Milton Adolphus: Difference between revisions

'''Irving Milton Adolphus''' (January 27, 1913&nbsp;– August 16, 1988)<ref>[[Social Security Death Index]]; Milton Adolphus; 204-03-9597</ref> was an American pianist and composer.▼

==Biography==▼

Born in [[the Bronx]], [[New York]] and educated at [[Yale University]], his classical compositions include over 200 orchestral, vocal and chamber works, among them 13 symphonies and 35 string quartets (including one unnumbered). In 1935 he moved to Philadelphia where he studied composition with [[Rosario Scalero]]. He was also a founding member of the [[American Composers Alliance]]<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=sZY5AAAAIAAJ] | ''Bulletin:'' American Composers Alliance, 1959</ref> (of which [[Aaron Copland]] was the first president); involved extensively with [[The Curtis Institute of Music]]; a board member of the [[League of Composers]]; Director of the [[Philadelphia Music Center]]<ref>[http://www.newworldrecords.org/uploads/filenv0aA.pdf Liner notes: Music For Orchestra, 1965.]</ref> and active in the US civil rights movement. He married Elena Watnik (1913–2005),<ref>[[Social Security Death Index]]; Elena Adolphus; 161-07-0736</ref> and had a son, Stephen Harris Adolphus.<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Helene Sashin, Stephen Adolphus |url= |quote=Helene Joyce Sashin, a vice president of the NPD Group, a market research company in Port Washington, N.Y., is to be married today to Stephen Harris Adolphus, the dean of the school of general studies at Touro College in New York. Rabbi Charles Lippman is to perform the ceremony at the Manhattan Penthouse.&nbsp;... Mr. Adolphus is also the vice president for community education at Touro. He graduated from [[Yale University]], from which he also received a master's degree in urban studies. He is the son of Elena Adolphus of [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]], and the late Milton Adolphus, a classical composer who was a founding member of the American Composers' Alliance, which supports contemporary works. The bridegroom's previous marriage ended in divorce |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date= |accessdate=2007-08-21 }}</ref>▼

He was appointed director of the [[Philadelphia Music Center]] in 1936,<ref>[http://www.newworldrecords.org/uploads/filenv0aA.pdf Liner notes, CRI LP jacket for Polish National Radio Orchestra album.]</ref> and in 1938 moved to [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]], where he worked for the Department of Labor and Industry of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until his retirement in [[West Harwich, Massachusetts]], where he organized the Chatham Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.<ref>Chatham Unitarian Universalist Fellowship; [http://www.uumh.net/history.htm "The Miracle on Main Street".]</ref> He died in [[Harwich, Massachusetts]], on August 16, 1988.▼

During the 1920s and early 1930s, Adolphus played with many jazz bands and orchestras in the [[Vaudeville]] circuit in New York's [[Catskill Mountains]] and in New York City, including [[Ving Merlin|Irving "Ving" Merlin]], with whom he composed ''I Can't Believe It''.<ref>Catalog of copyright entries, 1932, V.26, p. 475, OCLC Number: 6370561.</ref> in 1931. During the 1930s, he was an arranger for [[Glen Gray]]'s [[Casa Loma Orchestra]], and arranged their theme song, "Smoke Rings".▼

The [[BMI Foundation]] distributes the Milton Adolphus Award, which is given to a student each year at [[New York City]]'s [[LaGuardia High School for Performing Arts]] to a student who has been selected on a competitive basis by the school's faculty for excellence in [[jazz improvisation]].<ref>[http://www.bmi.com/foundation/program/milton_adolphus_award/ Milton Adolphus Award], BMI Foundation. Accessed November 30, 2008.</ref>▼