Morton Gould: American Salute [Hardcover]

Peter W. Goodman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

Morton Gould (1913-1996) was a dominant force in American music throughout most of the 20th century. This phenomenally talented composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist worked in vaudeville and on radio, from Tin Pan Alley to Broadway, all the while churning out jingles, symphonies, and everything in between. His popularity, however, may have been the reason that he never received due recognition for his concert music. Peter Goodman began working on this biography with Gould himself more than a year before his death and was allowed full access by the family to all of Gould's diaries and files.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Goodman, a journalist at Long Island Newsday, has written a welcome profile of American composer/conductor Gould (1913-96) that includes interviews with Gould, Gould's family and colleagues, and excerpts from the musician's recorded diaries. (Two earlier attempts at biography were abandoned, and the only other extended documentation on Gould appears to be in unpublished theses.) Weaving together analyses of compositions with (some unnecessarily vulgar) quotes evidencing Gould's family dynamics and self-effacing manner, Goodman traces Gould's artistic and personal development in minute detail, from his years as a radio pianist and bandleader in New York through his presidency of ASCAP to his winning the Pulitzer Prize for the composition "Stringmusic" in 1995. The misconception of Gould as merely a purveyor of light classicsDwhich Goodman succeeds in dispelling contributed to his resentment of and resulting depression over the recognition accorded more charismatic contemporaries such as Leonard Bernstein. Goodman's thoroughly researched volume is recommended for academic and public music collections to fill a gap in 20th-century American music scholarship. Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

In the Foreword to Morton Gould: American Salute, Tim Page dubs Gould (1913-1996) an "embodiment of 'homegrown' music for more than half a century," citing as evidence his wide range of musical experience, from playing piano in vaudeville and conducting swing bands on radio shows to composing a concert piece for "a rap singer and an orchestra." Despite his enormous breadth and depth of achievement, Gould never felt assured of his place as a serious musician, and he found himself increasingly disappointed as he surveyed the mark that he was leaving. Goodman, uniquely armed with Gould’s cooperation before his death, and the assistance of Gould’s family and friends, has assembled a fascinating account of the man and musician. From a prodigious childhood with a difficult father, to his role as an "elder statesman of music," Goodman examines Gould's struggles with teachers and formal instruction as a child, following the thread of his career as it intertwined with his private life.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 394 pages
• Publisher: Amadeus Press (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574670557
• ISBN-13: 978-1574670554
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,495,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Morton Gould/American Salute by Peter W. Goodman, October 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Morton Gould: American Salute (Hardcover)

"Morton Gould/American Salute," by Peter W. Goodman, should appeal to anybody with even a passing interest in modern American music. Goodman, who had extensive access not only to the subject himself, but to the efforts of previous, would-be biographers, breezily moves the story of Gould's life along. The central theme of the book is the composer's unfulfilled, life-long yearning for acceptance in his field. At every turn, Goodman explains, from his early success in radio, to his widespread play by "secondary" orchestras, Gould snatched despair from the jaws of professional satisfaction. Gould's continuous battle with depression weaves through the narrative.

The author goes to great lenghts to vividly protray on the written page what, one imagines, really must be heard to be fully appreciated in Gould's work:

"'Dance Variations' is in four movements, most of which fly by at breakneck speed. Gould's harmonic language and organization are tonal and conventional, yet the music is passionate and unsettling. . . . [I]ts 'Can-Can' is pounding and raucous. And the concluding 'Tarantalla' is frighteningly angry. Far from being a simple-minded crowd-pleaser, 'Dance Variations' is a score of depth and complexity, the work of a mind that is hiding in plain sight." (P. 211.)

Goodman also delves into Gould's many and varied sexual conquests. Unlike many of his peers (Copland and Bernstein, among others), Gould was, most decidedly, heterosexual. The detailed dissection of his two marriages (curiously, to two women with the same name (Shirley)), is a vital part of Gould's life story.

Perhaps the best compliment for this book is that the reader is left with the strong urge to round out his or her personal musical collection with anything Gould! It is highly recommended.