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'<!-- please do not add an infobox, per [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Composers#Lead section]]--> [[File:Ferde Grofé.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Ferde Grofé]] '''Ferde Grofé''' (March 27, 1892{{spaced ndash}} April 3, 1972) was an American [[composer]], [[arrangement|arranger]], [[pianist]] and [[instrumentalist]]. During the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name '''Ferdie Grofé'''.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_xkZIjk3lXAC&pg=PA18&as_brr=0#v=onepage&q=ferdie%20%22ferde%20grofe%22 Goldman Harry and Ed Angel. ''Kenneth Strickfaden, Dr. Frankenstein's Electrician''. McFarland, 2005.]</ref> ==Early life== {{unreferenced section|date=April 2018}} Born '''Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé''', in [[New York City]], Grofé came by his extensive musical interests naturally. His family had four generations of [[classical music]]ians. His father, Emil von Grofé, was a [[baritone]] who sang mainly light opera; his mother, Elsa Johanna Bierlich von Grofé, a professional [[cellist]], was also a versatile music teacher who taught Ferde to play the violin and piano. Elsa's father, Bernardt Bierlich, was a cellist in the [[Metropolitan Opera]] Orchestra in New York and Elsa's brother, Julius Bierlich, was first [[violin]]ist and [[concertmaster]] of the Los Angeles Symphony. ==Musical education== {{unreferenced section|date=April 2018}} Ferde's father died in 1899, after which his mother took Ferde abroad to study piano, [[viola]] and [[Musical composition|composition]] in [[Leipzig]], Germany. Ferde became proficient on a wide range of instruments including piano (his favored instrument), violin, viola (he became a violist in the LA Symphony), [[baritone horn]], [[alto horn]] and [[cornet]]. This command of musical instruments and composition gave Ferde the foundation to become, first an [[arrangement|arranger]] of other composers' music, and then a composer in his own right. Grofé left home at age 14 and variously worked as a milkman, truck driver, usher, newsboy, elevator operator, helper in a book bindery, iron factory worker, and played in a [[piano bar]] for two dollars a night and as an [[accompanist]]. He continued studying piano and [[violin]]. When he was 15 he was performing with dance bands. He also played the alto horn in [[brass bands]]. He was 17 when he wrote his first commissioned work. ==Arranger for Paul Whiteman== {{more citations needed|section|date=April 2018}} Beginning about 1920, he played [[jazz]] piano with the [[Paul Whiteman]] orchestra. He served as Whiteman's chief arranger from 1920 to 1932. He made hundreds of arrangements of popular songs, Broadway show music, and tunes of all types for Whiteman. Grofé's most memorable arrangement is that of [[George Gershwin]]'s ''[[Rhapsody in Blue]]'', which established Grofé's reputation among jazz musicians. Grofé took what Gershwin had written for two pianos and orchestrated it for Whiteman's jazz orchestra. He transformed Gershwin's musical canvas with the colors and many of the creative touches for which it is so well known. He went on to create two more arrangements of the piece in later years. Grofé's 1942 orchestration for full orchestra of ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is the one most frequently heard today. In 1928, Gershwin wrote a letter to [[ASCAP]] complaining that Grofé had listed himself as the composer of ''Rhapsody in Blue''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Holden|first=Stephen|date=February 13, 1989|title=They Got America Humming: A Celebration|work=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/13/arts/they-got-america-humming-a-celebration.html|accessdate=March 23, 2009}}</ref> Despite this misunderstanding, Grofé served as one of the pallbearers at Gershwin's funeral in 1937.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1937/07/14/archives/bearers-are-listed-for-gershwin-rites-governor-mayor-and-musical.html George Gershwin funeral], ''New York Times'', July 14, 1937.</ref> In 1932, ''[[The New York Times]]'' called Grofé "the Prime Minister of Jazz".