Leroy Anderson completed four works in 1953: "Song of the Bells", "Summer Skies", "The Girl in Satin" and "Concerto in C for Piano and Orchestra". He commisioned a modern home for himself and his family on Grassy Hill in Woodbury, Connecticut. He was Guest Conductor in concerts at the University of Michigan, at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Cleveland, Ohio, Worcester and Boston, Massachusetts and the University of Fairfield, Connecticut. The Connecticut concert attracted a record-setting 8,500 people in the audience.
"The Girl In Satin" is written in a Latin style. Like the better known "Blue Tango", "The Girl in Satin" is Anderson's other tango. Anderson applied his high standards for composition and scoring equally to each of his compositions. He said that he had no favorites among all of his works and that he liked them all equally. The public have their favorites, he said. That is their job. "But as a composer I do not have any clue why the audience likes it ('Blue Tango') so much better than my other tango, "The Girl in Satin", which in my opinion is as beautiful."
Significant recordings
1. Decca Records recording session, Manhattan Center, New York, NY; Leroy Anderson, conductor; September 8, 1953.
Leroy Anderson conducted a studio orchestra in his 1953 Monaural recording of "The Girl in Satin" for Decca Records. 50 musicians, many of whom were the Principals of their respective orchestra sections, came to perform for the recording. They were chosen from the New York Philharmonic, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the NBC Symphony, the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Goldman Band and the Beaux Arts Trio.
The studio orchestra included 11 First Violins, 9 Second Violins, 6 Violas, 5 Celli, 3 Basses, 3 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, 2 Drums.
2. Decca Records recording session, Manhattan Center, New York, NY; Leroy Anderson, conductor; May 28, 1959.
Leroy Anderson conducted a studio orchestra in his 1959 Stereo recording of "The Girl in Satin" for Decca Records.
Copyrights to the music of Leroy Anderson
are held by Woodbury Music Company LLC.
For information concerning the use
of Leroy Anderson's music,
contact the Leroy Anderson family at:
info[at]woodburymusic[dot]com.
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