Robert Russell Bennett (June 15, 1894 – August 18, 1981) 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 ...

and

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 ...

, best known for his orchestration of many well-known

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 ...

and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russi ...

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 ' ...

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

, and

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

.Profile
ibdb.com; accessed May 1, 2008. In 1957 and 2008, Bennett received

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

recognizing his orchestrations for Broadway shows. Early in his career, he was often billed as Russell Bennett.

Life and career

Early life

Robert Russell Bennett was born in 1894 to a musical family in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. His father, George Bennett, played

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 ...

in the

Kansas City Symphony The Kansas City Symphony (KCS) is a United States symphony orchestra based in Kansas City, Missouri. The current music director is conductor Michael Stern. The Symphony performs at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 1601 Br ...

and

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

at the Grand Opera House, while his mother, May, worked as a

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 teacher. She taught Bennett piano, while his father taught him violin and trumpet. The Bennett family moved to a farm in

Freeman, Missouri Freeman is a city in Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 482 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Freeman was platted in 1871, and named after a railroad official. A post office calle ...

, when Bennett was four, to speed his recovery from

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

. He graduated as the Valedictorian of Freeman High School. By that time, he had demonstrated his aptitude for music and his remarkable ear by picking out the finale of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata on the white keys of the piano. By his early adolescence, his father often called upon him to play any given instrument as a utility member or substitute player within Bennett's Band in

Freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

. In his autobiography, Bennett recalled finding a

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

tune on the piano at age ten and being informed by his mother that such music was trash—this lesson taught him to be, as he called it, a “life-long musical snob.” His mother also taught his academic lessons until he was twelve due to health concerns; his health remained an obstacle when Bennett later decided to join the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Early career

After completing his

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

, Bennett moved to Kansas City to be a freelance musician, performing throughout the city as well as with the symphony. He also began his first musical training outside of a home environment with Danish composer-conductor Dr. Carl Busch. Busch taught him

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

and

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

until 1916, when Bennett took his savings and moved to

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 ...

. He eventually found a job as a copyist with G. Schirmer while continuing to freelance and to build a network of contacts, particularly with the New York Flute Club. In 1917 he volunteered for the Army. Although he yearned for an active role, his youthful health woes caused the

draft board {{further, Conscription in the United StatesDraft boards are a part of the Selective Service System which register and select men of military age in the event of conscription in the United States. Local board The local draft board is a board th ...

to mark him for limited service. However, he successfully appealed this classification and became the director of the 70th Infantry Band at Camp Funston, Kansas. He valiantly attempted to improve the "disgraceful" musical standards of the unit, but found his efforts thwarted when the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

swept through the post in 1918. Upon his discharge several months later, he returned to New York. His relationship with

Winifred Edgerton Merrill Winifred Edgerton (September 24, 1862 – September 6, 1951) was born in Ripon, Wisconsin. She was the first woman to receive a degree from Columbia University and the first American woman to receive a PhD in mathematics.Kelly, S. E. and ...

, a society matron who had been the first woman to receive a doctorate from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, led to rewards both financial and emotional—she had been one of his first employers in the city, and she introduced him to her daughter Louise, whom he married on December 26, 1919. Their daughter, Jean, was born a year later. Bennett later studied

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 ...

in Paris with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

1926-1929.

Broadway arranger

His career as an arranger began to blossom in 1919 while he was employed by T.B. Harms, a prominent publishing firm for Broadway and Tin Pan Alley. Dependable yet creative within the confines of formulaic arranging, Bennett soon branched out as an orchestrator and arranger for Broadway productions, collaborating particularly with

. Although Bennett would work with several of the top names on Broadway and in film including

