Music: The Typewriter

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Wednesday, September 4. 2013

Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. As with all his other compositions, Leroy Anderson wrote The Typewriter for orchestra, completing the work on October 9, 1950.

This particular orchestration was performed in a June 12, 2011 concert by members of the National Orchestra and Chorus of Spain in Madrid. The (typewriter) soloist is Alfredo Anaya. Watch his expressions and actions throughout the video...wonderful!

Many of the younger crowd who may see this video won't remember the old typewriter. But we geezers remember it well. That was a long time ago.

Posted by Bird Dog in Music, Our Essays at 16:08 | Comments (9) | Trackbacks (0)

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Now that I are one, I prefer Geezers to be capitalized (and said with a hint of reverence). :)

#1 Ron Snyder on 2013-09-04 20:31 (Reply)

Dear BD: I have a couple of great stories around the subject of typewriter.
1. girls in my high school HAD to take the course and boys were strongly advised that it might be a skill they should have also!
I got to the place where on a manual typewriter I was typing 93 words per minute with 3 errors for a five minute test! WheeeWee! I was actually faster than the rhythm set in this piece! It was a big deal back then (so was Elvis!) Then I broke some bones in my hand playing baseball (don't ask) and I spent the rest of the semester sitting in typing class reading novels for "Literature"! (Actually, it was Peyton Place in a brown paper wrapper!! ;-) )

2. For years good typing skills were essential to my work life. But, then when I had my own business I purchased the first ever electric correcting typewriter. My IBM Correcting selectric still sits in my storage area, complete with multiple typing head balls and one correcting tape (turning to dust). Hope someday someone will appreciate this treasure!

#2 apple pie on 2013-09-04 21:55 (Reply)

Typing was the most useful class I took in highschool. Shop was a close second. Back in the late 70's we had a mix of both manual and electric in the class. Those electric ones were the bomb.

I can still type about as fast as I can think...well perhaps that isn't really terribly fast. I laugh at the poor 'hunt and peckers'. Silly people.

#2.1 phil g on 2013-09-05 10:48 (Reply)

When I read the intro I was hoping it was this piece. I remember it well but can't recall where I heard it. Must have been in a movie. Good find, we'll done.

#3 Steve C. on 2013-09-04 21:57 (Reply)

This piece of music heard most weeks on BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006r9yq

#4 Dan on 2013-09-04 23:35 (Reply)

I worked for a while 20-odd years ago at a public radio station in Connecticut run by Anderson's son. What with all the little Leroy Anderson snippets that used to liven up daytime TV (movie intros, etc.) those royalty checks just kept on rolling in.

#5 Karen Myers (Link) on 2013-09-05 01:57 (Reply)

I have my Dad's Royal Arrow which was the typewriter he used for his many years as a newspaper editor. It's a former Navy typewriter he bought surplus right after WWII. It has the Navy serial number and Great Lakes Naval Station inventory sticker on the back.

#6 Tom Francis on 2013-09-05 04:59 (Reply)

I had a very strong dislike of my junior high English/Social studies teacher, whom I saw for half the day. The dislike was somewhat reciprocated. In spite of this dislike, I did the work, and she graded fairly, so it was a Cold War we survived.

The only time in two years she got a smile out of me was when she told me that the first class I should take in high school was typing. She had a point, I had to admit.

I ended up taking typing in a summer school class between my freshman and sophomore years.

I still have the typewriter that my parents bought for me -reconditioned-that Christmas.

I do not miss manual typewriters at all. I find it much easier to type on an electronic keyboard- perhaps because mistakes are easier to correct. My writing is more fluent as a result.

I once asked a professor if she had found any difference in the quality of student papers in the computer age compared to the manual age. She replied that there was no difference. Careless students were just as careless in the computer age. So, I may have been an exception.

#7 Gringo on 2013-09-05 11:30 (Reply)

What a delightful, well-performed piece of music! I remember first hearing this on Captain Kangaroo in the late 50's, and it's been a favorite ever since.

#8 fiftyville on 2013-09-05 16:55 (Reply)

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Wednesday, September 4. 2013

Music: The Typewriter