Gershon Kingsley

Last updated • 7 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Gershon Kingsley
GershonKingsley.jpg
Kingsley with a Moog synthesizer, 1970
Background information
Birth nameGötz Gustav Ksinski
Also known asGershon Kingsley
Born(1922-10-28)October 28, 1922
Bochum, Weimar Republic
DiedDecember 10, 2019(2019-12-10) (aged 97)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Genres Electronic, classical, pop, sacred, crossover
Occupation(s)Composer, arranger, keyboardist, conductor
Instrument(s)Synthesizer, piano
Years active1954–2019

Gershon Kingsley (born Götz Gustav Ksinski; October 28, 1922 – December 10, 2019) was a German-American composer, [1] a pioneer of electronic music and the Moog synthesizer, a partner in the electronic music duo Perrey and Kingsley, founder of the First Moog Quartet, and writer of rock-inspired compositions for Jewish religious ceremonies. [2] Kingsley is most famous for his 1969 influential electronic instrumental composition "Popcorn". [1]

Contents

Kingsley conducted and arranged many Broadway musicals, [3] and he composed for film, television shows [4] and commercials. [5] His compositions were eclectic and vary between avant-garde and pop styles. Kingsley also composed classical chamber works, and his opera Raoul was premiered in Bremen, Germany in 2008. [6] His work was recognized with a Tony Award nomination for Best Conductor and Musical Director, [7] two Clio Awards for his work in advertising music, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bob Moog Foundation. [8] Kingsley died on December 10, 2019, at the age of 97 in Manhattan, New York. [9] [10]

Biography

Early life

Kingsley was born Götz Gustav Ksinski in 1922 in Bochum, Weimar Republic, the son of Marie Christina, a homemaker, and Max Ksinski, a carpet dealer and pianist. His father was born Jewish and his mother, originally Catholic, converted to Judaism. [10] He grew up in Berlin where his parents ran a large carpet shop. They had originally met in Essen, when his father, returning from Berlin on a business trip, had dropped in to a wine bar managed by two sisters, one of whom soon became Kingsley's mother. The elder Ksinski had spent the evening playing the piano in the bar, after which romance quickly blossomed. [11]

In 1938, while his parents and brother made their way to Cuba and, ultimately, the United States, Kingsley traveled via Genoa to Palestine and joined a kibbutz:

We were all very happy in the kibbutz. We were in Palestine. It was such a great experience to be sort of in our own country ("... quasi in unserem eigenen Land zu sein"). In the mornings we worked in the fields, and in the afternoons we attended classes on farming. Half of us were boys, the other half girls. We talked, we danced, we were in love: we were free and the Nazis were far away. It was like an oasis. It was such a wonderful wonderful wonderful time.

—Gershon Kingsley, quoted in 2014 by Tobias Feld [11]

As his father was Jewish, he fled Nazi Germany in 1938 to settle in Palestine where the 15-year-old, self-taught musician began his career in music. [11] He escaped Germany a few days before Kristallnacht and joined kibbutz Ein Harod, Mandatory Palestine, while his parents stayed behind at that time. At the kibbutz he taught himself to play the piano. He joined the Hagana Jewish Settlement Police (Notrim) and also played jazz in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. He studied at the Jerusalem conservatory of music. His parents and brother had escaped to Cuba, from where, eventually, they succeeded in obtaining visas for the United States, [11] where Kingsley met up with them eight years later. [1] After World War II, Kingsley emigrated to America where he became a pit conductor for Broadway musical shows in 1946 after graduating from the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and adopted the pseudonym Gershon in tribute to the son of Moses. [12] [10]