<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1932/10/16/archives/the-prime-minister-of-jazz.html ''New York Times'', October 16, 1932.]</ref> This was an oblique reference to the fact that Whiteman was widely called "King of Jazz", especially after the appearance of the 1930 film of that name which featured Whiteman's music.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}} During this time, Grofé also recorded [[piano rolls]] for the [[American Piano Company|American Piano Company (Ampico)]] in New York. These captured performances were embellished with additional notes after the initial recording took place to attempt to convey the thick lush nature of his orchestra's style. Hence the published rolls are marked "Played by Ferde Grofé (assisted)". Not everybody appreciated Grofé's flowery arrangements during this time. In a review of a Whiteman jazz concert in New York, one writer said the music was expected to be pleasing, and "it proved so when it was repeated last night, in spite of the excessive instrumentation of Ferde Grofé."<ref>{{cite web|last=Downes|first=Olin|date=October 8, 1928|title=MUSIC: Whiteman's Jazz|work=New York Times|url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50B11FE3958127A93CAA9178BD95F4C8285F9|accessdate=March 23, 2009}}</ref> A writer of a later generation said "the Grofé and Gould pieces were the essence of slick commercialism..."<ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0817F93959117B93CAA9178DD85F428685F9 ''New York Times'', June 8, 1966.]</ref> ==Radio, TV, conducting and teaching== ''Mardi Gras'' (from ''Mississippi Suite'') was recorded in the radio transcription series ''Shilkret Novelties'' in 1931.<ref name=shilkretnovdisc>''Shilkret Novelties'' Demonstration Disc JGB 531–1 states that the discs were recorded in Byers Recording Laboratory under the supervision of Leonard E. Cox and directed by [[Nathaniel Shilkret]].</ref><ref name=nspayroll>Payroll records in the [[Nathaniel Shilkret]] archives show that the ''Shilkret Novelties'' transcriptions were recorded in November and December 1931.</ref> and again by [[Nathaniel Shilkret]] in [[RCA Victor]]'s transcription series ''His Master's Voice of the Air'' in 1932.<ref name=shilkret1>Shilkret, Nathaniel, ed. Shell, Niel and Barbara Shilkret, ''Nathaniel Shilkret: Sixty Years in the Music Business'', Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, 2005, p. 281. {{ISBN|0-8108-5128-8}}</ref><ref name=victorledgers>Victor Archive ledgers for 1932.</ref><ref name=r101>R-101 and R-102 are the transcription discs containing Grofé's compositions; dates for airing the transcriptions can be traced by, for example, advertising and themes for Christmas and Washington's birthday.</ref> ''On the Trail'' (from ''Grand Canyon Suite'') was also recorded in the ''His Master's Voice of the Air'' transcriptions.<ref name=r101/> During the 1930s, he was the orchestra leader on several radio programs, including [[Fred Allen]]'s show and his own ''The Ferde Grofé Show''. The "On the Trail" segment of ''Grand Canyon Suite'' was used for many years as the "musical signature" for radio and television programs sponsored by [[Philip Morris USA|Philip Morris]] cigarettes, beginning with their 1933 radio program featuring Grofé and his orchestra and concluding with ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' (1951–57). Jon Hendricks wrote lyrics for "On the Trail", and the song was recorded for Hendricks' album ''To Tell the Truth'' (1975). The piano version sheet music of the suite includes lyrics to the central section of "On the Trail" by songwriter [[Gus Kahn]]. Several times he conducted orchestral programs in New York's [[Carnegie Hall]].<ref>''New York Times'', "Orchestra at Carnegie Hall meets enthusiastic crowd", January 10, 1937.</ref><ref>''New York Times'', "Grofé Guest Conductor at Benefit Concert for 'Free Milk Fund for Babies', March 25, 1938.</ref> In January 1933 the premiere of his ''Tabloid'', an orchestral suite in 4 movements, was presented in Carnegie Hall.<ref>''New York Times'', January 26, 1933.</ref> In 1937, he conducted a concert tribute to George Gershwin at [[Lewisohn Stadium]]. The turnout (20,223 people) was the largest in that stadium's history.<ref>''New York Times'', August 10, 1937.