| My Twelve Tone Melody | |
|---|---|
| by Leonard Bernstein | |
 Irving Berlin in 1937 | |
| Composed | 1988 |
| Performed | 11 May 1988 (1988-05-11): New York City |
"My Twelve Tone Melody" is a 1988 composition by Leonard Bernstein written in tribute to Irving Berlin in celebration of Berlin's 100th birthday. It was performed by Bernstein at the concert to celebrate Berlin's birthday at Carnegie Hall in May 1988.
The piece was poorly received by Berlin's family at the concert, Bernstein's biographer, Joan Peyser, described it as a "dour, mean little piece" and that the piece could be interpreted as a "shot fired in a battle" between "late twentieth-century masters". Bernstein was the only performer at the concert not to perform one of Berlin's compositions.
The piece is written in the twelve-tone technique and adapts Berlin's songs "Always" and "Russian Lullaby". Bernstein remembered "Russian Lullaby" from his youth.
The piece is two minutes in length.
References
- ^ "Works: Vocal: My Twelve-Tone Melody (1988)". LeonardBernstein.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-05. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- Joan Peyser (1998). Bernstein: A Biography. Billboard Books. p. 490. ISBN 978-0-8230-8259-9.
- Richard Harrington (12 May 1988). "Puttin' On the Ritz". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- Paul R. Laird; Hsun Lin (31 July 2019). Historical Dictionary of Leonard Bernstein. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-5381-1345-5.
External links
- Video performance on YouTube, Jessica Laeger, soprano and Janet Scovill, piano
