Irving Fine

Musician

• Born: December 3, 1914
• Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
• Died: August 23, 1962
• Place of death: Natick, Massachusetts

Fine’s musical work was influenced by neoclassicism, demonstrated in his Symphony 1962, his string orchestras, his chorales, and his violin quartet.

Early Life

Irving Fine (UR-vihng fin) was born on December 3, 1914, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the eldest of three children, and his younger sisters were Audrey and Barbara. From childhood, Fine had always been interested in music. He not only expressed an intense fascination with music but also a profound talent for it. He picked up piano at the age of five and often practiced five or six hours a day on the family’s upright, later upgraded to a Steinway grand piano, which the family bought mostly for Fine’s use. He took lessons at the East Boston Music Center, and he had perfect pitch, which certainly showed in his exemplary musical abilities.

Fine’s family life was somewhat dysfunctional, and his father, George, did not support his son’s ambitions to find a career in music. Having had an unsuccessful career as a lawyer, George did not have much sympathy for arts and music. Fine’s mother, Charlotte, was a housewife who tried to support Fine’s talents, but she would often be challenged by her husband.

Fine pressed on with his ambitions, often playing classical music, which was his strength. However, he did venture into pop and jazz pieces. His sister Barbara, who also played piano, was impressed by his ability to play pop songs in a classical style. Despite his talent, Fine did not begin composing his own music until 1933, when he entered Harvard University. At Harvard Fine received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees under the tutelage of famed musical composer Walter Piston, who was also a mentor for such famed composers as Leonard Bernstein, Leroy Anderson, and Elliot Carter.

Life’s Work

Fine’s musical career soared after his graduation from Harvard. He worked as a pianist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and taught music at Harvard from 1939 to 1950, during which time he developed close friendships with other composers, such as Bernstein and Igor Stravinsky. After his stint at Harvard, Fine taught at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he founded its School of Creative Arts.

Fine’s time spent at Harvard and Brandeis paid off immensely. During these years, Fine wrote some of his most compelling work, including a violin sonata and a string quartet, which was praised by critics. In 1955, he wrote a lament for string orchestra called Serious Song, which earned Fine accolades from friends such as Bernstein.

During these years of composing and teaching, Fine was also a distinguished member of a group called the Boston Six, a group of close friends and highly talented composers, such as Bernstein, Arthur Berger, Aaron Copland, Harold Shapero, and Lukas Foss.

In 1960, only a couple years before his death, Fine began to work on one of his most ambitious projects, a symphony. This piece, called simply Symphony 1962, combined different influences, from neoclassical works to serial techniques. In the spring of 1962, Fine’s work premiered at Boston’s Symphony Hall to positive reviews from critics. In August of that same year, Fine received an opportunity to conduct the symphony himself. He managed to make it through the performance without any problems. However, a few days later, he began to experience extreme pain and severe headaches. On August 23, just days after conducting Symphony 1962, he died from a massive coronary.

Significance

While Fine’s life did not last long—he was only forty-seven at the time of his death—he left a lasting impact on the music world. His ability to combine neoclassical, serial, and Romantic musical elements to create his unique brand of classical music was lauded by contemporaries, critics, and other composers around the world. His string orchestras and chorale works remain part of several musical groups’ repertoire.

Fine’s legacy has also been honored by the institution at which he worked. In 2006, Brandeis University formed in his honor the Irving Fine Society, which is home to musical groups that perform not only Fine’s works but also the works of the outstanding composers of the twentieth century. Brandeis also named a professorship after Fine. His influence continues through many of his students, such as Gustav Ciamaga and Richard Wernick, who have proved themselves talented composers as well.

Bibliography

Fine, Irving. Music for Orchestra. Edited by Joel Spiegelman. London: Boosey and Hawkes, 1999. This is a collection of sheet music transcribed from Irving’s work, primarily for orchestra.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Symphony(1962). London: Boosey and Hawkes, 1962. One of Irving’s most famous works, written for orchestra.

Ramey, Phillip. Irving Fine: An American Composer in His Time. Hillsdale, N.Y.: Pendragon Press, 2005. More than three hundred pages of stories and information about the life of Fine and his development into a composer. This book includes detailed anecdotes from Fine and his family that paint a descriptive portrait of the man who wrote many classic compositions.