William P. Perry
Encyclopedia
William P. Perry is an American composer
and television producer
.
in 1930, he attended Harvard University
and studied with Paul Hindemith
, Walter Piston
, and Randall Thompson
. His music has been performed by the Chicago Symphony, the Saint Louis Symphony, the Detroit Symphony and the symphonic orchestras of Minnesota, Montreal, Calgary and Hartford as well as the Vienna Symphony, the Rome Philharmonic, the Slovak Philharmonic, the RTÉ National Symphony of Ireland and other orchestras in Europe.
For twelve years, Perry was the music director and composer-in-residence at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York, where he composed and performed as a pianist more than two hundred scores for the Museum's silent film collection. His subsequent PBS
television series, "The Silent Years" (1971,1975) hosted by Orson Welles
and Lillian Gish
, won an Emmy Award
. Perry is often credited with having played a major role in the revival of interest in classic silent films.
For three years (1976–1978) he produced a national poetry series for PBS called "Anyone for Tennyson?", starring Henry Fonda
, Jack Lemmon
, Claire Bloom
, William Shatner
and Vincent Price
among others. Fifty programs were presented over three seasons with more than three hundred poets represented. From these programs, he later developed and produced the four-part DVD series, "The Poetry Hall of Fame", which he also hosted.
He was executive producer and composed the music for the Peabody Award-winning "Mark Twain Series" of feature films on PBS (1980–1985). These films, produced by Perry's Great Amwell Company in association with the Nebraska ETV Network, also won five Cine Golden Eagle Awards. Novelist Kurt Vonnegut introduced the series, which began with "Life on the Mississippi" and culminated with a four-hour adaptation of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." This version for the first time emphasized the darker realities of the book.
His Broadway musical, "Wind in the Willows", starring Nathan Lane
, won him Tony nominations for both music and lyrics (1986).
Perry's dramatizations of the works of Mark Twain
have included a staged musical biography, "Mark Twain: The Musical
", that ran for ten summers (1987–1995) in Elmira, NY and Hartford, CT. PBS produced a television version of the show. LML Music recently issued a CD of the complete original cast recording.
His most prominent symphonic compositions include the Jamestown Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (2007), written to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first permanent colony in America in Jamestown, Virginia
. It was released on CD by Naxos Records with Yehuda Hanani as soloist and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
conducted by William Eddins
. His Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra was written for and recorded by Armando Ghitalla with the composer conducting. A new Naxos recording called "Music for Great Films of the Silent Era" includes his Three Rhapsodies for Piano and Orchestra, the Gemini Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, written for the Albek Duo, and the suite, Six Title Themes in Search of a Movie.
William Perry's music can also be found on the Opus, Premier, and Bridge labels. It is published by Trobriand Music Company
.
Perry's background includes directorial and production experience in the formative years of television, writing script material for Lux Video Theatre and working with Arthur Godfrey
, Ed Sullivan
, Jackie Gleason
and other entertainment icons. He directed the first color commercial to be broadcast live coast-to-coast ("The Price is Right") and the first musical commercial ever produced and broadcast on videotape ("The Jackie Gleason Show").
In addition to his film and musical work, William Perry has maintained a separate business life. In 2000, he and his wife, Marina Perry, founded Right Face Ltd., a skin care company distributing products throughout the world under the brand name Rosacea Care. Their company now has one of the world's largest and most comprehensive line of skin care products for rosacea
and sensitive skin.
Over the years William Perry has won more than a dozen ASCAP Awards for his musical compositions, and in 1984 Elmira College conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of his contributions to the field of Mark Twain studies.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
.
Life and career
Born in Elmira, New YorkElmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
in 1930, he attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and studied with Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, Walter Piston
Walter Piston
Walter Hamor Piston Jr., , was an American composer of classical music, music theorist and professor of music at Harvard University whose students included Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, and Elliott Carter....
, and Randall Thompson
Randall Thompson
Randall Thompson was an American composer, particularly noted for his choral works.-Career:He attended Harvard University, became assistant professor of music and choir director at Wellesley College, and received a doctorate in music from the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music...
. His music has been performed by the Chicago Symphony, the Saint Louis Symphony, the Detroit Symphony and the symphonic orchestras of Minnesota, Montreal, Calgary and Hartford as well as the Vienna Symphony, the Rome Philharmonic, the Slovak Philharmonic, the RTÉ National Symphony of Ireland and other orchestras in Europe.
For twelve years, Perry was the music director and composer-in-residence at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York, where he composed and performed as a pianist more than two hundred scores for the Museum's silent film collection. His subsequent PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
television series, "The Silent Years" (1971,1975) hosted by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
and Lillian Gish
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....
, won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. Perry is often credited with having played a major role in the revival of interest in classic silent films.
For three years (1976–1978) he produced a national poetry series for PBS called "Anyone for Tennyson?", starring Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
, Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom is an English film and stage actress.-Early life:Bloom was born in the North London suburb of Finchley, the daughter of Elizabeth and Edward Max Blume, who worked in sales...
