Goldman, Richard Franko, 1910-1980

Violinist and conductor Sam Franko was born January 20, 1857 in New Orleans, Louisiana and died May 6, 1937 in New York. His brother Nahan Franko was also a conductor and violinist. He was born July 23, 1861 in New Orleans and died May 7, 1930 in Amityville, New York. Bandmaster and composer Edwin Franko Goldman was born January 1, 1878 in Louisville, Kentucky and died February 21, 1956 in New York. He was the son of Selma Franko (Sam and Nahan's sister) and her first cousin David Henry Goldman, who was a fine amateur violinist. Edwin Franko Goldman's son, Richard Franko Goldman, was born on December 7, 1910 in New York and died January 19, 1980 in Baltimore. He was a bandmaster, composer, educator, music critic and writer.

Biographical Note

Violinist and conductor Sam Franko was born January 20, 1857 in New Orleans and died May 6, 1937 in New York. His parents were German Jews who immigrated to New Orleans where Sam's father, Hamman Franko, worked as a jeweler. When the Union Army occupied New Orleans in 1862, the family fled to Germany where all eleven of the Franko children received musical training. Sam studied violin with several teachers including Joseph Joachim. Upon returning to America, several of the Franko children, Sam, Nahan, Selma, Jeanne, and Rachel caused a sensation by performing as the Franko Family on September 17, 1869 at Steinway Hall in New York. The concert was repeated in several cities, including Washington, D.C. where a young John Philip Sousa heard them and would later recall his admiration of their talent. By 1880 Sam was playing in orchestras in New York under Theodore Thomas and Walter Damrosch. He founded the New York String Quartet in 1881. In the mid-1880s he played violin with several different organizations and from 1891-1897 he played viola for the New York Philharmonic Society. Franko began conducting in 1891. He founded the American Symphony Orchestra in 1894, in order to demonstrate that non-Europeans could be good musicians. Between 1900 and 1914 he conducted a program both at home and abroad entitled ‘Orchestral Concerts of Old Music.’ Upon returning to America in 1915, he became involved in several endeavors, including teaching the violin, leading the orchestra for the Ballets Russes tour, and conducting his ‘Old Music’ concerts. He arranged numerous orchestral works and composed works for piano and for violin and piano.

Nahan Franko, also a conductor and violinist, was Sam’s brother. He was born July 23, 1861 in New Orleans, Louisiana and died May 7, 1930 in Amityville, New York. He made his debut in 1869 at the age of eight and later toured the world as a child prodigy with Adelina Patti. After playing the violin for leading American and European orchestras, he was made concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He held this position from 1883 to 1907. On November 30, 1904, he made his conducting debut with the company in a production of Le Nozze di Figaro— making him the first American-born conductor of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Frank started his own orchestra in 1908 and was famous for his open-air concerts in Central Park. He stayed with the orchestra for almost two decades. He died at the age of 68. Pallbearers included Theodore Steinway and John Philip Sousa.

Bandmaster and composer Edwin Franko Goldman was born January 1, 1878 in Louisville, Kentucky and died February 21, 1956 in New York. He was the son of Selma Franko (Sam and Nahan's sister) and her first cousin David Henry Goldman, who was a fine amateur violinist. Beginning at the age eight, Goldman studied cornet and composition (with Dvořák) at the National Conservatory of Music in New York. From 1899 to 1909 he was solo cornetist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He formed his own band (the New York Military Band, later known as the Goldman Band), in 1911 and was known for championing new and forgotten band music. They played all over New York and were heard regularly on the radio. Goldman composed over 100 marches, including On the Mall and Kentucky March . In addition, he founded the American Bandmasters Association. His band had a continuous history of performance under his name from 1918 until 1979 and was known for musical proficiency and the breadth of its repertoire. In addition, Goldman was a teacher and writer of the following books: Foundation to Cornet or Trumpet Playing, Band Betterment, and The Goldman Band System .

Edwin Franko Goldman’s son, Richard Franko Goldman, was born on December 7, 1910 in New York and died January 19, 1980 in Baltimore. He was a bandmaster, composer, educator, music critic and writer. He graduated from Columbia University in 1930 and studied music privately with Nadia Boulanger, Wallingford Riegger and others. In 1937 he became associate conductor (under his father) of the Goldman Band; eventually succeeding Edwin as conductor after his death in 1956. During Goldman’s tenure with the band, he commissioned and performed from among the foremost American composers and restored many historic band works from the 18th and 19th centuries to the active band repertory. He disbanded the ensemble and retired its name in 1979. Goldman was on the faculty of the Juilliard School from 1947 to 1960. In 1968 he was appointed director of the Peabody Conservatory and in 1969 he became president of the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. He held both positions until his retirement in 1977. As principal New York critic for the Musical Quarterly from 1948 to 1968, he was quite influential, particularly in his early recognition of such composers as Henry Cowell, Elliott Carter, and Riegger. Goldman composed vocal and chamber music, one orchestral work, and several works for band. He received numerous honors, including the Juilliard Music Foundation award (1955) and the Alice M. Ditson Award (1961).