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'[[File:Ferde Grofé.jpg|thumb|250px|Ferde Grofé]] '''Ferde (Ferdie) Grofé''' (27 March 1892{{ndash}}3 April 1972) was a prominent American [[composer]], [[arrangement|arranger]] and [[pianist]]. During the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name '''Ferdie Grofé'''.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=_xkZIjk3lXAC&pg=PA18&dq=ferdie+%22ferde+grofe%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=0#v=onepage&q=ferdie%20%22ferde%20grofe%22&f=false Goldman Harry and Ed Angel. ''Kenneth Strickfaden, Dr. Frankenstein's Electrician''. McFarland, 2005.]</ref> ==Early life== Born '''Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé''', in [[New York City]], Grofe came by his extensive musical interests naturally. Of French [[Huguenot]] extraction, 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 [[LA Symphony|Los Angeles Symphony]]. you know he is cool ==Musical education== 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 as a [[piano]] player in a [[bar (establishment)|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== Beginning about 1920, he played the [[jazz]] piano with the [[Paul Whiteman]] orchestra. He served as Whiteman's chief arranger from 1920-1932. 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, George 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 = 13 February 1989 | title = They Got America Humming: A Celebration | work = New York Times | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/13/arts/they-got-america-humming-a-celebration.html | accessdate = 23 March 2009 }}</ref> In spite of this misunderstanding, Grofé served as one of the pallbearers at Gershwin's funeral in 1937.<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70C12FE3D59177A93C6A8178CD85F438385F9&scp=1&sq=Grofe%201937%20Gershwin%20Funeral&st=cse ''New York Times'', 14 July 1937. (Archive, fee applies)]</ref> In 1932, ''[[The New York Times]]'' called Grofé "the Prime Minister of Jazz".<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20914F73D5513738DDDAF0994D8415B828FF1D3&scp=1&sq=Prime%20Minister%20of%20Jazz%20Grofe&st=cse ''New York Times'', 16 October 1932. (Archive, fee applies)]</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. Due to Grofé's ubiquity in arranging large-scale musical works and a perceived paucity of American achievements in serious music, the German conductor [[Wilhelm Furtwängler]] complained that "America has no composers, only arrangers." During this time, Grofé also recorded [[piano rolls]] for the [[American Piano Company|American Piano Company (Ampico)]] company 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 = 8 October 1928 | title = MUSIC: Whiteman’s Jazz. | work = New York Times | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50B11FE3958127A93CAA9178BD95F4C8285F9 | accessdate = 23 March 2009 }} (Archive, fee applies)</ref> A writer of a later generation said "the Grofé and Gould pieces were the essence of slick commercialism..."<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0817F93959117B93CAA9178DD85F428685F9 ''New York Times'', 8 June 1966. (Archive, fee applies)]</ref> ==Radio== ''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 Majesty'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 0810851288</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 Majesty's Voice of the Air'' transcriptions.<ref name=r101/> In 1943, he was a guest on ''Paul Whiteman Presents''. 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 programs sponsored by [[Philip Morris USA|Philip Morris]] cigarettes, beginning with their 1933 program featuring Grofé and his orchestra. [[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", 10 January 1937</ref><ref>''New York Times'', "Grofé Guest Conductor at Benefit Concert for 'Free Milk Fund for Babies', 25 March 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'', 26 January 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'', 10 August 1937</ref> In 1934, Grofé announced that 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'', 15 July 1934</ref> In 1944, he was a panelist on ''[[A Song Is Born (radio show)|A Song Is Born]]'', 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 serious 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 Power Generation]] project.<ref>''New York Times'', 7 February 1961</ref> In 1960, work was announced on a musical production based on the life of [[Samuel Langhorne Clemens]]. 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> Today, Grofé remains most famous for his ''[[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]]'' is also occasionally performed and recorded. Grofé conducted the [[Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra]] in his ''Grand Canyon Suite'' and his piano concerto (with pianist [[Jesús Maria Sanromá]]) for [[Everest Records]] in 1960; the recording was digitally remastered and issued on CD in 1997. ===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> Grofe was nominated, along with Leo Erdody, for an [[Academy Award]] in the category "Scoring of a Musical Picture" for this film. His other original film scores included ''Early to Bed'' (1928), ''Time Out of Mind'' (1947), ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' (1950) 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 sold his [[Teaneck, New Jersey]] home.