Arnold Black (2 May 1923 – 25 June 2000) was an American

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists, notable violinists from the baroque era onwards * List of contemporary classical violinists, notable contemporary classical violinists * List of violinist/compose ...

and composer. His most senior positions held include assistant

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...

of the National Symphony Orchestra and

at the

Baltimore Symphony The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

. In his career as a composer he wrote music particularly for stage productions. Black was notable for maintaining a musical career despite having

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...

from birth. He died at his home in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

in the summer of 2000.

Biography

Early life

Black was born on May 2, 1923, in the U.S. City of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. He had

from birth, affecting mobility in his right side.

Education

Black studied at

The Juilliard School 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 elit ...

, graduating with majors in violin and composition.

Career

Violin

Black held standard violin positions in

NBC Symphony The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ar ...

and

Casals Festival The Casals Festival is a classical music event celebrated every year in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in honor of classical musician Pablo Casals. Background The festival was founded in 1956 by Pablo Casals. It was promoted by Teodoro Moscoso and Davi ...

. He was assistant

of the

before becoming

of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Mohawk Trail Concerts

In 1969, Black helped to start the

Mohawk Trail The Mohawk Trail began as a Native American trade route which connected Atlantic tribes with tribes in Upstate New York and beyond. It followed the Millers River, Deerfield River and crossed the Hoosac Range, in the area that is now northwester ...

concerts. He was asked to play a Handel sonata for a Sunday service at the Federated Church in

Charlemont, Massachusetts Charlemont is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,185 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Charlemont was first colonized by Moses R ...

by church

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

Alice Parker Pyle. This event adapted into an annual chamber music concert series. He directed the concerts for over thirty years.

Composer

In the early 1950s, Black was composer in residence at the

Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. He worked with director

José Quintero José Benjamín Quintero (15 October 1924 – 26 February 1999) was a Panamanian theatre director, producer and pedagogue best known for his interpretations of the works of Eugene O'Neill. Biography Early years Quintero was born in Panama C ...

to produce scores for various notable productions including ''

Ulysses in Nighttown ''Ulysses in Nighttown'' is a play based on the fifteenth episode of the 1922 novel '' Ulysses'' by James Joyce (unique among the book's episodes in that it is written as a play script) that was adapted by Marjorie Barkentin and contains incide ...

''. His concert works include a children's opera based on ''

The Phantom Tollbooth ''The Phantom Tollbooth'' is a Juvenile fantasy, children's fantasy adventure novel written by Norton Juster, with illustrations by Jules Feiffer, first published in 1961 in literature, 1961. The story follows a bored young boy named Milo who ...

'', a novel by Norton Juster, and a piece entitled ''My Country, 1998–1999'', commissioned by the St. Petersburg String Quartet. He composed the soundtrack for ''Simple Gifts'', a holiday special directed by R. O. Blechman on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

released in 1977, including segments performed by the Renaissance group

Calliope In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; grc, Καλλιόπη, Kalliópē, beautiful-voiced) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muse ...

. Black arranged the

theme tune Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at som ...

for the Canadian children's animated TV series ''Little Bear''. The theme is based on

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

's Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Arnold 1923 births 2000 deaths American male violinists American composers People with cerebral palsy Musicians from Pennsylvania Juilliard School alumni Place of birth missing Musicians from Massachusetts American male composers 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American male musicians