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-
G u e s t b o o k 1998
|
Guestbook entries for the year 1998 are published below: |
| I have always
had vague recollections of Leroy Anderson's major works since my years
as a child in grammar school. Heard on the radio, extended play 45's,
and selections heard in various high school band concerts (including
those of my own participation as a mediocre trumpeter). The tunes
such as Sleigh Ride, Blue Tango, Buglers Holiday burned a lasting
impression in my brain. But it wasn't until last year (1997) when
I obtained the 20+ selections on the CD release by Leonard Slatkin
conducting the St. Louis Symphony ("The Typewriter"), that I truly
appreciated the genius of Mr. Leroy Anderson. I never tire of dwelling
on each of these classics and analyzing the beauty and perfection
of parts of these songs played by each section of the orchestra. His
music has been credited as reflecting the moods of America in his
time. It is also intriguing to read biographical sketches of this
truly gifted genius. It would be interesting to know what feelings
and impressions triggered the melodies of each of his great works.
What truly beautiful music he has given us! Fred Rowe <phred9145@aol.com> Columbia, PA USA - Wednesday, December 30, 1998 at 01:20:48 (EST)
I would advise everyone who enjoys the music
of Leroy Anderson (and who doesn't?) to purchase the original cast album
of his musical GOLDILOCKS before it goes out of print (if it hasn't
already). It's available over the internet via CDNOW (www.cdnow.com)
and CDUNIVERSE (www.cduniverse.com); I just got my copy, and it's an
absolute delight. The music is Anderson at his best (which is saying
a lot), the lyrics are quite witty, and the performances--by Elaine
Stritch, Don Ameche, Pat Stanley, and Russell Nype--are great. My only
regret is that I waited so long to buy it. I've also seen the script
for GOLDILOCKS, and while it has its flaws, it's quite funny and certainly
could be made to work with the right actors. If there's a forgotten
show that deserves a revival, this is it.
Leroy Anderson's music is wonderful - Thank
you for the site.
A friend visited last evening, and we played
all six of my Leroy Anderson compact discs. Very enjoyable.
I grew up in southern Ohio in the area of Waverly.
Years ago, I met a gentleman named Greg Anderson (I believe that's the
1st name) who claimed to be a distant relative of Leroy (I believe nephew)
and I thought he said Leroy was from or had ties to southern Ohio. Greg
was a very good baritone player who had played extensively in a military
band at one time. Can anyone confirm and does anyone know where Greg
is? Thanks.
Like at least one of your other writers, I've
been searching for a CD version of Leroy Anderson's "Christmas Carols"
album (white cat on the cover), which includes "A Christmas Festival",
the best medley of Christmas carols I've ever heard. My brother and
I made tapes from the scratchy vinyl (from endless playings over the
years) copy my parents had. Why hasn't Decca figured out that the range
of carols--Christian, secular, and international--gives this album real
market potential? The arrangements are spectacular, the choices tasteful
and engaging, and the entire feel of the album puts it miles ahead of
so much of what's being pumped out today to capitalize on the holiday
market. Come on, Decca. Wake up and re-release this gem! Thanks for
the website and info re: more of Leroy Anderson's work. (I remember
"The Syncopated Clock" from childhood but never knew it was his composition!).
I just finished reading a nice article in the
Columbus Dispatch about Leroy Anderson. I think my first memory of his
music was playing The Typewriter in high school band. Congratulations
on the 50 year anniversary of Sleigh Ride. We're playing it at our Christmas
concert by the Westerville (Ohio)Concert Band. There are four of us
in the percussion section, and we'll have fun with Sleigh Ride!
I love leroy andersons Bugelers holoday and
trumpeters lulaby i heard them being played at a wonderful band and
now i play lead trumpet because i loved those two songs so much
The McCullough Junior High Orchestra (two-time
Texas state orchestra finalist) will be performing the Applebaum string
orchestra arrangement of Sleigh Ride on Thursday, December 3, 1998 at
7:30 P.M. in the Woodlands High School Auditorium. They will also be
performing Plink,Plank, Plunk! on Thursday, February 11, 1999 at 7:30
P.M. at the Woodlands High School Auditorium. Robert Beck The Woodlands
H.S./McCullough J.H. Orchestra Director
I learned "Sleigh Ride" as an elementary school
student, and was very fortunate to have a music teacher who shared several
other Anderson pieces with us. Now I teach elementary school music,
and I'm passing along "Sleigh Ride" to another young audience, this
time with an Orff approach.
