Talk:Leroy Anderson

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The Leroy Anderson website is now http://www.leroyanderson.com. We changed the default address of the website. -- Rolf Anderson, son of composer Leroy Anderson, also webmaster for Woodbury Music Company LLC, the family Leroy Anderson, Woodbury, Connecticut 06798 - Rolf.Anderson Rolf Anderson, son of the composer Leroy Anderson, webmaster for Woodbury Music Company LLC, the Leroy Anderson family, Woodbury, Connecticut 06798 - Rolf.Anderson -- Rolf.Anderson (talk) 01:32, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Leroy Anderson's family authorized the release of "Leroy Anderson, A Bio-Bibliography" in 2004, published by Praeger Publishers, Westport CT 06881. The authors of the book are Burgess Speed, Eleanor Anderson (widow of composer Leroy Anderson) and Steve Metcalf. This book contains more complete list of works by Leroy Anderson, including some not available for sale. -- Rolf Anderson, son of composer Leroy Anderson, also webmaster for Woodbury Music Company LLC, the family Leroy Anderson, Woodbury, Connecticut 06798 Rolf Anderson, son of the composer Leroy Anderson, webmaster for Woodbury Music Company LLC, the Leroy Anderson family, Woodbury, Connecticut 06798 - Rolf.Anderson -- Rolf.Anderson (talk) 01:32, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Was he a full time composer ? Yes ! Dad's sole occupation was composer, arranger and conductor. Before my parents met, Dad played organ at the East Milton Congregational Church, taught music to undergrads at Radcliffe, and directed the Harvard University Band all while pursuing first a Master's degree in Music and later a PhD in German and Scandinavian languages. He spoke nine languages in all. After serving in military intelligence in Iceland and at the Pentagon during and just after WW II, he returned to composing full time. Being in the Army Reserve though got in the way of composing until he was finally discharged in the 50's. With four young children, guest conducting and always composing, life was busy. Sometimes he would sketch a pice in a short time, such as when he wrote Promenade in Arlington, Virginia, while waiting for the movers. Other times he would take many months working on several pieces simultaneously until he was satisfied that his work was good enough for publication. (He withdrew the Piano Concerto after its premiere intending to improve it. He never made the changes. We released it after his death. If it's not typical Anderson quality, that's why.) -- Rolf Anderson, son of the composer Leroy Anderson, webmaster for Woodbury Music Company LLC, the Leroy Anderson family, Woodbury, Connecticut 06798 - Rolf.Anderson -- Rolf.Anderson (talk) 01:32, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Dad never forgot what it was like to be a musician, as opposed to a composer. Some of the pieces are quite challenging for some instruments in some places. Some feature tricky techniques for soloists - the three trumpets in "Bugler's Holiday," the three clarenetists in "Clarinet Candy," the whole string section in "Fiddle-Faddle." Some of the instruments have very simple parts. His own arrangements for band are very playable for good high school bands and community bands. -- Rolf Anderson, son of the composer Leroy Anderson, webmaster for Woodbury Music Company LLC, the Leroy Anderson family, Woodbury, Connecticut 06798 - Rolf.Anderson -- Rolf.Anderson (talk) 01:32, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I certainly have the feeling that biographical details about Leroy Anderson are sketchy. I have never known whether his music was his main career or an intense (and lucrative) hobby. Could the composition of fifty or so short pieces of music, even these exquisite minatures, have really taken up all of his time? I am certainly grateful for the Leroy Anderson music we have, but, as with Gershwin, one wishes there were more, and, unlike Gershwin, one feels there could have been more. The Piano Concerto is absolutely wonderful, despite some soft spots—there are places where it seems more like a medley than a concerto; it would have been a tragedy if this work had remained under wraps. Dpbsmith 22:09, 1 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I'm not sure that some of this information is accurate - specifically, I know you'd have to have a pretty abnormally talented high school band in order to properly play Bugler's Holiday.

I don't know about that; I've played Bugler's Holiday (on bassoon) and it didn't seem that difficult (overall, not just my part). I know that my school's (non-advanced) band has played pieces of comparable if not greater difficulty.

[edit] Final jeopardy: I don't see it. Or hear it.

Here's a link to a MIDI file of the Final Jeopardy music.

On the whole, I don't think this is worth mentioning in the article. There is a tick-tock effect, but I don't see any strong resemblance.

Personally, I think it is closer to the music for "I'm a Little Teapot" midi here or here. Dpbsmith (talk) 23:53, 29 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Jazz Staccato

A question for clarification... Is Jazz Staccato an alternate title for Jazz Pizzicato or are they two different works? Jazz Legato and Jazz Pizzicato were both recorded on June 18, 1950 (Arthur Fiedler conducting the Boston Pops), though Jazz Pizzicato is not mentioned in the Wikipedia article. I am not previously aware of Jazz Staccato. I may just be an ignorant fool. If so, would someone please enlighten me? Thanks in advance, Gazza1685 23:24, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

I have found Anderson's name associated with "Jazz Staccato", for example in the Dutch-language Wikipedia article. However I don't think this name is correct. The two pieces are correctly Jazz Legato and Jazz Pizzicato; and while they were written & published separately, they are often performed (and recorded) together, and to the listener they seem closely linked. Nuance 4 21:39, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Piano Concerto

I attended the 1992 Cincinnati Pops concert in which the Canadian youngster Stuart Goodyear performed the concerto, immediately before Telarc recorded it. The opening bars sound like a long-lost Russian (Rachmaninov?) piece. But a minute or two in, a bar or two of "Fiddle Faddle" spills the beans and lets you know this is a uniquely American work. --Nuance 4 21:49, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

And what does this have to do with the article? ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ 22:54, 18 July 2007 (UTC)