Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé, known as Ferde Grofé (March 27, 1892 April 3, 1972) (pronounced FUR-dee GROW-fay) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and

instrumentalist A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

. He is best known for his 1931 five-movement tone poem, '' Grand Canyon Suite'', and for having orchestrated

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

's ''

Rhapsody in Blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered i ...

'' prior to its 1924 premiere. During the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name Ferdie Grofé.

Early life

Grofé was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1892 to German immigrants. He came by his extensive musical interests naturally. His family had four generations of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

ians. His father, Emil von Grofé, was a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

who sang mainly light opera; his mother, Elsa Johanna Bierlich von Grofé, a professional

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

, was also a versatile music teacher who taught Ferde to play the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. Elsa's father, Bernardt Bierlich, was a cellist in the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

Orchestra in New York and Elsa's brother, Julius Bierlich, was first violinist and

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 Los Angeles Symphony.

Musical education

Ferde's father died in 1899, after which his mother took Ferde abroad to study piano,

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

and

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

, 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 The baritone horn, or sometimes just called baritone, is a low-pitched brass instrument in the saxhorn family.Robert Donington, "The Instruments of Music", (pp. 113ff ''The Family of Bugles'') 2nd ed., Methuen, London, 1962 It is a piston-val ...

alto horn The tenor horn (British English; alto horn in American English, Althorn in Germany; occasionally referred to as E horn) is a brass instrument in the saxhorn family and is usually pitched in E. It has a bore that is mostly conical, like the flug ...

and

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

. This command of musical instruments and composition gave Ferde the foundation to become, first an 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 played in a

piano bar A piano bar (also known as a piano lounge) consists of a piano or electronic keyboard played by a professional musician. Piano bars can be located in a cocktail lounge, bar, hotel lobby, office building lobby, restaurant, or on a cruise ship. Usu ...

for two dollars a night and as an

accompanist Accompaniment is the part (music), musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmony (music), harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in ...

. 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, "Elks' Grand Reunion March & Two-step".

Arranger for Paul Whiteman

Beginning about 1920, he played piano with the

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...

orchestra. He served as Whiteman's chief arranger from 1920 to 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

's ''

'', which established Grofé's reputation among musicians. Grofé took what Gershwin had written for two pianos and orchestrated it for Whiteman's 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, Gershwin wrote a letter to

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

complaining that Grofé had listed himself as a composer of ''Rhapsody in Blue''. The dispute was settled, with Grofé receiving a portion of the music royalties for the piece. Despite this misunderstanding, Grofé served as one of the pallbearers at Gershwin's funeral in 1937. In 1932, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called Grofé "the Prime Minister of Jazz". This was an oblique reference to the fact that Whiteman was widely called "King of Jazz", especially after the appearance of the 1930 '' King of Jazz'' film which featured Whiteman and his music. During this time, Grofé also recorded numerous piano rolls for the American Piano Company (Ampico) in New York. Some 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 those published rolls are marked "Played by Ferdie 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." A writer of a later generation said "the Grofé and

Gould Gould may refer to: People * Gould (name), a surname Places United States * Gould, Arkansas, a city * Gould, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Gould, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Gould, Oklahoma, a town * Gould, West Virginia, a ...

pieces were the essence of slick commercialism..."

Radio, TV, conducting and teaching

''Mardi Gras'' (from ''Mississippi Suite'') was recorded in the radio transcription series ''Shilkret Novelties'' in 1931.''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 Nathaniel Shilkret (December 25, 1889 – February 18, 1982) was an American musician, composer, conductor and musical director. Early career Shilkret (originally named Natan Schüldkraut) was born in New York City, United States, to parents ...

.Payroll records in the Nathaniel Shilkret archives show that the ''Shilkret Novelties'' transcriptions were recorded in November and December 1931. and again by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

's transcription series ''His Master's Voice of the Air'' in 1932.Shilkret, Nathaniel, ed. Shell, Niel and Barbara Shilkret, ''Nathaniel Shilkret: Sixty Years in the Music Business'', Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, 2005, p. 281. Victor Archive ledgers for 1932.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. "On the Trail" (from '' Grand Canyon Suite'') was also recorded in the ''His Master's Voice of the Air'' transcriptions. During the 1930s, he was the orchestra leader on several radio programs, including

Fred Allen John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program ''The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and for ...

'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 and television programs sponsored by Philip Morris cigarettes, beginning with their 1933 radio program featuring Grofé and his orchestra and concluding with ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'' (1951–57).

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and rep ...

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 Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", "Ain't We Got Fun?", "Carolina in the Morning", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' By ...

