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| Composer Jack Beeson at his piano |
One of my absolute favorite musical memories of all times was running into composer Jack Beeson in front of what used to be called the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. I had just been to an excellent performance of Mr. Beeson’s opera “Lizzie Borden” at the New York City Opera. He was in a frame of mind I can only call transcendent. He was floating on a cloud of joy and satisfaction and gratitude. It gives me great pleasure just remembering the occasion now as I write.
That encounter with Mr. Beeson was a magnificent way to cap a Sunday afternoon performance of a great opera. Lizzie Borden was everything you would expect from an opera that celebrates a woman who murders her mother and father with an ax. It also had its own set of values, including some very dark humor. Mr. Beeson’s music always seemed perfect for whatever purpose he was composing. The music for Lizzie Borden is powerful and energetic, brittle at times, exquisitely lyrical at times. Like Benjamin Britten, Mr. Beeson captured the interior emotional drama that consumes his characters. Unlike Benjamin Britten, Mr. Beeson was an American composer, born in Muncie, Indiana, and his music reflects American aesthetics and values without being self conscious in any way. He was a part of the generation after Copland and Ives who wrote music that has distinctly American themes (Lizzie Borden takes place in Falls River, Massachusetts) without trying to write “American” music.
Nora Beeson, a former member of our Board of Directors, a devoted tireless worker for the school, and a very good friend to me personally was also the wife of Jack Beeson. Nora and Jack attended many many concerts at Bloomingdale and contributed immeasurably to the school. Sadly, Mr. Beeson passed away in June of 2010 at the age of 88.
Now, through the generosity of Nora Beeson and Miranda Beeson (Nora and Jack’s wonderful daughter), Bloomingdale School of Music has received Mr. Beeson’s beautiful Baldwin piano. which is now in our library on the second floor. Through an earlier gift, arranged with Nora’s help, we already own composer Douglas Moore’s Mason and Hamlin piano. What an honor it is to now have two of America’s foremost opera composers’ pianos in use at Bloomingdale.
I am a little intimidated by composers and the magic they create with their musical scores. I can only imagine the alchemy involved with combining Mr. Beeson and his beloved piano. The results speak for themselves—a legacy of wonderful music. Now it’s up to us at Bloomingdale to continue the work of making music worthy of the gift.