, and

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

, his collaborations with

and

stand out both for sheer volume and for highlighting different facets of an arranger's relationship with a composer. Bennett described his own philosophy: "The perfect arrangement is one that manages to be most ‘becoming’ to the melody at all points." ;With Jerome Kern Kern's working relationship with Bennett serves as a clear illustration of this point. For example, when orchestrating ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'', Bennett would work from sketches laid out quite specifically by Kern, which included melodies, rough parts, and harmonies. The original sketches appear remarkably close to Bennett's completed scores; as one scholar puts it, "Bennett didn't have much to make up." ;With Richard Rodgers In contrast, Rodgers allowed Bennett a greater degree of autonomy. The pair had first collaborated in 1927, but the majority of their partnership occurred in the 1940s and 1950s. While scoring ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

'' in 1943, Bennett proved himself invaluable by reworking an elaborate and possibly out-of-place selection into the title song. His most legendary contribution to the partnership, however, occurred during the scoring of the television series ''

Victory at Sea ''Victory at Sea'' is a documentary television series about warfare in general during World War II, and naval warfare in particular, as well as the use of industry in warfare. It was originally broadcast by NBC in the United States in 1952–19 ...

'' (1952–53). Richard Rodgers contributed twelve basic themes for the series, with three earmarked for the first episode, but those who worked on the series attribute its eleven-and-a-half hours worth of music principally to Bennett. An examination of Rodgers' manuscripts for ''Victory at Sea'' reveals only seventeen pages of sheet music, so it is apparent that Bennett contributed most of the musical score. Rodgers wrote, “I give him he creditwithout undue modesty, for making my music sound better than it was.” ;With George Gershwin With Gershwin and his Broadway musical scores, Bennett would work from annotated short scores (dual folios for piano with general suggestions for which instruments would play what.) He worked very closely as Gershwin's assistant during the period in which Gershwin composed his score for the 1937

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

film, ''

Shall We Dance Shall We Dance may refer to: Films * ''Shall We Dance'' (1937 film), a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical * ''Shall We Dance?'' (1996 film), a Japanese film about ballroom dancing * ''Shall We Dance?'' (2004 film), an American remake of the ...

'', often spending late nights with Gershwin rushing to complete orchestrations for deadlines. The next year Gershwin died. Later Bennett would be turned to yet again as a definitive orchestrator of Gershwin's other works, both on Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture and the orchestral medley, "Gershwin in Hollywood".

Other commissions

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

was engaged in writing a 2-piano reduction of his Piano Concerto No. 4, containing his final revisions, when death overtook him. Robert Russell Bennett completed the reduction at the request of Rachmaninoff's widow.

Musical profile

Schooled by his mother to disdain popular music, Robert Russell Bennett found the dichotomy between his serious compositions and his arranging work to be a lifelong struggle. In spite of his prolific output, which included the opera ''Maria Malibran'', more than seven symphonies, a large variety of chamber works, and at least five concertos, his reputation today as a classical composer rests primarily on two oft-recorded pieces, the Suite of Old American Dances and

Symphonic Songs for Band Composed in 1957, ''Symphonic Songs for Band'' is one of Robert Russell Bennett's most famous compositions for wind band. The work was commissioned for the National Intercollegiate Band by Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, national honorary ban ...

. This may be attributed both to the modesty so characteristic of Bennett and to the

Eastman Wind Ensemble The Eastman Wind Ensemble was founded by conductor Frederick Fennell at the Eastman School of Music in 1952. The ensemble is often credited with helping redefine the performance of wind band music. At the time, concert bands used all of their pla ...

recordings which popularized them. In his composing, Bennett brought to bear his considerable talent for orchestration as well as a gift for conceiving melodies and harmonic structure in his head; longtime Bennett copyist Adele Combattente (of Chappell Music) confirmed his ability to write parts in score order, as opposed to filling in leftover parts and doublings as he completed primary melodic lines. He nearly always scored directly in ink, rather than pencil. Many of Bennett's original works came about through direct commission; the 1939 World's Fair,

CBS radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...