, William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
and Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
among others. Fifty programs were presented over three seasons with more than three hundred poets represented. From these programs, he later developed and produced the four-part DVD series, "The Poetry Hall of Fame", which he also hosted.
He was executive producer and composed the music for the Peabody Award-winning "Mark Twain Series" of feature films on PBS (1980–1985). These films, produced by Perry's Great Amwell Company in association with the Nebraska ETV Network, also won five Cine Golden Eagle Awards. Novelist Kurt Vonnegut introduced the series, which began with "Life on the Mississippi" and culminated with a four-hour adaptation of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." This version for the first time emphasized the darker realities of the book.
His Broadway musical, "Wind in the Willows", starring Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
, won him Tony nominations for both music and lyrics (1986).
Perry's dramatizations of the works of Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
have included a staged musical biography, "Mark Twain: The Musical
Mark Twain: The Musical
Mark Twain: The Musical is a stage musical biography of Mark Twain that had a ten-year summertime run in Elmira, NY and Hartford, CT and was telecast on a number of public television stations. An original cast CD was released by Premier Recordings in 1988, and LML Music in 2009 issued a...
", that ran for ten summers (1987–1995) in Elmira, NY and Hartford, CT. PBS produced a television version of the show. LML Music recently issued a CD of the complete original cast recording.
His most prominent symphonic compositions include the Jamestown Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (2007), written to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first permanent colony in America in Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
. It was released on CD by Naxos Records with Yehuda Hanani as soloist and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra is the concert music orchestra of Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
conducted by William Eddins
William Eddins
William Eddins is an American pianist and conductor. He is the Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.Eddins started playing piano at age 5 after his parents purchased a piano at a garage sale...
. His Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra was written for and recorded by Armando Ghitalla with the composer conducting. A new Naxos recording called "Music for Great Films of the Silent Era" includes his Three Rhapsodies for Piano and Orchestra, the Gemini Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, written for the Albek Duo, and the suite, Six Title Themes in Search of a Movie.
William Perry's music can also be found on the Opus, Premier, and Bridge labels. It is published by Trobriand Music Company
Trobriand Music Company
The Trobriand Music Company is a music publishing company located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The company is principally engaged in the publication and distribution of the musical works of American composer, William P. Perry...
.
Perry's background includes directorial and production experience in the formative years of television, writing script material for Lux Video Theatre and working with Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
, Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
, Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
and other entertainment icons. He directed the first color commercial to be broadcast live coast-to-coast ("The Price is Right") and the first musical commercial ever produced and broadcast on videotape ("The Jackie Gleason Show").
In addition to his film and musical work, William Perry has maintained a separate business life. In 2000, he and his wife, Marina Perry, founded Right Face Ltd., a skin care company distributing products throughout the world under the brand name Rosacea Care. Their company now has one of the world's largest and most comprehensive line of skin care products for rosacea
Rosacea
Rosacea is a chronic condition characterized by facial erythema . Pimples are sometimes included as part of the definition. Unless it affects the eyes, it is typically a harmless cosmetic condition...
and sensitive skin.
Over the years William Perry has won more than a dozen ASCAP Awards for his musical compositions, and in 1984 Elmira College conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of his contributions to the field of Mark Twain studies.
Stage musicals
- On the Double (1946)
- Xanadu: The Marco Polo Musical (1953)
- Happily Ever After (1967)
- Wind in the Willows (1985)
- Mark Twain: The MusicalMark Twain: The MusicalMark Twain: The Musical is a stage musical biography of Mark Twain that had a ten-year summertime run in Elmira, NY and Hartford, CT and was telecast on a number of public television stations. An original cast CD was released by Premier Recordings in 1988, and LML Music in 2009 issued a...
(1987)
Film and television scores
- Life on the Mississippi (1980)
- The Private History of a Campaign That Failed (1981)
- The Mysterious Stranger (1982)
- The Innocents Abroad (1983)
- Pudd'nhead Wilson (1984)
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1985)
Silent film scores (selection)
- The Gold RushThe Gold RushThe Gold Rush is a 1925 silent film comedy written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin in his Little Tramp role. The film also stars Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman, Malcolm Waite....
- The GeneralThe General (1927 film)The General is a 1926 American silent comedy film released by United Artists inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, which happened in 1862. Buster Keaton starred in the film and co-directed it with Clyde Bruckman...
- Steamboat Bill Jr.Steamboat Bill Jr.Steamboat Bill Jr. is a 1928 feature-length comedy silent film featuring Buster Keaton. Released by United Artists, the film is the last product of Keaton's independent production team and set of gag writers. It was not a box-office success and proved to be the last picture Keaton would make for...
- The Mark of ZorroThe Mark of Zorro (1920 film)The Mark of Zorro is a 1920 silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Noah Beery. This genre-defining swashbuckler adventure was the first movie version of The Mark of Zorro...
