Talk:Samuel Adler (composer)

Samuel Adler
Samuel Adler
Born	March 4, 1928; Mannheim, Germany ; USA
Occupation(s)	Composer ; Conductor ; Author; Professor
Years active	1953 - present
Awards	ASCAP's Aaron Copland Award ; Charles Ives Award ; Deems Taylor Award ; Sigma Alpha Iota National Arts
Website	www.samuelhadler.com

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Additional citations

Why, how, and where does this article need additional citations? Hyacinth (talk) 01:13, 14 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Tag removed. Hyacinth (talk) 18:11, 25 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Cleanup

Why does the "Biography" section need to be rewritten? Hyacinth (talk) 18:11, 25 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Some parts are written like a list, rather than a narrative. Toccata quarta (talk) 19:01, 25 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

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Suggested inclusion of Information Box for the distinguished composer/conductor Samuel Adler (composer)

Hello fellow Wikipedians - As per the suggestion of User:Jerome Kohl kindly consider including the following Information Box for the composer and conductor Samuel Adler (composer). The inclusion of such a box would be consistent with the articles about two of his mentors: Aaron Copland and Randall Thompson. It might also serve as a useful starting point and summary for younger contemporary researchers who are largely unfamiliar with leading musical figures from the past who remain alive and active today (such as Samuel Adler). Many thanks in advance for your thoughtful consideration and best wishes for the continued success of your endeavors for wikipedia. As always- with gratitude104.207.219.150 (talk) 14:50, 22 August 2018 (UTC)PS[reply]

As usual for composers, this proposed infobox already has misleading claims in it, in particular the "Years active" parameter, which seems arbitrarily to have chosen a particular job-hire as the date, when clearly his professional activity must have begun several years earlier. What did he do after earning his Master's degree in 1950, drive a taxicab while waiting for his composers' license to be bestowed by the Guild? Was he really not professionally active even before earning his degree? This is a clear example of why the Wikipedia Composers Project generally opposes the use of (mis)infoboxes for composers. As for Copland and Thompson, the editors active on those pages must have had reasons for making an exception. Equally, the editors on pages such as Arnold Schoenberg and Milton Babbitt must have had their reasons for rejecting infoboxes. Why should Adler be more like Copland and less like Schoenberg?—Jerome Kohl (talk) 17:21, 22 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting observations - Of course the enclosed information box is merely a suggested template and can be modified in accordance with known factual data as other contributors to Wikipedia endeavor to refine the article in the future. With this in mind, one might note, for example, that the "Years active" parameter was not "arbitrarily selected" for inclusion but was based upon factual material presented within the article itself as well as biographical material presented on the Milken Archive of Jewish Music

shown here as well as Samuel Adler's own website shown here. Based upon this documentation, the use of this date does not appear to be misleading but consistent with known factual data compiled by Samuel Adler himself for researchers online. In reference to speculations concerning Adler's professional activity prior to 1953, documentation indicates that he served in the US Army during which time he founded and conducted the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra while earning the Medal of Honor as indicated on allmusic.com shown here and the Living Composers Project here. In so far as these years of activity constitute service to our nation, it is quite possible that these specific years do not qualify for inclusion within the category of "professional activity" and should not be taken into consideration for inclusion within the Info Box. No doubt our fellow Wikipedia Editor and contributors can collaborate to make that determination in the future. In reference to the question "Why should Adler be more like Copland and less like Schoenberg" - Wikipedia's own guidelines seem to provide a possible answer here - Info Boxes are apparently neither required nor prohibited for inclusion within articles about composers. A case by case analysis is apparently suggested as per this guideline instead of a generic solution which either includes or excludes all composers. In so far as Samuel Adler is still a living composer, an Info Box might be quite appropriate - especially since it provides an readily accessible link to the composer's web page at the very top of the article for the convenience of contemporary researchers and students within the academic community. In addition, the article is supported by Wikiproject Musicians which apparently does not object categorically to the use of Info Boxes. In any event, I hope this clarifies some confusion which the suggested Info Box might have engendered and I hope that these thoughts serve to clarify the suggestion that an Info Box might be of some value in this particular instance. As always thanks again for your kind consideration.104.207.219.150 (talk) 00:22, 23 August 2018 (UTC)PS104.207.219.150 (talk) 00:28, 23 August 2018 (UTC)PS104.207.219.150 (talk) 00:34, 23 August 2018 (UTC)PS[reply]

As indicated in the references above, Adler has consistently demonstrated talents as a conductor (1953-1958) and a professor of composition (1957 - 2010) at several prominent music conservatories including the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School as well as an author of several publications in addition to his skills as a prolific composer. If the template "Infobox person" is problematic for some reason, other alternatives exist as per Wikipedia guidelines shown here including : "Infobox musical artist" and perhaps more appropriately "Infobox academic" due to Adler's extensive achievements as a professor, scholar and academic author. In addition, he has received considerable recognition from his academic peers (as confirmed by recognition extended to him by Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Sigma Alpha Iota, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Deems Taylor Award and a nomination to the Academy of Arts, Berlin. This peer recognition from members of the academic community suggests that the use of the template {{Infobox academic}} is appropriate. Just some thoughts - I hope some of this helps. Thanks for your consdieration72.69.152.90 (talk) 13:53, 23 August 2018 (UTC)JJ[reply]