("Hollywood" for orchestra), and the

League of Composers The League of Composers/ International Society for Contemporary Music is a society whose stated mission is "to produce the highest quality performances of new music, to champion American composers in the United States and abroad, and to introduce Am ...

("Mademoiselle" for the

Goldman Band The Goldman Band was an American concert band founded in 1918 by Edwin Franko Goldman from his previous New York Military Band. Both bands were based in New York City. It was Goldman's contention that the New York symphony and orchestra musici ...

) provide prominent examples. A significant number of commissions were initiated by Robert Austin Boudreau, a former member of the Goldman Band, and his American Wind Symphony. The AWS traveled via American rivers and waterways, inspiring several works with nautical themes, including the Ohio River Suite and West Virginia Epic. Boudreau would provide a basic concept to Bennett, who would complete the new work rapidly and who would always attend the premiere. Boudreau recalls, “We never offered him a lot of money for those commissions...He was an elegant person. He was always more interested in music than in dollars.” Many works were written for his musical acquaintances, including ''Hexapoda'' and a concerto for violinist Louis Kaufman, ''Tema Sporca con Variazoni'' for duo-pianists Appleton and Field, Suite for Flute and B flat Clarinet for Frances Blaisdell and Alex Williams, and the Rondo Capriccioso for Georges Barrére (Bennett's friendship with flutists William Kincaid and John Wummer prompted other chamber works).

Later years and legacy

In later years, Bennett again developed major health problems. “He never talked about it, but always showed joy,” Boudreau states. “It wasn't just a business relationship we had, it was more than just music. We were pals, and he would treat me as a son.” Bennett did not slow his output, creating original works for the nation's bicentennial celebrations and accepting commissions from a variety of sources, including a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church in Florida, for which he accepted only a modest fee.

Death

Bennett died of

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

in 1981, aged 87. His legacy rests largely on the popular arrangements which so conflicted the composer, but those who knew him also remember him as a close friend and gracious mentor. Robert Shaw wrote, “And it is just as certainly because of his kindness, honesty, humor, and wisdom that our hearts are warmed to see Robert Russell Bennett without peer in his field.” Bennett mentored Broadway and concert arranger

William David Brohn William David "Bill" Brohn (March 30, 1933 – May 11, 2017) was an American arranger and orchestrator, best known for his scores of musicals such as ''Miss Saigon'', ''Ragtime'' and ''Wicked''. He won the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for ' ...

; they first worked together on the 1966 Lincoln Center revival of ''Show Boat''.

List of works (incomplete)

Books

#The Broadway Sound: The Autobiography and Selected Essays of Robert Russell Bennett, ed. Ferencz (1999) #Bennett's book ''Instrumentally Speaking'' was published in 1975 by Belwin-Mills, but is now out of print.

Original compositions (selected)

Orchestra

#Abraham Lincoln: A Likeness in Symphony Form ��Abraham Lincoln” Symphony(1929) #Adagio Eroico (To The Memory of a Soldier) (c. 1932) #An Adventure in High Fidelity (1954; commissioned by RCA Victor for a demonstration LP) #Antique Suite for Clarinet and Orchestra (1941; dedicated to Benny Goodman) #Charleston Rhapsody mall orchestra(1926, rev. 1933) #Classic Serenade for Strings ortraits of Three Friends(1941) #A Commemoration Symphony: Stephen Collins Foster ATB Chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra(1959) #Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra (1971 or 1972) #Concerto for Viola, Harp and Orchestra (1940 or 1941; revised c. 1960 for cello, harp and orchestra) #Concerto for Violin in A Major (1941) #Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra (1958 or 1959) #Concerto Grosso for Dance Band and Orchestra ketches from an American Theatre(1932) #Concert Variations on a Crooner's Theme iolin and orchestra(1949) #A Dry Weather Legend lute and orchestra(1946) #An Early American Ballade on Melodies of Stephen Foster mall orchestra(1932) #Eight Etudes For Symphony Orchestra (1938) #“The Four Freedoms”—A Symphony after Four Paintings by Norman Rockwell (1943) #Hollywood ntroduction and Scherzo(1936) #Kansas City Album even Songs for Orchestra(1949) #March for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1930) #Nocturne and Appassionata iano and orchestra(1941) #Orchestral Fragments from the American Opera “Maria Malibran” (1934) #Overture To An Imaginary Drama edicated to Fritz Mahler(1946) #Overture to the Mississippi (1950) #Paysage andscape(1927 or 1928) #Piano Concerto in B Minor (1947) #Sights and Sounds n Orchestral Entertainment(1929) #Six Variations in Fox-Trot Time on a Theme by Jerome Kern hamber orchestra(1933) # Suite of Old American Dances (1950 orchestration of his 1949 original for concert band) #Symphony 1(1926) #Symphony edicated to Fritz Reiner(1962) #Symphony in D for the Dodgers (1941; a WOR radio commission, with narrator “Red” Barber in the final movement)

