Suzanne Adams (28 November 1872 – 5 February 1953) was an American lyric coloratura soprano. Known for her agile and pure voice, Adams first became well known in France before establishing herself as one of the Metropolitan Opera's leading sopranos at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Biography

Adams was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She studied in New York with Jacques Bouhy and then in Paris with Mathilde Marchesi. She made her opera début at the Paris Opéra in 1894 or 1895 as Juliette in Charles Gounod's ''Roméo et Juliette''. She studied the role of Juliet and the role of Marguerite from ''Faust'' with Gounod himself, who greatly admired her fine technique, brilliant tone, and vocal flexibility.

She remained at the Paris Opera for three years and then went to Nice. While in France she sang numeroues roles by Gounod and Meyerbeer, as well as the Queen of the Night in the ''The Magic Flute'' and the title role in Gluck's ''Eurydice'' among other roles. In the summer of 1898 she appeared at Covent Garden, London as Hero in the world premiere of C. V. Stanford's ''Much Ado About Nothing''. She went on to join the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where she sang numerous roles during the seasons of 1898-99 to 1903. Her roles at the Met included Juliette, Marguerite, Marguerite de Valois from ''Les Huguenots'', Micaela from ''Carmen'', Cherubino from ''Le nozze di Figaro'', Donna Elvira from ''Don Giovanni'', Philine from ''Mignon'', Berthe from ''Le prophète'', the Forest Bird from ''Siegfried'', Nedda from ''Pagliacci'', Gilda from ''Rigoletto'', Infanta from ''Le Cid'', Inès from ''L'Africaine'', and Mimì from ''La bohème'' among others.

In 1898 she married Leo Stern, an English cellist who died in 1904. Following Stern's death, Adams soon retired from the stage and settled in London. She appeared at Covent Garden in some performances of Carmen in November 1906 (presumably as Micaela), these may have been among her last appearances in opera. Judging from a New York passenger list of 1903, she had already ceased to be a US citizen; presumably she had become a British citizen. However, the recently released UK 1911 census has her as a US citizen resident in the UK. She is reported to have taught singing for many years, further details are lacking so far. She appeared in a few concerts in the UK in 1905 and 1906. She visited the United States in late 1907 to appear in vaudeville in Chicago, New York and elsewhere.

In 1915 she married John Lumsden Mackay, 'of independent means'. Details of John Mackay's life are lacking, but he may have had some career as an actor before World War I (sources: NY passenger list of 1912; 'Garrick Club' as address in WWI medal index). He served in WWI, possibly as a sick bay attendant with the Navy, and was awarded the 1915 Star etc. He died in November 1934. They lived for many years north of Hyde Park in London at 55 Inverness Terrace. She may have continued teaching until her death in London in 1953.

Note: Some reference books claim that she managed a laundry in London after her retirement, but do not cite reliable primary sources for this.

Recordings

Adams recorded five cylinders for Gianni Bettini in 1898. In 1902 she made five disc recordings in London for the Gramophone and Typewriter Company's new Red Seal series, four of which were issued in the United States by the Victor Talking Machine Company the following year. Seven more records were made in the United States for Columbia Records' 1903 Grand Opera Series. She also appears on a few of the Mapleson Cylinders, including (probably) the one of the Queen's aria from Les Huguenots previously attributed to Melba.

References

Herman Klein/Harold Rosenthal: "Suzanne Adams", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed September 26, 2008), (subscription access)

External links

Category:1872 births Category:1953 deaths Category:American opera singers Category:Operatic sopranos Category:People from Cambridge, Massachusetts

it:Suzanne Adams

Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993)}} was an African-American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. Music critic Alan Blyth said "Her voice was a rich, vibrant contralto of intrinsic beauty." Most of her singing career was spent performing in concert and recital in major music venues and with major orchestras throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965. Although she was offered contracts to perform roles with many important European opera companies, Anderson declined all of these, preferring to perform in concert and recital only. She did, however, perform opera arias within her concerts and recitals. She made many recordings that reflected her broad performance repertoire of everything from concert literature to lieder to opera to traditional American songs and spirituals.

Anderson became an important figure in the struggle for black artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States during the mid twentieth century. In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused permission for Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. Their race-driven refusal placed Anderson into the spotlight of the international community on a level usually only found by high profile celebrities and politicians. With the aid of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to a crowd of more than 75,000 people and a radio audience in the millions. She continued to break barriers for black artists in the United States, becoming the first black person, American or otherwise, to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on January 7, 1955. Her performance as Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's ''Un ballo in maschera'' at the Met was the only time she sang an opera role on stage.

Anderson was also an important symbol of grace and beauty during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, singing at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. She also worked for several years as a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and as a "goodwill ambassadress" for the United States Department of State. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Anderson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.

Marian Anderson's picture appears in on the $5000 paper Series I Bond issued by the US Treasury.

Biography

Early life and career

Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of John Berkley Anderson and the former Annie Delilah Rucker. Her father sold ice and coal in downtown Philadelphia at the Reading Terminal and eventually opened a small liquor business as well, oddly for a man who did not drink alcohol himself. Prior to her marriage, Anderson's mother had briefly attended the Virginia Seminary and College in Lynchburg and had worked as a schoolteacher in Virginia. However, having not completed a degree, she was unable to teach in Philadelphia, a law that was applied only to black teachers and not white ones. She therefore earned an income looking after small children. Marian was the eldest of the three Anderson children. Her two sisters, Alice (later spelled Alyse) (1899–1965) and Ethel (1902–1990), also became singers. Ethel married James DePreist and their son, James Anderson DePreist is a noted conductor .

Anderson's parents were both devout Christians and the whole family was highly active in the Union Baptist Church in South Philadelphia. Marian's Aunt Mary (John Berkley's sister) was particularly active in the church's musical life and, noticing her niece's talent, convinced her to join the junior church choir at the age of six. As a part of the choir she got to perform solos and duets, often with Aunt Mary who also had a fine voice. Marian was also taken by her aunt to concerts at local churches, the YMCA, and other community music events throughout the city. Anderson credited her aunt's influence as the reason she pursued a singing career. Beginning as young as six, her aunt arranged for Marian to sing for local functions where she was often paid 25 or 50 cents for singing a few songs. As she got into her early teens, Marian began to make as much as four or five dollars for singing; a considerable amount of money for the early 20th century. At the age of 10, Marian joined the People's Chorus under the direction of singer Emma Azalia Hackley, where she was often given solos.

When Marian was 12, her father was accidentally struck on the head while at work at the Reading Terminal, just a few weeks before Christmas of 1909. He died of heart failure a month later at age 34. Marian and her family moved into the home of her father's parents, Grandpa Benjamin and Grandma Isabella Anderson. Her grandfather had been born a slave and had experienced emancipation in the 1860s. He was the first of the Anderson family to settle in South Philadelphia, and when Marian moved into his home the two became very close. Sadly he died only about a year after the family moved in.

