Richard Franko Goldman

From Wind Repertory Project
Richard Franko Goldman

Biography

Richard Franko Goldman (7 December 1910, New York City - 19 January 1980, Baltimore, Md.) the son of the late Edwin Franko Goldman, was a composer, conductor, music critic, and administrator. He represented the third generation of professional musicians in the Goldman and Franko families.

Born in New York City in 1910, he was educated in the New York public schools and at Columbia College, from which he graduated with honors in 1930. During the years following his graduation, he continued his educational advancement under a special Columbia Fellowship in Fine Arts and Archeology. He studied music privately in the United States and abroad, taking piano with Ralph Leopold and Clarence Adler, and theory and composition with Pietro Floridia, Nadia Boulanger, and Wallingford Riegger. From 1937 to 1955 he was assistant director of the Goldman Band. During World War II (from 1942 to 1945) he served with the United States Army in the Office of Strategic Services.

After the death of his father in 1955, Goldman conducted the Goldman Band from 1956 to 1979, introducing many new band works by leading contemporary composers. Several of these were written at his request or commission and have been maintained in the concert band's repertoire since their premieres. He also helped to revive many historic band works from the 18th and 19th centuries. Goldman was chairman of the theory department at the Juilliard School of Music from 1946 to 1960, and he also taught conducting, orchestration, and advanced chamber music. He lectured extensively at various universities, and from 1968 to 1977 was president of the Peabody Institute of the city of Baltimore and director of the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

He was the author of numerous essays and reviews as well as the following books: The Band's Music, The Concert Band, The Wind Band - Its Literature and Technique, and Harmony in Western Music. Goldman was a longtime member of several organizations, including the American Bandmasters Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and ASCAP. One of his favorite hobbies was the study of languages -- for a time during World War II he served as a consultant in music to the Pan-American Union. Among his many awards were honorary doctorate degrees from LeHigh University, University of Maryland, and Mannes College of Music.

Goldman's first works for band, A Sentimental Journey and A Curtain Raiser and Country Dance, were written in 1941. His compositions have been performed by bands, orchestras, ensembles, and soloists through the United States, Europe, Japan, and South America His most popular band marches include The Foundation, National Band Association, Pride of the 97, and Seaside Park.


Works for Winds


Resources

  • Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 237-238