When the two men were composing ballets at the same time, he often gave Robbins first pick of the dancers and took what was left — an extraordinary courtesy.
We are told that the unmarried Ravel doted on his mother, that he dressed like a dandy, that he had a fixation with Pan, that he wrote music for songs about beautiful young boys, that he composed ballets for male dancers, that his social circle included renowned gays and lesbians.
He composed ballet scores for Martha Graham and others and later studied and conducted in Mexico City.
(In fact, Herrmann, who died in 1975, composed ballet music himself back in the Depression years).
In addition to composing ballet music, he wrote chamber music, choral music, music for guitar and for piano, and a number of works for orchestra.
Shostakovich never composed ballet music again, but he fared better than the co-librettist, Adrian Piotrovsky, who was sent to a gulag.
A fitful start composing ballet scores and music for Off Broadway productions evolved into a job writing jingles, often on short notice, for radio and television commercials.
He also composed oratorios, ballets, orchestral works, incidental music, piano pieces, songs and other music.
In addition, Schuman composed the ballets Undertow (1945), Night Journey (1947), and Judith (1950).
Gershwin was planning to compose a ballet when he died — but what wasn't he planning to do?
