On today’s date in 1903, a baby boy was born in the Russian railroad station of Parfianovka. The proud parents of little Vladimir Dukelsky were both musical, and so lulled him to sleep with Italian opera arias – presumably the SLOW ones!

Not surprisingly, little Vladimir grew up to become a composer. After the Russian Revolution, Dukelsky ended up playing the piano at movie theaters and cabarets in Constantinople. It was there that he first heard the music of George Gershwin.

In 1921, Dukelsky came to the United States and thereafter pursued a remarkable dual career: as Vladimir Dukelsky, he composed concert music for the likes of the Ballet Russe and the Boston Symphony; as “Vernon Duke,” following Gershwin’s example, he composed popular songs for Broadway and Hollywood. Some of his songs, like “April in Paris” and “Autumn in New York,” became pop standards.

Said Vladimir Dukelsky, “There isn’t a note of jazz in my serious music, and there are no symphonic overtones in my musical-comedy output. My versatility, far from being a boon, has in reality been infuriating… The critical boys seem to think there is something monstrous about a composer writing two different kinds of music under two different names.”

Vladimir Dukelsky (1903 – 1969) — Zephyr et Flore Ballet (Hague Orchestra; Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond.) Chandos 9766

Vernon Duke (1903 – 1969) — Autumn in New York (Dawn Upshaw, soprano; orchestra; Eric Stern, cond.) Nonesuch 79531