Robert McBride (composer)
Encyclopedia
Robert McBride was an American
composer
and instrumentalist.
, and learned from an early age to play clarinet, oboe, saxophone and the piano. He studied composition with Otto Luening
at the University of Arizona
, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in 1933, and a Master of Music in 1935 (Gilbert 2001). From 1935 until 1946 he taught at Bennington College
, where he met and married his wife, Carol. He then moved to New York
where he worked briefly as a commercial composer and arranger, at first for Triumph Films
, producing scores for Farewell to Yesterday (1950), The Man with My Face
(1951), Garden of Eden (1954), and a number of short subjects. As television began to supplant short subjects at the movies, in 1957 he joined the faculty of his alma mater, the University of Arizona, where he taught until 1976 (Gilbert 2001; Reel 2007).
By the mid-1990s he had developed an ear disorder that caused him to hear pitches a half-step off, and so he was unable to listen to music at all (Reel 2007).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and instrumentalist.
Biography
McBride was born in Tucson, ArizonaTucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, and learned from an early age to play clarinet, oboe, saxophone and the piano. He studied composition with Otto Luening
Otto Luening
Otto Clarence Luening was a German-American composer and conductor, and an early pioneer of tape music and electronic music....
at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in 1933, and a Master of Music in 1935 (Gilbert 2001). From 1935 until 1946 he taught at Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
, where he met and married his wife, Carol. He then moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he worked briefly as a commercial composer and arranger, at first for Triumph Films
Triumph Films
Triumph Films is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment geared towards theatre and direct-to-video film production and distribution....
, producing scores for Farewell to Yesterday (1950), The Man with My Face
The Man with My Face (film)
The Man with My Face is a 1951 American United Artists film noir crime/thriller motion picture starring Barry Nelson, Carole Mathews, Lynn Ainley, John Harvey, Jim Boles, and Jack Warden. The film marks Jack Warden's movie debut....
(1951), Garden of Eden (1954), and a number of short subjects. As television began to supplant short subjects at the movies, in 1957 he joined the faculty of his alma mater, the University of Arizona, where he taught until 1976 (Gilbert 2001; Reel 2007).
By the mid-1990s he had developed an ear disorder that caused him to hear pitches a half-step off, and so he was unable to listen to music at all (Reel 2007).
Style
His music, often with catchy titles, ranged from the serious to the whimsical: ballets, jazz pieces, instrumental solos, chamber pieces, and orchestral works.Discography
- 1952. Robert McBride, Aria and Toccata in Swing. With William Grant Still, Blues and Here's One; Aaron Copland, Ukulele Serenade and Hoe Down. Louis Kaufman, violin; Anette Kaufman, piano. Also with John Alden Carpenter: Adventures in a Perambulator. Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, cond. Henry Swoboda. I2"LP, Concert Hall CHS 1140