Glenn Millerg: biography, best songs, interesting facts, listen

Glenn miller

A man with iron discipline and willpower, while incredibly musically gifted - in these words is the whole of Glenn Miller. Leaving an inexhaustible legacy behind him, he entered his name in golden letters in the list of people who turned the world of jazz music over. The performer and conductor, the unsurpassed organizer and arranger, actor and director - Miller was a bright star that burned in the sky all the time allotted to her. Unfortunately, as often happens, he tragically died in the prime of his life, but left behind him followers who continue his work and glorify jazz music. An ambiguous person, whose figure causes many questions, extraordinarily talented, he spent his life on giving others around him the genius, the genius of magical creativity.

short biography

The future world-famous musician Alton Glenn Miller was born on March 1, 1904 in the provincial American city of Clarinda. His family could not boast of wealth, his father and mother constantly moved, trying to earn more money.

Little Glenn was surrounded by music in his childhood. His mother, Matty Lou Miller, constantly sang unpretentious songs to him, and when he became older, she began to teach him musical notation and singing. His father also did not stand aside when the boy turned 5 years old, Elmer Miller presented him with an old plucked instrument - mandolin. But Glenn liked the wind instruments more, so he soon broke up with the mandolin, exchanging it for the old pipe. At the same time, they moved to Nebraska.

When Miller was 13 years old, the family once again moved, this time to Missouri. Here Glenn began to listen to brass bands playing on dance floors. To support the family, a teenager gets a job at a butcher shop where he earns money for food. An active interest in music did not go unnoticed, and Miller received his first as a gift from the butcher. trombone. After some time, having accumulated the required amount, he buys a better instrument and begins to receive the first fees, playing in amateur orchestras.

Having changed three states, in 1918 the family decided to settle in Colorado. Here Miller organizes his own school orchestra, performing both famous works and the first arrangements of the musician.

In 1921 he graduated from high school and at the same time joins the "Boyd Senter band" group - a fairly well-known musical group at the time. In 1923, due to admission to the University of Colorado, he left the group. The training did not allow him to turn around, so he never finished university.

The young man decided to move to Los Angeles, where musical life was in full swing at the invitation of conductor Max Fisher. Soon he was leaving, and from there, straight to New York, where he met Ben Pollack, the man who had turned his life. Pollack saw a talented performer in Miller and immediately invited him to his orchestra. Possessing the skills of an arranger, Miller writes instrumentation for the Pollack Orchestra, getting paid for it.

Ray Noble’s orchestra has become a key moment in Glenn’s life. Turning to this symphonic-jazz group in 1935, he began to show his talents to the arranger. The famous "Miller sound" from clarinet and saxophones appeared precisely in this period and became the hallmark of the musician.

Two years later, Miller assembled his first professional orchestra. Due to the small workload and difficulties with the contracts, the team had to be dissolved. Not falling into despair, he made another attempt, and this time everything turned out much better. The new big band gets the right to act in the casino "Glen Island", and also enters into an agreement with the record company RCA, which was well-known at that time. In 1938, Glenn Miller’s big band became known to the whole of America, as well as beyond its borders. Promoting jazz music, he tours a lot, acts in film and does his best to promote jazz.

In 1942, Miller is recruited into the army as a volunteer and organizes his own big band. He dismisses the former team and from now on devotes all its strength to the promotion of jazz in the army, giving countless concerts. In 1944, Miller flew on a small plane and disappeared without a trace. The plane never landed on the ground. The cause of his death has not yet been established.

Interesting Facts

• He was born on February 29, shortly before midnight, but the official date of birth was recorded on March 1;
• at birth, the boy was named Glen. The second letter "n" in the name was added by him later on his own;

• He was married, his wife was called Helen Berger. She was a simple college girl whom he met while studying;
• his best friend was Benny goodman - no less famous legend of music, with whom he played in the Pollack Orchestra;
• in the Glenn Miller Orchestra, preference was given to orchestral groups, and soloists and improvisations were hardly used;
• he was one of the greatest jazz artists of the swing era (1930-early 1940);
• his big band was allowed to smoke only one brand of cigarettes - "Chesterfield";
• Miller was very popular with the public, earning a lot of money on performances, but many jazz performers did not approve of his music, considering it soulless;
• he did not consider his trombone performing level to be outstanding;
• his instructor in composition and instrumentation was Joseph Schillinger, who taught in his time George Gershwin;
• he wrote quite a few of his own compositions, working mainly on arrangements;