Throughout her teenage years, Marian remained active in her church's musical activities, now heavily involved in the adult choir. She attended Stanton Grammar School, graduating from there in the summer of 1912. Her family, however, could not afford to send her to high school, nor could they pay for any music lessons. Still, Marian continued to perform wherever she could and learn from anyone who was willing to teach her. She joined the Baptists' Young People's Union and the Camp Fire Girls which provided her with some limited musical opportunities. Eventually the directors of the People's Chorus and the pastor of her church, Reverend Wesley Parks, along with other leaders of the black community, banded together to help Marian. They raised the money she needed to get singing lessons with Mary S. Patterson and to attend South Philadelphia High School, from which she graduated in 1921.

After high school, Marian applied to an all-white music school, the Philadelphia Music Academy (now University of the Arts), but was turned away because she was black. The woman working the admissions counter replied, "We don't take colored" when she tried to apply. Undaunted, Anderson pursued studies privately with Giuseppe Boghetti and Agnes Reifsnyder in her native city through the continued support of the Philadelphia black community. She met Boghetti through the principal of her high school. Marian auditioned for him singing 'Deep River' and he was immediately brought to tears.

In 1925 Anderson got her first big break when she won first prize in a singing competition sponsored by the New York Philharmonic. As the winner she got to perform in concert with the orchestra on August 26, 1925, a performance that scored immediate success with both audience and music critics. Anderson remained in New York to pursue further studies with Frank La Forge. During the time Arthur Judson, whom she had met through the NYP, became her manager. Over the next several years, she made a number of concert appearances in the United States, but racial prejudice prevented her career from gaining much momentum. In 1928, she sang for the first time at Carnegie Hall. Eventually she decided to go to Europe where she spent a number of months studying with Mme. Charles Cahier before launching a highly successful European singing tour.

European fame and the 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert

In 1930 Anderson made her European debut in a concert at Wigmore Hall in London where she was received enthusiastically. She spent the early 1930s touring throughout Europe where she did not encounter the racial prejudices she had experienced in America. In the summer of 1930 she went to Scandinavia where she met the Finnish pianist Kosti Vehanen who became her regular accompanist and her vocal coach for many years. She also met Jean Sibelius through Vehanen after he had heard her in a concert in Helsinki. Moved by her performance, Sibelius invited them to his home and asked his wife to bring champagne in place of the traditional coffee. Sibelius commented to Anderson of her performance that he felt that she had been able to penetrate the Nordic soul. The two struck up an immediate friendship, which further blossomed into a professional partnership, and for many years Sibelius altered and composed songs for Anderson to perform. He created a new arrangement of the song "Solitude" and dedicated it to Anderson in 1939. Originally ''The Jewish Girl's Song'' from his 1906 incidental music to ''Belshazzar's Feast'', it later became the "Solitude" section of the orchestral suite derived from the incidental music.

In 1934 impresario Sol Hurok offered Anderson a better contract than she previously had with Arthur Judson. He became her manager for the rest of her performing career and it is only through his persuasion that she came back to perform in America. In 1935, Anderson made her first recital appearance in New York at Town Hall which received highly favorable reviews by music critics. She spent the next four years touring throughout the United States and Europe. She was offered opera roles by several European houses but, due to her lack of acting experience, Anderson declined all of these offers. She did, however, record a number of opera arias in the studio which became bestsellers.

Anderson, accompanied by Vehanen, continued to tour throughout Europe during the mid 1930s. She visited Eastern European capitals and Russia and returned again to Scandinavia, where "Marian fever" had spread to small towns and villages where she had thousands of fans. She quickly became a favorite of many conductors and composers of major European orchestras, and drew a large fan base among European audiences. During a 1935 tour in Salzburg, the famed conductor Arturo Toscanini told her she had a voice "heard once in a hundred years."

In the late 1930s, Anderson gave about 70 recitals a year in the United States. Although by now quite famous, her stature did not completely end the prejudice she confronted as a young black singer touring the United States. She was still denied rooms in certain American hotels and was not allowed to eat in certain American restaurants.

In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused permission for Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. At the time, Washington, D.C., was a segregated city and black patrons were upset that they had to sit at the back of Constitution Hall. The District of Columbia Board of Education also declined a request to use the auditorium of a white public high school. As a result of the ensuing furor, thousands of DAR members, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, resigned.

The Roosevelts, with Walter White, then-executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Anderson's manager, impresario Sol Hurok, then persuaded Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes to arrange an open air Marian Anderson concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The concert was performed on Easter Sunday, April 9, and Anderson was accompanied, per usual, by Vehanen. They began the performance with a dignified and stirring rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee". The event attracted a crowd of more than 75,000 of all colors and was a sensation with a national radio audience of millions.

Mid life and career

During World War II and the Korean War, Marian Anderson participated by entertaining the troops in hospitals and bases. In 1943, Anderson finally sang at Constitution Hall at the invitation of the DAR to an integrated audience as part of a benefit for the American Red Cross. She said of the event, "When I finally walked onto the stage of Constitution Hall, I felt no different than I had in other halls. There was no sense of triumph. I felt that it was a beautiful concert hall and I was very happy to sing there." By contrast, the District of Columbia Board of Education continued to bar her from using the high school auditorium in the District of Columbia.

On July 17, 1943, in Bethel, Connecticut, Anderson became the second wife of a man who had asked her to marry him when they were teenagers, architect Orpheus H. Fisher (1900—1986), known as ''King''. By this marriage she had a stepson, James Fisher, from her husband's previous marriage to Ida Gould. The couple had purchased a farm in Danbury, Connecticut, three years earlier in 1940 after an exhaustive search throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Many purchases were attempted but thwarted by property sellers due to racial discrimination. Through the years Fisher built many outbuildings on the property that became known as Marianna Farm, including an acoustic rehearsal studio he designed for his wife. The property remained Anderson's home for more than 50 years.

On January 7, 1955, Anderson became the first African-American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. On that occasion, she sang the part of Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's ''Un ballo in maschera'' (opposite Zinka Milanov, then Herva Nelli, as Amelia) at the invitation of director Sir Rudolf Bing. Anderson said later about the evening, "The curtain rose on the second scene and I was there on stage, mixing the witch's brew. I trembled, and when the audience applauded and applauded before I could sing a note, I felt myself tightening into a knot." Although she never appeared with the company again after this production, Anderson was named a permanent member of the Metropolitan Opera company. The following year she published her autobiography, ''My Lord, What a Morning'', which became a bestseller.

In 1957, she sang for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inauguration and toured India and the Far East as a goodwill ambassadress through the U.S. State Department and the American National Theater and Academy. She traveled in 12 weeks, giving 24 concerts. After that, President Eisenhower appointed her as a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The same year, she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1958 she was officially designated delegate to the United Nations, a formalization of her role as "goodwill ambassadress" of the U.S. which she had played earlier.

