Boston SO conductor Erich Leinsdorf with President Lyndon Johnson
On November 22nd 1963, conductor Erich Leinsdorf of the Boston Symphony Orchestra was in mid-performance when he received the news of Kennedy’s assassination.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Kingsley Amis was having dinner with the journalist George Gale. Gale took a telephone call in another room. Amis heard him shout “No!”, and then saw him pull on his coat and leave.
At Symphony Hall in Boston, the microphones were on and running. You can hear the audience respond to the horrible news. Their reaction, and that of the orchestra, does them considerable credit:
By day I am the Librarian at Edinburgh's Signet Library; by night I am probably best known for my website on the history and psychology of sport, www.morethanmindgames.com. I specialize in psychology; social, media, sports history and the fine arts 1860-1940; Scottish culture and current affairs, and modern politics. Publications and broadcasters I have worked with include: BBC Radio; Sky Television; Channel 4; The Times; and Scotland on Sunday. Current projects include a book tracing the role of association football in the amelioration of British urban life between 1860 and World War II. I also contribute to British culture weblog The Dabbler. As a volunteer I contribute to fundraising for research into cancers of the brain by building websites. I also guide for the National Trust For Scotland. I maintain a small stable of websites including history online hub The Early Modern Intelligencer.
1 Reply to “On Hearing the News of Kennedy’s Assassination”
When I was an fresher (’64-’65) someone in the common room rehearsed the claim that everyone could remember where they were when they heard news of the Kennedy assassination. There was silent assent until I piped up and said that I didn’t; maybe I was at the barber’s? No; it was agreed the barber’s would have shut by then. So I was stumped. Others then spoke up and something like half of us admitted that we couldn’t remember.
It was a big deal for Americans, no doubt, but less so for other people. And much that’s written about his time as President is tosh: there was no Camelot metaphor at the time – that came afterwards. As did the revelation of how tawdry the man was.
When I was an fresher (’64-’65) someone in the common room rehearsed the claim that everyone could remember where they were when they heard news of the Kennedy assassination. There was silent assent until I piped up and said that I didn’t; maybe I was at the barber’s? No; it was agreed the barber’s would have shut by then. So I was stumped. Others then spoke up and something like half of us admitted that we couldn’t remember.
It was a big deal for Americans, no doubt, but less so for other people. And much that’s written about his time as President is tosh: there was no Camelot metaphor at the time – that came afterwards. As did the revelation of how tawdry the man was.