Program Notes Leonard Bernstein Fancy Free This article includes material from Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets by George Balanchine & Francis Mason Leonard Bernstein is so much a part of modern American musical history that it is impossible to imagine the U.S. music scene without his influence. His broad-ranging works as a composer include concertos, symphonies, and ballets fired with the spirit of his popular musicals, movie scores, and songs, enticing new patrons into the concert hall. He was the first "superstar" conductor native to the United States, and he kicked off his tenure as conductor of the New York Philharmonic (1958-69) with his popular televised Young People's Concerts (1958), introducing people across the country to classical music. He used his superstardom to bring composers like Gustav Mahler to wider public attention and acceptance. In short, Bernstein was a dynamic force for classical music throughout his long, dramatic life. It was in 1943-1944 that his musical career took off with a roar. He gained instant notoriety in November 1943 by conducting the New York Philhar monic in a televised performance, conducted the premiere of his Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah" in January 1944, and premiered his first ballet, Fancy Free, in April 1944. Depicting three sailors on shore leave in New York, Fancy Free was sure to please a wartime public. It was performed by the Ballet Theatre (predecessor to the American Ballet Theatre) at the Old Metropolitan Opera House in New York, under the direction of Jerome Robbins, who conceived the story and also danced one of the sailor roles. And Fancy Free wasn't Bernstein's last milestone that year. He expanded the story into a full musical, On the Town, with book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, which opened to enthusiastic crowds that December. Leonard Bernstein had arrived, and there was no turning back. Fancy Free is most notable for its vigorous and often complex rhythms. The jazzy score includes lots of brass and percussion, and uses bright piano solos as bridges between the dances. But jazz is not the only influence here; Bernstein's style can range from the angularity of Stravinsky to the oom-pah of vaudeville, often within a couple of measures. The piece prefigures many of the styles and themes Bernstein would use throughout his career--as well as just a few months later in On the Town. Fans of the latter will no doubt hear how Fancy Free's brash main theme led to the "Great Lover" theme of the musical. The ballet's story runs as follows. Scene: A hot summer night in Manhattan, circa 1944. The interior of a bar. To the right is a street corner illuminated by a street light. A bartender polishes glasses and reads the newspaper. I. Enter Three Sailors Three sailors walk down the street. They dance in front of the bar, then enter. They strut to the bar, order three beers, clink their glasses together, down the drinks in unison and slam the the glasses back down on the bar. The bartender eyes them suspiciously: who's going to pay? One sailor is tricked by the others into paying. Bernstein kicks this section into immediate propulsive motion with four raps on the drum, followed by that jazzy theme, with brass, winds, solo piano, and strings each interrupting each other in the enthusiastic conversation. The off-beat rhythms of timpani or trombones keep the feeling off-kilter, like the tipsy sailors. II. Scene at the Bar The sailors are bored and slightly tired of each other; they don't want to drink alone. One pulls out a stick of gum and splits it three ways. They compete to see who can flick his wrapper the farthest. This quieter musical section opens with woodwinds and tinkling piano. It segues into broad strings, but a mournful melody ending with solo violin and flute lets us know the sailors are lonely. III. Enter Two Girls A good-looking girl walks by. She knows she's being watched; she smiles and by her walk suggests all the things the sailors are imagining. She pretends not to know she's being watched, which sends the boys into action. They compete for her attention, even tossing her purse around. The girl wants to be angry but the boys sense that she's just kidding. They fight for her attention, finally leaving one lying on the sidewalk while the other two pursue her down the street. The girl's theme is sexy and synco pated, begun in the woodwinds but soon joined by the trombones (sailors). The tinkling piano is heard as the sailors tease, then vigorous brass as they pounce. The sailor who's left dusts himself off and starts to go back into the bar but bumps into a cute redhead. After a brief flirtation, they go into the bar together and order drinks. He entertains her with a recitation of What-I've-Been-Through, complete with the miming of machine gun fire. She's hooked! He asks her to dance. A tipsier version of the first girl's theme is heard as the remaining sailor meets his redhead, followed by some triumphal brass of his own. IV. Pas de Deux The orchestra plays a slow blues number as the third sailor and his girl move together sensually and intimately. At its conclusion, he bends down and kisses her softly. They move back to the bar. V. Competition Scene The two other sailors return with the first girl, dropping dead in their tracks when they see the redhead. It's too late for the third