</ref> The following year, 1934, Grofé announced he was working on an [[opera]], to be based on the [[Edgar Allan Poe]] story "[[The Fall of the House of Usher]]".<ref>''New York Times'', July 15, 1934.</ref> In 1943, he was a guest on ''Paul Whiteman Presents''. In 1944, he was a panelist on ''A Song Is Born'' radio show, judging the works of unknown composers. Before that time he had served several times as judge or co-judge in musical contests. Grofé was later employed as a [[conducting|conductor]] and faculty member at the [[Juilliard School|Juilliard School of Music]] where he taught [[orchestration]]. ==Grofé's compositions== In addition to being an arranger, Grofé was also a composer in his own right. While still with Whiteman, in 1925, he wrote ''[[Mississippi Suite]]'', which Whiteman recorded in shortened format in 1927. He wrote a number of other pieces, including a theme for the [[1939 New York World's Fair|New York World's Fair]] of 1939 and suites for [[Niagara Falls]] and the [[Hudson River]]. Possibly as a result of his World's Fair theme, 13 October 1940 was designated Ferde Grofé Day at the American pavilion of the World's Fair.<ref>''New York Times'', 14 October 1940</ref> Grofé conducted his ''[[Niagara Falls Suite]]'' as part of the ceremony marking the opening of the first stage of the [[Niagara Falls|Niagara Falls Power Generation]] project.<ref>''New York Times'', 7 February 1961</ref> Other notable compositions by Grofé were the ''[[Death Valley Suite]]'' and a music production about [[Mark Twain]]. ''Death Valley Suite'' is a short symphonic suite written by Grofé in 1949, depicting the westward travels of pioneers through the 'harsh lands' of [[Death Valley]] in California. Grofé was commissioned by the Death Valley 49ers, a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving pioneering and mining history of the [[Death Valley]] region encompassing Death Valley National Monument (now [[Death Valley National Park]]) and surrounding area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deathvalley49ers.org/|title=About Us|website=deathvalley49ers.org/|publisher=Death Valley 49ers|last1=49ers|first1=Death Valley|accessdate=2014-08-01}}</ref> The composition and music was part of a pageant performed on December 3, 1949 celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 49ers who came by way of Death Valley in search of gold and other riches and celebration of the [[California]] state centennial (1850–1950).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Grofe|first1=Ferde|title=Ferde Grofe|date=1949|publisher=Grofe and State of California|url=http://www.ferde-grofe.net/scores/Desert_Water_Hole_Preview.pdf|access-date=2014-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092151/http://www.ferde-grofe.net/scores/Desert_Water_Hole_Preview.pdf|archive-date=2014-10-06|dead-url=yes|df=}}</ref> The 1949 pageant setting was outdoors at Desolation Canyon in Death Valley. Grofé was the conductor and actor James Stewart was the narrator.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dannyraythomas.com/dv'49er_keepsakes.html|title=49ers Keepsakes|website=dannyraythomas.com|publisher=Death Valley 49ers|last1=Thomas|first1=Danny Ray|accessdate=2014-10-01}}</ref> In 1960, work was announced on a musical production based on the life of [[Samuel Langhorne Clemens|Mark Twain]]. The music was first assigned to [[Victor Young]], but Grofé was later brought in to complete the work.<ref>''New York Times'', 14 May 1960</ref> Grofé is best known for his composition of the ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'' (1931), a work regarded highly enough to be recorded for [[RCA Victor]] with the [[NBC Symphony]] conducted by [[Arturo Toscanini]] (in Carnegie Hall in 1945, with the composer present). The earlier ''[[Mississippi Suite]]'' along with the later ''[[Death Valley Suite]]'' are occasionally performed and are recorded. Grofé conducted the [[Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra]] in his ''Grand Canyon Suite'' and his piano concerto (with pianist [[Jesús María Sanromá]]) for [[Everest Records]] in 1960; the recording was digitally remastered and issued on CD in 1997. In 1958, [[Walt Disney]] released