 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
In this rare rehearsal photo for their 1924 "Experiment in Modern Music" concert, the
Whiteman Orchestra can be seen here, with the addition of violins and French horns,
preparing to introduce a new school of American music to a sold-out, Aeolian Hall
audience consisting of leading music critics from around the country; as well as numerous,
renowned conductors, composers, artists, and statesmen from around the world.
In the month prior, the January 4th edition of the New
York Tribune would announce "Whiteman Judges Named, Committee Will Decide: What Is American Music?"
The article would go on to state that "Among the members of the committee of judges who will pass on 'What is American Music?' at the Paul Whiteman concert to be given at Aeolian Hall, Tuesday afternoon, February 12, will be Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jascha Heifetz, Efrem Zimbalist, and Alma Gluck. Leonard Liebling, editor of the Musical Courier, will be chairman of the critics' committee, which is to be composed of leading musical critics of the United States. This question of 'just what is American music?' has aroused a tremendous interest in music circles and Mr. Whiteman is receiving every phase of manuscript, from blues to symphonies. George Gershwin is at work on a jazz concerto, Irving Berlin is writing a syncopated tone poem, and Victor Herbert is working on an American suite."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prior to the enormous critical and public success of their Aeolian Hall concert, the Whiteman Orchestra's ongoing commitments at New York's Palais Royal and Ziegfield Follies had made extended, national touring impossible, but in the wake of their now even greater celebrity status, Whiteman's New York office would receive a deluge of engagement offers from around the country.
Among the many other doors now being opened to him, Whiteman's groundbreaking, musical "experiment" would also bring a substantial increase in his weekly radio performances; as well as original recordings of both Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" and Victor Herbert's "A Suite of Serenades" for the renowned Blue Label of the Victor Recording Company, a privilege previously reserved exclusively for symphony orchestras, opera recordings, and other "serious" music; a repeat, command performance of the Aeolian concert in New York's Carnegie Hall; and numerous, national touring engagements.
As part of their extensive touring that would follow, arriving in Coral Gables, Florida, on February 15, 1926, the Whiteman Orchestra would perform throughout the booming hotel and resort communities of Miami, including at the opulent and newly completed Biltmore Hotel, where they would also stay as guests. As the accompanying photo illustrates, despite their hectic, five-week engagement in Miami, the group also managed to find time for swimming in some of the city's more famous recreation spots. Shortly after this amusing publicity shot was taken, at Coral Gable's renowned Venetian Pool (with instruments in-hand), their national travels would come to a close and Whiteman would soon begin to prepare for an upcoming tour of Europe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
On March 31, 1926, the twenty-eight member Paul Whiteman Orchestra boarded the SS Berengaria bound for England, and a four-month European tour that would include numerous performances in London, Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam. First fulfilling a long engagement of concurrent performances at London's legendary Kit-Cat Club and Tivoli Theatres, Whiteman's shows in England also included important concerts at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, as well as a two-week run of performances throughout the British Isles, taking him to the various cities of Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Leicester.
Completing their British engagements, the Whiteman Orchestra would then travel to Berlin, where the group's stay on "the continent" would begin with a two-week vacation in Germany before traveling on to Holland and continuing their multi-city tour. While in Berlin, Whiteman's regular rehearsals would soon be visited by scores of leading composers, music educators, critics, and international journalists; special events would be organized in his honor; and his entire orchestra and their families would be treated to sightseeing flights throughout the area, courtesy of Lufthansa Airlines.
[ back to top ] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
