Tribute to Leonard Bernstein
Created | Updated Dec 31, 2023
Tribute to Leonard Bernstein
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If you were a kid growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, you knew who Leonard Bernstein was, with his successes on Broadway (notably West Side Story), the silver screen (On the Waterfront" West Side Story), television (lectures on Omnibus, the 'Young people's Concerts'), bookstores (a book version of "The unanswered question," which started as six lectures at Harvard University, then got broadcast on PBS, and finally appeared in print) and, of, course concert halls all around the world. His recording of Handel's Messiah, released in 1960, appeared in my family's home, and I proceeded to wear it out. I even recorded it on my tape recorder so I could take it to college with me.
In 1998, there were various celebrations of Bernstein's 80th birthday around the country. It happened that Jonathan Barnhart, conductor of the Dedham (Mass.) Choral Society, also conducted the choir at Mishkan Tefila, which was in Roxury when Bernstein attended it in the 1920s and 1930s, but it had moved to Newton by the 1990s. Barnhart, with the support of the Congregation, got the idea of presenting a concert featuring Bernstein's liturgical music in the synagogue on May 171. Bernstein was no longer alive, but a number of his family members were present.
Bernstein pieces that were performed included 'Hashkiveinu' and 'Chichester Psalms'. Chichester Psalms, a setting of Psalms 100 and 108, had been performed by choruses around the world, starting with its premier in 1965 (conducted by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic). Besides the lyrical and tuneful music, it has benefited from simple forces needed to perform it; the only soloist is a treble soloist; a full orchestra can be used, but Bernstein also wrote a version for reduced orchestra. The piece can be quite challenging for the singers, notably the tenors. When 'Chichester Psalms' was being written, some people close to Bernstein had mentioned that they hoped he would provide hints about West Side Story; Bernstein obliged by using some music that had been cut from that musical.
The program also included pieces by Salomon Sulzer, Salamone Rossi, Kurt Weill, and Solomon Broslovsky. The solo portions of these benefited from the beautiful singing of Mishkan Tefila's cantor.
After the musical portion of the concert, members of the Bernstein family made some remarks about growing up with Leonard. New Yorker writer Burton Bernstein told some anecdotes about growing up with his brother, including a time when the Bernstein siblings were meeting in Germany, little knowing that Adolph Hitler was in the next room.
Many of us in the DCS were not Jewish. It was explained to us that, as a matter of respect, the men in the group we would need to wear yarmulkas in the sanctuary. Standing on the stage facing the audience, I reflected on the beauty of the skylight window, through which it was possible to see the sky and feel God's presence.