. Several times he conducted orchestral programs in New York's

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. On March 25, 1938, Ferde Grofe and his Symphony Orchestra played a concert at Carnegie Hall for the benefit of "Free Milk Fund for Babies, Inc.", Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, President and Founder. The concert included a number of premieres, with George Gershwin's "Three Preludes" for orchestra (scored by Ferde Grofé) featured. In January 1933 the premiere of his ''Tabloid Suite'', an orchestral suite in four movements, was presented in Carnegie Hall. In 1937, he conducted a concert tribute to George Gershwin at

Lewisohn Stadium Lewisohn Stadium was an amphitheater and athletic facility built on the campus of the City College of New York (CCNY). It opened in 1915 and was demolished in 1973. History The Doric-colonnaded amphitheater was built between Amsterdam and Conven ...

. The turnout (20,223 people) was the largest in that stadium's history. In 1934, Grofé announced he was working on an

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 ...

, to be based on the

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

story "

The Fall of the House of Usher "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short story ...

". In 1943, he was a guest on ''Paul Whiteman Presents''. In 1944, he was a panelist on ''A Song Is Born'' radio show, 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 conductor and faculty member at the

Juilliard School of Music 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 ...

, where he taught

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orc ...

Grofé's compositions

In addition to being an arranger, Grofé was a composer in his own right. While still with Whiteman, in 1926, he wrote '' Mississippi Suite'', which Whiteman recorded in a shortened format in 1927. He wrote a number of other pieces, including a theme for the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchas ...

and suites for

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

and the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

. Possibly as a result of his World's Fair theme, October 13, 1940, was designated "Ferde Grofé Day" at the American pavilion of the World's Fair. In 1961, 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. Other notable compositions by Grofé were the ''

Death Valley Suite The ''Death Valley Suite'' is a short symphonic suite written by Ferde Grofé in 1949, depicting the westward travels of pioneers through the 'harsh lands' of Death Valley in California. Grofe was commissioned by the Death Valley 49ers, a non p ...

'' and a music production about

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

. The ''Death Valley Suite'' is a short symphonic suite written by Grofé in 1949, depicting the westward travels of pioneers through the "harsh lands" of

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

in California. Grofé was commissioned by the Death Valley 49ers, a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving the pioneering and mining history of the Death Valley region encompassing Death Valley National Monument (now

Death Valley National Park Death Valley National Park is an American national park that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern section of Eureka ...

) and the surrounding area. The composition and music was part of a pageant performed on December 3, 1949, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Forty-niners who came by way of Death Valley in search of gold and other riches, as well as celebrating the

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

state centennial (1850–1950). The 1949 pageant setting was outdoors at Desolation Canyon in Death Valley. Grofé was the conductor, and actor

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

was the narrator. In 1960, work was announced on a musical production based on the life of Mark Twain. The music was first assigned to

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

, but Grofé was later brought in to complete the work. Grofé is best known for his composition of the ''Grand Canyon Suite'' (1931), a work regarded highly enough to be recorded for

with the

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 ...

conducted by

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

(in Carnegie Hall in 1945, with the composer present). The earlier '' Mississippi Suite'' along with the later ''Death Valley Suite'' are occasionally performed and recorded. Grofé conducted the

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music. History George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company ...

in his ''Grand Canyon Suite'' and his piano concerto (with pianist

Jesús María Sanromá Jesús María Sanromá (November 7, 1902 – October 12, 1984) was a Puerto Rican pianist who is one of the 20th century's most accomplished and important pianists. In 1932 he gave the first North American performance of Maurice Ravel's Concerto ...

) for

Everest Records Everest Records was a record label based in Bayside, Long Island, started by Harry D. Belock and Bert Whyte in May 1958. It was devoted mainly to classical music. History The idea for starting a label was related by electronics inventor Harr ...

in 1960; the recording was digitally remastered and issued on CD in 1997. In 1958,

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

released a live-action, short subject film of the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

using the Grand Canyon Suite music. The 30-minute Technicolor and

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

film, entitled ''

'', used no actors or dialogue, simply shots of the Grand Canyon itself and several animals around the area, all shown with Grofé's music accompanying the visuals. The short won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Subject, and was shown as a featurette accompanying Disney's 1959 ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

''. Today, the ''Grand Canyon Suite's'' third movement, "On the Trail", can be heard playing as the

Disneyland Railroad The Disneyland Railroad (DRR), formerly known as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a 3-foot () narrow-gauge heritage railroad and attraction in the Disneyland theme park of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, in the United St ...

passes the Grand Canyon sections of the "Grand Circle Tour" of

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

Robert Moses Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid 20th century. Despite never being elected to any office, Moses is regarded ...