On January 20, 1961 she sang for President John F. Kennedy's inauguration, and in 1962 she performed for President Kennedy and other dignitaries in the East Room of the White House, and also toured Australia. She was active in supporting the civil rights movement during the 1960s, giving benefit concerts for the Congress of Racial Equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. In 1963, she sang at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. That same year she was one of the original 31 recipients of the newly reinstituted Presidential Medal of Freedom (which is awarded for "especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interest of the United States, World Peace or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors"), and she also released her album, ''Snoopycat: The Adventures of Marian Anderson's Cat Snoopy,'' which included short stories and songs about her beloved black cat. In 1965, she christened the nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine, USS ''George Washington Carver''. That same year Anderson concluded her farewell tour, after which she retired from public performance. The international tour began at Constitution Hall on Saturday October 24, 1964 and ended at Carnegie Hall on April 18, 1965.

Later life

Although Anderson retired from singing in 1965, she continued to appear publicly. On several occasions she narrated Aaron Copland's ''Lincoln Portrait'', including a performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra at Saratoga in 1976, conducted by the composer. Her achievements were recognized and honored with many prizes, including the UN Peace Prize in 1972, the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit in 1973, the Congressional Gold Medal in 1977, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the George Peabody Medal in 1981, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1991. In 1980, the United States Treasury Department coined a half-ounce gold commemorative medal with her likeness, and in 1984 she was the first recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award of the City of New York. She has been awarded honarary doctoral degrees from Howard University, Temple University and Smith College. She also received the Silver Buffalo Award in 1990, the highest award given to adults by the Boy Scouts of America.

In 1986, Anderson's husband, Orpheus Fisher, died after 43 years of marriage. Anderson remained in residence at Marianna Farm until 1992, one year before her death. Although the property was sold to developers, various preservationists as well as the City of Danbury fought to protect Anderson's studio. Their efforts proved successful and the Danbury Museum and Historical Society received a grant from the State of Connecticut, relocated the structure, restored it, and opened it to the public in 2004. In addition to seeing the studio, visitors can see photographs and memorabilia from milestones in Anderson's career.

Marian Anderson died of congestive heart failure on April 8, 1993, at age 96. She had suffered a stroke a month earlier. She died in Portland, Oregon, at the home of her nephew, conductor James DePreist. She is interred at Eden Cemetery, in Collingdale, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.

Legacy

The life and art of Marian Anderson has inspired several writers and artists. In 1999 a one act musical play entitled ''My Lord, What a Morning: The Marian Anderson Story'' was produced by the Kennedy Center. In 2001, the 1939 documentary film, ''Marian Anderson: the Lincoln Memorial Concert'' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Anderson's 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial also forms a centre point of Richard Powers's novel ''The Time of Our Singing'' (2003).

In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante included Marian Anderson in his book, ''100 Greatest African Americans''.

On January 27, 2005, a commemorative U.S. postage stamp honored Marian Anderson as part of the Black Heritage series. Anderson is also pictured on the US$5,000 Series I United States Savings Bond.

Marian Anderson Award

The Marian Anderson Award was originally established in 1943 by Anderson after she was awarded the $10,000 Bok Prize that year by the city of Philadelphia. Anderson used the award money to establish a singing competition to help support young singers; recipients of which include Camilla Williams (1943, 1944), Nathaniel Dickerson (1944), Louise Parker (1944), Rawn Spearman (1949), Georgia Laster (1951), Betty Allen (1952), Shirlee Emmons (1953), Judith Raskin (1952, 1953), Miriam Holman (1954), Shirley Verrett (1957), and Joyce Mathis (1967). Eventually the prize fund ran out of money and it was disbanded. Florence Quivar was the last recipient of this earlier award in 1976.

In 1990 the award was re-established and has dispensed $25,000 annually. In 1998 the prize was restructured with the "Marian Anderson Award" going to an established artist, not necessarily a singer, who exhibits leadership in a humanitarian area. A separate prize, the "Marian Anderson Prize for Emerging Classical Artists" is given to promising young classical singers.

Awardees by year:

1990 – Sylvia McNair

1991 – Denyce Graves

1992 – Philip Zawisza

1993 – Nancy Maultsby

1994 – Patricia Racette

1995 – Michelle DeYoung

1996 – Nathan Gunn

1997 – Marguerite Krull

1998 – Harry Belafonte

1999 – Gregory Peck

2000 – Elizabeth Taylor

2001 – Quincy Jones

2002 – Danny Glover

2003 – Oprah Winfrey

2005 – Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis

2006 – Sidney Poitier

2007 – Richard Gere

2008 – Maya Angelou and Norman Lear

2009 – Bill Cosby

See also

List of African-American firsts

List of political rallies on the National Mall

References

; Detailed research

Raymond Arsenault, ''The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the concert that awakened America'' (2009). ISBN 1596915781

Freedman, Russell, ''The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle For Equal Rights'' (Clarion Books, New York, 2004) ISBN 978-0618159765

Keiler, Allan, ''Marian Anderson: A Singer's Journey.'' Scribner, 2002. ISBN 0-25207-067-4.

Sims-Wood, Janet L, ''Marian Anderson, An Annotated Bibliography and Discography'' (Greenwood Press, Connecticut, 1981) ISBN 978-0313225598

Voice of America segment on Marian Anderson

Online exhibition at the University of Pennsylvania Library, largest online collection of images, includes Anderson's papers, audio and film archives.

Marian Anderson Historical Society

; Biographical entries

Hamilton, David. (1987). ''The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the World of Opera''. New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Tokyo: Simon and Schuster. p. 22. ISBN 0-671-61732-X.

Hamilton, Mary. (1990). ''A-Z of Opera''. New York, Oxford, Sydney: Facts On File. p. 17. ISBN 0-8160-2340-9.

Rosenthal, Harold and John Warrack. (1979, 2nd ed.). ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera''. London, New York and Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 11. ISBN 0-19-311318-X.

Sadie, Stanley and Christina Bashford. (1992). ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera''. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Vol. 1, p. 123. ISBN 0-935859-92-6.

Sadie, Stanley and John Tyrrell. (2001).''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians''. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Vol. 1, p. 615. ISBN 0-333-60800-3.

Warrack, John and Ewan West. (1996 3rd ed.). ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 13. ISBN 0-19-280028-0.

Kennedy Center, "Biography of Marian Anderson"

Virtual Museum of History, "Marian Anderson"

FemBio, "Marian Anderson"

Bach Cantatas, "Biography and Bach Cantatas Recordings"

Carlton Higginbotham, "Biography of Marian Anderson"

External links

International Jose Guillermo Carrillo Foundation

Marian Anderson Historical Society, operates the Marian Anderson Museum and Birthplace in Philadelphia

Discography at SonyBMG Masterworks

Metropolitan Opera performances (MetOpera database)

Lifetime Honors – National Medal of Arts

Category:1897 births Category:1993 deaths Category:American female singers Category:African American opera singers Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients Category:Operatic contraltos Category:George Peabody Medal winners Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Musicians from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Spingarn Medal winners Category:Deaths from congestive heart failure Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

ca:Marian Anderson de:Marian Anderson es:Marian Anderson fr:Marian Anderson gl:Marian Anderson it:Marian Anderson he:מריאן אנדרסון hu:Marian Anderson no:Marian Anderson pl:Marian Anderson pt:Marian Anderson ru:Андерсон, Мариан fi:Marian Anderson sv:Marian Anderson tr:Marian Anderson uk:Маріан Андерсон diq:Marian Anderson

name	Frank Quinn
nationality
fields	Mathematics
workplaces	Virginia Tech
alma mater	Princeton University
doctoral advisor	William BrowderMichel Kervaire
doctoral students	Ivelina BobtchevaMasayuki Yamasaki
awards	}}

Frank Stringfellow Quinn, III is an American mathematician and professor of mathematics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, specializing in geometric topology. He contributed to the mathematical field of 4-manifolds, including a proof of the 4-dimensional annulus theorem. In surgery theory, he made several important contributions: the invention of the assembly map, that enables a functorial description of surgery in the topological category, with his thesis advisor, William Browder, the development of an early surgery theory for stratified spaces, and perhaps most importantly, he pioneered the use of controlled methods in geometric topology and in algebra. Among his important applications of "control" are his aforementioned proof of the 4-dimensional annulus theorem, his development of a flexible category of stratified spaces, and, in combination with work of R.D. Edwards, a useful characterization of high dimensional manifolds among homology manifolds.