• In the repertoire of his orchestra there were over 200 compositions;
• in England, he gave over 800 concerts for military personnel in just a few months;
• For many older Americans, Glenn Miller’s music is strongly associated with World War II. If they listen to her, they turn out to be thoughts at that terrible time;
• Glenn Miller participated in the recording of radio programs, which were then broadcast to the enemy troops. In these records, he called on German not to believe Hitler and to stop the hostilities;
• Miller was so tough and not tolerant of any violation of discipline that among his musicians in the military orchestra had the nickname "Demon";
• many orchestras tried to imitate the style of the play of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, in order to earn the right to be named after him;

• he simply adored swing, constantly using it in his instrumentation, including while serving in the army, for which he repeatedly reproached the command;
• stamped on his memorial: born March 1, 1904 - disappeared without a trace on December 15, 1944;
• "Sun Valley Serenade" was originally filmed under the working title "Love Passport";
• ink was added to the ice used in this film to give it a deep black color;
• the death of the figure skater and Olympic champion Sonia Henie, starring with Glenn Miller, is also associated with flying on an airplane;
• his wife was awarded the Bronze Star - in recognition of the Ministry of Defense in front of Glenn Miller.

Music for ages

Miller’s repertoire included works that are still in demand. Thanks to his delicate sense of musical style, these compositions are adjusted to the smallest detail, and their names are known to literally everyone. Who among us has not heard of "Moonlight serenade" or "Chattanooga Train"? Many of his works are recognized world classics, still performed by orchestras around the world.

Magnificent arrangements of fast and incendiary melodies, as well as thoughtful leisurely ballads determined their popularity for many years to come. Several compositions have become simply iconic, largely due to the fact that Miller's big band has brilliantly played them in the “Serenade of the Sun Valley”. These things are known to every music lover: "I Know why", "In the mood", "Moonlight serenade"... The latter became incredibly popular among Soviet stylists who chose this music as their unspoken anthem in 1948. Generally, Miller's melodies were in great demand in the USSR from 1944 to 1948. They were played everywhere, not only by professionals, but also by amateur orchestras. Simplicity of arrangements , the absence of complex solo parts and the lightness of sound that was unaccustomed to Soviet people simply conquered the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the negative attitude towards jazz in the USSR after 1948 plunged Miller’s compositions into some kind of unofficial After the release of the infamous resolution “On the Opera“ The Great Friendship by Vano Muradeli, ”the concept of jazz itself fell under the secret but terrifying ban in its meaninglessness. For eight years, the name of Glenn Miller, like his music, was banned in the Soviet Union.

Miller wrote not so many of his own compositions, and so beautiful are those few author compositions that are truly brilliant in their simplicity.

Top songs

"In the mood"- the cult melody of 1983, known to everyone from the famous introduction, where the main theme is played by a group of saxophones, falling in love with the public around the world.

"In the Mood" (listen)

"Tuxedo junction"- a classic of jazz, arranged by Miller in 1940, where filigree trumpet solos and verified accompaniment sound simple and clear.

"Tuxedo Junction" (listen)

"Chattanooga choo choo"- a perfectly clear imitation of the train and a simple theme made this composition a favorite number of many groups, beginning in 1941, when it was written.

"Chattanooga Choo Choo" (listen)

"Moonlight serenade"- the composition, played for the first time in 1939 and built on the contrast of the two orchestral groups, became the favorite piece that belongs to the repertoire of each orchestra.

"Moonlight Serenade" (listen)

"Little brown jug"- a clear and immaculate arrangement of the famous song, written in 1939. One of the recognized things of the world jazz classics.

"Little Brown Jug" (listen)

Military service

During World War II, in 1942, Miller made a tough and determined decision - to leave his orchestra to volunteer for the US Armed Forces. The command rejected the first petition, since its age was non-conscript. The musician wrote another request directly to the Ministry of Defense, and this time she was satisfied. On October 7, 1942, simultaneously with enrollment in the ranks of the Air Force, Glenn Miller was given the rank of captain. Apparently, feeling guilty for having had to leave his orchestra, he asked his former musicians to join him. Absolutely they all refused. But even this could not break the musician and he took up his new duties.

Not immediately, he was able to realize his plans. First, he was appointed head of the Center for the preparation of musical groups for the technical management units. Only after he prepared about 50 orchestras, he was allowed to do his own project.

His ideas were simply revolutionary. So, he wanted to include stringed instruments in the composition of existing ensembles in order to improve their sound and bring it closer to symphonic. The command was far from approving of this idea. On September 6, 1943, Glenn Miller gave an interview to the Time newspaper, in which he criticized military music. “In order for the soldiers to enjoy the sound of the orchestra, it must be modern,” Miller received a reprimand from his superiors for these words, as well as for the interview itself. After that he claimed that the magazine reassigned his words, but the refutation was never printed.

