Ferde Grofé

Ferde Grofé

Biography

Ferde Grofé (born 27 March 1892 in New York City; died 3 April 1972 in Santa Monica, CA) was most known for his scoring of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for the work's premiere by George Gershwin and the Paul Whiteman Band. As a performer he played violin in both the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, piano for many theater productions, and alto horn in a brass band in the early part of his life. Grofé joined the Paul Whiteman Band in 1920 as arranger and pianist. In the 1930s he was Chief Music Arranger and Composer Laureate for Radio Music Hall as well as a conductor/arranger for radio orchestras. His involvement in concert bands flourished during this time through membership in the American Bandmasters Association.

Works for Winds

• Death Valley Suite (arr. D. Bennett)
• Hawaiian Suite (1965)
• Hendrick Hudson from Hudson River Suite (arr. Hawkins)
• March for Americans (1945)
• Mardi Gras from Mississippi Suite (arr. Leidzen)
• Mississippi Suite (arr. D. Bennett)
• N-E-W-S (1958)
• Ode to an American Soldier (1958)
• On the Trail from Grand Canyon Suite (arr. Leidzen)
• Owls to Parade (1953)
• Paris Portrait from Atlantic Crossing (arr. Yoder)
• Scalawag (1956)
• Symphony in Steel (1935)
• Themes from Grand Canyon Suite (ar. Wagner)
• Valley of Enchantment (1958)

References

• Jim Farrington. "Grofé, Ferde." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/42029 (accessed December 14, 2010).