[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 26 (Thursday, February 29, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E262-E263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             COMMEMORATING COMPOSER-CONDUCTOR MORTON GOULD

                                 ______


                           HON. HOWARD COBLE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 29, 1996

  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate Morton Gould, the great 
composer, conductor, and recording artist who died on February 21 at 
the age of 82.
  Gould's contributions included significant works for orchestra, 
chamber ensemble, band, chorus and soloists, as well as scores composed 
for film, television, Broadway, and ballet. Throughout his career, 
Gould's work was characterized as particularly American, integrating 
the elements of jazz, blues, spirituals, and folk music.
  He was born on December 10, 1913 in Richmond Hill, NY. As a child 
prodigy, he composed and published his first work at age 6. Growing up 
during the throes of the Great Depression, Gould supported his family 
by working as a vaudeville pianist.
  His music has been commissioned by symphony orchestras, the Library 
of Congress, the New York City Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre. 
Gould's work has been performed worldwide by a number of prominent 
conductors.
  He received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1994 and the Pulitzer Prize 
in Music the following year. Elected to the American Academy of Arts 
and Letters in 1986, Gould received 12 Grammy nominations and a Grammy 
award in 1966. He conducted more than 100 albums on three different 
recording labels.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, Gould was a great friend of the intellectual 
property community as an active participant in many ASCAP and ASCAP 
Foundation programs. A tireless advocate for new American composers, he 
was constantly seeking opportunities to expose their work. Gould also 
served with distinction on the Board of the American Symphony Orchestra 
League and on the National Endowment for the Arts Music Panel.
  Mr. Speaker, Morton Gould was a great American artist whose talents 
and contributions to our national culture will be missed. I 

[[Page E263]]
join my colleagues in acknowledging his accomplishments. We extend our 
sympathies to his family.

                          ____________________