Wqs leonard bernstein gay

According to an editorial note p. Online version at www. Photo by Hans Peters on Wikimedia Commons. Whenever the American people, young or old, come to believe that there is no such thing as right or wrong, normal or abnormal, those who would destroy civilization will applaud a major victory over our way of life.

Bernstein, however, aspired to be the music director of a major American orchestra and felt— rightly or wrongly — that he needed to demonstrate he was a conventional, traditional family man. For customers in other countries:. As we can see from their letters, he shared the same analyst with Oppenheim with whom Bernstein had a close, surely intimate relationship in the early s; their friendship was lifelong.

Kinsey, Alfred C. Pomeroy, and Clyde E. Martin : Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. He lives in Northamptonshire, UK. Our website offers shipping to the United States and Canada only. New York: Oxford University Press. Those gay romances were particularly hard on his wife, Felicia Montealegre, a Chilean actress of Jackie Kennedy-esque elegance.

Explore the untold stories and hidden facets of a musical legend. Bernstein was not, of course, seeking employment in the government, but he craved acceptance. Published by Yale University Press in Reproduced with permission.

He was a complex, complex man, and complex people have complex personal lives. As Bradley Cooper's Maestro hits Netflix, here's what we know about whether West Side Story composer Leonard Bernstein was gay or bisexual. Mexico and South America: Contact W.

After a shaky start (mainly due to Bernstein’s initial tendency to regard marriage as a kind of experiment), the relationship of Leonard and Felicia blossomed – particularly after Jamie, the first of their children, was born in An exceptionally bright child, it’s clear from Bernstein’s letters home how much he adored her.

But several of the most highly regarded figures in the arts were homosexuals, not least Aaron Copland, who had, by the mids, become the most popular and distinctive voice in American classical music. Nigel Simeone is well known as a writer and speaker on music and is the author of several books including Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story.

Queer Portraits in History

On the one hand, his background inculcated traditional values and relationships — ultimately marriage; on the other, his preferences in the s were usually for men. The Real History Behind Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre’s Marriage in ‘Maestro’ The Bradley Cooper-led film is a dramatization of the storied composer and conductor’s complex.

Leonard Bernstein's wife, Felicia Montealegre, knew about his bisexuality, their children say in a new interview for Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro.'. In correspondence with Copland and David Oppenheim in particular, and in some letters to his sister Shirley and to Diamond, he explores his sexual identity, often revealing a state of confusion and inner conflict.

Philadelphia: W. This report is reprinted in Foster, Thomas A. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. Bernstein himself was anxious that his sex life might have a damaging impact on his employment prospects, fearing he could have difficulty finding a job as a conductor if it became known that he was gay.