He tenido el placer de dirigir mucha música
de Anderson, y realmente es gratificante y a la vez educativo. La Música
de Leroy Anderson nos hace trabajar la mente y llevándonos a un mundo
de creación y fantasía. Por favor, Sería posible obtener el material
musical de la famosa SERENATA, sería muy feliz. Felicidades.
I have loved the music of Leroy Anderson ever
since hearing Sleigh Ride over the radio as a 6 year old growing up
in a small paper town in northern Quebec. Later my older sister bought
a 78 rpm record of The Syncopated Clock. I couldn't listen to it enough.
Leroy Anderson's music has given me many hours
of pleasure over the years. He is a true American icon and his music
is a part of our national consciousness. Thank you for this web site.
The music of Leroy Anderson is magnificent
... I can add no more to that. Can you pass on any insights on his wartime
work in intelligence (WWII & Korea)? I would like to insure that
my comrades in the intelligence community are aware that he once shared
their ranks. Thank you.
i was very pleased to listen to mr.anderson's
music on the new released mercury records. in my radio-programs on north
german radio NDR 3 he is sometimes a little jewel in the show. the homepage
is a must, even the "riemann" does not write anything about leroy anderson!
DELIGHTFUL WEB PAGE. AS A CHILD I BOUGHT FIRST
RECORD A 45 RPM OF ANDERSON MUSIC/FIEDLER & BOSTON POPS 48 YRS.
AGO.THAT STARTED ME ON CLASSICAL MUSIC. TODAY,48 YRS. LATER - I HAVE
5000 LPS & 400 CDS. THANK YOU LEROY ANDERSON.
I have long enjoyed Leroy Anderson's music
and I have several LPs and CDs. However, I have been searching for a
Christmas music album for nearly twenty years. I have no idea what it
was titled, but one of the most intriging cuts was "The Santa Song"
which, as I recall, was an obligato tuba. If you can help me, please
let me know.
Did Leroy Anderson go to Cambridge High or
Cambridge Latin?
Finding music for gymnastic floor routines
has always been difficult. Leroy Anderson has been a real find. His
music is bright, invigortating, and beautifully orchestrated. If anyone
knows of composers of a similar style please reply!!! Short pieces under
three minutes are best. Thanks. J.Hsu
I am delighted that there is a fantastic website
for an awesome talent like Leroy Anderson. I certainly was pleased to
hear the 50th anniv release of Sleighride. I still have a Boston Pops
45 record with Serenata on the reverse side. When I visit Connecticut
I would love to see his notebook of various orchestrations throughout
his career. He certainly had some magic melodies in his head.
One of my favorite pieces of music is Anderson's
Irish Suite. I visited the web site to find who might have performed
and recorded the suite through the years. Couldn't find much but did
get very nostalgic!!
Need some Help please!! I can read music just
a little. I'd like to play Forgotten Dreams, I can manage the right
hand no problem but need someone to help me with the bass/treble notes
for the left hand acc. does someone have the time to write the names
of the notes for me?? Please :) Meg
For a homework assignment I need to find the
holiday song that made Leroy Anderson popular. Can you help me? Need
it by tommorrw. -Thanks
For a half century I have been a "fan" of Mr.
Anderson, and playing his recordings until no music was left, and I
would go out and buy another. A favorite would be difficult, but right
on the top of the list would be "Forgotton Dreams" . He is indeed an
American Treasure, and left us music with a smile.
My students are studying the theme and variations
of "The Girl I Left Behind Me" from the Irish Suite and really love
it. Thanks for the website, I've learned some new things.
Since I was young..I have been a fan of the
music of Leroy Anderson..The holiday season wouldn't be the same without
a steady diet of "Sleigh Ride".."Horse and Buggy" another favorite of
mine..The use of the clip-clop sound of horse's hooves and the crack
of the whip makes the music that much more real to me..Would love to
communicate via E-Mail with other lovers of Leroy Anderson's Music especially
"Sleigh Ride" and "Horse and Buggy"..Like to establish fan club.. Hope
to hear from you very soon...
Just bought the new Sleigh Ride CD. What a
thrill to listen to that after an old scratchy LP with fake stereo!!!
Love your website!! Love your music!! We are
releasing a Christmas CD, Nov.1. We have chosen sleigh ride as one of
our selections. It is not listed with the HFA. Can anyone tell me where
I can get the mechanical lic.? Thanks!!!
I have a vision of myself at approximately
three or four, listening over and over to Sleigh Ride and feeling such
joy and freedom; completely experiencing something more than merely
listening to a song. This has always been the case with each new Leroy
Anderson piece that I discover. Each piece inhabits its own world and
draws us into that magical place. Thank you, Mr. Anderson.