Stage works

#Columbine antomime ballet w/theater orchestra(1916) #Crystal pera(1972) #The Enchanted Kiss pera(1944 or 1945) #Endimion peretta-ballet(1926 or 1927) #Hold Your Horses usical comedy; words and music by Russell Bennett, Robert A. Simon and Owen Murphy(1933) #An Hour of Delusion ne-act opera(1928) #Maria Malibran pera; libretto by Robert A. Simon(1934) # Princess Charming usical play; music and lyrics mostly by Albert Sirmay and Harry Ruby, with add’l songs by Russell Bennett and Jack Waller(1926)

Incidental music

#The Firebrand lay by Edwin Justus Mayer; music by Bennett and Maurice Nitke(1924) #Hamlet tarring John Barrymore(1922) #Macbeth tarring Lionel Barrymore(1921) #Romeo and Juliet tarring Ethel Barrymore(1922)

Concert band or wind orchestra

#Autobiography (1977) #Christmas Overture (1980 or 1981) #Concerto Grosso for Wind Quintet and Wind Orchestra (1957) #Down to the Sea in Ships (1969, from the NBC TV Film "Project 20") #Fanfare for the American Wind Symphony (1981) #Fountain Lake Fanfare

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

(1939; for the New York World's Fair) #Four Preludes for Band (1974) #Mademoiselle (1952) #Ohio River Suite (1959) #Overture to The Pickle Suite (1969) #Overture to Ty, Tris and Willie (1961) #Rose Variations ornet/trumpet and band(1955) # Suite of Old American Dances (1949) #

(1957) #The Pickle (poem by Sara Henderson Hay) (1969) #Three Humoresques (c. 1961) #A TNT Cocktail (1939; for the New York World's Fair) #Tone Poems for Band (1939; for the New York World's Fair) #Track Meet (1960) #West Virginia Epic (1960) #Zimmer's American Greeting arrator and wind orchestra(1974)

Chamber music

#Allemande (violin and piano, 1947 or 1948) #Arabesque (brass quintet, 1978) #Clarinet Quartet (late 1920s?) #Dance (flute and piano, 1928) #Dance Scherzo (wind quintet, 1937) #Five Improvisations on Exotic Scales (flute, cello, piano, 1947) #Five Tune Cartoons (violin and piano, 1948) #Four Dances for Piano Trio (1953 or 1954) #Hexapoda ��five studies in Jitteroptera”(violin and piano, 1940) #Nocturne (flute and piano, 1928) #Rondo Capriccioso (four flutes, 1916) #Six Souvenirs (two flutes and piano, 1948) #Sonata (violin and piano, 1927) #Sonatine (soprano and harp, 1947) #A Song Sonata (violin and piano, 1947) #String Quartet (1956) #Suite for Flute and B flat Clarinet (c. 1958; published 1973) #Tema Sporca (two pianos, four hands, 1946) #Toy Symphony (wind quintet, 1928) #Trio (flute, cello, piano, 1950 or 1951) #Trio (harp, cello, flute, c. 1960) #Water Music (string quartet, 1937)

