He served as a gaffir (mounted patrolman) and studied at the Jerusalem Conservatory, then came to America in 1946 with hopes of attending the Julliard School of Music. The school, however, would not accept him because he had no high school degree. So, at the age of twenty-four, he left for Los Angeles, finished high school at night and attended the LA Conservatory of Music (now known as Cal Arts). For work, he would play the organ at several synagogues in the area.
After graduating from the conservatory with a BA in Music, Kingsley began to conduct for summer stock theater at the "Music Circus" in Sacramento, California.
But when Kingsley moved to New York in 1955, his career really began to take flight. After a season conducting for the "Melody Fair" musical theater in Framingham, Massachusetts, he became the musical director for a Broadway production of The Entertainer starring Lawrence Olivier. Then, in 1958, he was nominated for a "Tony" Award for Best Musical Direction in the Broadway musical hit La Plume de ma Tante. He conducted and arranged for several Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including Porgy & Bess, Jamaica, Ernest in Love, The Cradle Will Rock and Fly Blackbird. Kingsley earned two "Obie" Awards for his Off-Broadway theatrical work.
Around this time, Kingsley also was also musical director for the Robert Joffrey Ballet, Joséphine Baker and the highly-acclaimed television special The World of Kurt Weill starring Lotte Lenya.
As a composer, Kingsley has focused primarily on theatrical works both religious and secular. His religious works are inspired by Jewish and Hebrew texts and are described as "scenic cantatas." They include: A Prophet's Song of Love, What Is Man?, Shabbat for Today , They Never Had the Chance to Live, Simcha, The Fifth Cup and Friday of Thanksgiving. Shabbat for Today and The Fifth Cup have been nationally broadcast and performed extensively throughout the U.S. He also wrote the popular choral anthem "Shepherd Me, Lord."
In 1966, while working as the Staff Arranger for Vanguard Records, Kingsley collaborated with French composer Jean-Jacques Perrey on a highly-experimental pop album entitled "The In Sound from Way Out." (LINK TO: Insound) Here, they combined dozens of intricately designed tape loops with live studio musicians to produce an altogether new sound that pushed the envelope of modern music and became an instant hit with the advertising industry. A second album, called "Kaleidoscopic Vibrations" highlighted the potential of the Moog synthesizer and produced the tune "Baroque Hoedown," which became part of the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disney theme parks worldwide.
Kingsley soon became one of the foremost artists of Moog music. In 1969, he released an album entitled "Music to Moog By, which received enthusiastic reviews and has since become a classic among Moog connoisseurs.
In 1970, Kingsley formed the First Moog Quartet, a four-synthesizer ensemble that was a pioneering effort to bring electronic music into classical music venues. The group made history when it performed the first live show of synthesized music ever in Carnegie Hall. The concert, which featured dancers, abstract film collage and otherworldly music received very mixed reviews. "People were kind of confused about the concert," says Kingsley. "I understand, because it was just so new."
Soon after the show, Arthur Fiedler, then conductor of the Boston Pops, asked Kingsley to compose a work for synthesizer quartet and symphony orchestra. "Concerto Moogo", as it was known, was premiered in 1971 at the Boston Symphony Hall and was televised across the country. The First Moog Quartet (under Kingsley's direction) subsequently made a nationwide tour of universities and performed with several orchestras, including the Miami, Detroit and Indianapolis Symphonies as well as the Munich and Cologne Radio Orchestras in Germany.
The next year, Kingsley's electronic composition "Popcorn", (a classically-inspired pop song) became an international hit and inspired hundreds of arrangements and stylized remakes worldwide and as recently as this year.
Kingsley has also composed extensively for television and motion pictures. His work has won him an "Emmy" Award for the music of A New Voice in the Wilderness, and two "Clio" Awards for outstanding music in TV commercials. He also wrote theme music for the American game show "The Joker's Wild" and the German shows "Kommödchen" and "Babbelgamm."
In the mid 1980's, Kingsley focused on the then-nascent genre of electronic New Age music and released "Much Silence" on Relativity Theory Records. This was followed up by "Sanctuary" and "Anima", a collection of Kingsley's New Age music produced by Kingsley Sound, Inc.
In 1992, Kingsley composed two separate works to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage to America: Cristobal, a musical performed at New York's Union Square Theater; and Tierra, an opera performed at the Gasteig Concert Hall in Munich, Germany. Voices from the Shadow , a theatrical concert piece based on the poetry of the holocaust, had its premiere in 1998 at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Most recently, Kingsley has finished work on several projects, including a new version of "Popcorn" to be released on the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal record label, and "Selma", a cycle of songs inspired by the holocaust poetry of Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger. He has also completed a new avant-garde, electronic album entitled "Music Between Chairs".
Over the last 2 years, Kingsley and Michael Kunze (libretto) cooperated on the opera "RAOUL" about Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish trademan who saved thousand of jews from certain death in the Nazi concentration camps.The premier concert version has been performed at the Goethe Institute New York on April 30, 2004.
Rebirth
Gershon Kingsley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was a star
when the earth came to light
I was the stone
that gave birth to the knife
I was a tree
and a thing from the sea
Born and reborn
in a master design
I was a bird
and a beast with an instict devine
Ah - but now I'm a man
and I'm wondering just who I am,
as I try,
- try to fit into the plan
Star, let glow
with the light I once knew
Stone, lend me strength,
for there's much I must do.
Tree let me grow
and the sea set me free
for all of you are part of me.