- Blood and Sand
- Orphans of the StormOrphans Of The StormOrphans of the Storm is a drama film by D. W. Griffith set in late 18th century France, before and during the French Revolution.This was the last Griffith film to feature Lillian and Dorothy Gish, and is often considered Griffith's last major commercial success, after boxoffice hits such as Birth...
- The Beloved RogueThe Beloved RogueThe Beloved Rogue is a 1927 American silent film, loosely based on the life of the 15th century French poet, François Villon. The film was directed by Alan Crosland for United Artists....
- Down to the Sea in ShipsDown to the Sea in ShipsDown to the Sea in Ships is a 1922 American silent film about a 19th century Massachusetts whaling family. Directed by Elmer Clifton, the film stars William Walcott, Marguerite Courtot, and Clara Bow.-Plot:...
- Hearts of the WorldHearts of the WorldHearts of the World is a silent film directed by D.W. Griffith, a wartime propaganda classic that was filmed on location in Britain and near the Western Front, made at the request of the British Government to change the neutral mindset of the American public.-Plot:Two families live next to one...
- CollegeCollege (1927 film)College is a 1927 comedy-drama silent film directed by James W. Horne and Buster Keaton, and starring Buster Keaton, Anne Cornwall, and Harold Goodwin.-Plot:...
- ItIt (1927 film)It is a 1927 silent romantic comedy film which tells the story of a shop girl who sets her sights on the handsome and wealthy boss of the department store where she works. Because of this film, actress Clara Bow became known as the "It girl"...
- Broken BlossomsBroken BlossomsBroken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl is a 1919 silent film directed by D.W. Griffith. It was distributed by United Artists and premiered on May 13, 1919...
- The Black PirateThe Black PirateThe Black Pirate is a 1926 silent adventure film shot entirely in two-strip Technicolor about an adventurer and a "company" of pirates. It stars Douglas Fairbanks, Donald Crisp, Sam De Grasse, and Billie Dove.-Plot:...
- Sparrows
- Way Down EastWay Down EastWay Down East is a silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is the best known of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play Way Down East by Lottie Blair Parker...
- The Iron HorseThe Iron Horse (film)The Iron Horse is a silent film directed by John Ford in 1924. It was produced by Fox Film. -Synopsis:The film presents an idealized image of the construction of the American first transcontinental railroad. It culminates with the scene of driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit on May...
- MetropolisMetropolis (film)Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and...
- Show PeopleShow PeopleShow People is a 1928 comedy silent film directed by King Vidor. The movie was a starring vehicle for actress Marion Davies and actor William Haines and included notable cameo appearances by many of the film personalities of the day, including stars Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S....
- Tempest
- IntoleranceIntolerance (film)Intolerance is a 1916 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and is considered one of the great masterpieces of the Silent Era. The three-and-a-half hour epic intercuts four parallel storylines each separated by several centuries: A contemporary melodrama of crime and redemption; a...
- The Last Laugh
- Storm Over AsiaStorm Over AsiaStorm Over Asia is a 1928 Russian film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin, written by Osip Brik, Ivan Novokshonov and starring Valéry Inkijinoff. It forms part of Pudovkin's "revolutionary trilogy", alongside Mother and The End of St...
- Stella DallasStella Dallas (1925 film)Stella Dallas is a 1925 film that was adapted by Frances Marion and directed by Henry King. It stars Ronald Colman, Belle Bennett, Lois Moran, Alice Joyce, Jean Hersholt, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.-Cast:*Ronald Colman - Stephen Dallas...
- Seventh Heaven
- What Price Glory?
Major orchestral works
- Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (1986)
- Two Dance Pieces for Trumpet and Orchestra (1986)
- Summer Nocturne for Flute and Orchestra (1988)
- Life on the Mississippi Suite (1992)
- The Horse-Cavalry Suite (1998)
- Jamestown Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (2007)
- Six Title Themes in Search of a Movie (2008)
- Gemini Concerto: An Entertainment for Violin, Piano and Orchestra (2009)
- The Silent Years: Three Rhapsodies for Piano and Orchestra (2010)
Recent Discography
- Armando Ghitalla: A Trumpet Legacy William Perry, composer and conductor (Bridge 2007)
- The Innocents Abroad Mark Twain Film Scores (Naxos, 2008)
- Jamestown Concerto American Music for Cello and Orchestra (Naxos, 2008)
- Mr. Mark Twain Original Cast Recording (LML 2009)
- The Romance of the Silver Screen (Naxos, 2009)
- Music for Great Films of the Silent Era (Naxos, 2011)
External links
- http://trobriandmusic.com
- http://rosaceacare.com
- http://www.montereymedia.com/literature/poetry/Poetry_Hall-Set.html Poetry Hall of Fame
- http://www.wendelmusic.com/perry.html Music for Hire.