Missouri’s Man in the Wings
Thomas J. Trimborn

In an Instant....

As September 11, 2001 dawned it promised to be a beautiful autumn day. Little did anyone guess that in an instant the world, and for that matter our own lives, would change in ways we could not possibly have imagined. Of course the immediate tragedy unfolding before our eyes as many watched on television was horrific beyond comprehension. By nightfall it was clear that New York’s theater district–The Great White Way–would be historically dark. All shows cancelled. Within days several shows closed altogether, while all the others struggled to go on. Like so many things we had taken for granted up until that fateful day–freedom, democracy, family, friends–and Broadway musicals–they now had new meaning. It was simple really. They were clearly threatened.

As a genre, the Broadway musical had roots in European tradition, but over time developed into something uniquely American. And at its core the philosophy behind every show regardless of theme and characters was and is–life is worth living. In light of our desperate need to come to grips with the climate of immediate despair, fear, anger, and questioning, it seems appropriate that saving and perpetuating Broadway musicals and theater is natural. No, essential. For they have become food for the very spirit and soul of this country.

Man in the Wings

Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Irving Berlin, Frederick Lowe–we all know those names. These composers created so-called blockbuster shows. They are the ones with their names up in lights. But we almost never know or pay attention to those who are off stage in the wings. For instance, the ones that score and arrange those works we know so well. From 1920 to the mid-70s one man literally created a Broadway sound by orchestrating more than 300 shows. And he
happened to be from Missouri. Yes, Missouri.In addition, he composed wonderful orchestra, choral, and concert band works that are worthy of continued performance and esteem.

Robert Russell Bennett was born June 15, 1894 in Kansas City and also lived for a time on his grandfather’s farm near Freeman, Missouri.1 His mother taught him piano, and his father, who had his own band, introduced him to several instruments. Music came easily. He never practiced as much as he should have, but as he said later, “I met a lot of nice horns”.2 Formal study of harmony, counterpoint, and composition began with Carl Busch, the founder and first conductor of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, and later continued with the famed Nadia Boulanger in Paris. After he moved to New York in 1916, Bennett first worked at G. Schirmer and T.B. Harms as a copyist and arranger. Returning to New York after leading bands during World War I, he orchestrated his first theater works including the 1927 landmark score of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein’s Show Boat. He went on to work with George Gershwin and many others which in turn led to his longtime association with the newly formed team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. That partnership began in the early 1940s with yet another landmark work of what has become the musical theater canon–Oklahoma! And as they say, the rest is history. The steady string of productions over the next 30 years all had the Bennett stamp– an unmistakable sound and high quality of craftsmanship unsurpassed by anyone else.

The Broadway Sound

First and foremost Bennett had a gift for melody, inspired harmonization, and musical balance. In addition, he was a master of counterpoint and the combination of instrumental tone color. Far from stooping to orchestration by formula, Bennett approached every score and every number based on the unique requirements presented by that particular music. And the result was astoundingly right sounding. The love of woodwinds–flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and a special love of the saxophone–caused each to be fully utilized through the expectation that pit musicians would double, thus making the entire family of sound available. This had not been the case in the early days. And the use of solo woodwinds was constant. He loved them and expected them to “sing.” The brasses were considered to be versatile because of their great range and dynamic power. Bennett scored the brass choir to sound majestic, cruel, religious, mocking, sentimental, mysterious, triumphant–in almost any way imaginable. And his call for an endless number of mutes certainly contributed to this diversity. Percussion was used to keep the music moving forward and was the determining factor in making or breaking an orchestration in his estimation. The strings provided the foundational sound and a wide variety of effects from pizzicato to harmonics were standard fare. Bennett’s love and knowledge of the harp seemed to be a trademark even though it is often omitted in high school and community performances. When one does hear how effective it is in his hands, the touch of class it adds is undeniable.

Over the course of 40-plus years, Mr. Bennett contributed a unique sound and quality of musicality to the shows that have become a beloved part of our American cultural fabric. This accomplishment is all the more remarkable when the sheer volume of work is considered–millions of notes written by hand long before computers. There were many missed meals, not to mention little or no sleep for weeks on end. In fact, he sometimes worked on revisions right up to the very day a show opened.4 This body of work more than secures the name of Robert Russell Bennett, whether in the spotlight or in the wings, as an important force in the annals of 20th Century American music. But there is more to the story.

Off Broadway

In the early years, Russell, as he was called, was well on his way to becoming a composer of serious artistic works. By the end of his career his compositions included symphonies, operas, chamber music, choral and vocal works, and more than two dozen pieces for concert band. They all are distinguished by a personal harmonic style, flawless counterpoint, and rhythmic vitality. Of special note are two orchestra compositions he entered in a competition funded by the RCA Victor Company in 1929. As it turned out, the two pieces, Abraham Lincoln: A Likeness in Symphony Form, and Sights and Sounds: An Orchestral Entertainment 5 each received a $5,000 award with additional awards going to the distinguished likes of Aaron Copland, Louis Gruenberg, and Ernest Block. In 1943, The Saturday Evening Post commissioned a musical double portrayal of FDR’s World War II speech and Norman Rockwell’s Post cover paintings which he entitled Four Freedoms–freedom of speech, worship, want, and fear. Amazingly he completed the 18-minute work in three weeks just in time for a premiere performance by the legendary NBC Symphony Orchestra. Given Bennett’s natural affinity for bands, he was especially inspired after listening to a Goldman Band concert played in Carnegie Hall, and put his pen to paper composing Suite of Old American Dances [1949], and later Symphonic Songs for Band [1957]. Frederick Fennell’s Eastman Wind Ensemble recordings ensured each piece’s place in the standard wind band repertoire worldwide.

More Projects

One would think that between his being constantly in demand as the leading Broadway orchestrator and taking on original compositional projects, there would be little if any time for anything more–wrong. In 1951, when Richard Rodgers and NBC approached him to write the score for a television documentary series he jumped at the opportunity. The resulting monumental 13 hour-long Victory At Sea score (see page 9) was one of the most successful of its kind ever composed.6 Bennett ground out an astounding five thousand pages of manuscript in a little over a year. His symphonic scenario of this music for concert band has been and should remain a staple for many years to come.

And if all of that activity still wasn’t enough, Russell created arrangements for five albums recorded by Robert Shaw and his Chorale. First released in 1963, The Many Moods of Christmas album has become one of the most popular recordings of Christmas music ever released. Shaw called Bennett “one of the dearest, kindest, most modest and learned men of American music”.8

Challenges and Legacy

Bennett worked almost exclusively in ink, and his scores almost never show crossing-out or changes. There were almost never any sketches either. His scores were written out in full, straight down the page. His life and work was all the more remarkable considering his having to overcome the physical challenges of polio early-on, and arthritis later in life–even when they affected his writing hand. Every note of manuscript was clear. Broadway, serious composition, recordings, television–he did it all. By turning the spotlight ever so briefly to focus on Missouri’s man in the wings, we see a remarkable talent, career, and acknowledge a tremendous musical legacy. And as his work remains with us through recordings and current productions and revivals, the Broadway musical philosophy he helped to espouse confirms that his life certainly was worth living, is for us now, and will remain so well into the future.