sailor to get her out of the bar and besides, the two girls know each other and begin to gab. The main theme is heard when the two sailors return--then is cut off by amusing scurries in the woodwinds as the two girls meet and gossip. The love-stricken sailor sees that the situation is hopeless and sits with his friends. More drinks are ordered, and the girls sit down too. The competition heats up; it's obvious one of the sailors will have to clear out or the night will be ruined. An ominous sustained note in the lower instruments shows the tension between the sailors, but there's plenty of dance hall oom-pah as each man takes a turn with the ladies. Then, to the roll of a snare drum, the sailors decide to hold a dance competition judged by the girls. The loser will leave. VI. Three Dance Variations--Variation 1. (Galop) The first sailor's dance is rowdy and energetic, with a thumping percussion ostinato that changes to something reminiscent of a Paris can-can. It's a big hit with the ladies. Variation 2. (Waltz) The next sailor--the one with the redhead--dances a subtler, more sinuous and flowing waltz. The girls respond with a sigh while his friends hold their noses. Variation 3. (Danzon) The last sailor tries to combine the two styles of his friends and succeeds brilliantly with a snaky Latin number. The sinuous flute melody and Latin-flavored trumpet solo that wind over this section's syncopated rhythms hint at Bernstein's later work in West Side Story. [One of Bernstein's very first works was a piano transcription of Aaron Copland's El Salón Mexico. He evidently learned his lesson well!] VII. Finale The girls don't know whom to chose. An argument starts between them and the sailors, which escalates into a violent fight between the three men. The girls leave in disgust, unnoticed by the fighting men. Cries from the trombone and "punches" in the percussion lead to a dramatic face-off over the first two girls. But when the boys discover the girls are gone, the music fades to pensive reflection. The sailors make up and order drinks, again conning the same one to pay. They head outside and share another piece of gum. A beautiful blond promenades down the street while the boys track her. Mindful of the fight they just had, they hold back, eyeing each other warily. This is just a stall. They begin to idle away from each other, laughing the blond off. The piano plays an old-fashioned dance-hall number complete with tremolo. Then the whole orchestra swells as a trumpet sounds the chase. One sailor runs off like a streak of lightning after the girl, followed by the others. The curtain falls. --Barbara Heninger
Program Notes
This article includes material from Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets by George Balanchine & Francis Mason
Leonard Bernstein is so much a part of modern American musical history that it is impossible to imagine the U.S. music scene without his influence. His broad-ranging works as a composer include concertos, symphonies, and ballets fired with the spirit of his popular musicals, movie scores, and songs, enticing new patrons into the concert hall. He was the first "superstar" conductor native to the United States, and he kicked off his tenure as conductor of the New York Philharmonic (1958-69) with his popular televised Young People's Concerts (1958), introducing people across the country to classical music. He used his superstardom to bring composers like Gustav Mahler to wider public attention and acceptance. In short, Bernstein was a dynamic force for classical music throughout his long, dramatic life.
It was in 1943-1944 that his musical career took off with a roar. He gained instant notoriety in November 1943 by conducting the New York Philhar monic in a televised performance, conducted the premiere of his Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah" in January 1944, and premiered his first ballet, Fancy Free, in April 1944. Depicting three sailors on shore leave in New York, Fancy Free was sure to please a wartime public. It was performed by the Ballet Theatre (predecessor to the American Ballet Theatre) at the Old Metropolitan Opera House in New York, under the direction of Jerome Robbins, who conceived the story and also danced one of the sailor roles. And Fancy Free wasn't Bernstein's last milestone that year. He expanded the story into a full musical, On the Town, with book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, which opened to enthusiastic crowds that December. Leonard Bernstein had arrived, and there was no turning back.
Fancy Free is most notable for its vigorous and often complex rhythms. The jazzy score includes lots of brass and percussion, and uses bright piano solos as bridges between the dances. But jazz is not the only influence here; Bernstein's style can range from the angularity of Stravinsky to the oom-pah of vaudeville, often within a couple of measures. The piece prefigures many of the styles and themes Bernstein would use throughout his career--as well as just a few months later in On the Town. Fans of the latter will no doubt hear how Fancy Free's brash main theme led to the "Great Lover" theme of the musical.
The ballet's story runs as follows.
Scene: A hot summer night in Manhattan, circa 1944. The interior of a bar. To the right is a street corner illuminated by a street light. A bartender polishes glasses and reads the newspaper.
