Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was an American composer, conductor, music educator, social activist, and television personality.

In addition to being the conductor of the New York Philharmonic (1958-1969), Bernstein composed several pieces, including the well-known musicals On the Town (1944) and West Side Story (1957 musical and 1961 film).

“…sorrow and rage will not inflame us to seek retribution; rather they will inflame our art. Our music will never again be quite the same. This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

-Bernstein (1963), following the assassination of JFK

The book The Joy of Music (1959) is a collection of essays and transcripts of his television programs. A chapter of it is a transcript of his television series Omnibus, which we will be watching for Online Class Discussion #1: Bernstein – The Joy of Music – Bach

Link to the online class discussion blog post: https://drjonesmusic.me/2016/02/09/class-discussion-1