On the Mall with Goldman

Composers Datebook

Synopsis

We’d like to start the new year with some upbeat music to honor American composer and bandleader Edwin Franko Goldman, who was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on today’s date in 1878.

At the tender age of 14, Goldman attended the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, where he studied composition with Antonin Dvořák. At 15, Goldman became a professional trumpet player with the Metropolitan Opera orchestra.

In 1911, he founded the New York Military Band, later known simply as the Goldman Band. They performed hundreds of public concerts around the city, including on the Mall in Central Park. In the 1930s, radio broadcasts made the Goldman Band famous nationwide. Their catchy signature tune, On the Mall, was composed by Goldman and invited the audiences to sing — or even whistle — along.

Goldman composed about 150 band works of his own, and commissioned many more, including classics by composers such as Virgil Thomson, Walter Piston and Howard Hanson. The Goldman Band, led by Goldman or his son Richard, also premiered new works by leading European composers.

Goldman founded the American Bandmasters Association in 1929 and served as its Second Honorary Life President after John Philip Sousa.

Music Played in Today's Program

Edwin Franko Goldman (1878-1956): On the Mall; Eastman Wind Ensemble; Frederick Fennell, conductor; Mercury 434 334