In November 1943, Miller was finally completely freed from the obligatory support of other groups created by him, and he concentrated all his forces on his own orchestra. For his musicians, he was a real dictator. Trying to achieve the perfect sound of the ensemble and orchestral groups, he completely forbade improvisation. In addition, vacations were not given to all personnel, since he believed that their life was too easy compared to those who fought on the front lines.

In 1944, Miller knocks out a permit for an overseas trip to England, to London. Because of the fear of endless air raids, he immediately asked to be transported to the city of Bedford. Soon, the building in London, where the orchestra was located, was bombed. If Glenn had not insisted on moving, all of his people would inevitably have perished.

November 15, he received permission for a concert in France. At the suggestion of Colonel Basel, they flew together on a small Norsman C-64 for preliminary reconnaissance. It happened on December 15, 1944. The plane did not appear in the sky over Paris, disappearing without a trace in the La Manche region.

Glenn Miller to the movies

The first film in which the musician starred was the "Great Show 1936". We can say that it was a kind of first attempt at writing, the Miller team simply played in the background, and the musician himself did not get any role. But when soon the big band became famous, the situation changed radically. Now Miller himself could dictate his terms to the film companies, which he later took advantage of.

Of course, his second film, shot in 1941 - "Serenade of the Sun Valley", is known not only to fans of Miller, but also to many lovers of jazz music. Light comedy, imbued with magnificent melodies of the Millerovo orchestra, deservedly entered the golden fund of world cinema. For the 20th Century Fox film company, this picture is still one of the best in its genre. The audience really liked the film, and film critics highly appreciated the skill of the musicians and the acting game. Thanks in large part to this film, many of the compositions performed by Glenn Miller’s big band have become world famous.

The shooting of the picture, mainly held at the ski resort of Sun Valley. The plot was absolutely standard and unassuming, one might say classic for those times. A love triangle, sparkling humor and a well-known orchestra accompanying against the background are the three components that were widely used by directors of the time. Glenn Miller was very famous, so much so that the company was forced to sign an agreement on its terms. He received one of the main roles, as well as a guarantee from the film studio in that from now on he will be filmed only in high-budget films.

Quite a big problem arose with another actress, Sonya Henie, mainly because of her terrible character. She was very masterful, absolutely did not listen to the directors and strived always to act in her own way. It is because of her movie ending turned out a bit crumpled. At the very end of the filming, she began to express her indignation on a variety of occasions, and only the producer’s harsh statement about the large fine had its effect. As a result, the picture received worldwide recognition, and in the USSR it was received incredibly warmly and was very much loved by the public.

In 1942, the film "Orchestra Wives" was made. He was not so remembered by the audience as the previous one, but the music in it was still at its best. In 1943, he was nominated for an Oscar.

Only two films were enough to further glorify the team of Glenn Miller and his outstanding abilities as a musician and manager. Thanks to the wonderful sound of the orchestra and talented arrangements, many of the melodies from these paintings were loved by viewers all over the world.

Films with Glenn Miller and his music

• "Serenade of the Sunny Valley" (1941)
• "Wives of the orchestra" (1942)
• The Glenn Miller Story (1954). "Moonlight Serenade"
• "Wild at Heart" (1990). "In The Mood"
• Barcelona (1994). "Pennsylvania 6-5000"
• The Curse of the Jade Scorpion "(2001)." Sunrise Serenade "
• "Jackpot" (1992). "American Patrol", "In the Mood"
• "Eterna Magia" (2007). "A String of Pearls"
• "With love, Rosie" (2014). "Moonlight Serenade"
• "11/22/63 (2016)." Little Brown Jug "

Today one can argue a lot about Glenn Miller, in particular, about whether his music is jazz. After all, many musicologists do not think so, and you can’t meet the improvisations that are so typical of jazz music. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Glenn Miller was a great musician, for whom honor, self-sacrifice and modesty meant a lot. Not everyone can, being at the zenith of fame, “lose everything and start all over again”, having gone out from under the glitter of spotlights, in order to withstand the onslaught of fascist Germany by what he can do - with brilliant music.

Considering the works of Miller from the point of view of their form and sound, one comes to the opinion that it is, after all, jazz, but at the same time - a special, skillful hand of the arranger, cleaned out and carefully structured. Of course, you need to have a great gift so that your works are recognizable from the first note, and the sound of your orchestra for many decades to become a standard and nominal name. Today there is not a single person left who initially played Glenn Miller in the first composition, but his work still lives today, and the orchestra named after him still pleases the audience with its perfectly tuned game and pure sound.