January 18, 1958
Leonard Bernstein told the television audience at the start of the first Young People's Concert: "No matter what stories people te...Read more
February 1, 1958
From Carnegie Hall, Bernstein discusses the origins and characteristics of American music. After an extended excerpt from George G...Read more
March 8, 1958
After brief introductory remarks, Bernstein conducts the finale of Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol and then explains what a c...Read more
December 13, 1958
Using the examples of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony and Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony, Bernstein demonstrates the techniques of repeti...Read more
January 24, 1959
Bernstein conducts Handel's Water Music and cites it as an indisputable example of classical music. "Exact" is the word that best ...Read more
February 28, 1959
Using excerpts from Shostakovich, Mahler, Haydn and others Bernstein demonstrates how a "serious" composition can take an unexpect...Read more
March 28, 1959
Leonard Bernstein discusses the development of the concerto form from Bach to Bartok. Bernstein conducts examples of early concert...Read more
February 7, 1960
Leonard Bernstein celebrates Mahler's centennial by conducting excerpts from the composer's Fourth Symphony in G and discussing hi...Read more
March 6, 1960
Daniel Domb; Kenneth Schermerhorn; Barry Finclair; Stefan B. Mengelberg; Alexandra Wager
March 27, 1960
New York Pro Musica; Noah Greenberg; Vladimir Ussachevsky; Anita Darian
April 24, 1960
The High School of Music & Art
January 8, 1961
Episode 12 of Season 1 premiered on January 8, 1961
February 12, 1961
Aaron Copland; William Warfield
March 19, 1961
Lynn Harrell; Elyakum Shapirra; Jung-Ja Kim; Russell Stanger; Veronica Tyler; Gregory Millar; Henry Chapin
April 9, 1961
Bernstein discusses folk music and its influence on orchestral music, and conducts excerpts from Mozart, Chavez and Ives, and "Son...Read more
December 1, 1961
Bernstein focuses on impressionism in music, discussing the methods and styles of Debussy and Ravel. He conducts three movements f...Read more
January 18, 1962
Zara Nelsova
March 26, 1962
Bernstein sketches a brief history of Stravinsky's musical career, noting changes of style and shifts of direction. The whole of P...Read more
April 14, 1962
Seiji Ozawa; Gary Karr; Maurice Peress; John Canarina; Ruth & Naomi Segal; Paula Robison; Paul Green; Tony Cirone; David Hopper
November 21, 1962
John Corigliano, Sr.; Frank Gullino; Joseph Bernstein; William Dembinsky
December 21, 1962
Bernstein discusses the different forms melody can take, including tune, theme, motive, melodic line and musical phrase. He illust...Read more
January 15, 1963
Joan Weiner; Yuri Krasnopolsky; Claudia Hoca; Zoltán Rozsnyai; Pamela Paul; Serge Fournier; André Watts
March 8, 1963
Bernstein discusses "the two ingredients that give this music its special Latin flavor: rhythm and color." Excerpts include Bernst...Read more
November 29, 1963
Episode 24 of Season 1 premiered on November 29, 1963
December 23, 1963
Heidi Lehwalder; Amos Eisenberg; Weldon Berry, Jr.; Claudio Abbado; Shulamit Ran (as Shulamith Ran); Pedro Calderon; Stephen E. Kates; Zdeněk Košler
February 23, 1964
Episode 26 of Season 1 premiered on February 23, 1964
March 11, 1964
Bernstein discusses the blending of jazz and symphonic music, with performances and readings to illustrate. The program ends with ...Read more
November 6, 1964
Bernstein describes the three-part sonata form, and exemplifies it by singing the Beatle's "And I Love Her." Veronica Tyler sings ...Read more
November 30, 1964
Episode 29 of Season 1 premiered on November 30, 1964
January 28, 1965
Patricia Michaelian; James Boswell IV
February 19, 1965
Bernstein celebrates the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, and comments on Finland, the Fi...Read more
November 29, 1965
Bernstein explains musical intervals and discusses their relationship to harmony, melody and inversion. After analysis, the first ...Read more
December 14, 1965
Bernstein explains that the duty of the orchestra is to reproduce faithfully the notes and instructions of the composer. The main ...Read more
December 15, 1965
Bernstein celebrates Dmitri Shostakovich's sixtieth birthday by discussing his work and conducting an excerpt from his Symphony No...Read more
February 22, 1966
Performers include Paul Schoenfeld; Stephanie Sebastian; David Oei; Horacio Gutiérrez; James DePreist; Jacques Houtmann; Edo de Waart.
November 23, 1966
Bernstein discusses scales, intervals and tones, and analyzes several pieces, including Debussy's Fêtes, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheher...Read more
January 27, 1967
Elmar Oliveira; Mark Salkind; Fred Alston; Donald Green; Juan Pablo Izquierdo; Sylvia Caduff; George Reid; Young Uck Kim
February 23, 1967
Episode 38 of Season 1 premiered on February 23, 1967
April 19, 1967
Stephen E. Kates; Veronica Tyler; André Watts
December 25, 1967
Bernstein pays tribute to New York Philharmonic's "fraternal orchestra," the Vienna Philharmonic, in celebration of the 125th anni...Read more
January 28, 1968
Joseph Kalichstein; Paul Capolongo
March 31, 1968
Lawrence Foster; Alois Springer; Martin and Steven Vann; Helen Quach, Michael DeTemple
May 26, 1968
Leonard Bernstein quizzes Avery Fisher Hall and television audiences on their musicality. Highlights include true-or-false questio...Read more
December 25, 1968
Lorne Munroe, cellist
April 27, 1969
Michael Korn; Leopold Stokowski; Moog synthesizer; New York Rock and Roll Ensemble
May 25, 1969
Bernstein discusses what he describes as the "first psychedelic symphony," Berlioz's La Symphonie fantastique, examining the conce...Read more
September 14, 1969
Bernstein compares the main theme of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake with Stravinsky's Firebird. A performance of the pas de deux from Swa...Read more
March 29, 1970
Bernstein takes a look at Beethoven's so-called "flawed masterpiece" - his only opera, Fidelio. After discussing the story and its...Read more
May 24, 1970
Episode 49 of Season 1 premiered on May 24, 1970
December 27, 1970
Episode 50 of Season 1 premiered on December 27, 1970
April 4, 1971
Episode 51 of Season 1 premiered on April 4, 1971
February 13, 1972
Episode 52 of Season 1 premiered on February 13, 1972
March 26, 1972
Episode 53 of Season 1 premiered on March 26, 1972