Deems Taylor : a biography / James A. Pegolotti ; with a foreword by Gerard Schwarz.

Author/creator Pegolotti, James A.
Format Book
Publication InfoBoston : Northeastern University Press, ©2003.
Descriptionxxii, 410 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Subjects
Taylor, Deems, 1885-1966.
Composers--United States. --Biography.

Contents 1885-1906: the early years of (Joseph) Deems Taylor -- 1906-1916: the emergence of Taylor as composer and writer -- 1916-1919: the war years -- 1920-1921: the theater beckons again -- 1921-1922: Taylor becomes the music critic of the New York World -- The World years: 1922-1923 -- The World Years: 1923-1924 -- The World years: 1924-1925 -- 1925-1927: the King's Henchman -- 1927-1931: the road to Peter Ibbetson -- 1931-1934: rough times after Peter Ibbetson -- 1934-1936: Hollywood, Colette d'Arville, and Ramuntcho -- 1936-1938: the Philharmonic Intermissions begin -- 1938-1940: the Fantasia years -- 1940-1942: radio daze -- 1942-1945, Part I: ASCAP fades in and Intermissions fade out -- 1942-1945, Part II: Taylor as author, father, and composer -- 1945-1951: more beginnings and endings -- The 1950s: a life with friends -- The final years.
Abstract A composer, critic, author, and rad personality, (Joseph) Deems Taylor (1885-1966) was one of the most influential figures in American culture from the 1920s through the 1940s. A self-taught composer, the New York City native wrote such pieces as the orchestral suite Through the Looking Glass and the acclaimed operas The King's Henchman and Peter Ibbetson, the first commissions ever offered by the Metropolitan Opera. Taylor's operatic works were among the most popular and widely performed of his day, yet he achieved greatest fame and recognition as the golden-voiced intermission commentator for the New York Philharmonic radio broadcasts and as the on-screen host of Walt Disney's classic film Fantasia. With his witty, clever, charming, and informative but unpatronizing manner, he almost single-handedly introduced classical music to millions of Americans across the nation. In this first biography of Taylor, the author brings to life the remarkably multitalented man within the context of his times. The captivating portrait recounts his formative years in the Bronx, his college years at New York University, where he composed four successive varsity musicals, his journalistic career first as a writer for the New York Tribune Sunday Magazine and then as the powerful music critic for the New York World, and his musical triumphs. The author also details Taylor's stints as editor of Musical America, president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), best-selling author of Of Men and Music and other books, collaborator with Disney and Leopold Stokowski on Fantasia, and even judge for the Miss America pageant. He describes how Taylor used his critic's pulpit to champion American music, opera, and musicians, and also chronicles his colorful personal life, including his third marriage at age sixty to a twenty-year-old costume designer.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 393-396) and index.
LCCN 2003005448
ISBN1555535879 (cloth : alk. paper)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk ML410.T19 P4 2003 ✔ Available Place Hold