Editing Boston Pops (section)

==History==
[[File:Arthur Fiedler conducting Boston Pops.JPG|thumb|180px|Fiedler conducting for the [[NBC Radio#Radio|NBC Radio]] program ''Boston Pops Orchestra''.]]
[[File:BostonPopsAtTanglewood.JPG|thumb|Boston Pops preparing to play at [[Tanglewood]]]]
{{refimprove|section|date=May 2012}}In 1881, [[Henry Lee Higginson]], the founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, wrote of his wish to present in Boston "concerts of a lighter kind of music". The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded to present this kind of music to the public, with the first concert performed on July&nbsp;11, 1885, under the leadership of [[Adolf Neuendorff]]. Called the "Promenade Concerts" until 1900, these performances combined light [[classical music]], tunes from the current hits of the musical theater, and an occasional novelty number. Allowing for some changes of taste over the course of a century, the early programs were remarkably similar to the Boston Pops programs of today.

The Boston Pops had seventeen conductors before 1930, when [[Arthur Fiedler]] began a fifty-year tenure as the first American-born conductor to lead the orchestra. Under Fiedler's direction, the orchestra's popularity spread far beyond Boston through recordings, radio and television. Unhappy with the reputation of classical music as being solely for affluent concertgoers, Fiedler made efforts to bring classical music to a wider audience. He instituted a series of free concerts at the Hatch Shell on the [[Charles River Esplanade|Esplanade]], a public park beside the [[Charles River]]. Fiedler insisted that the Pops Orchestra play popular music as well as well-known classical pieces, opening up a new niche of popular symphonic music. Of the many musical pieces created for the orchestra, the Pops' most identifiable works were the colorful novelty numbers composed by Fiedler's close friend [[Leroy Anderson]], including "[[Sleigh Ride]]", "[[The Typewriter]]", "[[The Syncopated Clock]]" and several others. Fiedler also initiated the annual Holiday Pops concerts in December.

Under Fiedler's direction, the Boston Pops has sold more commercial recordings than any other orchestra in the world, with total sales of albums, singles, tapes, and cassettes exceeding $50 million.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}  The orchestra's first recordings were made in July 1935 for [[RCA Victor]], including the first complete recording of [[George Gershwin]]'s ''[[Rhapsody in Blue]]''. The Pops made their first high-fidelity recording on June 20, 1947, of ''[[Gaîté Parisienne]]'' (based on the music of [[Jacques Offenbach]]), and recorded the same music seven years later in stereophonic sound, their first venture in multitrack recording.

Fiedler is also credited with having begun the annual tradition of the Fourth of July Pops concert and fireworks display on the Esplanade, one of the best-attended Independence Day celebrations in the country with estimated crowds of 200,000–500,000 people. Also during Fiedler's tenure, the Pops and local [[public television]] station [[WGBH-TV|WGBH]] developed a series of weekly televised broadcasts, ''[[Evening at Pops]]'', recorded during the Pops' regular season in Symphony Hall.

Some shows have holiday–oriented themes, such as Christmas shows featuring performers such as [[Jonathan Meath]], who appeared as Santa with the Boston Pops for ten shows during 2008–2009.<ref name=twsNovMc>{{cite news
 |author= Edward B. Colby
 |title= Town in the spirit: Dedham Square to be filled with song, shopping
 |publisher= Dedham Transcript
 |date= December 3, 2009
 |url= http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/entertainment/x1945276785/Town-in-the-spirit-Dedham-Square-to-be-filled-with-song-shopping
 |access-date= November 13, 2010
 |url-status= dead
 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110721190925/http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/entertainment/x1945276785/Town-in-the-spirit-Dedham-Square-to-be-filled-with-song-shopping
 |archive-date= July 21, 2011
 }}</ref>
{{multiple image|align=right|direction=horizontal|image1=John Williams tux.jpg|width1=180|caption1=[[John Williams]]|image2=KeithLockhart.jpg|width2=157|caption2=[[Keith Lockhart]]}}

After Fiedler's death in 1979, he was succeeded as conductor of the Boston Pops by the noted film composer [[John Williams]]. Williams continued the Pops' tradition of bringing classical music to a wide audience, initiating the annual "Pops-on-the-Heights" concerts at [[Boston College]] and adding his own library of well-known [[film]] scores (including ''[[Star Wars]]'' and ''[[Indiana Jones]]'') to the orchestra's repertoire. During his time with the Pops, Williams  performed with [[Sammy Davis Jr.]] as one of the artists for one of the Evening at Pops specials that aired in 1988. In 1991, the orchestra played [[Bill Monroe]]'s ''Uncle Pen'' and other [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] classics with [[Ricky Skaggs]] and the Kentucky Thunder.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/qvXsH6sFY2M Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120212104447/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvXsH6sFY2M&feature=related Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvXsH6sFY2M|title=Ricky Skaggs and the Boston Pops: "Uncle Pen"|last=David Powell|date=November 21, 2007|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/8dS4AaXLtos Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20110618003037/http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=8dS4AaXLtos Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dS4AaXLtos|title=Ricky Skaggs and the Boston Pops: "Highway 40 Blues"|last=David Powell|date=November 20, 2007|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
In 1992, Williams conducted a memorable performance of the Pops featuring Broadway Icon [[John Raitt]] and his daughter Grammy winner [[Bonnie Raitt]] along with members of her Band. 

[[Keith Lockhart]] assumed the post of principal Pops conductor in 1995. Lockhart continues to conduct the Boston Pops today.  Williams is Laureate Conductor of the Pops and conducts the Pops at Symphony Hall and [[Tanglewood]].