In addition to his work in mathematical research, he has written articles on the nature and history of mathematics and on issues of mathematical education.

Selected publications

Frank Quinn, ''Ends of maps. I.'' Ann. of Math. (2) 110 (1979), no. 2, 275—331.

Frank Quinn, ''Ends of maps. II.'' Invent. Math. 68 (1982), no. 3, 353—424.

Frank Quinn, ''Ends of maps. III.'' Dimensions 4 and 5. J. Differential Geom. 17 (1982), no. 3, 503—521.

Michael Freedman and Frank Quinn, ''Topology of 4-manifolds.'' Princeton Mathematical Series, 39. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1990. viii+259 pp. ISBN 0-691-08577-3

Vyacheslav S. Krushkal and Frank Quinn, ''Subexponential groups in 4-manifold topology.'' Geom. Topol. 4 (2000), 407—430.

External links

Home page

''Theoretical Mathematics'' by Jaffe and Quinn

AMS K-12 education Working Group

Category:American mathematicians Category:20th-century mathematicians Category:21st-century mathematicians Category:Topologists Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Virginia Tech faculty Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people

ht:Frank Quinn

Pol-Henri Plançon (12 June 1851 – 11 August 1914) was a distinguished French operatic bass (''basse chantante''). He was one of the most acclaimed singers active during the 1880s, 1890s and early 20th century—a period often referred to as the "Golden Age of Opera".

In addition to being among the earliest international opera stars to have made recordings, he was a versatile singer who performed roles ranging from Sarastro in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's ''Die Zauberflöte'' of 1791 through to core bass parts composed in the 19th century by Giacomo Meyerbeer, Charles Gounod, Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, among others.

He was renowned for his exquisite legato singing as well as for his crisp diction, limpid tone, precise intonation, and virtuosic mastery of ornaments and fioriture. While not huge, his voice was of more than ample size, making a consistently positive impression in such large theatres as the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. It always moved with exemplary suppleness, allowing him to execute flawless trills and rapid scale passages with remarkable precision and suavity.

Biography

Pol Plançon was born in Fumay, in the Ardennes ''département'' of France, near the Belgian border. "Pol" is a pet form of Paul.

Training

Blessed with a fine natural voice, he commenced learning to sing with the pivotal French tenor Gilbert Duprez (the originator of the "chest voice high C"), who had turned to teaching after his retirement from the stage. Duprez had enjoyed a distinguished career in Italy, where he created Edgardo in Donizetti's ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' in 1835. Plançon supplemented his studies with Duprez with lessons from Giovanni Sbriglia, who taught many outstanding opera singers at his Parisian studio, most notably the brothers Jean de Reszke and Édouard de Reszke, with whom Plançon would sing quite often in future years.

In a 1905 interview with the ''New York Times'' newspaper he said that he had modelled his technique on the vocal method of a celebrated predecessor, the baritone Jean-Baptiste Faure, who had been an idol of Parisian audiences during the 1860s and '70s.

Early career

The great bass debuted at the opera theatre in Lyon in 1877 in the rôle of Saint-Bris in Meyerbeer's ''Les Huguenots''. He remained in Lyon until May 1879. He then moved to Paris and, in 1880, assumed the role of Colonna in Hippolyte Duprat's opera ''Petrarque'' at the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Lyrique de Paris.

Finally, in 1883, he received his first invitation to sing at the Paris Opéra, successfully undertaking the part of Méphistophélès in Charles Gounod's ''Faust''. He would spend 10 years at the Paris Opera, participating in the 1885 premiere of Jules Massenet's ''Le Cid'' in the role of Don Gormas (alongside the brothers de Reszke). Another notable operatic premiere that he participated in was that of Camille Saint-Saëns's ''Ascanio'' on 21 March 1890, in which he sang the part of King Francis I. Appearing with him in ''Ascanio'' was a soon-to-be frequent soprano partner, America's Emma Eames. Eames' rival, the brilliant Australian soprano Nellie Melba, would also partner him on many occasions.

Success at Covent Garden

He performed on the European scene from 1891 to 1904, most importantly at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London, where he participated yet again in numerous premieres. One of these occurred on 11 June 1892, when he appeared in the first staging of the ''The Light of Asia'', by Isidore de Lara.

Other operatic first performances that he graced with his presence included: on 20 June 1894, ''La Navarraise'', by Massenet; on 30 June 1901, the operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's ''Much Ado About Nothing'', by Sir Charles Stanford; in 1901, ''Le roi d'Ys'', by Édouard Lalo; and in 1904, ''Hérodiade'', by Massenet.

English commentators were enthusiastic about his contribution to these premieres, as well as his singing in the standard repertory roles, including Rocco in Ludwig van Beethoven's ''Fidelio'', Méphistophélès in Faust, Ramfis in Verdi's ''Aida'', Pogner in Wagner's ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' or Jupiter in Gounod's ''Philémon et Baucis''. Only his portrayal of ''Mefistofele'' in the eponymous opera by Arrigo Boïto, essayed in 1895, was received with reservations by the music critics. They felt that Plançon's true home lay in the French and Italian ''bel canto'' repertory and as a consequence of this, Boïto's snarling demon was less suited to the singer's debonair demeanour than the urbane devil that he portrayed so effectively in Gounod's ''Faust''.

The Metropolitan Opera years

It was in the height of his glory at Covent Garden that Plançon was brought to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City by the impresario Maurice Grau. He debuted there on 29 November 1893, in the role of Jupiter in Gounod's ''Philémon et Baucis''. All told, he appeared in the seasons of 1893–97, 1898–1901 and 1903–08. He gave a total of 612 performances with the Met company, including both operatic stagings and concert appearances, whether in New York or in various other American cities as part of the Met's touring ensemble. One should take particular note of his 85 appearances as Méphistophélès in ''Faust'', as well as his participation in the American stage premiere of Hector Berlioz's ''La Damnation de Faust'' in 1906, singing the role of that other famous French Mephisto. In 1899, he appeared in the inaugural performance of Mancinelli's opera ''Ero e Leandro'' 1899 (in the role of Ariofarne).

