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The son of Jewish parents, Bernstein legally changed his name to Leonard when he was 18.
Louis Bernstein was born on August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
At the age of 10, Bernstein began teaching himself piano and music theory. Soon afterwards, he started taking piano lessons. In 1934, aged 16, he performed his first piano concerto, 'Grieg's Piano Concerto,' with the Boston Public School Symphony.
In 1936, the teenaged Bernstein enrolled at Harvard College to study music. The following year he met Aaron Copland (pictured). The two became close friends, with Bernstein citing him as his "only real composition teacher."
After graduating from Harvard in 1939, Bernstein commenced further study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Among his tutors were conductor Fritz Reiner and pianist Isabelle Vengerova. Serge Koussevitzky was perhaps his greatest mentor, the director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra remaining a profound lifelong inspiration to Bernstein.
By the early 1940s, Bernstein was ensconced in New York. But it was in Boston, at the city's Institute of Modern Art, where he performed the premiere of his first published work, 'Sonata for Clarinet and Piano,' in April 1942.
In 1943, Leonard Bernstein made his debut with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall by default, filling in with no prior rehearsal for guest conductor Bruno Walter, who'd come down with the flu. Reviews were ecstatic and helped propel Bernstein to instant fame.
Bernstein, seen here in rehearsal at Carnegie Hall, had by now garnered a reputation for his flamboyant conducting style and edifying flair.
Having already secured a three-year tenure as music director with the New York Philharmonic, Bernstein embarked on the first of many overseas appearances, making his debut abroad with the Czech Philharmonic in Prague in 1946.
In 1947, Bernstein conducted in Tel Aviv for the first time, beginning a lifelong association with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, though at that point it was known as the Palestine Symphony Orchestra. He's pictured mixing with Jerusalem high society, including (on his right) Golda Meir, who later served as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974.
The couple had three children: Jamie, Alexander, and Nina. Pictured are Jamie and Alexander. By all accounts, family life suited Bernstein. His daughter Jamie, speaking during a 2018 interview with The New Yorker, recalled her father as "attentive, affectionate, an unending didact who crammed his kids with poetry, music [and] Hebrew lessons." However, all was not as it appeared.
Between a now very busy international career, Leonard Bernstein found time in 1951 to marry Felicia María Cohn Montealegre, a Costa Rican-Chilean actress and social activist.
Leonard Bernstein was bisexual, a fact his wife was privy to. Throughout his life he had affairs with both men and women. In 1976, he left Felicia to live with Tom Cothran, a young music director at a San Francisco radio station.
However, after Felica was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1977, Bernstein moved back in with his wife and cared for her until her death on June 16, 1978. The pair are pictured at a social event in 1977.
In 1953, Leonard Bernstein became the first American to conduct at the prestigious La Scala Opera House in Milan, Italy. And he was in esteemed company, with Maria Callas headlining the concert.
In fact, the 1950s were some of the most productive in Bernstein's career, a decade that would see him create five new works for the Broadway stage, compose several symphonic works, and write an iconic film score.
His theatrical works during this period included composing the incidental music for the Broadway production of 'Peter Pan' and composing the one-act opera 'Trouble in Tahiti.' In February 1953, 'Wonderful Town' opened on Broadway, another production gifted with his music.
At the same time, Bernstein was working on the score for 'Candide,' an operetta based on the 1759 novella of the same name by Voltaire. Premiering on Broadway in 1956, the production was met with scorn from critics. The cast soundtrack album, however, was greeted with great enthusiasm and helped keep Bernstein's score very much in the public ear.
The movie soundtrack, meanwhile, won a Grammy award for Best Sound Track Album – Original Cast. In the United States, it was one of the best-selling albums of the 1960s, and still holds the record for longest time at no. 1 on the Billboard album charts: 54 weeks. It was certified three times platinum by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 21, 1986.
Bernstein's next musical score remains one of his most celebrated—'West Side Story.' Pictured is Chita Rivera in the role of Anita leading the dance in a scene from the original 1957 Broadway production.
Pictured: Leonard Bernstein chats with lyricist Stephen Sondheim at the premiere of 'West Side Story.' Bernstein's music and Sondheim's words won them music fans around the world.
