Alexander Smallens (January 1, 1889 – November 24, 1972) was a

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

conductor and

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

Biography

Smallens was born in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, and

emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

d to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

as a child, becoming an American citizen in 1919. He studied at the

New York Institute of Musical Art The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most e ...

until 1909, when he traveled to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to study at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

. Returning to the United States, Smallens was a conductor or music director at several American music organizations including the

Boston Opera Company The Boston Opera Company (BOC) was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts, that was active from 1909 to 1915. History The company was founded in 1908 by Bostonian millionaire Eben Dyer Jordan, Jr. and impresario Henry Russel ...

(1911–1914), the Anna Pavlova Ballet Company (1917–1919), the

Chicago Opera Company The Chicago Opera Company was a grand opera company in Chicago, organized from the remaining assets of the bankrupt Chicago City Opera Company, that produced six seasons of opera at the Civic Opera House from 1940 to 1946 (excluding 1943). Art ...

(1919–1923), the

Philadelphia Civic Opera Company The Philadelphia Civic Opera Company (PCOC) was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was actively performing between 1924 and 1930. Founded by Philadelphia socialite Mrs. Henry M. Tracy, the company was established p ...

(1924–1930), the Philadelphia Orchestra (1928–1934) and the

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

(1947–1950). In addition, Smallens worked briefly on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, conducting the premieres of Thomson's ''

Four Saints in Three Acts ''Four Saints in Three Acts'' is an opera composed in 1928 by Virgil Thomson, setting a libretto written in 1927 by Gertrude Stein. It contains about 20 saints and is in at least four acts. It was groundbreaking in form, content, and for its all-b ...

'' in 1934 and Gershwin's ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', itse ...

'' the next year. (Both works were

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s, not the musicals normally expected in Broadway theatres.) Smallens also conducted the ''Porgy and Bess'' revivals on Broadway in 1942 and 1953, as well as the famous 1952 world tour of the work, which culminated in that 1953 Broadway production. Smallens also conducted orchestras for music as part of several documentary films in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He retired from music in 1958 and moved to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. In 1972, Smallens died in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

and is buried there.

Personal life

In 1924, Smallens was involved in an affair with composer Marc Blitzstein during a trip the two took in Europe; this was the latter's first relationship. In 1935, he married Ruth White Wertheim, former wife of

Maurice Wertheim Maurice Wertheim (February 16, 1886 – May 27, 1950) was an American investment banker, chess player, chess patron, art collector, environmentalist, and philanthropist. Wertheim founded Wertheim & Co. in 1927. Biography Born to a Jewish family ...

. She died in 1959. Smallens had one son, Alexander Smallens Jr., who worked in radio (

WABC-FM WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmitte ...

), and two grandchildren.

Discography

* ''Mendelssohn – The Stadium Orchestra of New York'' – World Record Club (# W6404-MX101296, W6405-MX101297) as Orchestra Conductor (1957) * ''Highlights From Porgy and Bess'' – RCA Victor Red Seal (# C-25) as Orchestral Conductor * ''Porgy & Bess'' – Audite (#23.405) as Orchestra Conductor (1952) * ''Selections from Porgy & Bess'' – Decca (#DL 8042) as Orchestra Conductor * ''Toreador Song & Habanera from Carmen'' – V Disc (#208A, #208B) As Orchestra Conductor (1944) * ''Porgy & Bess'' – Decca (#BME 9299) as Orchestra Conductor (1956) * ''Sempre Libera'' – RCA Victor Red Seal (#14184) as Orchestra Conductor * ''Charpentier/Massenet'' – RCA Victor Red Seal (# 14153) as Orchestra Conductor

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smallens, Alexander American male conductors (music) Jewish American classical musicians Jewish classical musicians American people of Russian-Jewish descent 1889 births 1972 deaths Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Musicians from Saint Petersburg Juilliard School alumni Conservatoire de Paris alumni LGBT Jews American LGBT musicians LGBT musicians from Russia LGBT classical musicians 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians