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FRANK J. BLACK - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 03/05/1937 - HFSID 189942

As NBC's Music Director, he responds to a question about orchestration on "the early Cohan pieces". Typed Letter signed: "Frank J. Black", 1 page, 8½x11. RCA Building, New York City, 1937 March 5.

Price: $280.00

Condition: Lightly creased, otherwise fine condition Add to watchlist:
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FRANK J. BLACK
As NBC's Music Director, he responds to a question about orchestration on "the early Cohan pieces".
Typed Letter signed: "Frank J. Black", 1 page, 8½x11. RCA Building, New York City, 1937 March 5. On his letterhead as NBC's General Musical Director to James Francis Cooke, Editor, The Etude, Philadelphia. In full: "Thank you for your kind letter, and please thank your secretary for her nice comment. Regarding the early Cohan pieces, I am sure it was Mike Lake who orchestrated them. I don't think Grofe has ever been connected with Cohan. Very cordially yours". Frank Jeremiah Black (1894-1966), a brilliant jack of all musical trades, began scoring and arranging music for Tin Pan Alley greats like the Gershwins, Rogers and Hart Jerome Kern and Flo Ziegfeld in the early 1920s. In 1926, he became pianist (and arranger) for a close harmony male quartet, The Revelers, propelling them to stardom with several hit recordings of "Ol' Man River", "Dinah", "Birth of the Blues" and "Baby Face". In 1927, he launched his own orchestra, scoring collegiate hits like "Varsity Drag". In 1928, Black became NBC's Music Director. He launched the innovative Magic Key of RCA Hour, composing the series' theme music. His innovations extended beyond the music: he was the first to build a record library, and the first to record shows for future re-broadcast.) The frenetic Black actually commuted weekly from the Manhattan studio to Chicago, where he ran The Carnation Hour. In 1942, he composed the music for Edna St Vincent Millay's dramatic poem, "The Murder of Lidice" (denouncing Nazi atrocities.) In 1949, Black was conductor for Presidential daughter Margaret Truman's Carnegie Hall vocal debut (not among his successes). He was lured back to radio in 1953 as conductor of the new Cadillac Choral Symphony. In retirement, he compiled a library of musical scores filling 22 steel file cabinets. Normal mailing folds. Lightly creased. Slightly worn. Otherwise, fine condition.

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