In 1961, the Broadway play became a Hollywood movie. The film won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Hollywood beckoned with a commission to compose the soundtrack to Elia Kazan's 'On the Waterfront.' Starring Marlon Brando, the production is considered by many critics as one of the best films ever made.
In 1958, Leonard Bernstein was appointed the music director of the New York Philharmonic, a position he would hold until 1969. With this orchestra he made several international tours in Latin America, Europe, the Soviet Union, and Japan. Even after 1969, he continued to conduct and make recordings with the orchestra for the rest of his life. His proud parents, Samuel and Jennie (pictured), were on hand to congratulate their famous son on his "promotion."
Bernstein embraced the 1970s as extravagantly as in previous decades. Here, a typically flamboyant Leonard Bernstein is seen at the climax of Mahler's 'Symphony No 2: Resurrection,' performed by the Boston Symphony during the Tanglewood festival in Lenox, Massachusetts, in 1970.
His major compositions during the decade were 'Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers,' his score for the ballet 'Dybbuk,' and his orchestral vocal work 'Songfest.'
It was during this period that he also received some of his most prestigious accolades, including a Kennedy Center Honors award in 1980, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1985 (pictured), France's Legion of Honor (Commandeur) in 1985, and Japan's Praemium Imperiale in 1990.
The 1980s saw the now-aging Bernstein still insisting on a busy schedule, combining conducting, composing, and recording with teaching and producing several television documentaries.
By the late 1980s, Bernstein's health had declined markedly. To secure his educational legacy, he co-founded three music academies—Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestral Academy, and the Pacific Music Festival—all while continuing to compose.
Leonard Bernstein conducted his final concert on August 19, 1990, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. He had earlier established the Bernstein Education Through the Arts (BETA) Fund, with the Leonard Bernstein Center posthumously established in April 1992. He died in New York City on October 14, 1990, and is buried next to his wife at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Sources: (NBC News) (BBC) (The New Yorker) (Library of Congress)(RIAA)
See also: The best composers of all time
Leonard Bernstein died in 1990, but suddenly one of the world's most celebrated musicians is back in the headlines. Or would that be Bradley Cooper? The actor portrays Bernstein in 'Maestro,' a film that centers on the relationship between the composer and his wife Felicia Montealegre, portrayed by Carey Mulligan.
After Netflix released a trailer to publicize the film, criticism was leveled by some social media users for Cooper's use of a large prosthetic nose to portray Bernstein, which they suggested plays up to offensive Jewish stereotypes. There has also been criticism that a Jewish actor was not cast to play the 'West Side Story' composer.
It remains to be seen how the movie itself will be received. Directed by Bradley and co-produced by Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Cooper, among others, 'Maestro' is scheduled for limited theatrical release in November 2023 before streaming on Netflix in December. Meanwhile, who was the real Leonard Bernstein?
Leonard Bernstein is considered one of the most important conductors of his generation. Noted for his accomplishments in both classical and popular music, he was also a composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian.
The forthcoming biographical movie 'Maestro' starring Bradley Cooper as Bernstein reexamines the conductor's personal life, but has come under criticism from some quarters over the actor's use of a prosthetic nose in his depiction of the musician, who was Jewish. According to news reports, however, Bernstein's children have been quick to rush to Cooper's defense for his portrayal of their father. Whatever the outcome of this latest cinematic backlash, Bernstein's undeniable genius and musical legacy remains unblemished.
Let's remind ourselves of the life and career of one of the 20th century's greatest and most flamboyant composers. Click through and fine-tune your knowledge of Leonard Bernstein.
Leonard Bernstein: the man at the center of Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro'
The legendary composer and conductor is the subject of a new film
CELEBRITY Show business
Leonard Bernstein is considered one of the most important conductors of his generation. Noted for his accomplishments in both classical and popular music, he was also a composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian.
The forthcoming biographical movie 'Maestro' starring Bradley Cooper as Bernstein reexamines the conductor's personal life, but has come under criticism from some quarters over the actor's use of a prosthetic nose in his depiction of the musician, who was Jewish. According to news reports, however, Bernstein's children have been quick to rush to Cooper's defense for his portrayal of their father. Whatever the outcome of this latest cinematic backlash, Bernstein's undeniable genius and musical legacy remains unblemished.
Let's remind ourselves of the life and career of one of the 20th century's greatest and most flamboyant composers. Click through and fine-tune your knowledge of Leonard Bernstein.