Vincent A Lenti – författare

For the Enrichment of Community Life is the first part of the history of the Eastman School of Music, beginning with the events that led to the establishment of the school in 1921 and ending in 1932 with the death of the school's benefactor, George Eastman. It was Eastman -- the founder of Eastman Kodak, and Rush Rhees -- the remarkable president of the University of Rochester, who really made it all possible.The story related here is not simply that of a music school. It also involves a symphony orchestra, an American opera company, a ballet company, a school of dance and drama, a music library, and a commercial radio station dedicated to broadcasting live classical music. It includes efforts to support the musical education of Rochester's elementary and secondary school children and the involvement of the symphony orchestra in their musical education. It is the story of the school's Eastman Theatre, which became the location of concerts and recitals by the world greatest musicians.Upon the facade of the Eastman Theatre is the inscription "For the Enrichment of Community Life," words selected by Rush Rhees to dedicate the theater to that purpose. In a broader sense also, these words embody the mission of the Eastman School of Music.

The third volume of Vincent Lenti's history of the Eastman School of MusicNurturing the Love of Music is the third volume of Vincent Lenti's history of the Eastman School of Music, being preceded by For the Enrichment of Community Life: George Eastman and the Founding of the Eastman School of Music (2004) and Serving a Great and Noble Art: Howard Hanson and the Eastman School of Music (2009). This most recent addition to the written history of the school is mainly concerned with the period of time when Robert Freeman served as the school's fourth director (that is, dean). Freeman was recruited to lead the Eastman School in the fall of 1972 and officially assumed responsibilities as director on July 1, 1973. He served as director until his resignation in 1996. His was the second longest tenure in the school's history, only being surpassed by that of Howard Hanson. That tenure allowed him to exercise great influence over faculty recruitment, program development, and fundraising, as well as presiding over the most significant expansion of the school's physical presence in downtown Rochester since the original construction of 1921 and 1922.The publication of Nurturing the Love of Music coincides with the celebration of the Eastman School's one-hundredth anniversary. Because of that anniversary celebration, the book includes as its final chapter a brief summary of the post-Freeman years, a story that will no doubt be told in greater detail sometime in the future.

Howard Hanson's previously unpublished autobiography is now compiled and edited from manuscript sources, providing valuable insight into the life and work of this important American musician and educator.Howard Hanson was an American composer, conductor, and educator. Following his retirement as director of the Eastman School of Music, he worked intermittently for about a half-dozen years on an autobiography before abandoning the project. A Romantic Symphony: The Autobiography of Howard Hanson has been compiled and edited from various manuscript sources and now published as a valuable source of information concerning a man of wide influence in the music world of his time.Although an important composer, it is perhaps as an educator and advocate for American music that he should be most remembered. His early efforts to establish criteria for the Bachelor of Music curriculum and later for the development of a professional doctorate in music were among his most notable achievements. Of equal importance, however, was his support for the work of fellow American composers through his annual American Composers' Concerts and Festivals of American Music, which gave these composers opportunities to hear live performances of their works, often for the first time. Equally significant were Hanson's many recordings of American music that were issued on the RCA Victor, Columbia, and Mercury labels over a period of more than three decades. Hanson's autobiography is an important addition to our knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of this important figure in American music.