In 1906, he was staying in San Francisco with a visiting troupe of Met singers (including Enrico Caruso) when a powerful earthquake and fire devastated the city. He escaped the disaster shaken but unharmed. He left the Met in 1908, following a final appearance as Plunkett in Friedrich von Flotow's ''Martha'' at the theatre.

Incidentally, during the winter of 1896–1897, the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862–1947) had painted a portrait of him for the wealthy operetta composer Emma Marcy Raymond, which was subsequently exhibited in March 1897 at the Durand-Ruel Galleries in New York. It is now lost.

Private life

Outside the theatre, his bearing reflected his cultivated stage presence. American and British newspaper reporters of the day portrayed him as a tall, immaculately groomed French gentleman with polite manners but a limited command of English. Nonetheless, prurient rumours about his personal conduct, implying that he was homosexual, circulated from time to time. "The New York critic Hunekar disliked his 'mincing gait' and complained of a 'lack of virility in his impersonations.' Whether this was fair comment or merely a Puritan critic's reaction to what was then hot gossip, is hard to know; it was widely rumoured that Plançon had been caught in his dressing room with the composer Herman Bemberg 'in flagrante delicto'." (See Michael Scott, ''The Record of Singing'', published by Duckworth, London, 1978; page 84).

Retirement, death and historical significance

Upon his return to Paris at the age of 57, he retired from the hustle and bustle of the stage while still in excellent all-round voice, although the top notes of his range had begun to weaken. He occupied himself by giving lessons to select pupils. He was 63 years old when he died in the French capital in the summer of 1914, just as World War I was erupting in Europe.

He possessed a genuine bass voice, ranging from the top F down to a resonant and easy bottom D, although the light and nimble tone that he employed was suggestive of a higher-pitched instrument. From a musicological standpoint, his singing is of considerable historical interest because the refined vocal method that he employed was shaped prior to the advent of passionate, slice-of-life Verismo opera in the 1890s. (To perform the Verismo repertoire effectively, 20th-century singers were required to adopt a less elegant and less florid style of operatic vocalism than had hitherto been the norm.) Indeed, Plançon is considered to be one of the last important figures in a long line of exceptional French basses and baritones stretching back to the birth of operatic music's romantic era in the early decades of the 19th century. His predecessors and contemporaries in this Gallic ''bel canto'' tradition included such celebrated artists as Henri-Bernard Dabadie, Nicolas Levasseur, Luigi Lablache, Prosper Dérivis, Paul Barroilhet, Jean-Baptiste Faure (see above), Victor Maurel, Jean Lassalle and Maurice Renaud.

During the height of his 30-year career, he was confronted with stellar competition from a host of superlative operatic basses, including his fellow countrymen Jean-François Delmas (whose sonorous voice he particularly admired), Pedro (Pierre) Gailhard, Juste Nivette, Hippolyte Belhomme and Marcel Journet. Other rivals included Polish-born Edouard de Reszke, Bohemian-born Wilhelm Hesch, the Italians Francesco Navarini and Vittorio Arimondi and, from a younger generation of singers, the Russians Lev Sibiriakov and Feodor Chaliapin and the Pole, Adamo Didur. He more than held his own in this exalted company, remaining, then as now, the paragon of sophisticated and graceful vocalism.

Recordings

Pol Plançon recorded various songs, operatic arias and ensembles for the following firms: The Gramophone & Typewriter Company, a forerunner of HMV (London, 1902–03), Zonophone (Paris, 1902), and the Victor Talking Machine Company (New York, 1903–08). He also made four acoustic cylinders for Lieutenant Bettini's phonograph company in 1897 but no trace of them has been found. Most of his recordings are available on excellent CD transfers. The Romophone label, for instance, issued in 1993 a double CD set containing all of his 46 extant Victor records (catalogue number 82001-2). They open a window on to a vanished realm of 19th-century singing style and technical expertise.

Repertoire

This is as accurate an alphabetical list of Pol Plançon's stage roles (with their respective operas and composers appended) as extant sources permit:

Abimélech, in Saint-Saëns's ''Samson et Dalila''

Alvise, in Ponchielli's ''La Gioconda''

Ariofarne, in Macinelli's ''Ero e Leandro''

Astolat, in Herman Bemberg's ''Elaine''

Balthazar, in Gaetano Donizetti's ''La favorite''

Bertram, in Giacomo Meyerbeer's ''Robert le Diable''

Capulet, in Gounod's ''Roméo et Juliette''

Claudius, in Ambroise Thomas's ''Hamlet''

Colonna, in Duprat's ''Petrarque''

Des Grieux (Count), in Massenet's ''Manon''

Duke of Alba, in Emile Paladilhe's ''Patrie''

Escamillo, in Bizet's ''Carmen''

François I, in Saint-Saëns's ''Ascanio''

Don Gormas, in Massenet's ''Le Cid''

Frére Laurent, in Gounod's ''Roméo et Juliette''

Garrido, in Massenet's ''La Navarraise''

Gesler, in Gioacchino Rossini's ''Guillaume Tell''

Grand Inquisitor, in Meyerbeer's ''L'Africaine''

Heinrich (King), in Richard Wagner's ''Lohengrin''

Hermann, in Wagner's ''Tannhäuser''

High Priest, in Meyerbeer's ''L'Africaine''

Jupiter, in Gounod's ''Philémon et Baucis''

Lothario, in Thomas's ''Mignon''

Mefistofele, in Boïto's ''Mefistofele''

Méphistophélès, in Gounod's ''Faust''

Méphistophélès, in Berlioz's ''La damnation de Faust''

Oberthal (Count), in Meyerbeer's ''Le prophète''

Old Hebrew, in Saint-Saëns's ''Samson et Dalila''

Pittacus, in Gounod's ''Sapho''

Plunkett, in Flotow's ''Martha''

Pogner, in Wagner's ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg''

Ramfis, in Giuseppe Verdi's ''Aida''

Rocco, in Ludwig van Beethoven's ''Fidelio''

Rodolfo, in Vincenzo Bellini's ''La Sonnambula''

Saint Bris (Count of), in Meyerbeer's ''Les Huguenots''

Sarastro, in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's ''Die Zauberflöte''.

Sources

Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', Oxford University Press, London, ISBN 0-19-869164-5

Scott, Michael (1978), ''The Record of Singing'', Duckworth, London.

Steane, John (1974)'', The Grand Tradition'', Duckworth, London.

Category:Operatic basses Category:French classical musicians Category:French male singers Category:French opera singers Category:1851 births Category:1914 deaths

de:Pol Plançon fr:Pol Plançon lb:Pol Plançon

Name	Paul Whiteman
Background	non_performing_personnel
Birth name	Paul Samuel Whiteman
Born	March 28, 1890
Died	December 29, 1967
Origin	Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Instrument	Violin
Genre	Jazz
Occupation	BandleaderComposer
Associated acts	Bix BeiderbeckeFrankie TrumbauerJoe VenutiEddie Lang
Notable instruments	}}

Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader and orchestral director.

Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz." Using a large ensemble and exploring many styles of music, Whiteman is perhaps best known for his blending of symphonic music and jazz, as typified by his 1924 commissioning and debut of George Gershwin's jazz-influenced "Rhapsody In Blue". Whiteman recorded many jazz and pop standards during his career, including "Wang Wang Blues", "Mississippi Mud", "Rhapsody in Blue", "Wonderful One", "Hot Lips", "Mississippi Suite", and "Grand Canyon Suite". His popularity faded in the swing music era of the 1930s, and by the 1940s Whiteman was semi-retired from music.

Whiteman's place in the history of early jazz is somewhat controversial. Detractors suggest that Whiteman's ornately-orchestrated music was jazz in name only (lacking the genre's improvisational and emotional depth), and co-opted the innovations of black musicians. Defenders note that Whiteman's fondness for jazz was genuine (he worked with black musicians as much as was feasible during an era of racial segregation), that his bands included many of the era's most esteemed white jazz musicians, and argue that Whiteman's groups handled jazz admirably as part of a larger repertoire. In his autobiography, Duke Ellington declared, "Paul Whiteman was known as the King of Jazz, and no one as yet has come near carrying that title with more certainty and dignity."

Biography

Early life and career

Whiteman was born in Denver, Colorado. After a start as a classical violinist and violist, he led a jazz-influenced dance band, which became popular locally in San Francisco, California in 1918. In 1920 he moved with his band to New York City where they started making recordings for Victor Records which made the Paul Whiteman Orchestra famous nationally. (In his first five recordings sessions for Victor, Aug 9-Oct 28, 1920, Whiteman used the name "Paul Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra," presumably because he had been playing at the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City; from Nov. 3, 1920, he started using "Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra.")

Whiteman became the most popular band director of the decade. In a time when most dance bands consisted of six to 10 men, Whiteman directed a much larger and more imposing group of up to 35 musicians. By 1922, Whiteman already controlled some 28 ensembles on the east coast and was earning over a $1,000,000 a year.

He recorded Hoagy Carmichael singing and playing "Washboard Blues" to the accompaniment of his orchestra in 1927.

In May 1928 Whiteman signed with Columbia Records, and stayed with that label until September 1931, when he returned to Victor. He would remain signed with Victor until March 1937.

"The King of Jazz"

In the 1920s the media referred to Whiteman as "The King of Jazz". Whiteman emphasized the way he had approached the already well-established style of music, while also organizing its composition and style in his own fashion. While most jazz musicians and fans consider improvisation to be essential to the musical style, Whiteman thought the genre could be improved by orchestrating the best of it, with formal written arrangements. Whiteman's recordings were popular critically and successful commercially, and his style of jazz music was often the first jazz of ''any'' form that many Americans heard during the era.

For more than 30 years Whiteman, referred to as "Pops", sought and encouraged musicians, vocalists, composers, arrangers, and entertainers who looked promising. In 1924 Whiteman commissioned George Gershwin's ''Rhapsody in Blue'', which was premiered by Whiteman's orchestra with George Gershwin at the piano. Another familiar piece in Whiteman's repertoire was ''Grand Canyon Suite'', by Ferde Grofé.

Whiteman hired many of the best jazz musicians for his band, including Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Steve Brown, Mike Pingitore, Gussie Mueller, Wilbur Hall (billed by Whiteman as "Willie Hall"), Jack Teagarden, and Bunny Berigan. He also encouraged upcoming African American musical talents, and initially planned on hiring black musicians, but Whiteman's management eventually persuaded him that doing would be career suicide due to racial tension and America's segregation of that time. However, Whiteman crossed racial lines behind-the-scenes, hiring black arrangers like Fletcher Henderson and engaging in mutually-beneficial efforts with recording sessions and scheduling of tours.

In late 1926 Whiteman signed three candidates for his orchestra: Bing Crosby, Al Rinker, and Harry Barris. Whiteman billed the singing trio as The Rhythm Boys. Crosby's prominence in the Rhythm Boys helped launch his career as one of the most successful singers of the 20th century. Paul Robeson (1928) and Billie Holiday (1942) also recorded with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.

Whiteman had 28 number one records during the 1920s and 32 during his career. At the height of his popularity, eight out of the top ten sheet music sales slots were by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.

His recording of José Padilla’s Valencia topped the charts for 11 weeks, beginning 30 March 1926, becoming the #1 record of 1926.

Whiteman signed singer Mildred Bailey in 1929 to appear on his radio program. She first recorded with the Whiteman Orchestra in 1931.

Jazz musician and leader of the Mound City Blue Blowers Red McKenzie and cabaret singer Ramona Davies (billed as "Ramona and her Grand Piano") joined the Whiteman group in 1932. The King's Jesters were also with Paul Whiteman in 1931.

In 1933 Whiteman had a #2 hit on the ''Billboard'' charts with the song, "Willow Weep for Me".

In 1934 Paul Whiteman had his last two #1 hits, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", with vocals by Bob Lawrence, which was #1 for six weeks, and "Wagon Wheels", which was #1 for one week, his final hit recording. From 1920 to 1934 Whiteman had 32 #1 recordings, charting 28 of them by 1929. By contrast, during the same period, the 1920s Jazz Age, Louis Armstrong had none.

In 1942 Whiteman began recording for Capitol Records, cofounded by songwriters Buddy DeSylva and Johnny Mercer and music store owner Glenn Wallichs. Whiteman and His Orchestra's recordings of "I Found a New Baby" and "The General Jumped At Dawn" was the label's first single release. (Another notable Capitol record he made is the 1942 "Trav'lin Light" featuring Billie Holiday (billed as "Lady Day", due to her being under contract with another label).

Later career and personal life

Whiteman was married four times; to Nellie Stack in 1908; to Miss Jimmy Smith; to Mildred Vanderhoff in 1922. In 1931 Whiteman married motion picture actress Margaret Livingston following his divorce from Vanderhoff that same year. The marriage to Livingston lasted until his death.

Whiteman resided at Walking Horse Farm near the village of Rosemont in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey from 1938 to 1959. After selling the farm to agriculturalist Lloyd Wescott, Whiteman moved to New Hope, Pennsylvania for his remaining years.

Whiteman died at the age of 77 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on December 29, 1967.

Movie appearances

In 1930 "Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra" starred in the first feature-length movie musical filmed entirely in Technicolor, ''King of Jazz''. The film was technically ahead of its time, with many dazzling camera effects complementing the Whiteman music. Whiteman appeared as himself, and good-naturedly kidded his weight and his dancing skills. A highlight was a concert rendition of ''Rhapsody in Blue''. Unfortunately, by the time ''King of Jazz'' was released to theaters, audiences had seen too many "all-singing, all-dancing" musicals, and much of the moviegoing public stayed away. (It also didn't help that the film was shot as a revue with no story and not particularly imaginative camerawork.) The expensive film didn't show a profit until 1933, when it was successfully reissued to cash in on the popularity of ''42nd Street'' and its elaborate production numbers.