Just heard Leo Kottke mention Leroy Anderson-
as "the master of the hook". Thanks for putting this website together.
It will be an invaluable aid for me to explore Mr. Anderson's music.
I am associate conductor of the Peninsula Concert
Band in Newpor News VA. Mr Anderson's music has long been a popular
part of our repitoire. Bugler's Holiday, the Waltzing Cat, Phantom Regiment,
and of course Sleigh Ride. We are starting What we hope to be anannual
tradition this year by playing at the Williamsburg Scottish Festival
in September. Two of Mr. Andersons arrangments, Blue bells of Scotland
and the Irish Washerwoman, are expected to be highlights of that performance.
I first heard Mr. Anderson's wonderful music
when XETV Channel 6 Tia Juana (serving San Diego) used "Belle of the
Ball" for its station breaks. That was about 1953. "China Doll" is my
favourite but I like all he wrote.
Serenata is my favorite Anderson composition.
He was a true American Original. His music will live forever and bring
pleasure to both present and future generations.
I'm conductor of an amateur symphonic orchestra.
I created in 92 a young symphonic orchestra called "Le p'tit Val de
Sambre" to allow young musicians to discover the pleasure playing in
a big orchestra. I found Leroy Anderson's music by chance, and it was
marvellous to see how this music was appreciated by children from 9
to 16. Thanks for this pleasure. J. De Messemacker 16,Tienne du Tonnely
5640 BIESME BELGIUM
Aloha! My 2nd entry in the guestbook. Just
wanted eveyone to know that today (June 29th) is 90th anniversary of
Leroy Anderson's birth. His music will bring joy forever!
Mr. Anderson's music is immortal. His works
are featured on my MUSIC OF THE STARS radio programs.
Though not being an American myself , I've
always found Leroy Anderson's music fun and unique .I especially like
his piano concerto-- it's just as delightful and pleasant as his shorter
, better-known pieces.
My favorite Leroy Anderson composition is "The
Golden Years". It floats me back in time to my youth and to some of
my friends and relatives, who are once again young and healthy themselves.
It's true genius.
I don't play anything (except the radio) or
teach anything. All I know is that it just would not be Christmas for
me if I didn't get to hear "Sleigh Ride" at least once during the holiday
season. "The Typewriter" and "Syncopated Clock" have been favorites
since long before I knew what they were called...or even knew what pop,
let alone classical music was. Just thinking about them makes me smile
inside -- hearing them makes me smile all over. And though I love classical
music, there are few composers whose music I recognize as their own.
Mr. Anderson's music, though, always stands out. It seems to be the
merged embodiment of America and happiness and I'm glad to have been
exposed to it. Thank you! :-)
It was a real pleasure meeting and speaking
with Eleanor Anderson and her son Kurt Anderson at the U.S. Coast Guard
Academy on 6/14/98. The concert featuring the U.S. Coast Guard Band
was nothing less than spectacular thanks to the great compositions of
LEROY ANDERSON. And thanks again, Mrs. Anderson, for the autograph on
my CD.
As a band director I have found the music of
Leroy Anderson to be an instant success. Always entertaining, well scored
and interesting.
I am a band director in Honolulu, Hawaii and
I, too, have been a long-time fan of Leroy Anderson's music. In fact,
I try to program either "A Christmas Festival" or "Sleigh Ride" each
winter. Although I share a particular fondness for those two seasonal
works, my favorite Leroy Anderson work remains "Belle of the Ball."
A special thanks to my good friend and fellow percussionist Bill Wiley
for turning me on to this site. Aloha!
I am a member of the Royal Hawaiian Band and
have been playing tuba for last 17 years. I was first introduced to
the music of Leroy Anderson by my father who played me a recording of
Buglers Holiday when I was 10yrs. old....it was then that I decided
to become an instrumentalist, and pursue my love of music to its fullest!
I have loved the music of Mr. Anderson for years and I am always excited
to play his music as if it were the first time! May Leroy Anderson's
music be played and heard forever! Aloha!
ALOHA! I am the staff arranger with the Royal
Hawaiian Band and have my own custom song writing business. When I first
played Leroy Anderson's music in Junior High Band, I knew THAT was the
kind of music I wanted to write. He has been an inspiration to me! I
have collected recordings of almost everything he has ever written.
His wit, charm and craftsmanship seperate his music from his many imitators.
No one did it better than Leroy Anderson. I am glad his music continues
to be played!
I teach third grade and have a very exciting
fine arts program. We study many composers. The class has really enjoyed
the music of Leroy Anderson...especially The Syncopated Clock.
Just a friendly welcome to your new home on
the web! |