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American Modern composer Ferde Grofé (1892-1972) was born to a baritone and actor father and a cellist and music teaching mother. After many non-musical jobs, he was only 17 when he wrote his first commissioned work. He played violin for the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra and jazz piano with the Paul Whiteman orchestra. His music is usually considered light classical, and has a strong jazz influence. Along with Grand Canyon Suite, his most known works include Mississippi Suite and the orchestration of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Links:

Grofé, Ferde: Works Includes listings for symphony and theater orchestras. www.schirmer.com/composers/grofe/works.html

Grofé, Ferde Rudolf von Biographical sketch with commnents on his major pieces and his work as an arranger for the Paul Whiteman Band from the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music entry at WQXR radio. www.wqxr.com/cgi-bin/iowa/cla/learning/grove.html?record=3878

Ferde Grofe Birth and death information, portrait photograph, pictures of crypt, cemetery links, and virtual memorial from Find a Grave. www.findagrave.com/../fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=423&pt=Ferde%20Grofe

Grofé, Ferde (1892 - 1972), United States Biographical data, recommended CDs, books and sheet music, bibliography, and links to biographical essays from Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers. www.stevenestrella.com/../../grofe1972.html

Ferde Grofé Detailed biography, major works and genres, trivia, and links from Silver Burdett Making Music. www.sbgmusic.com/html/teacher/reference/composers/grofe.html

Ferde Grofé Birth and death dates, portrait photograph, and major works from the Classical Composers Database. www.classical-composers.org/cgi-bin/ccd.cgi?comp=grofe

Ferde Grofé Detailed biography emphasizing his twin gifts of composing and arranging, his contributions to Rhapsody in Blue, chronological overview of his life, and relationships with such greats as Paul Whiteman and George Gershwin. www.xs4all.nl/~honingh/metropole/grofe.html

Ferde Grofé Sr. Filmography noting movies he scored or which used his songs and orchestral works, trivia and familial associations, and related material from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). us.imdb.com/name/nm0342928

Ferde Grofé (1892-1972) Biographical sketch, portrait, summary of works, and Naxos discography. www.naxos.com/composer/btm.asp?fullname=Grofe,%20Ferde