Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé (March 27, 1892 April 3, 1972), known as Ferde Grofé () 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 def ...

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 orchestrat ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

, and instrumentalist. He is best known for his 1931 five-movement symphonic poem, ''

Grand Canyon Suite The ''Grand Canyon Suite'' is a suite for orchestra by Ferde Grofé, composed between 1929 and 1931. It was initially titled ''Five Pictures of the Grand Canyon''. It consists of five movements, each an evocation in tone of a particular scen ...

'', and for orchestrating

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

's '' Rhapsody in Blue'' for its 1924 premiere. During the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name Ferdie Grofé.

Early life

Grofé was born on 127 East Third Street,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, in 1892 to German immigrants. He came by his extensive musical interests naturally. His family included several musicians. His father, Emil von Grofé, was a baritone who mainly performed in light opera. His mother, Elsa Johanna Bierlich von Grofé, was a professional cellist and a versatile music teacher who taught Ferde to play both the violin and the piano. Elsa's father, Bernard Bierlich, was a cellist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York, and her brother, Julius Bierlich, was the first violinist and concertmaster of the Los Angeles Symphony.

Musical education

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

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

, 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 ...

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, 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,

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 flu ...

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. There is also a soprano cor ...

and

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

. 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 for two dollars a night, and as an accompanist. He continued studying piano and violin. When he was 15 he was performing with dance bands. He also played the alto horn in

brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...

s. He was 17 when he wrote his first commissioned work, "Elks' Grand Reunion March & Two-step".

Arranger for Paul Whiteman

Beginning in 1920, he played piano with the

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American Jazz 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 193 ...

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 '' Rhapsody in Blue'', 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 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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 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 roll A piano roll is a music storage medium used to operate a player piano, piano player or reproducing piano. Piano rolls, like other music rolls, are continuous rolls of paper with holes punched into them. These perforations represent note contro ...

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

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

'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 ''

'') 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 forw ...

's show, the George Burns and

Gracie Allen Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, ap ...

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 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 series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

'' (1951–57). Jon Hendricks 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. Several times he conducted orchestral programs in New York's

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

. 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'', an orchestral suite in four movements, was presented in Carnegie Hall. In 1937, he conducted a concert tribute to George Gershwin at Lewisohn Stadium. 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 History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

, to be based on the

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

story " The Fall of the House of Usher". 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, 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", orch ...

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 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

and suites for

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

and the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

. 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'' and a music production about

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

. 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. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer. Death Valley's Badwat ...

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 a national park of the United States 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 sect ...

) 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 that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

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 aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

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, 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 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 orche ...

(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 in his ''Grand Canyon Suite'' and his piano concerto (with pianist Jesús María Sanromá) for Everest Records 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, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

released a live-action, short subject film of the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon 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 mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...

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

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic format, 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 cr ...

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" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

''. 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 railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway, heritage railroad and attraction in the Disneyland theme park of the Disneyland Resort in ...

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

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. 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, ...

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. Moses is regarded as one of the most powerful and influentia ...

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

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activ ...

. The fair's opening day's big musical performance was Paul Lavalle 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, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

in the category "Scoring of a Musical Picture" for this film. The score he composed for '' Rocketship X-M'' (1950) was the first

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

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 aft ...

. His other original film scores included '' Early to Bed'' (1928), '' Diamond Jim'' (1935), '' Time Out of Mind'' (1947) and '' The Return of Jesse James'' (1950).

Personal life

Although he spent the first half of his life living in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

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

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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. The town is know for their pancake throwing contest held ...

, home. Grofé married his first wife, Mildred Fanchette Grizzelle, a lyric 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, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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 in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

. 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'' * ''

'' (1931) * ''Knute Rockne'' (1931)

tone poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement (music), movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. 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: 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 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 Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

* ''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 journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplays and play ...

, 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 The Return of Jesse James * ''Aviation Suite'' (1944). Movements: The Take-Off, Glamour Girl, Plane Loco, Clouds, Happy Landing * ''March for Americans'' (1945) * ''Deep Nocturne, for orchestra'' (1947) * '' Death Valley Suite'' (1949) * ''Lincoln's Gettysburg Address'' (1954) * ''Hudson River Suite'' (1955). Movements: The River, Henry Hudson, Rip Van Winkle, Albany Night Boat, New York * ''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 * ''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 * ''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)''

silent film A silent film is a film without 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, w ...

score * '' King Of Jazz'' (1930) arranger, probable contributing composer * '' Redemption (1930 film)'' * '' Diamond Jim'' (1935) * ''Yankee Doodle Rhapsody'' (1937) short film score * '' Minstrel Man (film)'' (1940) nominated for an

* ''Time Out of Mind'' (1947) rejected score * '' Rocketship X-M'' (1950) * '' The Return of Jesse James'' (1950) * ''

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

'' (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 Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset (ELKS), formerly known as Linux-8086, is a Linux-like operating system kernel. It is a subset of the Linux kernel, intended for 16-bit computers with limited processor and memory resources such as machines pow ...

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; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...

* ''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 * ''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 a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Selected discography

* Grofé's ''Grand Canyon Suite'', performed by the NBC Symphony, 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 (music), conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced ...

and

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

. * 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, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

), 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 and music theorist. As director for forty year ...

, 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. Mercury Records released ...

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, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...

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

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

(with John Corigliano, Sr. as the violin soloist) conducted by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis 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 th ...

. 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 conducted by Antal Doráti. 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 for Orchestra with Piano'' arranged by Grofé, with Lincoln Mayorga 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 Jesús María Sanromá) with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra 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 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 Symphony Orc ...

orchestra, conducted by Arthur Fiedler (RCA #6806) * The Allen Music Library at Florida State University has a collection of 144 reel-to-reel audio recordings and 47 cassette tape recordings. Many of these recordings are live performances that range from 1936-1968.https://archives.lib.fsu.edu/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&op%5B%5D=&q%5B%5D=Ferdinand+grofe&limit=&field%5B%5D=&from_year%5B%5D=&to_year%5B%5D=&commit=Search

References

Sources

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

External links

Official Website
*
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 heri ...

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 '' Death Valley Suite'' 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 '' Death Valley Suite'' can be viewe
here

Ferde Grofé recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grofe, Ferde 1892 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century 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 Classical musicians from New York (state) Composers from New York City George Gershwin Jazz-influenced classical composers Jazz arrangers American film score composers American male film score composers