a live-action, short subject film of the Grand Canyon using the Grand Canyon Suite music. The thirty-minute Technicolor and [[CinemaScope]] film, entitled ''Grand Canyon'', used no actors or dialogue, simply shots of the Grand Canyon itself and several animals around the area, all shown with Grofé's music accompanying the visuals. The short won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Subject,<ref>{{Citation|last=Algar|first=James|title=Grand Canyon|date=1958-12-17|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051677/awards|accessdate=2016-05-25}}</ref> and was shown as a featurette accompanying Disney's 1959 ''[[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]]''. Today, the "Grand Canyon Suite's" third movement, "On the Trail," can be heard playing as the [[Disneyland Railroad]] passes the Grand Canyon sections of the "Grand Circle Tour" of [[Disneyland]]. ==Films== He began his second career as composer of [[film score]]s in 1930, when he provided arrangements (and perhaps portions of the score) for the film ''[[King of Jazz]]''.<ref>''New York Times'', "The King of Jazz, score by Ferde Grofé", 12 January 1930</ref> Published data for this movie do not list Grofé as the score's composer, however.<ref>''[[King of Jazz]]'', Wikipedia entry</ref> He is also credited with the film score for the 1930 movie ''Redemption''.<ref>''New York Times'', 3 May 1930</ref> A review for the 1944 Joseph Lewis film ''[[Minstrel Man (1944 film)|Minstrel Man]]'' stated "the music, scored by Ferde Grofé, is an outstanding item."<ref>''New York Times'', date not available</ref> Grofé was nominated, along with Leo Erdody, for an [[Academy Award]] in the category "Scoring of a Musical Picture" for this film. The score he composed for ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' (1950) was the first science fiction movie to feature the electronic instrument known as the [[theremin]]. His other original film scores included ''[[Early to Bed (1928 film)|Early to Bed]]'' (1928), ''[[Redemption (1930 film)|Redemption]]'' (1930), ''[[Diamond Jim]]'' (1935), ''[[Time Out of Mind (1947 film)|Time Out of Mind]]'' (1947) and ''[[The Return of Jesse James]]'' (1950). ==Personal life== Although he spent the first half of his life living in [[New Jersey]] and working in and around New York City, by 1945 he had moved to Los Angeles full-time. In 1945 he also sold his [[Teaneck, New Jersey]], home.<ref>''New York Times'', 1945</ref> Grofé married his first wife, Mildred Grizzelle, a singer, in 1916, and divorced in 1928. In May 1951, he filed for divorce in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]], from his second wife, Ruth, whom he had married in 1929. The day after the divorce was granted, he married his third wife, Anna May Lampton (13 January 1952).<ref>''New York Times'', 13 January 1952</ref> ==Death== Ferde Grofé died in [[Santa Monica, California]], on April 3, 1972, aged 80, and was buried in the Mausoleum of the Golden West at the Inglewood Park Cemetery in [[Inglewood, California]]. He left four children, Ferdinand Rudolf Jr., Anne, Robert, and Delight, all of the Los Angeles area.<ref>Obituary, ''New York Times'', April 4, 1972.</ref> == Compositions== Grofé composed a large number of works in a variety of styles, commonly in symphonic jazz. '''Orchestral works''' * ''Broadway at Night'' (1924) * ''[[Mississippi Suite|Mississippi Suite (Tone Journey)]]'' (1925) * ''Theme and Variations on Noises from a Garage'' (1925) * ''Three Shades of Blue'' (1927) * ''Metropolis: a Fantasy in Blue'' (1928) * ''Free Air'' (1928) * ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'' (1931) * ''Knute Rockne'' (1931) [[Symphonic poem|tone poem]] * ''Rip Van Winkle'' (1932–1954) Grofé worked on this tone poem for over two decades, before starting over and reworking the thematic material into the ''Hudson River Suite'' * ''Tabloid Suite: Four Pictures of a Modern Newspaper'' (1933) * ''A Day At The Farm, for orchestra'' (1934–1935) * ''Madison Square Garden Suite'' (1930s) <ref>{{cite web|last1=Bowers|first1=Jack|title=The Metropole Orchestra: Tabloid Suite (2004)|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/tabloid-suite-metropole-orchestra-basta-review-by-jack-bowers.php|website=www.allaboutjazz.com|publisher=All