Grofé, Ferde, 1892-1972

Ferdinand Rudolph Grofé was born in New York on March 27, 1892. He studied piano, violin, and harmony with his mother, and viola with his grandfather. Grofé began his professional career with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, where he was violist for ten years, from 1909-1919. In 1919, Grofé joined the Paul Whiteman Band as pianist and arranger. Along with Whiteman, he became one of the leading figures of symphonic jazz. Grofé's arrangement of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for its premiere by the Whiteman Band in 1924 established his reputation. He performed two concerts of his own compositions and arrangements at Carnegie Hall, and organized his own "New World Ensemble" for the 1939 New York World's Fair. His most popular work is his Grand Canyon Suite (1931). Grofé was nominated for an Academy Award in 1944 for scoring the film Minstrel Man. Ferde Grofé died on April 3, 1972, in Santa Monica, California.