Arthur Fiedler Memorial - Boston, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 21.391 W 071° 04.525
19T E 329078 N 4691447
A memorial to musician and conductor, Arthur Fiedler, is located on the Esplanade across from Berkeley Bridge along the Charles River in Boston, MA.
Waymark Code: WMQWM8
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/07/2016
Views: 7
Arthur Fiedler was born on December 17, 1894 in Boston, MA. His father was an Austrian violinist who played in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His mother was a pianist and musician. He attended Boston Latin School before the family moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1910 and then soon to Berlin where Fiedler studied violin at the Royal Academy of Music (Berlin) from 1911 to 1915. Fiedler returned to Boston at the beginning of World War I. and joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a violinist, pianist, organist, and percussionist. In 1929, Fiedler was appointed the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a position he held until his death on July 10, 1979.
During his tenure as conductor, Fiedler initiated a beloved Boston tradition - free concerts on the Boston Esplanade on the 4th of July at the at the outdoor Hatch Memorial Shell. A gigantic bust of Arthur Fiedler, a memorial to Fiedler, was created by Ralph Helmick and installed on the Esplanade in 1984.
The 6.5' high aluminum head rests on a 1.5' high granite base. It made by stacking 83 layers of aluminum plates. The front of the base is inscribed:
ARTHUR FIEDLER
MUSICIAN
The back of the base is inscribed:
CONDUCTOR OF THE BOSTON POPS 1929-1979
FOUNDER OF FREE CONCERTS ON THE ESPLANADE
On ground in back of the head is inscribed:
THIS MEMORIAL WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH
A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION FROM
THE STORE 24
AN THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF
THE BROWNE FUND
THE PERMANENT CHARITY FUND OF BOSTON
DAVID G. MUGAR
J. F. WHITE CONTRACTING COMPANY
THE ALCOA FOUNDATION
BANK OF BOSTON