Abou Jazz|accessdate=3 December 2004}}</ref> * ''Christmas Eve, for orchestra'' * ''Jungle Ballet'' (1937) * ''Rudy Vallee Suite'' * ''Ode to Freedom, for orchestra'' (1937) * ''Yankee Doodle Rhapsody (American Fantasie)'' film score (1936) * ''Café Society'' (1938) a ballet, score rediscovered and repremiered in 2010 * ''Tin Pan Alley: The Melodic Decades'' (1938) * ''Killarney: Irish Fanstasie for Orchestra'' (1938) * ''Kentucky Derby Suite'' (1938) * ''Trylon and Perisphere'' one movement tone poem for the [[1939 New York World's Fair|New York World's Fair]] of 1939–40 (later rennamed ''Black Gold'') * ''Wheels, for orchestra'' (1939) dedicated to the [[Ford]] dealers of America * ''An American Biography, for orchestra'' (1939–1940) about the life of and dedicated to [[Henry Ford]] * ''Six Pictures of Hollywood'' also known as the ''Hollywood Suite'', reworked thematic material from his earlier ''Hollywood Ballet'' * ''Ode to the Star Spangled Banner, for orchestra,'' first performance of autograph score given in 2014<ref name="baltimoresun.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/artsmash/bal-baltimore-symphonys-20142015-season-to-explore-spiritual-themes-20140304,0,2999368.story|title=Baltimore Symphony's 2014–2015 season to explore spiritual themes – Baltimore Sun|author=Baltimore Sun|date=5 March 2014|work=baltimoresun.com|accessdate=15 September 2015}}</ref> * ''Blue Flame'' * ''Over There Fantasie (WWI Patriotic Medley)'' (c.1929) also known as the ''Ode to the American Soldier'' * ''Uncle Sam Stands Up'' (1941) a patriotic cantata, based on a text by [[Ben Hecht]], for baritone solo, chorus, and orchestra * ''Billy the Kid'', unfinished and unpublished, some of this material may have been used in his score for the movie [[The Return of Jesse James]] * ''Aviation Suite'' (1944) * ''A Symphony in Steel'' (1935) * ''Deep Nocturne, for orchestra'' (1947) * ''[[Death Valley Suite]]'' (1949) * ''Blue Fantasy in B Flat'' * ''Lincoln's Gettysburg Address'' (1954) * ''March for Americans'' * ''Halloween Fantasy for Strings'' also known as ''Trick or Treat for orchestra'' * ''Atlantic Crossing'' a tone poem for orchestra, chorus with both male and female narrators * ''Hudson River Suite'' (1955) * ''Dawn at Lake Mead, for orchestra'' (1956) * ''Valley of the Sun Suite'' (1957) * ''Yellowstone Suite'' (1960) * ''San Francisco Suite'' (1960) * ''[[Niagara Falls Suite]]'' (1960–61) * ''World's Fair Suite (1964) * ''Hawaiian Suite'' (1965) * ''Requiem for a Ghost Town'' (1968) '''Concertos''' * ''Saxophone Concerto'' (1939) unfinished, unpublished work written for [[Cecil Leeson]] * ''Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Major'' (1958) a long one-movement concerto Grofé had been working on since 1931 '''Ballets''' * ''Tabloid Ballet'' (1930) * ''Jungle Ballet'' (1937) written at the request of [[Dmitri Tiomkin]] * ''Hollywood Ballet'', (1938, revised 1940) later rearranged and rescored and released as the ''Hollywood Suite'' * ''Café Society'' (1938) a ballet, score rediscovered and repremiered in 2010 '''Movie scores''' * ''Early To Bed'' (1928) [[silent film]] score * ''[[The Jazz Singer]]'' (1929) arranger, probable contributing composer * ''Redemption'' (1930) * ''[[Diamond Jim]]'' (1935) * ''Yankee Doodle Rhapsody'' (1937) short film score <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0342928/|title=Ferde Grofé Sr.|work=IMDb|accessdate=15 September 2015}}</ref> * ''Minstrel Man'' (1940) nominated for an [[Academy Award]] * ''Time Out of Mind'' (1947) rejected score * ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' (1950) * ''The Return of Jesse James'' (1950) * ''[[A Christmas Story]]'' (1983) Several movements of the Grand Canyon Suite were used in the film score '''Works for Concert Band''' * ''The Grand Reunion March'' (1909) his first commissioned work, for an [[Elks]] Club Convention in [[Los Angeles]] * ''Scalawag'' (1956) * ''Valley of Enchantment Suite'' (1956) '''Chamber music and solo works''' * ''Four Rags for Piano'' (1906) Grofé's first compositions, written at the age of 14 ** I. Harlem ** II. Rattlesnake ** III. Persimmon ** IV. Hobble * ''Souvenir'' (1907) for solo cello, written for Grofé's grandfather * ''Evening Shadows'' (1907–08, pub. 1915) for solo piano * ''Wonderful One'' (1920; pub. 1923) for female vocalist and piano * ''Sonata for Flute and Bicycle Pump'' * ''A Sailor's Reward'' (1926) * ''Miss Mischief'' (1937) for piano, dedicated to [[Shirley Temple]] * ''Diana'', for solo saxophone and piano * ''Templed Hills'' (pub. 1940) popular song * ''Table d'Hôte'' for flute, violin and viola (1945)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ferde-grofe.net/music.html|title=Ferde Grofé {{!