Keyboard works

#Four Nocturnes (accordion, 1959) #Seven Fox Trots in Concert Form (piano, 1928) #Sonata in G (organ, 1929) #Sonatina (piano, c. 1941) #Second Sonatina (piano, c. 1944) #VU (“Seen in Paris”) 0 etudes in miniature, from the 20 arrondissements of Paris(1929)

Broadway arrangements and orchestrations (a selection)

# Hirsch: ''

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

'' (1920) # Friml, Hammerstein and Harbach: ''

Rose-Marie ''Rose-Marie'' is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a ...

'' (1924) # Gershwin: '' Oh, Kay!'' (1926) # Kern and Hammerstein: ''

'' (1927) (new orchestrations 1946 and 1966) # Gershwin: ''

Girl Crazy ''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, ...

'' (1930) # Gershwin: ''

Of Thee I Sing ''Of Thee I Sing'' is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President o ...

'' (1931) # Kern and Harbach: ''The Cat and the Fiddle'' (1931) # Kern and Hammerstein: ''

Music in the Air ''Music in the Air'' is a musical written by Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics and book) and Jerome Kern (music). It introduced songs such as "The Song Is You", "In Egern on the Tegern See" and " I've Told Ev'ry Little Star". The musical premiered on ...

'' (1932)"Orchestrator on His Own"
– ''Time Magazine (Monday, Dec. 12, 1932)'' (Retrieved on May 1, 2008) # Porter: ''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

'' (1934) (with Hans Spialek) # Porter: ''

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

'' (1935) # Rodgers and Hammerstein: ''

'' (1943) # Bizet, Hammerstein: ''

Carmen Jones ''Carmen Jones'' is a 1943 Broadway musical with music by Georges Bizet (orchestrated for Broadway by Robert Russell Bennett) and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II which was performed at The Broadway Theatre. Conceptually, it is Bizet's o ...

'' (1943) (shared with

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...

, composer of the 1875 opera ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'') # Irving Berlin: '' Annie Get Your Gun'' (1946) # Harburg and Lane: '' Finian's Rainbow'' (1947) (shared with Don Walker) # Rodgers and Hammerstein: ''

Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking indicate to play fast, quickly and bright * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem by John Milton * ''Allegro'' (Satie), an ...

'' (1947) # Porter: ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-s ...

'' (1948) # Rodgers and Hammerstein: '' South Pacific'' (1949) # Rodgers and Hammerstein: ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

'' (1951) # Rodgers and Hammerstein: ''

Pipe Dream Pipe dream may refer to: Music * ''Pipe Dream'' (John Williamson album), 1997, or the titular song * ''Pipedream'' (Alan Hull album), 1973 * ''Pipe Dreams'' (Murray Head album), 1995 * "Pipe Dreams" (Nelly Furtado song), 2016 * ''Pipe Dream ...

'' (1955) # Lerner and Loewe: ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...

'' (1956) (shared with Philip J. Lang) # Styne, Comden, and Green: '' Bells Are Ringing'' (1956) # Rodgers and Hammerstein: ''

Flower Drum Song ''Flower Drum Song'' was the eighth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the 1957 novel, '' The Flower Drum Song'', by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the ...

'' (1958) # Rodgers and Hammerstein: ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

'' (1959) # Lerner and Loewe: ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

'' (1960) (shared with Philip J. Lang) # Lerner and Lane: ''

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' is a musical with music by Burton Lane and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner based loosely on ''Berkeley Square'', written in 1926 by John L. Balderston. It concerns a woman who has ESP and has been re ...