, master urban planner, commissioned Grofé to compose the music for the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...

. The fair's opening day's big musical performance was

Paul Lavalle Paul Lavalle (born Joseph Usifer, September 6, 1908 - June 24, 1997) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and performer on clarinet and saxophone. Early years Lavalle was born in Beacon, New York, the son of Ralph and Jennie Usifer, both ...

conducting a 94-piece orchestra in the world premiere of Grofé's "World's Fair Suite". Moses had previously commissioned Grofé to compose the theme for his

. Mr. Grofé was present, listening from a wheelchair, having suffered a stroke in 1961. His score was in five movements—"Unisphere", "International", "Fun at the Fair", "Pavilions of Industry" and "National".

Films

Grofé began his second career as a composer of

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s in 1930, when he provided arrangements (and perhaps portions of the score) for the film '' King of Jazz''. Published data for this movie do not list Grofé as the score's composer, however. He is also credited with the film score for the 1930 movie '' Redemption''. A review for the 1944 Joseph Lewis film '' Minstrel Man'' stated, "the music, scored by Ferde Grofé, is an outstanding item." Grofé was nominated, along with Leo Erdody, for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in the category "Scoring of a Musical Picture" for this film. The score he composed for ''

Rocketship X-M ''Rocketship X-M'' (a.k.a. ''Expedition Moon'' and originally ''Rocketship Expedition Moon'') is a 1950 American black-and-white science fiction film from Robert L. Lippert, Lippert Pictures, the first outer space adventure of the post-World War ...

'' (1950) was the first

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

movie to feature the electronic instrument known as the

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

. His other original film scores included ''

Early to Bed Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

'' (1928), ''

Diamond Jim ''Diamond Jim'' is a 1935 biographical film based on the published biography ''Diamond Jim Brady'' by Parker Morell. It follows the life of legendary entrepreneur James Buchanan Brady, including his romance with entertainer Lillian Russell, and s ...

'' (1935), '' Time Out of Mind'' (1947) and ''

The Return of Jesse James ''The Return of Jesse James'' is a 1950 American western film directed by Arthur Hilton and starring John Ireland, Ann Dvorak and Henry Hull. It was produced and distributed by the independent Lippert Pictures. The film's art direction was by ...

'' (1950).

Personal life

Although he spent the first half of his life living in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and working in and around New York City, by 1945 he had moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

full-time. In 1945 he also sold his

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...

, home. Grofé married his first wife, Mildred Fanchette Grizzelle, a soprano singer, in San Francisco, CA on March 14, 1916, and divorced in 1928. In May 1951, he filed for divorce in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

from his second wife, Ruth, whom he had married in 1929. The day after the divorce was granted, he married his third wife, Anna May Lampton (January 13, 1952).

Death

Ferde Grofé died in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, on April 3, 1972, aged 80, and was buried in the Mausoleum of the Golden West at the

Inglewood Park Cemetery Inglewood Park Cemetery, 720 East Florence Avenue in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there. History The proposed est ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

. He left four children, Ferdinand Rudolf Jr., Anne, Robert, and Delight, all of the Los Angeles area.

Compositions

Grofé composed a large number of works in a variety of styles, commonly in symphonic jazz. Orchestral works * ''Broadway at Night'' (1924) * ''Theme and Variations on Noises from a Garage'' (1925) * '' Mississippi Suite (Tone Journey)'' (1926) * ''Three Shades of Blue'' (1927) * ''Metropolis: a Fantasy in Blue'' (1928) * ''Free Air'' (1928) * ''Over There Fantasie (WWI Patriotic Medley)'' (c.1929) also known as the ''Ode to the American Soldier'' * '' Grand Canyon Suite'' (1931) * ''Knute Rockne'' (1931)

tone poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ''T ...

* ''Blue Flame'' (1931) * ''Rip Van Winkle'' (1932–1954) Grofé 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) * ''Madison Square Garden Suite'' (1930s) * ''Christmas Eve, for orchestra'' (1934) * ''Killarney (An Irish Fantasy)'' (1934) * ''Ode to the Star Spangled Banner, for orchestra,'' first performance of autograph score given in 2014 * ''A Symphony in Steel'' (1936) * ''Jewel Tones Suite'' (1936) Consisting of Ruby, Emerald, Diamond, Sapphire and Opal * ''Yankee Doodle Rhapsody (American Fantasie)'' film score (1936) * ''Jungle Ballet'' (1937) * ''Rudy Vallee Suite'' (1937) * ''Ode to Freedom, for orchestra'' (1937) * ''Café Society'' (1938) a ballet, score rediscovered and repremiered in 2010 * ''Tin Pan Alley: The Melodic Decades'' (1938) * ''Kentucky Derby Suite'' (1938) * ''Six Pictures of Hollywood'' (1938) also known as the ''Hollywood Suite'', reworked thematic material from his earlier ''Hollywood Ballet'' * ''Trylon and Perisphere'' (1939) one movement tone poem for the New York World's Fair of 1939–40 (later renamed ''Black Gold'') * ''Wheels, for orchestra'' (1939) dedicated to the