Bird, give me flight
of the mind when I dreampt
Beast show me how
when I find that I have to adapt
In this lost race of man
let me draw from all that I've been,
that I may find my place in the plan.
The song "Rebirth" by Gershon Kingsley is a contemplative and introspective piece that reflects on the concept of rebirth and the interconnectedness of all living things. The lyrics are metaphorical and use imagery of various natural elements to convey a sense of unity and evolution. The opening lines, "I was a star when the earth came to light, I was the stone that gave birth to the knife," speak to the idea of being present at the beginning of creation and being a part of the process of growth and evolution.
Throughout the song, the singer reflects on their past lives as different living beings, saying "I was a bird and a beast with an instinct divine." They acknowledge that they are currently a human, but are still trying to figure out their place in the grand scheme of things. The lines "as I try - try to fit into the plan" convey a sense of uncertainty and a struggle to find meaning in life.
The singer then calls upon different elements of nature - the star, stone, tree, sea, bird, and beast - asking for their guidance and support as they navigate their journey of self-discovery. The lyrics suggest that everything in the natural world is interconnected and that by tapping into different aspects of nature, one can gain deeper understanding and insight into the self.
Overall, "Rebirth" is a thoughtful and contemplative piece that encourages the listener to reflect on their own journey of self-discovery and the interconnectedness of all living things.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a star
I was once a shining star.
when the earth came to light
I came to exist when the earth formed.
I was the stone
I was once a stone.
that gave birth to the knife
I was once used to create a tool with sharp edges.
I was a tree
I was once a tree.
and a thing from the sea
I also existed in the form of a sea creature.
all of these things are part of me
All of these past identities make up who I am now.
Born and reborn
I have experienced multiple births and rebirths.
in a master design
All of my experiences have been part of a greater plan.
I was a bird
I was once a bird.
and a beast with an instict devine
I also existed as an animal with a divine instinct.
Ah - but now I'm a man
Now I exist as a human being.
and I'm wondering just who I am,
I am questioning my identity as a human.
as I try,
As I strive to understand myself,
- try to fit into the plan
I am attempting to understand how I fit into the grand scheme of things.
Star, let glow
I am calling upon my past identity as a star to guide me now.
with the light I once knew
I am asking to be guided by the knowledge I once possessed in that form.
Stone, lend me strength,
I am calling upon my past identity as a stone to provide me with strength.
for there's much I must do.
I need strength to accomplish my tasks in my current form.
Tree let me grow
I am calling upon my past identity as a tree to help me continue to grow.
and the sea set me free
I am asking the sea to provide me with freedom and liberation.
for all of you are part of me.
All of these past identities are part of who I am now.
Bird, give me flight
I am calling upon my past identity as a bird to help me soar in my mind.
of the mind when I dreampt
I am asking to have the ability to access deeper aspects of my consciousness.
Beast show me how
I am asking my past identity as an animal to teach me how to adapt to my surroundings.
when I find that I have to adapt
I will need to be able to adapt in order to succeed in life.
In this lost race of man
I am referring to the human race as being lost or confused.
let me draw from all that I've been,
I will use my past experiences to help me navigate my current life.
that I may find my place in the plan.
I hope to find my purpose and role in the grand scheme of things.
Writer(s): 皆谷 尚美, 井澤 惇, 武田 信幸, 山本 晃紀, 楠本 構造
Contributed by Camilla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mrjokioo
Lyrics transcribed...
I was a star
when the earth came to life
I was the stone
that gave birth to the knife
I was a tree
and a thing from the sea
all of these things are part of me
Born and reborn
in a master design
I was a bird
and a beast with an instinct divine
Ah - but now I'm a man
and I'm wondering just who I am,
as I try,
- try to fit into the plan
Star, let glow
with the light I once knew
Stone, lend me strength,
for there's much I must do.
Tree let me grow
and the sea sets me free
for all of you are part of me.
Bird, give me flight
of the mind when I trapped
Beast show me how
when I find that I have to adapt
In this lost race of man
let me draw from all that I've been,
that I may find my place in the plan.
@carlkolthoff5402
Masterpiece. Rest in peace, Master Kingsley.
@jayrod107
Oh no. I just saw this. He’s was really nice when I met him. Rip
@rosseye
We sang this in our high school acapella choir and this is the first I have heard it in 46 years. Crazy.
@mrjokioo
Lyrics transcribed...
I was a star
when the earth came to life
I was the stone
that gave birth to the knife
I was a tree
and a thing from the sea
all of these things are part of me
Born and reborn
in a master design
I was a bird
and a beast with an instinct divine
Ah - but now I'm a man
and I'm wondering just who I am,
as I try,
- try to fit into the plan
Star, let glow
with the light I once knew
Stone, lend me strength,
for there's much I must do.
Tree let me grow
and the sea sets me free
for all of you are part of me.
Bird, give me flight
of the mind when I trapped
Beast show me how
when I find that I have to adapt
In this lost race of man
let me draw from all that I've been,
that I may find my place in the plan.
@JorgeRuizVEVO
You made my day
@petrov8086
Thanks, man
@mcdoogle274
Eventually this has to become a Bond song. It just has to.
@georgelebreton3177
This song, this music is simply Divine!!! R.I.P. Master Gershon Kingsley 🌟🌹
@diegoss3563
Un obra maestra!
@PhobiaGuy
what a gem! kinda makes the hairs on ya neck stand up!