}} The Music|website=www.ferde-grofe.net|access-date=2016-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403150700/http://ferde-grofe.net/music.html|archive-date=2016-04-03|dead-url=yes|df=}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=UriShohamFlutist|title=Ferde Grofé - Table d'Hôte - Flute, Violin, Viola|date=2014-09-09|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGqyT3fm7bQ|accessdate=2016-05-25}}</ref> * ''Valsanne'', for solo saxophone and piano * ''Gallodoro's Serenade for Saxophone and Piano'' (1958) written for the virtuoso [[Al Gallodoro]] * ''Lonely Castle'' for solo flute (1968) * ''Christine'' for cello and piano (1969) * ''Sequoia'' for flute, oboe, and strings (1970, Final Opus) His soundtrack to the 1950 science fiction film ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' included the use of the [[theremin]]. Grofe's score for this film was released in 2012 on compact disc by Monstrous Movie Music, #MMM1965. His monumental ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'' is his best known work, a masterpiece in orchestration and evocation of mood and location. Since 2010, the scores ''Requiem for a Ghost Town'', the ballet ''Cafe Society'' and the ''Ode To The Star-Spangled Banner'' have been performed in newly published musicological scores based on the manuscripts on file with the Library of Congress.<ref name="baltimoresun.com"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.broadstreetreview.com/music/grofes_lost_cafe_society_rediscovered|title=Grofe's lost "Café Society' rediscovered|last=Anderson|first=Janet|date=May 4, 2010|website=www.broadstreetreview.com|access-date=2016-05-25}}</ref> ==Selected discography== * Grofé's ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'', performed by the [[NBC Symphony]], conducted by [[Arturo Toscanini]]. On LP and on the recently out-of-print CD, it is coupled with works by [[George Gershwin]], and (on the CD) [[Samuel Barber]] and [[John Philip Sousa]]. * Grofé's ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'' and ''[[Mississippi Suite]]'', performed by the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra (i.e. the Orchestra of the [[Eastman School of Music]]), conducted by [[Howard Hanson]], recorded for [[Mercury Records]] in May 1958, re-issued on CD in 1995, coupled with the ''Cello Concerto No. 2 in E minor op. 30'' by [[Victor Herbert]], with [[Georges Miquelle]], Cello. (Mercury Living Presence CD 434 355-2). * Grofé's ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'', performed by the [[New York Philharmonic]] (with [[John Corigliano]], Sr. as the violin soloist) conducted by [[Leonard Bernstein]]. Coupled with Bernstein conducting [[Gershwin]]’s ''Rhapsody in Blue'' (with Bernstein at the piano) and ''An American in Paris'' (Sony 63086) * Grofé's ''Grand Canyon Suite'', performed by the [[Detroit Symphony Orchestra]] conducted by [[Antal Doráti]]. Coupled with Doráti conducting Gershwin's ''[[Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture]]'' (London/Decca Jubilee 430712) * ''Symphonic Jazz: Grofé and Gershwin'', performed by the Harmonie Ensemble/New York conducted by Steven Richman (Bridge Records 9212), playing: ** Grofé's ''[[Mississippi Suite]]'' (the original Whiteman Orchestra version) ** Gershwin's ''[[Second Rhapsody]] for Orchestra with Piano'' arranged by Grofé, with [[Lincoln Mayorga]] on the piano (premiere recording) ** Grofé's ''Gallodoro's Serenade for Saxophone and Piano'' with Al Gallodoro on alto saxophone and Mayorga on piano (premiere recording) ** Grofé's ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'' (original Whiteman Orchestra version; first complete