I. Enter Three Sailors Three sailors walk down the street. They dance in front of the bar, then enter. They strut to the bar, order three beers, clink their glasses together, down the drinks in unison and slam the the glasses back down on the bar. The bartender eyes them suspiciously: who's going to pay? One sailor is tricked by the others into paying. Bernstein kicks this section into immediate propulsive motion with four raps on the drum, followed by that jazzy theme, with brass, winds, solo piano, and strings each interrupting each other in the enthusiastic conversation. The off-beat rhythms of timpani or trombones keep the feeling off-kilter, like the tipsy sailors.
II. Scene at the Bar The sailors are bored and slightly tired of each other; they don't want to drink alone. One pulls out a stick of gum and splits it three ways. They compete to see who can flick his wrapper the farthest. This quieter musical section opens with woodwinds and tinkling piano. It segues into broad strings, but a mournful melody ending with solo violin and flute lets us know the sailors are lonely.
III. Enter Two Girls A good-looking girl walks by. She knows she's being watched; she smiles and by her walk suggests all the things the sailors are imagining. She pretends not to know she's being watched, which sends the boys into action. They compete for her attention, even tossing her purse around. The girl wants to be angry but the boys sense that she's just kidding. They fight for her attention, finally leaving one lying on the sidewalk while the other two pursue her down the street. The girl's theme is sexy and synco pated, begun in the woodwinds but soon joined by the trombones (sailors). The tinkling piano is heard as the sailors tease, then vigorous brass as they pounce.
The sailor who's left dusts himself off and starts to go back into the bar but bumps into a cute redhead. After a brief flirtation, they go into the bar together and order drinks. He entertains her with a recitation of What-I've-Been-Through, complete with the miming of machine gun fire. She's hooked! He asks her to dance. A tipsier version of the first girl's theme is heard as the remaining sailor meets his redhead, followed by some triumphal brass of his own.
IV. Pas de Deux The orchestra plays a slow blues number as the third sailor and his girl move together sensually and intimately. At its conclusion, he bends down and kisses her softly. They move back to the bar.
V. Competition Scene The two other sailors return with the first girl, dropping dead in their tracks when they see the redhead. It's too late for the third sailor to get her out of the bar and besides, the two girls know each other and begin to gab. The main theme is heard when the two sailors return--then is cut off by amusing scurries in the woodwinds as the two girls meet and gossip.
The love-stricken sailor sees that the situation is hopeless and sits with his friends. More drinks are ordered, and the girls sit down too. The competition heats up; it's obvious one of the sailors will have to clear out or the night will be ruined. An ominous sustained note in the lower instruments shows the tension between the sailors, but there's plenty of dance hall oom-pah as each man takes a turn with the ladies. Then, to the roll of a snare drum, the sailors decide to hold a dance competition judged by the girls. The loser will leave.
VI. Three Dance Variations--Variation 1. (Galop) The first sailor's dance is rowdy and energetic, with a thumping percussion ostinato that changes to something reminiscent of a Paris can-can. It's a big hit with the ladies.
Variation 2. (Waltz) The next sailor--the one with the redhead--dances a subtler, more sinuous and flowing waltz. The girls respond with a sigh while his friends hold their noses.
Variation 3. (Danzon) The last sailor tries to combine the two styles of his friends and succeeds brilliantly with a snaky Latin number. The sinuous flute melody and Latin-flavored trumpet solo that wind over this section's syncopated rhythms hint at Bernstein's later work in West Side Story. [One of Bernstein's very first works was a piano transcription of Aaron Copland's El Salón Mexico. He evidently learned his lesson well!]
VII. Finale The girls don't know whom to chose. An argument starts between them and the sailors, which escalates into a violent fight between the three men. The girls leave in disgust, unnoticed by the fighting men. Cries from the trombone and "punches" in the percussion lead to a dramatic face-off over the first two girls. But when the boys discover the girls are gone, the music fades to pensive reflection.
The sailors make up and order drinks, again conning the same one to pay. They head outside and share another piece of gum. A beautiful blond promenades down the street while the boys track her. Mindful of the fight they just had, they hold back, eyeing each other warily. This is just a stall. They begin to idle away from each other, laughing the blond off. The piano plays an old-fashioned dance-hall number complete with tremolo. Then the whole orchestra swells as a trumpet sounds the chase. One sailor runs off like a streak of lightning after the girl, followed by the others. The curtain falls.
--Barbara Heninger
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