Did Leonard Bernstein’s Wife Know He was Gay?
Music is Bernstein’s finest and most ongoing passion. But their love life was an essential part away from his create-up, with his emails allow us to mode a fuller image of a difficult lifestyle that was full of twists and you will cute Jiamusi girls transforms – neatly contribution: “Clearly, he was confident with are sexual in several ways and but really he desired a timeless lives, which have a wife and students to help you which he had been loyal. He was an elaborate, cutting-edge man, and you can state-of-the-art folks have cutting-edge individual lives.” step one Intriguing given that letters come from men and women (usually men) with whom Bernstein had relationships for the 1940s, I’ve selected instead to target Bernstein’s own thinking so you can his sexuality, and its effects getting his profession. In the communications having Copland and you can David Oppenheim in particular, as well as in particular letters so you’re able to their sister Shirley and to Diamond, he examines their sexual name, tend to sharing your state of dilemma and you may inner disagreement. On the one-hand, their background inculcated conventional viewpoints and you can matchmaking – ultimately relationship; on the other side, his choice regarding the 1940s had been constantly for men. Immediately after their university education had been more than, he first started a system of care about-exploration with the psychoanalyst he known as “Frau” – Marketa Morris. Even as we can see from their characters, he mutual the same specialist which have Oppenheim (that have exactly who Bernstein got a virtually, absolutely close relationships in the early 1940s; its friendship try lifelong).
Immediately following an unstable begin (mainly due to Bernstein’s initial habit of admiration relationship because an excellent type of try), the relationship away from Leonard and you will Felicia blossomed – like shortly after Jamie, the initial of its children, grew up in 1952
It’s no wonder that Bernstein remained hushed on the subject of their sexuality in emails in order to Koussevitzky – up to, that’s, the guy with pride established his first wedding so you’re able to Felicia for the December 1946, suggesting an image of their sexuality which was at best incomplete. Bernstein himself try nervous one to his sex lifetime have a good ruining effect on his a position prospects, fearing he could struggle looking work due to the fact a conductor whether it became understood he are gay.
It is worthy of pausing for a moment to adopt the brand new cultural and you can personal perspective one to offered Bernstein particularly fear of exactly how other people might view his sexuality. Of many Western psychoanalysts in the 1930s and 1940s experienced homosexuality so you’re able to getting a mental disease that’ll respond to “treatment”. The analysis by the Alfred Kinsey while others penned in 1948 just like the Sexual Conclusion regarding the People Men (the initial “Kinsey Declaration”) tried to codify levels of homosexual, heterosexual, and you can asexual decisions within the dudes towards the “Kinsey Level”, looking to reveal that guys didn’t squeeze into clean and personal classes. 2
There is an excellent predictably unlawful response to Kinsey’s conclusions: and others, J. Edgar Hoover, manager of FBI, was short so you can denounce brand new findings in the pages off Reader’s Digest: “Man’s sense of decency declares what’s typical and you can what exactly is not. Once the Western some body, younger otherwise dated, arrived at believe that there is absolutely no instance situation given that correct otherwise completely wrong, normal otherwise unpredictable, people that carry out damage civilization usually applaud a major win over our way of life.” 3 This means that, homosexuality, like communism, is actually “Un-American”. Two years after, during the ed Senate Panel towards the Expenses throughout the Professional Divisions awarded a report on the latest “A career out of Homosexuals or other Sex Perverts during the Authorities,” visiting hair-increasing conclusion one “homosexuals or any other sex perverts commonly best persons to get in Government for 2 explanations; basic, they are often the incorrect, and you may 2nd, it make up shelter threats.” cuatro
Bernstein wasn’t, without a doubt, seeking to a job throughout the authorities, however, the guy craved greet. There is certainly absolutely nothing good evidence to indicate you to definitely conductors were not appointed to certain positions for their homosexuality about 1940s and you can 1950s, no matter if Dimitri Mitropoulos apparently sensed he was victimized. However, probably the most well liked numbers on the arts were homosexuals, not the very least Aaron Copland, who’d, of the mid-1940s, end up being the most well known and special voice for the American traditional sounds. Bernstein, but not, aspired as the music movie director regarding a major Western band and you may experienced– correctly otherwise improperly – he needed seriously to have indicated he had been a conventional, antique loved ones man. Even after Bernstein’s frequent protestations he craved the greater amount of individual lifetime out-of an author (in which their sexuality have no already been problems), he might don’t allow go out of performing since the a significant part from his industry.
What he did not need to bother about as often is the fresh you can feeling his sexuality might have to the his relationships – at the least a lot less far since his chose mate, Felicia Montealegre, try worried. She know what she are committing by herself in order to: after they partnered, she wrote: “you are a homosexual and you will willing to undertake your since you are, without having to be good martyr or sacrificing me personally on the L.B. altar (Letter 320).”
An exceptionally brilliant youngster, it’s clear from Bernstein’s characters domestic simply how much the guy adored their particular. The same love stands out by way of inside the Bernstein’s statements on the all the his people (Jamie, Alexander, and you will Nina); along with his absolute devotion to Felicia try visible in lots of letters regarding early 1950s before middle-1970s. It actually was a romance which had the rocky times, but only with brand new crisis away from 1976 in addition to their “trial separation” achieved it jeopardize to fall apart. At the conclusion of his lifetime, Bernstein joked to Jonathan Cott you to “you desire like, which is the reason why You will find ten thousand personal family unit members that’s unfair to them because I can not give any kind of them everything”. 5 But also for a-quarter regarding a great century, Felicia was the brand new exclusion: she was definitely a love of his lifetime.
step 1. Dougary, Ginny (2010): “Leonard Bernstein: Magnetic, Conceited – and a Dad,” The occasions (London), thirteen February. On the internet variation from the , accessed .
Martin (1948): Sexual Choices regarding the Peoples Men
4. Which statement are reprinted inside Promote, Thomas Good., ed. (2013): Documenting Close Things: Prierica. Chicago: College or university out of Chicago Force, pp. 144–eight. According to an editorial note (p. 144): “More homosexuals than just communists have been discharged out of government efforts within this months [the brand new 1950s].”
Throughout the Leonard Bernstein Characters by Leonard Bernstein, modified by the Nigel Simeone. Written by Yale University Press inside the 2014. Recreated with permission.
Nigel Simeone known given that a writer and you can presenter toward musical and that is mcdougal of many guides and Leonard Bernstein: West Front side Tale. The guy stays in Northamptonshire, Uk.