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| Selected Composer
Bios Harold Arlen Over the Rainbow Blues in the Night Sleepin' Bee/I Never Has Seen Snow  Harold Arlen was born on February 15, 1905 as Hyman Arluck in
Buffalo, New York. As a child, he studied piano and voice. At the age of 21 moved to New York
City to make a living as a singer and pianist and changed his name to Harold Arlen. He had some
success as the lead singer of his band the Buffalodians and occasionally presented his own songs. He increased his popularity
by writing songs for the Harlem nightclub and gem, The Cotton Club. This exposure lead to commissions
for musicals and films including "A Star is Born" and "The Wizard of Oz." Arlen
composed over 400 songs and is perhaps most remembered for his song "Over the Rainbow" which
was voted the 20th century's No. 1 song by the Recording Industry Association of America.George Gershwin Someone to Watch over Me I’ve Got Rhythm  George Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898 as Jacob Gershowitz in Brooklyn
to Russian immigrants. His parents purchased a piano for his older brother Ira, but George found
musical voice in the piano. He studied western classical music and classical composition. Gershwin
kicked off his career in as a song-plugger in Tin Pan Alley in NYC and found his first hit in
1919 with "Swanee." In
the 1930's he teamed up with Ira on several Broadway musicals, including "Lady Be Good," "Strike
up the Band," and "Of Thee I Sing." In 1935 he completed the folk opera, “Porgy
and Bess” which includes the beloved song, “Summertime.” After so much
success, George and Ira ventured to Hollywood to work with Fred Astaire on such hit films as “Shall
We Dance” and “A Damsel in Distress.” After becoming ill while working on a film,
he decided to return to New York and begin work on another opera-sadly it was never written.
He died shortly thereafter at the age of 38 from a brain tumor. Today he remains one of America’s
most beloved popular musicians. |
Cole Porter Look for the Silver Lining  Cole Porter was born in Indiana to a wealthy family. He began his musical studies at a young age and
studies violin and piano. He composed his first operetta at the age of 10. To please his family he continued
on to Yale and Harvard to study law-but always continued his musical studies. Following a tour in WWI,
he stayed in Europe living off of family money and composing. He returned to the US in 1928 with the
musical, "Paris." It was a hit! He followed up " The New Yorkers," "Anything
Goes," "Kiss Me Kate" and "Red Hot and Blue." Porter was a major celebutante,
entertaining stars like Igor Stravinsky and Fanny Brice at his hot parties. Cole Porter stopped composing
quite abruptly, entering into a deep depression followed by repeated surgeries to repair a leg injury,
and the death of his wife and mother.Duke Ellington Hit Me with a Hot Note Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington was born on April the 29th 1899 in Washington, D.C. The nickname ‘Duke’ was given to him by a childhood friend, who noticed his impeccable fashion taste and sophisticated airs. Both his parents played the piano and Ellington himself first began lessons at the age of 7. In his teens he began doing small gigs at local clubs and cafes. This placed him front and center with the many Tin Pan Alley traveling musicians who frequented the clubs. Ellington's first band, The Duke Serenaders, was formed in 1917. In 1923 the band moved to New York, where they played at various clubs. Finally in 1927 they were given their big break, when the prestigious Cotton Club offered Ellington and his band the job as house band. They instantly became famous nationally, as the Cotton Club regularly broadcasted via radio. This new environment proved to be very productive for Ellington to develop his skills as a composer. He wrote music in an array of different styles for theatre acts, as well as continuing to write for the band. He is most remembered for his earlier works and his big band works from the 1940s, however he continued to be a musical experimenter and he excelled as a composer and pianist throughout his career. His music and life still continues to affect people today.  |
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