[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 32 (Monday, March 11, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1665-S1666]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MORTON GOULD

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, almost exactly a year ago in April, I was 
traveling outside the country and was able to get hold of a copy of the 
New York Times. In it was a list of the Pulitzer Prize winners. Under 
``Music'' was listed Morton Gould, ``Stringmusic.''

       Morton Gould, an 81-year-old composer who lives in Great 
     Neck, NY, won for a 30-minute work that was commissioned by 
     the National Symphony Orchestra and given its premier by that 
     ensemble, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich, at the Kennedy 
     Center in Washington on March 10, 1994.

  It then goes on and describes the music. That small piece could not 
describe what an unbelievable talent Morton Gould had. That is why I 
and so many others were saddened when he recently died suddenly at the 
age of 82. Even then, though working actively, he was about to address 
a group in Orlando and continued to be the prolific and talented 
musician he had been throughout his life.
  I was able to meet him and get to know him over the years. In 
customary form, after I wrote him to congratulate him on the Pulitzer 
Prize, he wrote back a long, hand written note in which he joked about 
what he knew was a great honor and sort of minimized it, although one 
could tell how pleased he was. This is a man who was accustomed to 
honors but was not swayed by them, a man who knew he had the gratitude 
and the esteem of his peers, but did not revel in it, but rather worked 
with his peers constantly.
  I find it a matter of great personal pride to have known him, as I 
said, for years, since the days my friend Ben Palumbo first introduced 
us up to the time of his death. Like so many Americans, we will 
continue to know him through his music. This is music that is truly 
timeless.
  I ask unanimous consent a report sent out regarding his death be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                               Ken Sunshine Consultants, Inc.,

                                      New York, NY, Feb. 21, 1996.

               Composer/Conductor Morton Gould Dies at 82

       Former ASCAP President Morton Gould, one of the century's 
     most celebrated American composers and conductors, died 
     suddenly this morning in Orlando, FL at the age of 82. Gould 
     was visiting the Disney Institute in Orlando as an artist-in-
     residence. Last evening, the Institute honored him with an 
     all-Gould program performed by the U.S. Military Academy 
     Band. Gould attended the concert and received a standing 
     ovation. According to the Institute, a second all-Gould 
     concert scheduled for this evening will go on as planned.
       Gould received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1994 and the 
     Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1995. He was elected to the 
     American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1986. In addition, 
     Gould was an Award winning recording artist, with 12 Grammy 
     nominations and a Grammy award in 1966. Gould served on 
     ASCAP's Board of Directors for over 36 years, and led the 
     Society as President from 1986 to 1994.
       Gould's contributions spanned eight decades and 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 particularly ``American,'' making use of 
     such ``roots music'' styles as jazz, blues, spirituals and 
     folk music.
       His music has been performed by every major American 
     orchestra under the direction of such eminent conductors as 
     Fritz Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, Leopold Stokowski, Sir Georg 
     Solti, Andre Previn, Leonard Slatkin, Eugene Ormandy and 
     Arthur Fiedler. As a conductor, Gould led countless 
     orchestras throughout the world and recorded over 100 albums.
       Among his major compositions are Latin American 
     Symphonette, Derivations for Clarinet and Band (commissioned 
     by Benny Goodman), American Salute, Spirituals for Orchestra, 
     ``Boogie Woogie Etude'' and ``Pavane.'' His collaborations 
     with top choreographers include Clarinade and Audobon (George 
     Balanchine); Interplay and I'm Old-Fashioned (Jerome 
     Robbins); Halftime and Santa Fe Sage (Elliot Feld); and Fall 
     River Legend (Agnes DeMille). His film scores include 
     Delightfully Dangerous, Windjammer and Cinerama Holiday. 
     Notable Gould TV scores include Holocaust, F. Scott 
     Fitzgerald in Hollywood and CBS' World War I Documentary. 
     Gould composed two Broadway scores, Arms and the Girl, with 
     lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and Billion Dollar Baby, with 
     lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. More recent works 
     include three major commissions celebrating the 1976 
     Bicentennial, Symphony of Spirituals, American Ballads and 
     Something To Do. In 1992, he was commissioned by the 
     Pittsburgh Symphony Association to compose The Jogger and the 
     Dinosaur, a concert piece for rapper and orchestra.
       Morton Gould was born on December 10, 1913 in Richmond 
     Hill, New York. A child prodigy, he composed and published 
     his first work, ``Just Six,'' at the age of six. Growing up 
     during the worst years of the Great Depression, Gould's music 
     studies were curtailed by his need to help support his 
     family. He found work as a vaudeville pianist, backing the 
     famous ballroom dance team, Renee and Tony DeMarco, and was 
     part of a piano duo with Bert Shefter.
       As a teenager, Gould was house pianist for the 1932 opening 
     of Radio City Music Hall. He was a pioneer of live radio 
     broadcasts as the star, host and conductor of long-running 
     national music programs on the Mutual and CBS Radio Networks. 
     His radio shows featured leading figures from the symphonic 
     and popular music worlds, including Frank Sinatra, Benny 
     Goodman, Lauritz Melchior and Duke Ellington. His Cresta 
     Blanca theme was among broadcasting's first major commercial 
     jingles.
       Gould joined ASCAP in 1935 and was long active in many 
     ASCAP and ASCAP F0oundation programs. A tireless advocate for 
     new American composers, he was constantly seeking 
     opportunities to help expose

