only records Leonard remembers hearing on his familyphonograph when he was a child were the general hit songs of the day, such as Barney Google and Oh by Jingo.For the most part, Leonard Bernstein was an unhappy child. He said, I was a miserable, terrified little child (Musicians p.64). His family movedfrom town to town, during Bernsteins school days, not giving him a chance tomake close friends or feel at home. Sadly, Bernsteins peers would make fun ofand tease Bernstein. He was a very sickly child as he suffered from chronicasthma, rose fever, and hay fever. This pathetic child grew to be a very shyperson.Leonard forever had a heart for medicament, even as a yo ung boy. Asan eight year old, one morning, when he was sitting in the synagogue, thereligious music of the choir and organ overwhelmed him by its beauty and causedhim to burst into tears. When Leonard and his family would visit their friends,Leonard would sneak over to the piano and experiment. When he was eleven, hisaunt sent her piano to his house for his family to halt for storage. I madelove to it right a instruction he recalled (Musicians p. 65). He could escape from allhis frustrations and sadness by playing the piano. His parents didnt like thefact that he was always at the piano, they wanted him to concentrate on hisschool work. They thought of piano playing as a waste of time because it stoodin the way of Leonards learning his fathers business, which they planned forhim to eventually take over.At the age of ten, Leonard found a piano teacher who would givehim lessons for a dollar a lesson. entirely that teacher soon moved away and Leonardfound himself paying another piano teacher three dollars a lesson out of hisallowance. After more than a year of piano lessons that just werent teachinghim much, Leonard found a new, and th... ...Bernstein has received such awards as the Albert learning abilityCommemorative Award in the Arts from the Albert Einstein College of Medicinethe John H. Finley Medal for service to New York City the Golden Europeantrophy, an annual award given to an outstanding figure in popular music theDatsun Award for outstanding service to American music the Institute ofInternational Education Award presented by President Nixon and the GeorgeFoster Peabody Awards for his television programs.Bernstein provided the music for four famous Broadway musicalswith a superior amount of sophistication and technique. Often times, he wouldproduce music with great humour and sentiment. Bernsteins great talents ledhim to motive a few books in the 1960s. One of his most recent, famouscollections of his music is used in the ever popular film West Si de Story.Leonard Bernstein was the reincarnation man of twentieth centurymusic. Over the decades, Bernstein has been called one of the most charismaticand gifted personalities in the music of our times.