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“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.”
– Leonard Bernstein
Introduction
A renowned conductor, pianist, composer and music educator, Leonard Bernstein was the first American-born conductor to achieve national recognition. He’s best known for his work on the Broadway musical West Wide Story, along with his contributions to orchestral music, ballet, theater, and film.
People who knew Leonard Bernstein in life remember him as a cross between a lion and a firefly. He electrified the atmosphere of every room he stepped into, and concert halls packed to capacity welcomed him for nearly 50 years. Later in life, Leonard Bernstein’s drug use and alcoholism began to overwhelm him, but he continued to perform as a conductor until less than three months before his death.
Leonard Bernstein’s Early Life and Education
A second-generation American, Bernstein was the son of Ukrainian immigrants Samuel and Jennie Bernstein. He was born right after the Great War in 1918, and his parents called him Louis to appease his grandmother, who loved the name. His own folks called him Leonard, or Lenny for short, which stuck with him for life.
When he was 10, Bernstein’s aunt gave the family a large upright piano. Having been inspired by a piano performance several years earlier, young Bernstein jumped at the chance to play. His father refused to pay for lessons, so Bernstein saved up for lessons and took to the instrument like a pro.
Bernstein loved the classics, but he also loved the popular tunes he heard on the radio. By the time of his bar mitzvah, 13-year-old Leonard could play Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies and all of Chopin’s preludes and nocturnes. Deeply impressed, his father bought him a five-foot baby grand.
The Maestro’s Professional Journey
Bernstein’s piano teachers included Helen Coates and, from 1935 onward, Heinrich Gebhard. After he left high school, Bernstein attended Harvard and then the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied music and began to write his own compositions. He spent all of the 1940s and most of the 1950s conducting world-famous orchestras, including the Boston Pops, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.
During the same time period, Bernstein also wrote music, including scores for Wonderful Town, Candide and the iconic West Side Story, which premiered on Broadway in 1957.
Additionally, Bernstein contributed to musical education through a series of educational concerts called the Young People’s Concerts. These concerts, which were performed by the New York Philharmonic, included demonstrations, discussions and live performances with the purpose of making music accessible to everyone. They were broadcast on CBS and won numerous Emmy Awards.
The Man Behind the Podium
Bernstein wasn’t just a musical genius, he was also a charismatic, engaging figure who had a unique ability to connect with his audience. He was known for his flamboyant style, energy and ability to convey emotion through his performances. As comfortable in front of the camera as behind the podium, he engaged audiences through his work on the Omnibus series and the Young People’s Concerts.
Sexuality and Personal Life
After a tumultuous engagement, Bernstein married Chilean actress Felicia Cohn Montealegre in 1951 and had three children with her. The couple stayed together for over 25 years, and friends maintained that they cared for one another. However, their union hid an open secret: Bernstein was gay, or at the very least, bisexual.
Regrettably, Bernstein couldn’t live openly as a gay man in America — where public sentiment was still repressive of such people — until later in life. Several sources suggest that his mentor, Dimitri Mitropoulos, was the one who encouraged him to quash rumors about his private life by getting married. Orchestra boards, said Mitropoulis, were notoriously conservative and were unlikely to give him a contract if they found out about his sexuality.
Everyone in the American arts scene knew about Bernstein’s sexuality, including his wife, who tolerated his affairs with men throughout their marriage. In 1976, he left his wife and moved in with a lover; in 1977, Felicia developed lung cancer, and Bernstein moved back in to care for her until her death in 1978.
Relationship with Politics
Bernstein used his platform to advocate for a range of social and political causes, including civil rights, anti-war movements and nuclear disarmament. He was involved in organizations such as the American Committee for Yugoslav Relief and the Southern Negro Youth Congress. He also hosted fundraisers for the Black Panther Party and openly protested the Vietnam War.
His outspokenness eventually resulted in FBI surveillance and being blacklisted during the McCarthy era.
The Role of Drugs and Excess in Bernstein’s Life
Despite Bernstein’s outstanding achievements, he experienced numerous personal struggles. His friends and associates recall that he almost always held a tumbler of scotch when not on the podium. Composer and diarist Ned Rorem once said, “I remember he even drank for breakfast. That impressed me.” Additionally, despite an asthma diagnosis, Bernstein also smoked heavily from an early age and, torn asunder by his own identity, regularly burned the candle at both ends.
At times, his drug and alcohol use led to erratic behavior. In some ways, Bernstein was a product of his culture. The mid-20th century was a time of significant cultural and social changes. The post-World War II economic boom led to increased consumerism and a heavy influence on wealth and luxury. Along with this, there was a general sense of hedonism and overindulgence, with drugs and alcohol playing a significant role in social gatherings.
Particularly in the circles Bernstein ran in, there was a culture of excess in fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle. Extravagant parties, exclusive clubs, and glamorous events were the mark of success, especially for those in the public eye. Bernstein kept pace with all of it, even at the expense of his health. He was known to take small doses of Dexedrine, a stimulant, and his life was often described as chaotic and frenetic.
Balancing Genius and Turmoil
Given his predilection for shock value and his poor behavior, you might assume that Bernstein finally became a persona non grata. Perhaps surprisingly, this didn’t happen. Bernstein’s associates certainly had codependent relationships with him and often peeled him off the floor, but most of them spoke to Lenny until the end of his life.
One particularly memorable Bernstein rescue, described by classical music critic Mark Swed, happened in 1988. Shortly before the beginning of a concert at the Avery Fisher Hall in New York, Bernstein went AWOL. His colleagues at the Chicago Symphony eventually found him, tremendously intoxicated, in his apartment at the nearby Dakota Hotel. They threw him into a cold shower and then brought him to the concert hall, where he successfully conducted Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony.
In 1960, Bernstein broadcast a Young People’s Concert titled “Who is Gustav Mahler?” In it, he described Mahler as “one of the most unhappy people in history.” Why? Because Mahler was both a composer and conductor and therefore held two different people inside him. Bernstein maintained that the conflict between these two entities left Mahler heartbroken.
While interesting and insightful, Bernstein’s description of Mahler might have been a depiction of himself, too. As a conductor and a composer, Bernstein certainly embodied Mahler’s dichotomy. He regularly struggled with his Jewish faith, enjoyed both classical and popular music, and vacillated between generosity and unkindness in his personal relationships. Finally, he tried in vain to tamp down his own dualistic sexual feelings.
The Enduring Legacy
Leonard Bernstein died of a heart attack in October 1990 at the age of 72. His legacy is multifaceted, encompassing not just his work as a musician but also as an educator and social activist. His most famous work, West Side Story, remains among the most iconic in American musical theater, while his music education initiatives inspired generations of musicians.
Across the country, several celebrations and commemorations continue to recognize his work and immeasurable impact on the arts. His 100th birthday was marked by celebrations around the world through film festivals, exhibitions, and concerts, while institutions such as Brandeis University have hosted festivals and concerts to celebrate his work.
Along with this, Bernstein’s life and legacy have been laid out in several movies and books since his death. Decades after his death, his talent and dedication to making music accessible continue to impact audiences worldwide.
Conclusion
During his lifetime, people found Bernstein deeply inspiring — despite his behavior and his struggles with alcoholism and addiction. His opinions were important and valued, even when they were controversial. Audiences dubbed him “the greatest American musician who ever lived.” Many music fans still feel that way today.
