Joan Field
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Joan Field (April 28, 1915March 18, 1988) was an American
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.


Biography and career

Joan Field was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. She began violin studies at the age of 5. She was a pupil of Franz Kneisel, Albert Spalding and Michel Piastro in the
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and spent four years in
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during her teens studying with Jacques Chailley, Jacques Thibaud and
George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...
at the École Normale de Musique. She made her recital debut in Town Hall in
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in 1934. About that evening, ''
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'' wrote, "Miss Field's playing is that of a thoughtful, sensitive and fastidious musician." She made her orchestra debut in November, 1941, playing the Saint-Saens Concerto #3 with Sir John Barbirolli and the New York Philharmonic. She went on to perform with major orchestras in the United States, including the American Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the
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and the Washington Symphony; and five solo performances with the
New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...
at Lewisohn Stadium and
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."Joan Field, Concert Violinist, Finds Relaxation in Native Long Branch"
''
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'', January 28, 1945. Accessed November 21, 2022, via
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. "Long Branch - Seeking refuge from a whirl of concerts, radio broadcasts, rehearsals, interviews, Joan Field, noted violinist, returns to this city, her birthplace, for rest and relaxation in activities far afield from those connected with her professional career."
In 1937 she played in recital for President and Mrs.
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at the
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. During the 1940s Field was a regular on the New York City music scene. She was concertmistress for the U.S. tour of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo during World War II, reprising that position for the original Broadway production of '' Brigadoon'' in 1947. In 1944 she began a successful radio career at New York classical station WQXR, writing and producing more than 200 episodes of her own performance-interview program "''Notes and Quotes''" on Sunday afternoons and appearing as soloist and concertmistress of the
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string orchestra. She made the first recording of the
Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, actuary and businessman. Ives was among the earliest renowned American composers to achieve recognition on a global scale. His music was largely ignored d ...
Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano along with the 3rd Sonata with pianist Leopold Mittman. She also gave first performances of the violin concertos of Nicolai Berezowsky, Mana Zucca and Dai-Keong Lee, and in 1948 the first American performance of the
Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( â€“ 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...
Violin Sonata No. 2 in Washington, DC. Her annual Town Hall recital in 1956 elicited this commentary in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'': "Miss Field is a rare combination, an extremely facile technician who also comprehends that the task of the performer is to make music rather than to set a new record for the track. It is true that in bravura playing Miss Field is by no means found wanting; but mere technique is never allowed to get in the way of the music." In 1959, she was a soloist with the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, in the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, in the summer series. Field performed and recorded extensively in
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during the 1950s and early 1960s, notably with expatriate American conductor Dean Dixon. Her instrument during those years was a 1698 "long pattern"
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once owned by Joseph Joachim She also appeared as piano accompanist with string player colleagues. A longtime resident of
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,
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, she retired from the concert stage in 1965. She died in Miami Beach in 1988 .


Discography

On
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: * ''Dvorak Violin Concerto in a minor/ Beethoven Romances for Violin and Orchestra''; Berlin Symphony, Artur Rother, Conductor TCS 18046 * ''Bruch Concerto #1 in g minor/Mendelssohn Concerto in e minor; Berlin Symphony'', Rudolf Albert, Conductor. 6.41308 AG and n.t. 1968 * ''Bruch Concerto #1 in g minor/Spohr Concerto in a minor "Gesangszene"''; Berlin Symphony, Rudolf Albert, Conductor. LT 6634 and TCS 18031 * ''Mozart Concerto #5 in A/ Mendelssohn Concerto in e minor''; Berlin Symphony, Rudolf Albert, Conductor. TC 8044 On Lyrichord: * ''Charles Ives Sonatas 1 and 3 for violin and piano'' (with Leopold Mittman). LL 17


References


Further reading

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External links

New York Times articles: "''Music in Review''", Oct. 25, 1934. "''Concert Planned For Native Music''", July 18, 1938. "''An American Bill By Philharmonic''", Aug. 1, 1938. "''Music Notes''", Sept. 26, 1942. "''Barzin Presents Two New Concerti''", Jan. 9, 1945. "''Joan Field In Violin Program''", Mar. 7, 1945. "''Joan Field Gives A Violin Recital''", Oct. 18, 1954. "''Joan Field Is Heard in Violin Program''", Nov. 12, 1955. "''Joan Field Heard In Violin Recital''", Oct. 31, 1956. {{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Joan 1915 births 1988 deaths Musicians from Long Branch, New Jersey American women classical violinists 20th-century American women musicians Classical musicians from New Jersey 20th-century American classical violinists