Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) was born in Cambridge, MA. The son of Swedish immigrant parents, including a church organist mother, he began piano and organ studies early in life. He went to college at Harvard University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. He also led the Harvard University Band during his graduate studies. In addition to his early musical interests, he also was a prolific language learner: his PhD studies at Harvard were in German and Scandinavian languages, and he eventually became fluent in 9 languages. This unique talent led to his service as a translator and interpreter for the US military during World War II and the Korean War. The demands of his military duties left little time to contemplate music, but he devoted himself to composing as World War II drew to a close in 1945. Several of his legendary classical-pops pieces remain popular, and we are fortunate that he arranged many of them for wind band. Among them are Sleigh Ride, The Irish Washerwoman, Bugler’s Holiday, and Belle of the Ball.
Blue Tango was Anderson’s breakout hit. Written in 1951 and released the following year (with Belle of the Ball as its B-side), it was a number 1 Billboard hit that spent 38 weeks on the chart, including 6 months in the top ten. It was also the first instrumental to sell 1 million copies. Here it is in that recording:
And here is the concert band version, arranged by the composer:
More:
LeroyAnderson.com – a treasure trove of information on the composer and his music, including a listening room.
Once Upon a Sleigh Ride – a PBS documentary about Anderson and his music.