<ref>''New York Times'', 1945</ref> Grofé was married to his first wife Mildred Grizzelle a singer in 1916 and divorced in 1928. He filed for divorce in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]] from his second wife Ruth, whom he married in 1929 in May 1951. 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> Ferde Grofé died in [[Santa Monica, California]] on 3 April 1972, at age 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>''New York Times'', 4 April 1972</ref> ==Composition list== Grofé composed a large number of works in a variety of styles, commonly in symphonic jazz. * ''Four Rags for piano'' (1906) Grofe's first compositions, written at the age of 14 ** I. Harlem ** II. Rattlesnake ** III. Persimmon ** IV. Hobble * ''Souvenir'' (1907) for solo cello, written for Grofe's grandfather * ''Evening Shadows'' (1907–08, pub. 1915) for solo piano * ''The Grand Reunion March'' (1909) his first commissioned work, for an [[Elks]] Club Convention in [[Los Angeles]] * ''Wonderful One'' (1920; pub. 1923) for female vocalist and piano * ''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) * ''Redemption'' (1930) film score * ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'' (1931) * ''Knute Rockne'' (1931) tone poem * ''Sonata for Flute and Bicycle Pump'' * ''Rip Van Winkle'' (1932–1954) Grofe 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) * ''[[Diamond Jim]]'' (1935) movie score * ''Christmas Eve, for orchestra'' * ''[[Hot Lips]]'' popular song * ''Miss Mischief'' (1937) for piano, dedicated to [[Shirley Temple]] * ''Jungle Ballet'' (1937) written at the request of [[Dmitri Tiomkin]] * ''Diana'', for solo saxophone and piano * ''Templed Hills'' (pub. 1940) popular song * ''Hollywood Ballet'' * ''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) * ''Saxophone Concerto'' (1939) unfinished, unpublished work written for [[Cecil Leeson]] * ''Trylon and Perisphere'' one movement [[tone poem]] 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'' * ''Valsanne'', for solo saxophone and piano * ''Blue Flame'' * ''Over There Fantasie (WWI Patriotic Medley)'' (c.1929) also known as the ''Ode to the American Solder'' * ''Uncle Sam Stands Up'' 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) * ''Minstrel Man (film)|Minstrel Man'' (1944) movie score. Grofe was nominated for his only [[Academy Award]] for this score * ''A Symphony in Steel'' * ''Deep Nocturne, for orchestra'' (1947) * ''[[Death Valley Suite]]'' (1949) * ''Time Out of Mind'' (1950) rejected movie score * ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' movie score * ''The Return of Jesse James'' (1951) movie score * ''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) * ''Scalawag'' for concert band (1956) * ''Dawn at Lake Mead, for orchestra'' (1956) * ''Valley of Enchantment Suite for concert band'' (1956) * ''Valley of the Sun Suite'' (1957) * ''Gallodoro's Serenade for Saxophone and Piano'' (1958) written for the virtuoso [[Al Gallodoro]] * ''Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D'' (1959) a long one-movement concerto * ''Yellowstone Suite'' (1960) * ''San Francisco Suite'' (1960) * ''[[Niagara Falls Suite]]'' (1960–61) * ''World's Fair Suite (1964) * ''Hawaiian Suite'' (1965) * ''Virginia City: Requiem for a Ghost Town'' (1968) * ''Lonely Castle'' for solo flute (1968) * ''Christine'' for cello and piano (1969) His soundtrack to the 1950 science fiction film ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' included the use of the [[theremin]]. His monumental ''[[Grand Canyon Suite]]'' is his best known work, a masterpiece in orchestration and evocation of mood and location. ==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]]'', 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 [[Jesus Maria Sanroma]]) with the [[Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra]] conducted by Grofé. Out-of-print Everest LP, reissued on CD in 1997.<ref>http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000023H9</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} ==Sources== * Liner notes by Don Rayno for ''Symphonic Jazz: Grofé and Gershwin'' (Bridge Records 9212) ==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} * [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]] * [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}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Grofe, Ferde | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = 27 March 1892 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = 3 April 1972 | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Grofe, Ferde}} [[Category:1892 births]] [[Category:1972 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century classical composers]] [[Category:American classical pianists]] [[Category:American composers]] [[Category:American pianists]] [[Category:American radio personalities]] [[Category:Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery]] [[Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees]] [[Category:Musicians from New York City]] [[Category:American people of French descent]] [[Category:American music arrangers]] [[ca:Ferde Grofé]] [[da:Ferde Grofé]] [[de:Ferde Grofé]] [[es:Ferde Grofé]] [[fr:Ferde Grofé]] [[ko:퍼디 그로페]] [[it:Ferde Grofé]] [[he:פרד גרופה]] [[hu:Ferde Grofé]] [[nl:Ferde Grofé]] [[ja:ファーディ・グローフェ]] [[nn:Ferde Grofé]] [[fi:Ferde Grofé]] [[sv:Ferde Grofé]] born to rock'