Congratulations. You are making an eloquent case for not including the "years active" parameter and, in doing so, arguing the case for the Composer Project's opposition to infoboxes in composer articles. We now have got a flag icon displayed, contrary to MOS:INFOBOXFLAG. Not only that, but it appears to be in aid of identifying the subject's place of birth in Mannheim, Germany, USA. The last time I checked the border treaties, the US was not claiming sovereignty over any part of Germany. The list of awards is nice and tidy, unlike the prose paragraph in the article itself, but this is inessential information having nothing to do with what the composer is noted for (neither of the infoboxes with Aaron Copland's and Randall Thompson's articles, which you invoke, list their awards, for example, nor should they). Removing these misleading or inappropriate items leaves the composer's name, birthdate, place of birth, occupations, and website. Of these, only the place of birth and website do not appear in the opening sentence of the article, and his place of birth is found in the opening sentence of the Biography section. Do you believe, therefore, that the link to the personal website alone justifies an infobox? This seems especially dubious to me because it is standard practice on Wikipedia to put this information in the External Links section, at the bottom of the page, where people are most likely to look first. That said, what the Copland and Thompson infoboxes do have is a short list of best-known compositions. In their cases, this is relatively easy to do, but I don't think it would be so straightforward with Samuel Adler. Have you any further arguments to bring to bear against your proposal for an infobox?—Jerome Kohl (talk) 22:22, 23 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the interesting and detailed criticisms and observations all of which are probably quite correct (as per MOS:INFOBOXFLAG regarding the use of a national flag within an infobox ect. In this case, a more reprehensible error since the composer apparently holds dual citizenship (i.e. born in Germany and immigrated to the USA). Alas, an apology on my part is evidently in order. I suspect that my contribution to the discussion has been poorly formulated. In so far as an objective criteria for the inclusion or exclusion of an infobox has not been identified by Wikipedia, I can hardly claim to propose an "argument" which is either opposed to such a feature or "in support" of such a feature. To my knowledge, Wikipedia guidelines do not impose a "burden of proof" criteria for the establishment of all infoboxes within all articles. Apparently the matter can be resolved on a case by case basis. With this in mind, it would be highly inappropriate for me to put forth arguments related to the use of Infoboxes in general under any circumstances which one might wish to ponder in the abstract (i.e. with or without national flag identification, with or without dual citizenship, with or without lists of known compositions ect.). While I am grateful for the praise mentioned above, I believe that it would also be presumptuous of me to propose "arguments" in favor or opposed to including an infoxbox in this particular article. My thoughts are merely presented to illustrate some of the possible formulations which might be adopted in this particular case in the event that editorial consensus emerges as a result of a discussion among those Wikipedians whose experience and expertise in these matters far exceeds mine. In any event, many thanks for the kind thoughts. As an afterthought, kindly note that Adler's service within the United States Army,his achievements in reorganizing the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra and his flight from Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany in 1939 at the age of 11 have been documented in the Juilliard School of Music's Journal as shown'Here]. I hope it helps in your discussions in the weeks ahead. Best wishes and thanks once again for your kind consideration.72.69.152.90 (talk) 00:43, 24 August 2018 (UTC)JJ[reply]

These discussions seem to revolve around the limitations and confusions associated with the use of the "InfoBox person" for composers. Why not consider another option which is supported by Adler's six decades as a professor of music by utilizing the temple {{Infobox academic}}? The "Infobox acadmic" allows for links to notable parents (such as Adler's father) as well as notable works, notable students, awards, influences and even notable publications which can be included as per an editor's discretion. Just a final thought. Good luck with the discussion. As always, best wishes104.207.219.150 (talk) 00:40, 25 August 2018 (UTC)PS[reply]

I saw a request on WP:Composers that I probably misunderstood. I'd go for an infobox, at least giving the information that we formerly had in persondata: born when and where, died when and where, did what. We can talk about other parameters. Leonard Bernstein might be an example. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:46, 27 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Rather than chasing infobox templates that might fit Adler's profile, it would be more productive to improve the article, especially its categories. Is it correct to use all those Germany-related categories? Is he a German composer? Further, the article mentions i.a. 5 operas and 6 symphonies, but lists 2 stage works but no opera, and symphonies no. 1, 2, 6. The list of works needs both trimming and extending. And those 2 pictures of music schools add nothing about the person. The various attempts to add an infobox to the article have been flawed and the article is better without them. Fixing them, and even discussing them, takes away time that could be used more productively. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 01:19, 28 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The infobox proposed, with a lot of guff that means nothing to the lay reader (Deems Taylor Award, sigma Alpha Iota award) adds nothing to the article. I am against adding it. Far better to improve the article. - Smerus (talk) 09:07, 29 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Puzzling illustration

I see that, in this edit, editor 104.207.219.150 added a (rather nice) photograph of the Rush Rhees Library on the River Campus of the University of Rochester. I am wondering what this has to do with the subject of this article. While the library is certainly a more attractive piece of architecture than the Eastman School of Music, where Samuel Adler taught, it is also three-and-a-half miles across town from the downtown campus of the Eastman School.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 01:34, 25 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Easily rectified with a replacement photograph from the Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester. Enjoy!72.69.152.90 (talk) 15:06, 25 August 2018 (UTC)JJ[reply]

OK, thanks. I thought perhaps there might have been some connection that simply had not yet been added to the article.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 21:40, 25 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]