Founded in 1842, the orchestra is one of the oldest musical institutions in the United States and the oldest of the "Big Five" orchestras. On May 5, 2010, the New York Philharmonic performed its 15,000th concert, a milestone unmatched by any other symphony orchestra in the world.
The orchestra was founded by Ureli Corelli Hill in 1842 as the Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York and played its first concert on December 7 of that year, when Beethoven's Fifth Symphony was performed. There had been other orchestras in New York before, but none of them had survived for very long. The Philharmonic, however, became successful, and grew in popularity and size throughout the 19th century. By the end of that century, there were several other orchestras in New York competing with it, as well as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which made regular visits to New York.
In 1921 the Philharmonic merged with New York's National Symphony Orchestra (no relation to the present Washington, D.C. ensemble). With this merger it also acquired the imposing Dutch conductor Willem Mengelberg. For the 1922/23 season Stránský and Mengelberg shared the conducting duties, but Stránský left after the one shared season. For nine years Mengelberg dominated the scene, although other conductors, among them Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Igor Stravinsky, and Arturo Toscanini, led about half of each season's concerts. During this period, the Philharmonic became one of the first American orchestras to boast an outdoor symphony series when it began playing low-priced summer concerts at Lewisohn Stadium in upper Manhattan. In 1920 the orchestra hired Henry Hadley as "associate conductor" given specific responsibility for the "Americanization" of the orchestra: each of Hadley's concerts featured at least one work by an American-born composer.
In 1924, the Young People's Concerts were expanded into a substantial series of children's concerts under the direction of American pianist-composer-conductor Ernest Schelling. This series became the prototype for concerts of its kind around the country and grew by popular demand to 15 concerts per season by the end of the decade.
Mengelberg and Toscanini both led the Philharmonic in recording sessions for the Victor Talking Machine Company and Brunswick Records, initially in a recording studio (for the acoustically-recorded Victors, all under Mengelberg) and eventually in Carnegie Hall as electrical recording was developed. All of the early electrical recordings for Victor were made with a single microphone, usually placed near or above the conductor, a process Victor called "Orthophonic"; the Brunswick electricals used the company's proprietary non-microphone "Light-Ray" selenium-cell system, which was much more prone to sonic distortion than Victor's. Mengelberg's first records for Victor were acousticals made in 1922; Toscanini's recordings with the Philharmonic actually began with a single disc for Brunswick in 1926, recorded in a rehearsal hall at Carnegie Hall. Mengelberg's most successful recording with the Philharmonic was a 1927 performance in Carnegie Hall of Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben. Additional Toscanini recordings with the Philharmonic, all for Victor, took place on Carnegie Hall's stage in 1929 and 1936. By the 1936 sessions Victor, now owned by RCA, began to experiment with multiple microphones to achieve more comprehensive reproductions of the orchestra.
The year 1928 marked the New York Philharmonic's last and most important merger: with the New York Symphony Society. The Symphony had been quite innovative in its 50 years prior to the merger. It made its first domestic tour in 1882, introduced educational concerts for young people in 1891, and gave the premieres of works such as Gershwin's Concerto in F and Holst's Egdon Heath. The merger of these two venerable institutions consolidated extraordinary financial and musical resources. Of the new Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York, Clarence Hungerford Mackay, chairman of the Philharmonic Society, will be chairman. President Harry H. Flagler, of the Symphony Society, will be president of the merger.At the first joint board meeting in 1928, the chairman, Clarence Mackay, expressed the opinion that "with the forces of the two Societies now united... the Philharmonic-Symphony Society could build up the greatest orchestra in this country if not in the world."
In 2000, Lorin Maazel made a guest-conducting appearance with the New York Philharmonic in two weeks of subscription concerts after an absence of over twenty years, which was met with a positive reaction from the orchestra musicians. This engagement led to his appointment in January 2001 as the orchestra's next Music Director. He assumed the post in September 2002, 60 years after making his debut with the Orchestra at the age of twelve at Lewisohn Stadium. In his first subscription week he led the world premiere of John Adams' On the Transmigration of Souls commissioned in memory of those who died on September 11, 2001. Maazel concluded his tenure as the Philharmonic's Music Director at the end of the 2008/09 season.
The Philharmonic performed in Pyongyang at the invitation of the North Korean government on February 26, 2008. The event was the first significant cultural visit to the country from the United States since the end of the Korean War. The concert was held at East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, with a program including the national anthems of both North Korea (Aegukka) and the United States (The Star-Spangled Banner), the Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin by Richard Wagner, Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World", George Gershwin's An American in Paris, Georges Bizet's Farandole, Leonard Bernstein's Overture to Candide, and the popular Korean folk song Arirang. The Dvořák, Gershwin, and Bernstein works were each originally premiered by the New York Philharmonic.
The visit was anticipated as an opportunity to broaden relations with one of the world's most isolated nations. The U.S. State Department viewed the invitation as a potential softening of anti-U.S. propaganda. In response to initial criticism of performing a concert limited to the privileged elite, the New York Philharmonic arranged for the concert to be broadcast live on North Korean television and radio. It was additionally broadcast live on CNN and CNN International. It was also shown on South Korea's Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation to the entire nation of the Republic of Korea (ROK).
In January 2016, the orchestra announced the appointment of Jaap van Zweden as its next Music Director, effective with the 2018/19 season, with an initial contract of five years. van Zweden is scheduled to serve as Music Director Designate for the 2017/18 season.
