The Will Gregory Moog Ensemble played a handful of dates in the U.K. late last year, opening its program with the work of Wendy Carlos.
Moog is an instrument brand, specifically, not an instrument. But the groundbreaking sonic simulators made by Moog were such a step into the future that the electronic keyboard feels to some users like an instrument in itself.
Carlos was an early Moog champion. Her groundbreaking 1968 album, Switched-on Bach, was a program of Bach’s work arranged for and played on what looked like a switchboard attached to a keyboard. While some more tradition-minded sorts howled in dismay, others embraced the new work – Glenn Gould, who has some familiarity with Bach, was a fan. It was a popular hit before classical crossover was a thing.
Rock, pop, R&B and jazz musicians also embraced the new technology. Musical theater didn’t. If you want to see Moog on Broadway, head south from the Shubert to North Carolina and visit the Moogseum, dedicated to the life and works of Moog inventor Robert Moog. It’s at 56 Broadway St. in Asheville, N.C.
Moog’s most prominent Broadway advocate was Gershon Kingsley, who was musical director and arranger for several productions in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, including The Entertainer, Josephine Baker and I’m Solomon, as well as off-Broadway pieces such as The Cradle Will Rock.
Kinglsey would occasionally use the unwieldy and temperamental machines in his arrangements for the pit orchestra. In fact, the synthesizer came to dominate Kingsley’s work as a composer and musician. He first formed a duo with fellow synthesist Jean-Jacques Perrey, releasing albums such as The In Sound From Way Out!, title and cover appropriated by the Beastie Boys for a 1996 instrumental album.
Music the pair recorded has been used at Disney theme parks, as TV show themes, and in soda commercials. PBS viewers hear a snippet of Kingsley’s work on shows produced by Boston station WGBH.
Kingsley also formed a group, First Moog Quartet – the name Moog Ensemble is a tip of the hat to Kingsley’s outfit. He also composed chamber works, opera and music for Jewish religious ceremonies.
Kingsley passed away in 2019 at the age of 97. His trophy shelf included a Tony® (Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director for La Plume de Ma Tante in 1959) and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bob Moog Foundation.
Kingsley’s most famous composition, though, is the song “Popcorn” (originally “Pop Corn”) which became a hit in 1972 when recorded by a group going by the name Hot Butter (ahem). It’s also been covered by Herb Alpert, the Muppets, Crazy Frog and Muse. (You can hear a lot more versions here.)
Perhaps that’s why Kingsley’s Broadway and off-Broadway work ends before the 1970s began. Everyone knows you can’t bring popcorn into the theater.