recording) * Grofé's ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'' and ''Concerto for Piano and Orchestra'' (with [[Jesús María Sanromá]]) with the [[Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra]] conducted by Grofé. Out-of-print Everest LP, reissued on CD in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000023H9|title=Ferde Grofé, George Gershwin, William Steinberg, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Jesús María Sanromá – Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite / Concerto for Piano and Orchestra / Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue – Amazon.com Music|work=amazon.com|accessdate=15 September 2015}}</ref> * Grofé's ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'', performed by the [[Boston Pops]] orchestra, conducted by [[Arthur Fiedler]] (RCA #6806) ==See also== {{Portal|Biography}} * [[List of jazz arrangers]] * [[Chord names and symbols (popular music)]] – Jerry Gates, a professor of [[Berklee College of Music]], tells that he has heard chord symbols came from Ferde Grofé and [[Jelly Roll Morton]].<ref name="chord symbols origin">{{Cite web|url =http://jerrygates.berkleemusicblogs.com/2011/02/16/chord-symbols-as-we-know-them-today-where-did-they-come-from/|title =Chord Symbols As We Know Them Today – Where Did They Come From?|accessdate =2013-10-13|last =Gates|first =Jerry|author =|authorlink =|coauthors =|date =2011-02-16|year =|month =|format =|work =|publisher =[[Berklee College of Music]]|page =|pages =|quote =|language =|archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20131022010021/http://jerrygates.berkleemusicblogs.com/2011/02/16/chord-symbols-as-we-know-them-today-where-did-they-come-from/|archivedate =2013-10-22|deadlinkdate =|doi =|ref =|deadurl =yes|df =}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} ==Sources== * Liner notes by Don Rayno for ''Symphonic Jazz: Grofé and Gershwin'' (Bridge Records 9212) == External links == * {{IMDb name|id=0342928}} * [http://www.sbgmusic.com/html/teacher/reference/composers/grofe.html Ferde Grofé and the ''Grand Canyon Suite''] * [http://songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C252 Biography of Ferde Grofé] for the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20131102231925/http://www.ferde-grofe.net/ The Concert Band Works of Ferde Grofé] * [http://www.angelfire.com/ks/landzastanza/index.html#grofe MIDI sequences of piano transcriptions of Grofé compositions] * [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=VP&p_theme=vp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=pitchman&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=1994&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(pitchman)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no "Little Johnny a Famous Pitchman" by Frank Roberts. ''The Virginian-Pilot'' (27 October 1994)] *{{Find a Grave|423|Ferde Grofe}} *Grofé's original published score of the third movement of the ''[[Death Valley Suite]]'' in collaboration with the State of California and the Death Valley 49ers Organization, pageant pictures and advertising along with additional historical facts can be seen [https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092151/http://www.ferde-grofe.net/scores/Desert_Water_Hole_Preview.pdf here] while the 1949 pageant guide to the December 3, 1949, event featuring the ''[[Death Valley Suite]]'' can be viewed [http://www.dannyraythomas.com/dv'49er_keepsakes.html here]. {{Ferde Grofé}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Grofe, Ferde}} [[Category:1892 births]] [[Category:1972 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century classical composers]] [[Category:American classical composers]] [[Category:American classical pianists]] [[Category:American male pianists]] [[Category:American male classical composers]] [[Category:American music arrangers]] [[Category:American radio personalities]] [[Category:Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery]] [[Category:George Gershwin]] [[Category:Jazz arrangers]] [[Category:Jazz-influenced classical composers]] [[Category:Musicians from New York City]] [[Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees]] [[Category:20th-century American composers]]'