Musical career

In 1964, Kingsley worked as an arranger at Vanguard Records, [13] and in 1965, after ceasing to be a colleague of the avant-garde composer John Cage he met and formed a duet known as Perrey and Kingsley with the French musician Jean-Jacques Perrey, they released two albums:The In Sound from Way Out! in 1966 and Kaleidoscopic Vibrations in 1967, and subsequently went their separate ways. [14] A song written by Kingsley and Perrey, "Baroque Hoedown" (from their 1967 album) was used by Walt Disney Productions for the Main Street Electrical Parade theme parks; and the song "The Savers", best known as the theme for the game show The Joker's Wild from 1972 to 1975 would go on to fame in 1968 as the Clio Award-winning music for a television advertising for No-Cal diet drinks. [15] [13]

Embarking upon a solo career, Kingsley, in 1969, released on Audio Fidelity Records, the album Music to Moog By, an album consisting of covers of popular songs, some of which were by Ludwig van Beethoven and The Beatles as Für Elise, Nowhere Man and Paperback Writer, while others were traditional like the British ballad Scarborough Fair. Music to Moog By also contains original works such as "Hey, Hey" co-written by Eileen Davies and sampled years later by RJD2 on the song "The Horror". [16] [17] Another of his original tracks is "Popcorn", his signature song. [18] The single released from this album was Nowhere Man, with Sunset Sound as the b-side. [19]

His next musical effort was with a band called First Moog Quartet in 1970: As the result of a request by famous impresario Sol Hurok to hear the Moog synthesizer's capabilities demonstrated live. Other group members included Howard Salat, Stan Free, Eric W. Knight, and Ken Bichel. On January 30, 1970, the group became the first to ever play electronic music in Carnegie Hall. With Robert Moog present, they were accompanied by several other musicians and four singers. [20] While reactions were mixed, [21] immediate results included a university tour and some interesting collaborative works with the Boston Pops Orchestra.

They only recorded one 1970 album entitled First Moog Quartet, on Audio Fidelity Records, which consisted of live recordings from his nationwide tour featuring four Moog synthesizers. Some of these compositions are more experimental, featuring spoken word and beat poetry backed by synthetic noises and tones. Kingsley then moved beyond the Moog, and later pioneered the use of the earliest Fairlight and Synclavier digital synthesizers.[ citation needed ] And at least one 45 rpm single. Arthur Fiedler asked Kingsley to write a Concerto for Moog; the quartet performed the work, scored for synthesizer quartet and symphony orchestra, with the Boston Pops in 1971. [22] He also wrote the logo sting (animated logo accompanied with music) for WGBH-TV in Boston, that appears throughout the United States on PBS programming produced by the station. [23]

Discography

Filmography

Broadway productions

Off-Broadway productions

See also

Related Research Articles

Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means. Pure electronic instruments depended entirely on circuitry-based sound generation, for instance using devices such as an electronic oscillator, theremin, or synthesizer. Electromechanical instruments can have mechanical parts such as strings, hammers, and electric elements including magnetic pickups, power amplifiers and loudspeakers. Such electromechanical devices include the telharmonium, Hammond organ, electric piano and electric guitar.

Synth-pop is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the Krautrock of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late 1970s.

<i>Switched-On Bach</i> 1968 studio album by Wendy Carlos

Switched-On Bach is the debut album by the American composer Wendy Carlos, released in October 1968 by Columbia Records. Produced by Carlos and Rachel Elkind, the album is a collection of pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach performed by Carlos and Benjamin Folkman on a Moog synthesizer. It played a key role in bringing synthesizers to popular music, which had until then been mostly used in experimental music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popcorn (instrumental)</span> 1969 song by Gershon Kingsley

"Popcorn" is an instrumental song composed by Gershon Kingsley in 1969 for the album Music to Moog By. It was performed on the Moog synthesizer and released on the Audio Fidelity label. The name is a combination of pop for Pop music and corn for kitsch. The song became a worldwide hit in 1972, when it was covered by Hot Butter, an American pop band. Since then, multiple versions of the piece have been produced and released, including those by Vyacheslav Mescherin, Anarchic System, Popcorn Makers, the Boomtang Boys, M & H Band, Crazy Frog, and the Muppets.