'' (1965) Bennett also did the orchestrations for the 1936 film version of ''Show Boat'', and for the 1955 film version of ''Oklahoma!'' Some of his stage orchestrations were used in the 1958 film version of '' South Pacific'', and the 1956 film version of ''The King and I''. He conducted Rodgers' ''

'' which was the soundtrack for the early 1950s TV miniseries of the same name; it was one of the first of its kind and billed as one most ambitious. RCA Victor released 5 volumes of music from the Rodgers' ''Victory at Sea'' score, all conducted by Robert Russell Bennett with cover art by Victor Kalin. (Vol. 1 - LM-2335; Vol. 2 - LM-2226; Vol.3 - ANL 1-1432; Three Suites; Video Disk) He also orchestrated the score for the original television broadcast of

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

's ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' in 1957.

Concert arrangements

In 1942, Bennett arranged '' Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture'' under the supervision of conductor

Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin "Fritz" Reiner (December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to ...

, using melodies from

's now-celebrated

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 ...

. Bennett's arrangements were largely based on Gershwin's original orchestrations for the opera. Bennett was also responsible for '' The Many Moods of Christmas'', a 1963 48-minute medley of

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...

s, arranged especially for the

Robert Shaw Chorale The Robert Shaw Chorale was a renowned professional choir founded in New York City in 1948 by Robert Shaw, a Californian who had been drafted out of college a decade earlier by Fred Waring to conduct his glee club in radio broadcasts. History ...

and Orchestra. They recorded it that year, and in 1983, Robert Shaw re-recorded it with the Atlanta Symphony Chorus and the

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center. History Though earlier organizations bearing the same name date b ...

. Among his published orchestra medleys for Broadway shows (including some for which others had done the original pit orchestrations) are those for ''Oklahoma!'', ''Carousel'', ''Allegro'', ''Finian's Rainbow'', ''Brigadoon'', ''Lady in the Dark'', ''Kiss Me, Kate'', ''South Pacific'', ''Roberta'', ''The King and I'', ''Me and Juliet'', ''My Fair Lady'', ''Gigi'', ''Flower Drum Song'', ''The Sound of Music'', ''Camelot'', ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'', and ''Funny Girl'', as well as extended “symphonic picture” settings of ''The Sound of Music'' and ''My Fair Lady''. His concert band medleys include those of ''Porgy and Bess'', ''The King and I'', ''Carousel Waltzes'', ''Me and Juliet'', ''Silk Stockings'', ''My Fair Lady'', ''Gigi'', ''The Sound of Music'', ''Funny Girl'', and ''Do I Hear a Waltz?'' The 40-minute ''Porgy and Bess: Concert Version'' for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus and orchestra was prepared in 1956. It is based very closely on Gershwin's original instrumental and vocal scoring, the principal recasting being the use of standard concert-orchestra instrumentation, and eliminating the clarinet-saxophone doubling specified in Gershwin's 1935 orchestration.

Awards and honors

The Tony Award for orchestrations has only existed since 1997; Bennett was given a

Special Tony Award The Special Tony Award category includes the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award and the Special Tony Award. These are non-competitive honorary awards, and the titles have changed over the years. The Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre ...

in 1957 and again in 2008 "in recognition of his historic contribution to American musical theatre in the field of orchestrations, as represented on Broadway this season by Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific." Other honors have included his

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

for the film ''

'', a 1962

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

award, television's

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organization ...

in 1960, the City of New York's Handel Medallion in 1967, Los Angeles's honorary Scroll in 1979, and an honorary doctorate from

Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankli ...

in 1965. Bennett was the first president of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC).

References

External links

* *
Robert Russell Bennett biography at Naxos.comRoy Benton Hawkins' dissertation on the life and work of Robert Russell Bennett
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Robert Russell 1894 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century classical composers American classical composers American film score composers American male classical composers American male film score composers Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Classical musicians from Missouri Composers for harmonica Concert band composers Deaths from liver cancer Distinguished Service to Music Medal recipients George Gershwin RCA Victor artists Special Tony Award recipients United States Army Band musicians