Donald Erb (January 17, 1927 – August 12, 2008) was an American composer best known for large orchestral works such as Concerto for Brass and Orchestra and Ritual Observances.
Early years[]
Erb was born in Youngstown, Ohio, graduated from Lakewood High School, a Cleveland suburb, and gained early recognition as a trumpet player for a local dance band.[1] Following a stint in the Navy during World War II, he continued his career as a jazz trumpeter and enrolled at Kent State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music in 1950.[1] Three years later, he earned a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music.[1] In 1964, Erb earned a Doctorate in Music from Indiana University Bloomington, where he studied with Bernhard Heiden.[1][2]
Honors and awards[]
In the course of his career, Erb earned considerable recognition. He received the 1992 Rome Prize and was composer-in-residence with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He was Distinguished Professor of Composition, Emeritus, at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] He has received grants and fellowships from the Rockefeller, Guggenheim, Ford, Fromm, and Koussevitzky foundations.[1]
For a list of Erb's notable students, Template:Further informationLMST
He died at his home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, on August 12, 2008, at the age of 81.[3]
Selected works[]
- 1966 Concerto for Solo Percussionist
- 1964 Symphony of Overtures
- 1965 Phantasma for four musicians
- 1966 Diversion For Two (other than sex) for trumpet and percussion
- 1966 String Trio for violin, electric guitar and violoncello
- 1967 Reconnaissance for instruments and electronic sounds
- 1968 In No Strange Land for instruments and electronic sounds
- 1969 The Seventh Trumpet for orchestra
- 1983 "Prismatic Variations" for orchestra
- 1986 Concerto for Brass and Orchestra
- 1994 Changes
- 1994 Remembrances
- 1994 Sonata for Solo Violin
- 1995 Sunlit Peaks and Dark Valleys
- 1995 Sonata for Solo Harp
- "Autumn Music for Orchestra"
- "Christmas Music for Orchestra"
- "Harold's Trip to the Sky" for Viola, piano and percussion
- "Klangfarbenfunk I & II" for jazz group and orchestra
- "Percussion Concerto" for percussion and orchestra
- "The Hawk" for jazz group
- "The Treasures of the Snow" for electronics and orchestra
- "Trombone Concerto"
- "2 Milosci do Warszawy" for piano, clarinet, cello, trombone and electronic sounds
- String Quartet N. 1
- String Quartet N. 2
- String Quartet N. 3
- "Music for Mother Bear" for flute alone
- "Evensong" for orchestra
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Donald Erb biography". New World Records. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:iZ5B04StJScJ:www.newworldrecords.org. [dead link]
- ↑ "Erb, Donald (James)". January 1, 2001. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3491803545.html.
- ↑ Richard M. Peery, "Donald Erb: Avant-Guard [sic] Composer, Conductor Archived 2009-03-09 at the Wayback Machine.", Cleveland Plain Dealer (Tuesday August 12, 2008).
External links[]
- Donald Erb's page at Theodore Presser Company
- Obituary from New York Times, August 15, 2008
- Donald Erb bio [dead link] as listed by the Cleveland Composers Guild
- Interview with Donald Erb, February 28, 1985
The original article can be found at Donald Erb and the edit history here.