[[Page S1666]]

     their work. He also served with distinction on the Board of 
     the American Symphony Orchestra League and on the National 
     Endowment for the Arts Music Panel.
       Commenting on Gould's passing, ASCAP President and Chairman 
     Marilyn Bergman said: ``America has lost one of its most 
     distinguished composers and conductors, and the creative 
     community has lost one of its great leaders. No one I know 
     was more respected and loved here at ASCAP and throughout the 
     world for both his musicianship and his great humanity. His 
     vigor, his wit and his spirit led us to believe he would live 
     forever. And in fact, through his music and the legacy he 
     left us, he will.''
       Gould, who resided in Great Neck, NY is survived by two 
     daughters, Deborah Gould of Brooklyn, and Abby Burton of 
     Plainview; two sons, Eric of Great Neck and David of Port 
     Washington; and eight grandchildren.
       Funeral services will be private. A memorial is being 
     planned by ASCAP; the date will be announced shortly.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I must repeat what a great privilege it has 
been to have known Morton Gould over these years.
  Mr. HATCH. I join in the remarks of my distinguished friend and 
colleague from Vermont. Morton Gould, was a very, very important and 
fine person in my life, as well. He actually went out of his way to be 
friends with me. Although I believe Morton is a strong liberal 
Democrat, he went out of his way to show kindness to this conservative 
Republican Senator through many of the years as we have worked on 
patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
  As the Senator from Vermont, Senator Leahy, and I have known 
together, Morton Gould was not only one of the greatest musicians and 
writers who ever lived in this country, he was a person of immeasurable 
charm, kindness, diplomacy and ability--not just in music, but in 
working for the best interests of music. He literally became one of the 
stalwart people in the history of this country in the field of music.
  I want to personally pay my deep and utmost respects to him and to 
his family, wish them well, and express my sympathy to them. This was a 
very, very great man. He not only was great in one genre but he was 
great in all musical genres and deserves the respect and the 
remembrance of every American, many of whom do not even realize they 
benefited immensely from the beautiful music Morton Gould has written, 
and music he has collaborated with others to write. I would feel badly 
if I did not join with the distinguished Senator from Vermont in paying 
tribute to this wonderful man and the tremendous life he lived.
  Mr. LEAHY. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. HATCH. I am happy to yield to the Senator.
  Mr. LEAHY. I think, Mr. President, my friend from Utah would agree 
with me that the various times he and I were with Morton Gould and 
talking about these copyrights and other issues, not only did we find 
that a pleasant chore, but we usually left the meetings still chuckling 
and smiling over things that he had said to us, and just from the 
pleasure of his company.
  Mr. HATCH. I agree with my distinguished colleague. Morton Gould was 
a scintillating person to be around. Everybody who came in his presence 
was lifted one way or the other--not just by music but by his very fine 
personality and deep felt kindness he showed to people as a whole in 
this country.
  I want to express my deepest regard for him and my sympathy to his 
family, his associates and others who worked with him through the 
years. I thank my colleague for his kind remarks with regard to Morton 
Gould.

                          ____________________