Perrey and Kingsley was an electronic music duo made up of French composer Jean-Jacques Perrey and German-American composer Gershon Kingsley. The duo lasted from 1965 to 1967 and both are considered pioneers of electronic music. They released under Vanguard Records two studio albums The In Sound From Way Out! and Kaleidoscopic Vibrations. They also were among the first artists to incorporate the Moog synthesizer, prior to the successful 1968 release, Switched-On Bach by Wendy Carlos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mort Garson</span> Pioneering electronic music composer, arranger, and songwriter (1924–2008)

Morton Sanford Garson was a Canadian composer, arranger, songwriter, and pioneer of electronic music. He is best known for his albums in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Mother Earth's Plantasia (1976). He also co-wrote several hit songs, including "Our Day Will Come", a hit for Ruby & the Romantics. According to Allmusic, Mort Garson boasts one of the most unique and outright bizarre resumés in popular music, spanning from easy listening to occult-influenced space-age electronic pop.

Paul Henry Beaver Jr. was an American musician who was a pioneer in popular electronic music, using the Moog synthesizer. From 1967, Beaver collaborated with Bernie Krause as the recording duo Beaver & Krause.

Hot Butter were an American instrumental band fronted by the keyboard player and studio musician Stan Free. The other band members were John Abbott, Bill Jerome, Steve Jerome, Danny Jordan and Dave Mullaney. They were best known for their 1972 version of the Moog synthesizer instrumental song "Popcorn", originally recorded by its composer, Gershon Kingsley, in 1969. The track became an international hit, selling a million copies in France, 250,000 in the United Kingdom, and over two million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moog synthesizer</span> Electronic musical instrument

The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer invented by the American engineer Robert Moog in 1964. Moog's company, R. A. Moog Co., produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014. It was the first commercial synthesizer and established the analog synthesizer concept.

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the bands Jellyfish, the Moog Cookbook, and Imperial Drag. He has also spent several years as a member of Beck's backing band, contributed to several recordings by the band Air, and toured or recorded with acts such as Jay-Z, Blink 182, and Johnny Cash. In 2005, he released his first solo record, Solid State Warrior, followed with Robo-Sapiens, Catnip Dynamite (2008), and Glamping (2018). He is usually credited by his full name to avoid confusion with the folk musician Roger Manning.

<i>Moog</i> (film) 2004 American film

Moog is a 2004 American documentary film by Hans Fjellestad about electronic instrument pioneer Robert Moog. The film features scenes of Moog interacting with various musicians who view him as an influential figure in the history of electronic music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ondioline</span> Electronic keyboard instrument

The Ondioline is an electronic analog synthesizer, developed and built by Frenchman Georges Jenny. Sometimes referred to as the "Jenny Ondioline," the instrument is considered a forerunner of the synthesizer. First conceived by Jenny in 1939, he continued refining and reconfiguring the device, producing dozens of variant models up until his death in 1975.

"Baroque Hoedown" is an instrumental by the duet Perrey and Kingsley. Original from 1967 album Kaleidoscopic Vibrations a follow-up to their previous 1966 album, The In Sound From Way Out!. The two albums were reissued in 1988 on one compilation album entitled The Essential Perrey and Kingsley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Jacques Perrey</span> French composer (1929–2016)

Jean Marcel Leroy, better known as Jean-Jacques Perrey, was a French electronic music performer, composer, producer, and promoter. He is considered a pioneer of pop electronica. Perrey partnered with composer-performer Gershon Kingsley to form the electronic music duo Perrey and Kingsley, who issued some of the first commercial recordings featuring the Moog synthesizer. Perrey was also one of the first to promote, perform, and record with the Ondioline, developed by Georges Jenny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronics in rock music</span> Use of electronic instruments in rock music

The use of electronic music technology in rock music coincided with the practical availability of electronic musical instruments and the genre's emergence as a distinct style. Rock music has been highly dependent on technological developments, particularly the invention and refinement of the synthesizer, the development of the MIDI digital format and computer technology.