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

dealers of America * ''An American Biography, for orchestra'' (1939–1940) about the life of and dedicated to

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

* ''Uncle Sam Stands Up'' (1941) a patriotic cantata, based on a text by

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A successful journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplay ...

, 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

* ''Aviation Suite'' (1944) * ''March for Americans'' (1945) * ''Deep Nocturne, for orchestra'' (1947) * ''

'' (1949) * ''Lincoln's Gettysburg Address'' (1954) * ''Hudson River Suite'' (1955) * ''Dawn at Lake Mead, for orchestra'' (1956) * ''Valley of the Sun Suite'' (1957) * ''Yellowstone Suite'' (1960) * ''San Francisco Suite'' (1960) * '' Niagara Falls Suite'' (1960–61) * ''World's Fair Suite (1964) * ''Atlantic Crossing'' (1965), a tone poem for orchestra, and chorus with both male and female narrators * ''Hawaiian Suite'' (1965) * ''Halloween Fantasy for Pizzicato Strings'' (1966) also known as ''Trick or Treat for Orchestra'' * ''Requiem for a Ghost Town'' (1968) Concertos * ''Saxophone Concerto'' (1939) unfinished, unpublished work written for

Cecil Leeson Cecil B. Leeson (December 16, 1902 – April 17, 1989), a musician and teacher, was widely credited with establishing the saxophone as a legitimate concert instrument in the U.S. Early life While living in the southwest, he received a degree fro ...

* ''Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Minor'' (1958) a long one-movement concerto Grofé had been working on since 1931 Ballets * ''Tabloid Ballet'' (1930) * ''Jungle Ballet'' (1937) written at the request of

Dimitri Tiomkin Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (, ; May 10, 1894 – November 11, 1979) was a Russian-born American film composer and conductor. Classically trained in St. Petersburg, Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution, he moved to Berlin and then New York City ...

* ''Hollywood Ballet'', (1938, revised 1940), later rearranged and restored, and released as the ''Hollywood Suite'' * ''Café Society'' (1938) a ballet, score rediscovered and repremiered in 2010 Movie scores * ''

Early to Bed (1928 film) ''Early to Bed'' is a 1928 silent short subject directed by Emmett J. Flynn starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and ...

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

score * '' King Of Jazz'' (1930) arranger, probable contributing composer * ''Redemption'' (1930) * ''

'' (1935) * ''Yankee Doodle Rhapsody'' (1937) short film score * '' Minstrel Man (film)'' (1940) nominated for an

* ''Time Out of Mind'' (1947) rejected score * ''

'' (1950) * ''

A Christmas Story ''A Christmas Story'' is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book '' In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash'', with some elements from his 1971 book ''Wanda Hickey's ...

'' (1983) Several movements of the Grand Canyon Suite were used in the film score Works for concert band * ''Elks' Grand Reunion March & Two-step'' (1909) his first commissioned work, for an

Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

Club Convention in

* ''Scalawag'' (1956) * ''Valley of Enchantment Suite'' (1956) Chamber music and solo works * ''Four Rags for Piano'' (1906) Grofé's first compositions, written at the age of 14 ** I. Harlem ** II. Rattlesnake ** III. Persimmon ** IV. Hobble * ''Souvenir'' (1907) for solo cello, written for Grofé's grandfather * ''Evening Shadows'' (1907–08, pub. 1915) for solo piano * ''Wonderful One'' (1920; pub. 1923) for female vocalist and piano. Music by Paul Whiteman and Ferdie Grofé. Words by Dorothy Terriss. Adapted from a theme by Marshall Neilar * ''Sonata for Flute and Bicycle Pump'' * ''A Sailor's Reward'' (1926) A Musical Drama of the Sea - for Ukulele in D * ''Queen of Egypt'' (1933) for piano. Music by Ferdie Grofé & Peter De Rose, Lyric by Billy Colligan * ''Ruby'' (1936) for piano, from the suite "Jewel Tones" * ''Miss Mischief'' (1937) for piano, dedicated to

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

* ''Diana'', for solo saxophone and piano * ''Templed Hills'' (pub. 1940) popular song * ''Table d'Hôte'' (1945) for flute, violin and viola * ''Festiviana'' (1949) A Modern Composition for the Piano * ''Grofe's Serenade'' (pub. 1949) for piano, dedicated to his wife * ''Gallodoro's Serenade for Saxophone and Piano'' (1958) written for the virtuoso

Al Gallodoro Alfred J. Gallodoro, (June 20, 1913 – October 4, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, who performed from the 1920s up until his death. He is notable for having played lead alto sax with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and ba ...

