Adler, Larry

Adler, Larry
orig. Lawrence Cecil Adler

born Feb. 10, 1914, Baltimore, Md., U.S.
died Aug. 7, 2001, London, Eng.

U.S. harmonica player.

Though he was initially unable to read music, he learned classical compositions by ear and became the first person to perform concert music on the harmonica. His musicality attracted many composers to write especially for him, including Darius Milhaud and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Accused of communist sympathies and blacklisted in the early 1950s, he was unable to find work in the U.S. and took up residence in England.

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▪ American musician
byname of  Lawrence Cecil Adler 
born February 10, 1914, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
died August 7, 2001, London, England
 American harmonica player generally considered to be responsible for the elevation of the mouth organ to concert status in the world of classical music.

      Adler's family was not particularly musical, but their observance of Orthodox Judaism provided access to religious music. By age 10 Adler was the youngest cantor in Baltimore, although unhappy in school. By feigning a nervous breakdown, he convinced his parents to let him enroll in the Peabody Conservatory of Music, but he was soon dismissed as untalented. The rebuff made him even more determined. At age 11, without his parents' consent, Adler ordered a piano for their home, which he then persuaded them to accept. He also began playing the mouth organ. Unable to read music, he listened assiduously, buying records and concert tickets with money earned by selling magazines.

      In 1927 Adler won the Maryland National Harmonica Championship, playing a Beethoven minuet. The following year in New York City he accompanied early motion-picture cartoons and performed vaudeville routines dressed as a vagabond. He had played in both musicals and motion pictures before he was invited to play with an orchestra. His solo debut took place in 1939 with the symphony orchestra of Sydney, Australia. Adler did not learn to read music until 1940, when the French composer Jean Berger wrote a harmonica concerto for him. Ralph Vaughan Williams, Darius Milhaud, and others also wrote musical scores for Adler. Accused of communist sympathies and blacklisted during the ascendancy of the U.S. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, Adler was unable to find work and took up residence in England.

      Adler wrote musical scores for motion pictures and television and also wrote several books, including How I Play (1937) and Larry Adler's Own Arrangements (1960). His autobiography, It Ain't Necessarily So, was published in 1987.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • ADLER, LARRY — (1914–2001), harmonica (mouth organ) player. Born in Baltimore, Adler won the Maryland Harmonica Championship at the age of 13. He first performed in revues and films, developing the technique of the 12 hole chromatic harmonica. He worked in… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Adler, Larry — orig. Lawrence Cecil Adler (10 feb. 1914, Baltimore, Md., EE.UU.–7 ago. 2001, Londres, Inglaterra). Intérprete de armónica estadounidense. Aunque en sus comienzos no sabía leer música, aprendió composiciones clásicas de oído y se convirtió en el… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Larry Adler — [Larry Adler] (1914–2001) a US musician who played the ↑harmonica (= a small instrument held against the mouth). He moved to Britain in the 1950s. Several ↑composers, including Malcolm Arnold …   Useful english dictionary

  • Adler — es un nombre alemán común; significa águila . El término Adler puede referirse a: ● Adler (automóvil), un automóvilo de principios del siglo XX ● Adler (supermercado), un supermercado en Polonia ● Adler Mannheim, un equipo de hockey alemán ●… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Larry Adler — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Adler. Larry Adler, de son nom complet Lawrence Cecil Adler (né le 14 mars 1914 à Baltimore (Maryland) et décédé le 7 août 2001 à Londres) est un harmoniciste, pianiste et compositeur… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Adler — /ad leuhr/; for 1 3 also /ahd leuhr/, n. 1. Alfred, 1870 1937, Austrian psychiatrist and psychologist. 2. Cyrus, 1863 1940, U.S. religious leader and Jewish scholar. 3. Felix, 1851 1933, U.S. educator, reformer, and writer. 4. Kurt (Herbert) …   Universalium

  • larry — larry1 /lar ee/, n., pl. larries. a hoe with a perforated blade for mixing mortar or plaster. [1850 55; of obscure orig.] larry2 /lar ee/, n., pl. larries. See larry car. * * * (as used in expressions) Adler Larry Bird Larry Joe Holmes Larry King …   Universalium

  • Larry — /lar ee/, n. a male given name, form of Lawrence, Laurence. * * * (as used in expressions) Adler Larry Bird Larry Joe Holmes Larry King Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff Rivers Larry * * * …   Universalium

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  • Larry Adler — Larry Adler, ca. Januar 1947. Fotografie von William P. Gottlieb. Lawrence Cecil „Larry“ Adler (* 10. Februar 1914 in Baltimore, Maryland; † 7. August 2001 in London) wa …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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