Whiteman also appeared as himself in the 1945 movie ''Rhapsody in Blue'' on the life and career of George Gershwin and also appeared in ''The Fabulous Dorseys'' in 1947, a bio-pic starring Jimmy Dorsey and Tommy Dorsey. Whiteman also appeared as the baby in ''Nertz'' (1929), the bandleader in ''Thanks a Million'' (1935), as himself in ''Strike Up the Band'' (1940), and in the Paramount Pictures short ''The Lambertville Story'' (1949).

Radio and TV

During the 1930s Whiteman had several radio shows, including ''Kraft Music Hall'' and ''Paul Whiteman's Musical Varieties'', which featured the talents of Bing Crosby, Mildred Bailey, Jack Teagarden, Johnny Mercer, Ramona, Durelle Alexander and others.

In the 1940s and 1950s, after he had disbanded his orchestra, Whiteman worked as a music director for the ABC Radio Network. He also hosted ''Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club'' from Philadelphia on ABC-TV from 1949–1954. The show was seen for an hour the first two years, then as a half hour segment on Saturday evenings. In 1952 a young Dick Clarkread the commercials for sponsor Tootsie Roll. He also continued to appear as guest conductor for many concerts. His manner on stage was disarming; he signed off each program with something casual like, "Well, that just about slaps the cap on the old milk bottle for tonight."

Legacy

The Paul Whiteman Orchestra introduced many jazz standards in the 1920s, including "Hot Lips", which was in the Steven Spielberg movie ''The Color Purple'' (1985), "Mississippi Mud", "From Monday On", co-written and sung by Bing Crosby with Bix Beiderbecke on cornet, "Nuthin' But", "Grand Canyon Suite" and "Mississippi Suite" composed by Ferde Grofe, "Rhapsody in Blue", composed by George Gershwin who played piano on the Paul Whiteman recording in 1924, "Wonderful One" (1923), and "Wang Wang Blues" (1920), covered by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Joe "King" Oliver's Dixie Syncopators in 1926 and many of the Big Bands. "Hot Lips" was recorded by Ted Lewis and His Jazz Band, Horace Heidt and His Brigadiers Orchestra (1937), Specht's Jazz Outfit, the Cotton Pickers (1922), and Django Reinhardt Et Le Quintette Du Hot Club De France.

Herb Alpert and Al Hirt were influenced by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, particularly the solo work of trumpeter Henry Busse, especially his solo on "Rhapsody in Blue".

Compositions

Whiteman composed the standard "Wonderful One" in 1922 with Ferde Grofé and Dorothy Terris (also known as Theodora Morse), based on a theme by film director Marshall Neilan. The songwriting credit is assigned as music composed by Paul Whiteman, Ferde Grofe, and Marshall Neilan, with lyrics by Dorothy Terriss. The single reached #3 on Billboard in May 1923, staying on the charts for 5 weeks. "(My) Wonderful One" was recorded by Gertrude Moody, Edward Miller, Martha Pryor, Mel Torme, Doris Day, Woody Herman, Helen Moretti, John McCormack; it was released as Victor 961. Jan Garber and His Orchestra, and Ira Sullivan with Tony Castellano also recorded the song. Henry Burr recorded it in 1924 and Glenn Miller and his Orchestra in 1940. On the sheet music published in 1922 by Leo Feist it is described as a "Waltz Song" and "Paul Whiteman's Sensational Waltz Hit" and is dedicated "To Julie". "Wonderful One" appeared in the following movies: ''The Chump Champ'' (1950), ''Little 'Tinker'' (1948), ''Red Hot Riding Hood'' (1943), ''Sufferin' Cats'' (1943), ''Design for Scandal'' (1941), ''Strike Up the Band'' (1940), and ''Westward Passage'' (1932).

In 1924 Whiteman composed "When the One You Love Loves You" with Abel Baer and lyricist Cliff Friend. Whiteman recorded the song on 24 December 1924 in New York with Franklyn Baur on vocals and released it as Victor 19553-B backed with "I'll See You in My Dreams". The single reached #7 on the Billboard national pop singles charts in April 1925, staying on the charts for 3 weeks. The song is described as "A Sentimental Waltz Ballad" on the 1934 sheet music. Singer and composer Morton Downey, Sr., the father of the talkshow host, recorded the song in 1925 and released it as Brunswick 2887. Eva Shirley sang the song in Ed Wynn's ''Grab Bag'', a Broadway musical which opened in 1924 at the Globe. Leo Feist published the sheet music for the Shirley version in 1924 featuring Eva Shirley on the cover.

Paul Whiteman composed "Flamin' Mamie" in 1925 with Fred Rose, one of the top hits of 1925, which was recorded by the Harry Reser Band, Merritt Brunies and the Friars Inn Orchestra, Billy Jones and Ernest Hare, the Six Black Diamonds in 1926 on Banner, the Toll House Jazz Band, Aileen Stanley in 1925 with Billy "Uke" Carpenter on the ukulele, Hank Penny in 1938, Turk Murphy, the Frisco Syncopators, the Firehouse Five Plus Two, Bob Schulz and His Frisco Jazz Band, and the Coon-Sanders Nighthawk Orchestra led by Carleton Coon and Joe Sanders with Joe Sanders on vocals. The lyrics describe Mamie as a Roaring Twenties vamp: "Flamin' Mamie, a sure-fire vamp/When it comes to lovin'/She's a human oven/Come on you futuristic papas/She's the hottest thing he's seen since the Chicago fire."

Paul Whiteman also composed "Charlestonette" in 1925 with Fred Rose which was published by Leo Feist. The song was released as Victor 19785 backed with "Ida-I Do" in 1925. Ben Selvin's Dance Orchestra and Bennie Krueger and His Orchestra also recorded the song in 1925.

Paul Whiteman composed the piano work "Dreaming The Waltz Away" with Fred Rose in 1926. Organist Jesse Crawford recorded the song on October 4–5, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois and released it as a 78 on Victor Records, 20363 . Crawford played the instrumental on a Wurlitzer organ.

In ''Louis Armstrong & Paul Whiteman: Two Kings of Jazz'' (2004), Joshua Berrett wrote that "Whiteman Stomp" was credited to Fats Waller, Alphonso Trent, and Paul Whiteman. Lyricist Jo Trent is the co-author. The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra first recorded "Whiteman Stomp" on 11 May 1927 and released it as Columbia 1059-D. The Fletcher Henderson recording lists the songwriters as "Fats Waller/Jo Trent/Paul Whiteman". Paul Whiteman recorded the song on 11 August 1927 and released it as Victor 21119.

"Then and Now", recorded on December 7, 1954 and released in 1955 on Coral, was composed by Paul Whiteman with Dick Jacobs and Bob Merrill. The song was released as a 45 inch single in 1955 as Coral 61336 backed with "Mississippi Mud" by Paul Whiteman and His New Ambassador Orchestra with the New Rhythm Boys.

Whiteman also co-wrote the popular song "My Fantasy" with Leo Edwards and Jack Meskill, which is a musical adaptation of the Polovtsian Dances theme from the opera ''Prince Igor'' by Alexander Borodin. The Paul Whiteman Orchestra recorded "My Fantasy" in 1939.

