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Leopold Stokowski

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Leopold Stokowski was a British conductor, born in London in 1882, and one of the great names of orchestral life in the early and middle twentieth century. He studied at the Royal College of Music from the age of thirteen and worked as an organist, first in London and from 1905 at a church in New York. In 1909 he became a conductor in Cincinnati, where he introduced popular concerts and programmed works by living composers. In 1912 came the appointment at the Philadelphia Orchestra, the post with which he is most closely associated. Later he also led the NBC Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the Houston Symphony Orchestra, among others, and founded the All-American Youth Orchestra and the American Symphony Orchestra.

Music and breakthrough

Stokowski conducted without a baton and drew a distinctive, recognisable sound from every orchestra. He was a showman who experimented with the lighting of the concert hall. He also arranged scores, above all by Johann Sebastian Bach, which critics sometimes found too free. He gave many premieres, was the only conductor to play all of Arnold Schönberg's orchestral works during the composer's lifetime, and presented Boris Godunov in America in 1929 and Wozzeck in 1931. His records include Peter and the Wolf from 1941 and Carmina Burana from 1959.

Influence

For pop listeners he is best known for Disney's Fantasia, for which he conducted the music and in which he appeared on screen himself. In this way he brought classical music to the cinema and to a new audience. He gave his last public performance in 1975 and died in 1977.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to the music of Walt Disney's Fantasia and notice how the orchestra changes its tone with every turn of the music. Can you hear how the mood can go from friendly to menacing?

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsDisney and classic cartoons (Mickey Mousing)