People: Jan. 19, 1962

At a banquet honoring the 70th birthday of the father who once wanted him to go into the beauty-parlor-supply business, the New York Philharmonic's Leonard Bernstein, 43, won bravos from 800 guests by re-creating a work he had played when he was 13 at his piano debut at Boston's Temple Mishkan Tefila. "At the time," recalled the protean composer conductor, "I played variations of the song in the manner of Chopin, Liszt and Gershwin. Now I will play it in the manner of Bernstein." Then, as a proud Samuel Bernstein ("You don't expect your child to be a Moses, a Maimonides,...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!