Honors

In 2006 the Paul Whiteman Orchestra's 1928 recording of ''Ol' Man River'' with Paul Robeson on vocals was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The song was recorded on 1 March 1928 in New York and released as Victor 35912-A.)

Major recordings

Whispering (song), 1920, #1 for 11 weeks, the no.2 hit of 1920, 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee

The Japanese Sandman, 1920, #1 for 2 weeks

Wang Wang Blues, 1921, #1 for 6 weeks, on the soundtrack to the 1996 Academy Award–winning movie ''The English Patient''

My Mammy, 1921, #1 for 5 weeks

Cherie, 1921, #1 for 6 weeks

Say It With Music, 1921, #1 for 5 weeks

Grieving For You-Feather Your Nest, #26 hit of 1921

Play that "Song of India" Again, 1921, #1 for 5 weeks, music adapted by Paul Whiteman from the Chanson Indoue theme by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov from the opera ''Sadko'' (1898) with lyrics by Leo Wood and Irving Bibo

Bright Eyes, the #13 hit of 1921

Hot Lips (He's Got Hot Lips When He Plays Jazz), 1922, #1 for 6 weeks, featured in the Oprah Winfrey movie ''The Color Purple'' (1985), directed by Steven Spielberg

Do It Again, 1922, #1 for 2 weeks

Three O'Clock in the Morning, 1922, #1 for 8 weeks

Stumbling, 1922, #1 for 6 weeks

Wonderful One, 1922, music composed by Paul Whiteman and Ferde Grofe, with lyrics by Theodora Morse, #3 on Billboard charts in 1923

I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise, 1923, #1 for 1 week

Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, 1923, #1 for 7 weeks

Bambalina, 1923, #1 for 1 week

Nuthin' But, 1923, co-written by Ferde Grofe and Henry Busse

Linger Awhile, 1924, #1 for 4 weeks

What'll I Do, 1924, #1 for 5 weeks

Somebody Loves Me, 1924, #1 for 5 weeks

Rhapsody in Blue, 1924, arranged by Ferde Grofe, with George Gershwin on piano

When the One You Love Loves You, 1924, composed by Paul Whiteman

All Alone, 1925, #1 for 3 weeks

Charlestonette, 1925, composed by Paul Whiteman with Fred Rose

Birth of the Blues, 1926, #1 for 4 weeks

Valencia, no.1 for 11 weeks in 1926, the #1 record of 1926

My Blue Heaven, 1927, #1 for 1 week

Three Shades of Blue: Indigo/Alice Blue/Heliotrope, 1927, composed and arranged by Ferde Grofe

In a Little Spanish Town, 1927, #1 for 8 weeks

I'm Coming, Virginia

Whiteman Stomp, 1927

Washboard Blues, 1927, with Hoagy Carmichael on vocals and piano

Rhapsody in Blue, 1927, "electrical" version, Grammy Hall of Fame inductee

Chiquita, #36 hit of 1928

From Monday On, 1928, with Bing Crosby, the Rhythm Boys, and Jack Fulton on vocals and Bix Beiderbecke on cornet, #14 on Billboard

Mississippi Mud, 1928, with Bing Crosby and Bix Beiderbecke, #6 on Billboard

Metropolis: A Blue Fantasy, 1928, composed by Ferde Grofe, with Bix Beiderbecke on cornet

Ol' Man River, 1928, first, fast version, with Bing Crosby on vocals, #1 for 1 week. This recording was Bing Crosby's first #1 record as a vocalist. Crosby would have 41 such hits during his career.

Ol' Man River, 1928, second, slow version, with Paul Robeson on vocals, Grammy Hall of Fame inductee

Concerto in F

Among My Souvenirs, 1928, #1 for 4 weeks

Ramona, 1928, with Bix Beiderbecke, #1 for 3 weeks

Together, 1928, with Jack Fulton on vocals, #1 for 2 weeks. Dinah Shore recorded this song in 1944, which became a hit. Connie Francis recorded the song in 1961; it reached #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song was also recorded by Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards (1928), Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest (1944), and Tony Pasror and His Orchestra on a V-Disc.

My Angel, 1928, with Bix Beiderbecke, #1 for 6 weeks

Great Day, 1929, #1 for 2 weeks

Body and Soul, 1930, #1 for 6 weeks

New Tiger Rag, 1930, #10 on Billboard

When It's Sleepy Time Down South, 1931, vocal by Mildred Bailey and the King's Jesters

Grand Canyon Suite, 1932

Mississippi Suite

Rise 'N' Shine, 1932, featuring Ramona Davies and her Grand Piano

All of Me, 1932, #1 for 3 weeks

Willow Weep for Me, 1933, #2 chart hit

It's Only a Paper Moon, 1933, with Peggy Healy on vocals. The Whiteman recording, Victor 24400, was used in the 1973 movie ''Paper Moon''

San

Sun Spots, 1934, with Frankie Trumbauer

You're the Top, #21 hit of 1934

Fare-Thee-Well to Harlem, 1934, with vocals by Johnny Mercer and Jack Teagarden

Wagon Wheels, 1934

My Fantasy, 1939, Paul Whiteman co-wrote the song "My Fantasy", an adaptation by Paul Whiteman of the Polovtsian Dances theme from the opera ''Prince Igor'' by Alexander Borodin, credited to "Paul Whiteman/Leo Edwards/Jack Meskill". Artie Shaw recorded "My Fantasy" in 1940.

Trav'lin' Light, 1942, with Billie Holiday on vocals

Then and Now, 1955

The Night is Young (And You're So Beautiful), 1956, with Tommy Dorsey

It's The Dreamer In Me, 1956, with Jimmy Dorsey

Quotations

"Jazz is the folk music of the machine age."

"Jazz tickles your muscles, symphonies stretch your soul."

"Jazz came to America three hundred years ago in chains."

See also

Ramona (vocalist)

Notes

References

Paul Whiteman: Pioneer of American Music (Volume 1: 1890–1930), ''Studies in Jazz'', No. 43, by Don Rayno, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2003.

''Pops: Paul Whiteman, King of Jazz'', by Thomas A. DeLong, New Century Publishers, 1983.

''Jazz'' by Paul Whiteman, J. H. Sears, 1926.

''How To Be A Band Leader'' by Paul Whiteman and Leslie Lieber, Robert McBride & Company, 1948.

External links

Paul Whiteman at the Red Hot Jazz website: http://www.redhotjazz.com/whiteman.html

Paul Whiteman at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0925842/

''The King of Jazz'' (1930) at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021025/

Category:1890 births Category:1967 deaths Category:American radio personalities Category:Jazz bandleaders Category:People from Denver, Colorado Category:People from New York City Category:Vaudeville performers Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Victor Records artists

de:Paul Whiteman es:Paul Whiteman eo:Paul Whiteman fr:Paul Whiteman ko:폴 화이트먼 it:Paul Whiteman he:פול וייטמן la:Paulus Whiteman nl:Paul Whiteman nds:Paul Whiteman pl:Paul Whiteman fi:Paul Whiteman sv:Paul Whiteman