* ''Valsanne'' (1959) for solo saxophone and piano * ''Lonely Castle'' (1968) for solo flute * ''Christine'' (1969) for cello and piano * ''Sequoia'' (1970, Final Opus) for flute, oboe, and strings Since 2010, the scores ''Requiem for a Ghost Town'', the ballet ''Café Society'' and the ''Ode to the Star-Spangled Banner'' have been performed in newly published musicological scores based on the manuscripts on file with the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Selected discography

* Grofé's ''Grand Canyon Suite'', performed by the

, conducted by

. On LP and on the recently out-of-print CD, it is coupled with works by

, and (on the CD)

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Proba ...

and

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...

. * Grofé's ''Grand Canyon Suite'' and '' Mississippi Suite'', performed by the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra (i.e. the Orchestra of the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

), conducted by

Howard Hanson Howard Harold Hanson (October 28, 1896 – February 26, 1981)''The New York Times'' – Obituaries. Harold C. Schonberg. February 28, 1981 p. 1011/ref> was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American class ...

, recorded for

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

in May 1958, re-issued on CD in 1995, coupled with the ''Cello Concerto No. 2 in E minor op. 30'' by

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is be ...

, with

Georges Miquelle Georges Miquelle (1894 – 1977) was born in Lille, France. He was a classical cellist in France and the United States. Biography He began his studies at the age of five when he entered the Conservatoire de Lille, Lille Conservatoire. At seven, ...

, Cello. (Mercury Living Presence CD 434 355-2). * Grofé's ''Grand Canyon Suite'', performed by the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

(with

John Corigliano John Paul Corigliano Jr. (born February 16, 1938) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. His scores, now numbering over one hundred, have won him the Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, an ...

, Sr. as the violin soloist) conducted by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

. 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 The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

conducted by

Antal Doráti Antal Doráti (, , ; 9 April 1906 – 13 November 1988) was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1943. Biography Antal Doráti was born in Budapest, where his father Alexander Doráti was a vi ...

. 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 The Second Rhapsody is a concert piece for orchestra with piano by American composer George Gershwin, written in 1931. It is sometimes referred to by its original title, ''Rhapsody in Rivets''. The Second Rhapsody was seldom performed in the twent ...

for Orchestra with Piano'' arranged by Grofé, with

Lincoln Mayorga Lincoln Mayorga (born March 28, 1937) is an American pianist, arranger, conductor and composer who has worked in rock and roll, pop, jazz and classical music. Life and career Pop music in the 1950s and '60s Mayorga was born in Los Angeles, Ca ...

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

) with the

conducted by Grofé. Out-of-print Everest LP, reissued on CD in 1997. * Grofé's ''Grand Canyon Suite'', performed by the

Boston Pops The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...

orchestra, conducted by

Arthur Fiedler Arthur Fiedler (December 17, 1894 – July 10, 1979) was an American conductor known for his association with both the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one o ...

(RCA #6806)

References

Sources

* Liner notes by Don Rayno for ''Symphonic Jazz: Grofé and Gershwin'' (Bridge Records 9212)

External links

*
Ferde Grofé Collection
at the

Ferde Grofé and the ''Grand Canyon Suite''

Biography of Ferde Grofé
for the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

The Concert Band Works of Ferde Grofé

"Little Johnny a Famous Pitchman" by Frank Roberts. ''The Virginian-Pilot'' (27 October 1994)
* *Grofé's original published score of the third movement of the ''

'' in collaboration with the State of California and the Death Valley 49ers Organization, pageant pictures and advertising along with additional historical facts can be see
here
while the 1949 pageant guide to the December 3, 1949, event featuring the ''

'' can be viewe
here

Ferde Grofé recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grofe, Ferde 1892 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century classical composers American classical composers American classical pianists American male classical composers American male classical pianists American music arrangers American radio personalities Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Composers from New York City George Gershwin Jazz-influenced classical composers Jazz arrangers Musicians from New York City