Ken Bichel is an American actor, composer, conductor, pianist, and synthesizer musician.

Moog may refer to:

<i>Moog Indigo</i> 1970 studio album by Jean-Jacques Perrey

Moog Indigo is the ninth studio album by the French electronic music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey, released in 1970 on the Vanguard Records label. The album's name is a reference to the jazz song "Mood Indigo" by Duke Ellington.

<i>Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements</i> 1993 studio album by Stereolab

Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements is the second studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab, released on 10 August 1993 and was issued by Duophonic Records and Elektra Records. It was recorded with an expanded line-up, and is generally considered to be the band's noisiest release due to its emphasis on distorted guitars and keyboard sounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Countryman</span>

Dana Countryman is an American electronic music composer, songwriter and performer notable for his sustained presence in the Seattle Pop scene as well as his collaborations with French electropop artist Jean-Jacques Perrey. He is also well known as songwriter and performer for The Amazing Pink Things (1985–1991). as well as the publisher for Cool and Strange Music Magazine (1996–2003). Countryman is currently composing, performing and releasing original albums of retro vocal pop. Reviewer John Borack has described Countryman as "a one-man Brill Building," in reference to the New York-based songwriting and recording scene of the 1960s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Graham, Dave (April 19, 2010). "Pop pioneer hails Germany despite Holocaust misery". Reuters. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  2. Caramanica, Jon (August 21, 2005). "Funny, It Doesn't Sound Jewish – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  3. The Broadway League. "The official source for Broadway Information". IBDB. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  4. "Gershon Kingsley". IMDb.
  5. "Film Video TV". Gershonkingsley.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  6. "Raoul". Operacompetition.hu. May 9, 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  7. "Tony Awards Database 1959". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  8. Rodrigues, J. "Moog Music Announces "The Bob" Award Winners". WeImprovise!. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  9. Newman, Melinda. "Gershon Kingsley, Moog Synthesizer Pioneer, Dies at 97". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 Pareles, Jon (December 15, 2019). "Gershon Kingsley, Master of Electronic Sounds, Dies at 97". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Tobias Feld (January 3, 2014). "Ein Revolutionär der Musikgeschichte ... Gustav Ksinski komponierte den ersten Welthit des Elektro-Pop". Deutschlandradio Köln (Deutschlandfunk Kultur). Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  12. "Synth pioneer and maker of 'Popcorn', Gershon Kingsley, dies age 97". DJ Mag . December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Gershon Kingsley". www.spaceagepop.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  14. "Jean-Jacques Perrey: Elektronik-Pionier stirbt mit 87 Jahren". Der Spiegel (in German). November 6, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  15. "The Joker's Wild". classicthemes.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  16. "Gershon Kingsley "Music To Moog By" (Audio Fidelity, 1969)". Jive Time Records. July 31, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  17. Kreps, Daniel (December 15, 2019). "Gershon Kingsley, Electronic Music Pioneer, Dead at 97". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  18. Verbist, Audrey. "Le mois d'août 2022 dans la ziquemachine à remonter le temps". lavenir.net (in French). Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  19. Gershon Kingsley And The Moog Synthesizer - Nowhere Man , retrieved August 27, 2022
  20. Kingsley Sound. Site includes some multimedia archives.
  21. "REVIEWS OF THE FIRST MOOG QUARTET AT CARNEGIE HALL JANUARY 30, 1970". Kingsley Sound. Archived from the original on June 13, 2002. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  22. Space Age Pop, Gershon Kingsley.
  23. Northrop, Daphne. "GBH's Iconic "Sting" Gets A Facelift". WGBH. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  24. "Tags: Perrey And Kingsley | Dangerous Minds". dangerousminds.net. Retrieved February 7, 2021.