The current president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the orchestra is Deborah Borda. Borda had previously held the same posts, as well as the post of managing director, with the orchestra.
Music Directors
1842–1849 Ureli Corelli Hill, Henry Timm, Denis Etienne, William Alpers, George Loder, Louis Wiegers and Alfred Boucher
1849–1854 Theodore Eisfeld
1854–1855 Theodore Eisfeld and Henry Timm
1855–1856 Carl Bergmann
1856–1858 Theodore Eisfeld
1858–1859 Carl Bergmann
1859–1865 Carl Bergmann and Theodore Eisfeld
1865–1876 Carl Bergmann
1876–1877 Leopold Damrosch
1877–1878 Theodore Thomas
1878–1879 Adolf Neuendorff
1879–1891 Theodore Thomas
1891–1898 Anton Seidl
1898–1902 Emil Paur
1902–1903 Walter Damrosch
1906–1909 Wassily Safonoff
1909–1911 Gustav Mahler
1911–1923 Josef Stránský
1922–1930 Willem Mengelberg
1928–1936 Arturo Toscanini
1936–1941 John Barbirolli
1943–1947 Artur Rodziński
1947–1949 Bruno Walter (music advisor)
1949–1950 Leopold Stokowski (co-principal conductor)
1949–1958 Dimitri Mitropoulos
1958–1969 Leonard Bernstein
1969–1970 George Szell (music advisor)
1971–1977 Pierre Boulez
1978–1991 Zubin Mehta
1991–2002 Kurt Masur
2002–2009 Lorin Maazel
2009–2017 Alan Gilbert
2018– Jaap van Zweden
Carol of the Bells
New York Philharmonic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweet silver bells,
All seem to say,
Throw cares away
Christmas is here,
Bringing good cheer,
To young and old,
Oh how they pound,
Raising the sound,
O'er hill and dale,
Telling their tale,
Gaily they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
On on they send ,
On without end,
Their joyful tone to every home
Dong Ding dong ding, dong Bong
The song "Carol of the Bells" is a classic Christmas tune that features lyrics that express the joy and excitement of the holiday season. The first stanza of the song starts with the line "Hark how the bells," which can be interpreted as an invitation to listen to the bells that are ringing. The use of the word "hark" is somewhat old-fashioned and gives the song a traditional, timeless feel. The next few lines describe the bells themselves, as "sweet silver bells" that "all seem to say, throw cares away." This suggests that the sound of the bells is so joyful and uplifting that it can help people forget their worries and concerns.
The second stanza talks more explicitly about the meaning of Christmas, which is "bringing good cheer, to young and old, meek and the bold." The line "meek and the bold" is interesting because it suggests that Christmas is a time when even those who are shy or timid can feel bold and confident. The third stanza describes the sound of the bells as they "pound" and "raise the sound" over hills and valleys, telling their tale of Christmas cheer. The final stanza repeats the phrase "Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas" four times, emphasizing the joy and happiness of the season. The song ends with the final "Dong Ding dong ding, dong Bong," which offers a satisfying conclusion to the melody.
Line by Line Meaning
Hark how the bells,
Listen to the sound of the bells,
Sweet silver bells,
The sound of the bells is melodious,
All seem to say,
The sound of the bells convey a message,
Throw cares away
The message is to forget all the worries and enjoy the moment,
Christmas is here,
The occasion being celebrated is Christmas,
Bringing good cheer,
It is a time of joy and merriment,
To young and old,
Everyone, irrespective of age, is welcome to enjoy the festivities,
Meek and the bold,
Both the timid and confident are invited to join the celebration,
Oh how they pound,
The bells sound vibrant and intense,
Raising the sound,
The sound increases in volume,
O'er hill and dale,
The sound echoes across hills, valleys and beyond,
Telling their tale,
The sound narrates a story,
Gaily they ring
The bells are ringing joyously,
While people sing
People sing along with the bells,
Songs of good cheer,
The songs are upbeat and happy,
Christmas is here,
The occasion being celebrated is Christmas,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
The message is conveyed with a wish for a very happy Christmas,
On on they send ,
The sound of the bells continues to travel,
On without end,
The bells seem to ring forever,
Their joyful tone to every home
The sound reaches every household, spreading joy,
Dong Ding dong ding, dong Bong
The bells chime merrily, as if knocking on every door, inviting all to join in the celebrations.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID ROSE, DAVID D. ROSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PL73LC1
Just as beautiful and thrilling as it was when I bought my first LP album, more than 50 years ago. Extraordinary musicians have given the world a wondrous gift... Music! Glorious music!
Thank you all who worked so tirelessly to record the music which brings our memories into focus on the true joy of Christmas which can live within our hearts throughout the year! Let there be peace on Earth! e.conboy
Jacques Camille
Love it
phineas117
perfection from my childhood. the BEST version EVER
classical music nerd Ricky
Rip Leonard Bernstein. Hope you are resting well.
George Petty
Finally on YouTube, Christmas music (1) without "cute" vocalists, (2) musicianship, and (3) Sony and other monopolists are not shoving it down our throats.
Adam Ebel
I heard this on an old red Christmas record called That Christmas feeling back in the day.
Bebot / Max Philippines.
simply the best
wombly559
Best version of this song EVER!!!!!
RJ McAllister
1963: first heard it on one of those Columbia House collections, which I still have. 'Masterwork' fits.