Leroy Anderson (1908 – 1975) was given his first piano lessons by his mother, who was a church organist. He continued studying piano at the New England Conservatory of Music as a youth. In 1925 Anderson entered Harvard University, where he studied composition, double bass and organ. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, in 1929 and a Master degree in foreign languages the following year. As a student, he conducted the Harvard band from 1928 until 1930. He became a music instructor at Radcliffe College from 1930 to 1932, then returned to Harvard as the band conductor from 1932 until 1935, earning a Master of Arts in Music during that time.
Anderson continued studying at Harvard, working towards a PhD in German and Scandinavian languages; Anderson spoke English and Swedish during his youth and eventually became fluent in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, German, French, Italian, and Portuguese. Also during his time at Harvard, he was working as an organist and choir director and conducting and arranging for dance bands around Boston.
In 1936, his arrangements came to the attention of Arthur Fiedler, who asked to see any original compositions that he could use to make the concerts he gave as the 18th conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra more enjoyable for his audiences. Anderson's first work for them was the 1938 Jazz Pizzicato, but at just over ninety seconds, the piece was too short for a three-minute 78-RPM single of the period. Fiedler suggested writing a companion piece and Anderson wrote Jazz Legato later that same year. The combined recording went on to become one of Anderson's signature compositions.
In 1942, Leroy Anderson enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was assigned to Iceland with the U.S. Counter Intelligence Corps as a translator and interpreter; in 1945 he was reassigned to the Pentagon as Chief of the Scandinavian Desk of Military Intelligence. Fortunately, his duties did not prevent him from composing. After the end of the war, Anderson became a reserve officer but was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. In 1951 Anderson wrote his first hit, "Blue Tango," earning a Golden Disc and the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts.
His pieces and his recordings during the fifties conducting a studio orchestra were immense commercial successes. Blue Tango was the first instrumental recording ever to sell one million copies. Later, the Boston Pops' recording of Sleigh Ride was the first pure orchestral piece to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Music chart.
Anderson's musical style often employs creative instrumental effects and occasionally makes use of sound-generating items such as typewriters and sandpaper. In 1958, Anderson composed the music for the Broadway show Goldilocks with orchestrations by Philip J. Lang. Even though it earned two Tony awards, Goldilocks did not achieve commercial success. Anderson never wrote another musical, preferring instead to continue writing orchestral miniatures. His pieces are performed by orchestras and bands ranging from school groups to professional organizations across the world.
Anderson would occasionally appear on the Boston Pops regular concerts on PBS to conduct his own music while Fiedler would sit on the sidelines. For The Typewriter, Fiedler would don a green eyeshade, roll up his sleeves, and mime working on an old typewriter while the orchestra played.
