Lieberson, Goddard

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Lieberson, Goddard

Lieberson, Goddard, English-American recording executive and composer, father of Peter Lieberson; b. Hanley, Staffordshire, April 5, 1911; d. N.Y, May 29, 1977. He was taken to the U.S. as a child, and studied composition with George Frederick McKay at the Univ. of Wash, in Seattle and with Bernard Rogers at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. In 1939 he joined the Masterworks division of Columbia Records in N.Y. He was its president (1955–66; 1973–75), during which period he recorded many contemporary works as well as those of the standard repertoire. In 1964 he was named president of the Record Industry Assn. of America; in 1978 the American Academy and Inst. of Arts and Letters set up the Lieberson fellowships to assist young composers. He composed a Sym., a ballet, Yellow Poodle, chamber music, choral works, and piano pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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