Miss Jacobson's Music: May 2014

TAKING NOTES ON A MUSICAL

Title

THE MUSIC MAN

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Composer

MEREDITH WILLSON

1902-1984

A composer, songwriter, conductor and
playwright, he is best known for writing the
book, music and lyrics for The Music Man.
He wrote three other Broadway musicals,
composed symphonies and popular songs
and his film scores were nominated for
Academy Awards. Meredith Willson was
born in Mason City, Iowa

http://www.city-data.com/city/Mason-City-Iowa.html

on May 18, 1902.

He learned to play the

piccolo and flute

(as a boy, Meredith was the proud owner

of the first mail-order flute ever seen in

his native city which may account for the

reference of mail-order instruments in The

Music Man story) while still in high school.

In 1919, at age 17, he enrolled in New York's

(Frank Damrosch's) Institute of Musical Art

Institute of Musical Art (1910)
132 Claremont Avenue

The Meredith Willson Residence Hall—an entire floor—
opened at the Juilliard School, in October of 1990.

(now The Juilliard School).

At age 19, Willson joined John Philip Sousa's band,

touring the U.S., Cuba and Mexico until

1923. He was with the New York Philharmonic

Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini

from 1924–1929. During World War II, he

worked for the United States' Armed Forces

Radio Service. His work with the AFRS teamed

him with George Burns and Gracie Allen

working as their bandleader, and as a regular

character on their radio program. He continued

songwriting while working as music director

of NBC radio and television networks.

Wilson (far left conducts orchestra and

vocalists from NBC Studios, 1934

Charlie Chaplin with

composer Meredith Willson

His work in films included Academy Award

nominations for Best Original Score for

Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, 1940

and for the score of William Wyler's

The Little Foxes, 1941.

The idea for The Music

Man was originally

suggested by the song writer

Frank Loesser

who was fascinated by Willson's tales of growing

up in his small Iowa town. But it would be eight

years before Willson was satisfied with the script.

During that time, he would go through more than

30 revisions and write over 40 different songs

Meredith Willson is said to have based the story

on events that had happened in

Mason City, Iowa

Mason City, Iowa:

The fictional town of River City was based on.

when he was a child.

Willson referred to the show

as "an Iowan's attempt to

pay tribute to his home state."

Besides other Broadway hits:

The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1960

based on the life of Molly Brown,

of Titanic fame and in 1963, the musical

"Here's Love"

based on the movie

"Miracle on 34th Street,"

Willson wrote a number of

very well known songs:

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,

Till There Was You,

(a hit for The Beatles in 1963)

and various other songs.

He also wrote the

University of Iowa's Fight Song in 1950

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ANP8g8wrE

and also Iowa State University's

"For I for S Forever."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwNsn7UZq4s

An oddity in Willson's body
of work is Chicken Fat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFofqe26t-4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=110&v=oJ3GyMUScUA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX4lzQvwv48
written in 1962, as the theme

song for President Kennedy's

youth fitness program.

http://detroitkidshow.com/chicken_fat.htm

Willson's song had youngsters

moving through basic exercises at

a frenetic pace: push-ups, jumping

jacks and plenty of marching.

With an energetic vocal

by Robert Preston,

http://detroitkidshow.
com/Chicken_Fat.mp3

a marching band and full chorus,

it was likely recorded during sessions

for The Music Man movie.

His Symphony No. 1 in F minor, A Symphony

of San Francisco and Symphony No. 2

In E Minor, Missions of California

SYMPHONY No. 2 IN E MINOR

"Missions of California"
William T. Stromberg, Conductor
Moscow Symphony Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEnFuFlBnj8

I. Junipero Serra
II. San Juan Bautista
III. San Juan Capistrano
IV. El Camino Real

were recorded in 1999 by

William T. Stromberg conducting the

Moscow State Symphony Orchestra.

Other symphonic and concert works include

O.O. McIntyre Suite, Symphonic Variations on

an American Theme and Anthem, the

symphonic poem Jervis Bay,

Ask Not, which incorporates a portion

of John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address,

and a chamber piece called

A Suite for Flute.

In general, it was recognized that Willson wrote
well-crafted, complex music that classical music
fans could appreciate, with intricate and
sometimes startling counterpoint, well-crafted
melody, and subtle orchestration, all
while still appealing to mass audiences.

Meredith Willson died in Santa Monica on June 15,

1984 at the age of 82. On June 23, 1987, he was

presented, posthumously, with the

Presidential Medal of Freedom.

LINKS

http://www.visitmasoncityiowa.com/meredith-willson?id=160
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_Willson
http://www.filmreference.com/film/3/Meredith-Willson.html
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/99999999/FAMOUSIOWANS/41221047
http://www.nndb.com/people/438/000205820/
http://www.bomsey-autographs.com/cgi-bin
/shortList.pl?number=3661
https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/10079/
Schwartz_Iowa%20Stubborn_afd.pdf?sequence=1
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C316?exhibitId=316
http://www.themusicmansquare.org/musicman.htm

http://audioarchives.blogspot.com
/2014_07_01_archive.html

Willson discusses

"How Masterpieces Are Created"

Command Performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spgNUUL1vuU

Listen to a radio broadcast
about Meredith Willson:

https://archive.org/details/GoodNews

https://ia600404.us.archive.org/22/items/Good

News/390615_ep77_Guest_Meredith_Willson.mp3

And There I Stood with My Piccolo, Willson, Meredith

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Lyricist

MEREDITH WILLSON

Meredith Willson, composer of the Broadway musical "The Music Man," was born in Mason City, Iowa http://www.visitmasoncityiowa.com/index.php/meredith-willson

Meredith Willson Monument at Music Man Square in Mason City, Iowa the boyhood home of Meredith Wilson!

http://www.traveliowa.com/aspx/dest.aspx?id=6849

In 1955, Meredith Willson and
Walt Disney founded The Big Brothers
of Greater Los Angeles for which
he was honored by President Kennedy

Meredith Willson Receiving the

Big Brother of the Year Award

from President John F. Kennedy in 1962

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R6ok-8JIRA

Cast and crew of The Wizard of Oz in 1939:
(clockwise from left) Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger, MGM executive LK Sidney, Yip Harburg,
composer/conductor Meredith Willson, music publisher
Harry Link, Harold Arlen and Judy Garland.