Morton Gould

with Berenice Morris

3 September 1975

New York City

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Interview #1 (3 September 1975)

Side a:                                                                                                                        p. 1–14

Growing up in Richmond Hill, Long Island--Gould’s father--Mother’s history--father’s Viennese background--father leaving Vienna--mother growing up in Jamaica--father’s love for music--listening to player piano and learning to play by ear--early signs of musical talent--studying piano with Greenwald and first published work: “Just Six”--auditioning for Frank Damrosch--studying with Elizabeth Strauss at the Institute of Musical Art--poor relationship with Strauss.

Side b:                                                                                                                       p. 14–19

Auditioning for Fritz Reiner to study conducting at Curtis--turning down Curtis scholarship to work on vaudeville--playing vaudeville with Bert Shefter--toughness of vaudeville life--job at Radio City Music Hall.

Interview #2 (11 September 1975)

Side c:                                                                                                                                    p. 19–29

More on poor experience studying at Institute of Musical Art--stress, psychiatric testing at Neurological Institute of New York--leaving Institute of Musical Art--studying with Joseph Kardos--studying piano with Abby Whiteside and Theory with Vincent Jones--summer at Woodstock artists’ colony at age 15--first experience of bohemian lifestyle--learning work ethic from other artists--Gould’s middle-class background--leaving high school early to earn money for family.

Side d:                                                                                                                       p. 29–43

Meeting first wife, Shirley Uzio Gould--joining Bert Shelton to play vaudeville--more on first marriage--working as pianist for Radio City Music Hall--difficulty of working during Depression--getting job at NBC--getting job as arranger and conductor at Mutual WOR--Jules Seebach of WOR--role of Gould’s father in getting Gould’s first WOR broadcast--WOR’s musical director Alfred Wallenstein--assistant Philip J. Lang--composing light pieces for radio broadcast (Latin American Symphonette, “Pavane,” Interplay)--family friend Ruth O’Neill--premiere by Stokowski of Chorale and Fugue in Jazz--other conductors who worked with Gould--Gould’s lack of interest in keeping professional records--Toscanini performing Gould--Toscanini’s surprisingly broad interests--Toscanini’s interest in the sound quality of Gould’s broadcasts.

Interview #3 (16 September 1975)

Side e:                                                                                                                        p. 43–58

Extra WOR broadcasts during WWII--“American Salute”--making arrangements of pop tunes, working with Philip J. Lang--writing “Swing Symphonettes” for radio--“Pavane”--writing commercials for Cresta Blanca wine--moving to CBS--featuring various musicians on radio--writing Interplay for José Iturbi--meeting second wife Shirley--marrying second wife--missing rehearsal to get married--more on second wife and their relationship--Gould’s tendency to not tell family about his professional activities.

Side f:                                                                                                                                    p. 58–60

more on marriage--Shirley’s wit and disdain for pomposity and sycophants in the art world.

Interview #4 (25 September 1975)

Side g:                                                                                                                        p. 60–76

role of women in Gould’s life--more on marriage, Shirley’s advocacy of equal rights for women--Shirley’s skills at maintaining home--Shirley’s influence on Gould’s tastes--more on relationship with Shirley--dealing with jealousy in a relationship--issues of fidelity in first marriage--Gould’s tendency to not play music for others before it is published--friendship with Sol Berkowitz--earlier friendship with Joseph Prostakoff--friendship with Benny Goodman--friend Lester Trueb--close relationship with children--Gould’s father working as his agent--studying scores at library as a teenager--wide range of musical interests/lack of predominating influence.

Interview #5 (6 October 1975)

Side h:                                                                                                                       p. 76–123

more on Gould’s views on marriage--Shirley’s critical attitude--more on Shirley’s influence on Gould’s tastes--Gould’s habit of working alone without discussing or seeking feedback--Gould living with depression and insecurity--more on friends (Prostakoff, Berkowitz, Goodman)--non-musical friends--Gould’s professional relationships--William Schuman--start of Gould’s career (Three Conservative Sketches, Chorale and Fugue in Jazz)--conductors who supported Gould--musicals Billion Dollar Baby and Arms and the Girl.

Interview #6 (14 October 1975)                                                                             p. 92

early influence of Abby Whiteside--lack of dominating musical influence--reading scores at library as a child--hearing Franck’s Symphony in D--more on premier of Chorale and Fugue in Jazz--anecdote of attending premier--more on Prostakoff and Berkowitz--Gould’s reading--intellectual stimulation from Prostakoff and Berkowitz--Gould’s music growing from popular and vernacular “seeds”--influence of jazz on Gould--influence of jazz inflections on American composers--Gould’s comparison of himself to Prokofiev/transforming banality--use of musical commonplace as germinal idea--12-tone method in Jekyll and Hyde Variations.

Interview #7 (22 October 1975)                                                                             p. 106

Dmitri Mitropoulos and his influence on Gould--Gould’s interest in Bartók--more on Mitropoulos--other conductors--José Iturbi--Interplay--Jerome Robbins turning Interplay into a ballet--more on other conductors--anecdote of Gould trying to take bow after Mitropoulos conducted his work--anecdote of hearing his work as a young composer--Milton Katims (Venice, Vivaldi Gallery, Viola Concerto)--Gould’s conducting career--commissions--Venice and Vivaldi Gallery--Inventions--St. Lawrence Suite--A Symphonic Narrative--Columbia: Broadsides for Orchestra--Troubadour Music for Romero quartet--Soundings--Symphony of Spirituals for BiCentennial commission--Ballads for Queens Symphony--Fall River Legend--writing for specific performance.

Side i:                                                                                                             p. 123–125

Billion Dollar Baby--Jerome Robbins’ influence on choreography--Arms and the Girl--scoring movie Delightfully Dangerous--other film and television scores (Cinerama Holiday, Windjammer)--TV Show “The World of Music”--F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood.

Interview #8

Side j                                                                                                              p. 125–140

working on Fall River Legend with Agnes DeMille--Gould’s works that have been transformed into ballets (Interplay, Latin American Symphonette, Spirituals, Derivations/Clarinade)--suitability of Gould’s music to ballet--choral piece with text by Thomas Wolfe--use of classical forms--definition of “lyrical composer”--uselessness of labeling as conservative or progressive--socio-political issues raised by some of Gould’s works--conducting New York Philharmonic at the Stadium: first major public appearance as conductor--conducting Chicago Symphony--current conducting activities--recordings--album “The Serious Gershwin”--Gould’s work at ASCAP and American Symphony Orchestra League--Gould’s working habits--distractions from composing--more on Symphony of Spirituals--orchestrating.

Side k:                                                                                                                       p. 140–143

more on orchestrating--more on American Ballads for Queens Symphony--Gould’s other hobbies.

AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                     73 i-j

Morton Gould

With Vivian Perlis

"Musical Conversations"

New Haven, CT

April 10, 1989

                                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side i                                                                                                               pp. 1-24

Introduction: series of "Musical Conversations" cosponsored by New Haven Symphony and Morse College--piece to be played by the NHS the day following this lecture:

Burchfield Gallery--Gould's interest in art--looking at Burchfield's art--Burchfield Gallery:titles and techniques in the piece--performances of the piece--conductor  Catherine Comet: what  drew her to the piece--questions from the audience.

Side j                                                                                                               pp. 24-29

AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                  73 k

Morton Gould

With Vivian Perlis

Music Publishers Assn.

Park Lane Hotel