Richard Franko Goldman
Encyclopedia
Richard Franko Goldman
was a conductor, educator, author, music critic, and composer.
After graduating from Townsend Harris High School
in Queens, New York he attended Columbia University
, graduating in 1930 with an A.B. (with honors). He then went to Paris to study composition with Nadia Boulanger
. He also studied privately with Wallingford Riegger
. During World War II
he served in the Office of Strategic Services
.
He was associate conductor 1937-1956 and then succeeded his father Edwin Franko Goldman
as conductor of the Goldman Band of New York City
. He led that band from 1956 until poor health caused him to stop conducting in the summer of 1979. He dissolved the band, but it returned to perform as the Guggenheim Concerts Band in 1980 and the Goldman Memorial Band in 1984.
He taught at the Juilliard School
1947-1960 and was a visiting professor at Princeton University
1952-1956. He also was director of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland 1968-1977 and president of the Peabody Institute
1969-1977. He was initiated as a national honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity in 1969.
Amongst his compositions are the Lee Rigg (1942) for orchestra, Sonata for Violin and Piano (1964), and a Duo for Tubas or bassoons (1950). He also wrote several marches, including The Foundation, Pride of the 97, National Intercollegiate Band, and Seaside Park. His contributions to The Musical Quarterly
as New York critic insured early recognition to Wallingford Riegger, Henry Cowell
, and Elliott Carter
.
was a conductor, educator, author, music critic, and composer.
After graduating from Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks as among the top 100 High Schools in the United States. It currently operates as...
in Queens, New York he attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, graduating in 1930 with an A.B. (with honors). He then went to Paris to study composition with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
. He also studied privately with Wallingford Riegger
Wallingford Riegger
Wallingford Constantine Riegger was a prolific American music composer, well known for orchestral and modern dance music, and film scores...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served in the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
.
He was associate conductor 1937-1956 and then succeeded his father Edwin Franko Goldman
Edwin Franko Goldman
Edwin Franko Goldman is one of America's prominent band composers of the early 20th century. He composed over 150 works, more notably his marches. He is known for founding the renowned Goldman Band of New York City and the American Bandmasters Association...
as conductor of the Goldman Band of New York City
Goldman Band
The Goldman Band was formed by American musician and composer Edwin Franko Goldman in 1918 from the earlier New York Military Band. Goldman had organized the New York Military Band in 1911...
. He led that band from 1956 until poor health caused him to stop conducting in the summer of 1979. He dissolved the band, but it returned to perform as the Guggenheim Concerts Band in 1980 and the Goldman Memorial Band in 1984.
He taught at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
1947-1960 and was a visiting professor at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
1952-1956. He also was director of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland 1968-1977 and president of the Peabody Institute
Peabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a renowned conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place.-History:...
1969-1977. He was initiated as a national honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity in 1969.
Amongst his compositions are the Lee Rigg (1942) for orchestra, Sonata for Violin and Piano (1964), and a Duo for Tubas or bassoons (1950). He also wrote several marches, including The Foundation, Pride of the 97, National Intercollegiate Band, and Seaside Park. His contributions to The Musical Quarterly
The Musical Quarterly
The Musical Quarterly is the oldest academic journal on music in America. Originally established in 1915 by Oscar Sonneck, the journal was edited by Sonneck until his death in 1928...
as New York critic insured early recognition to Wallingford Riegger, Henry Cowell
Henry Cowell
Henry Cowell was an American composer, music theorist, pianist, teacher, publisher, and impresario. His contribution to the world of music was summed up by Virgil Thomson, writing in the early 1950s:...
, and Elliott Carter
Elliott Carter
Elliott Cook Carter, Jr. is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer born and living in New York City. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the 1930s, and then returned to the United States. After a neoclassical phase, he went on to write atonal, rhythmically complex music...
.
Awards and honors
- Juilliard Music Foundation award 1955
- Ditson Conductor's AwardDitson Conductor's AwardThe Ditson Conductor's Award, established in 1945, is the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to the performance of American music. The US$5,000 purse endowed by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University was increased in 1999 from US$1,000.Upon the death of Alice M. Ditson,...
1961 - Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
1962 - Kappa Kappa PsiKappa Kappa PsiKappa Kappa Psi is a fraternity for college and university band members. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. William Scroggs, now regarded as the "Founder," together with "Mr. Kappa Kappa Psi" A...
Distinguished Service in Music Award, 1971 - National Patron of Delta OmicronDelta OmicronDelta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...
, an international professional music fraternity.
Personal life
He married Alexandra Rienzi on June 8, 1934 and together they had one child, Daniel Franko Goldman. He died age 69 at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore.Sources
- Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Schirmer, 2001.
- Contemporary Authors Online, 2007.
- Ericson, Raymond. “Richard Goldman, Leader of Goldman Band, Dies” New York Times, January 22, 1980, p. B15.
- Grove Music Online