Muir Mathieson

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Muir Mathieson (born 24 January 1911, Stirling, Scotland, died 1 January 1975, London) was a British conductor.

Mathieson was almost always described as a "Musical Director" because he worked in films.

During his wartime service with the Ministry of Information, Mathieson is credited with commissioning film scores from Sir Arthur Bliss, William Walton, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Malcolm Arnold. He composed the music for the films Richard III (1955 film), Hide and Seek (1964), Call Me Bwana (1963) and Woman of Straw (1964). He was given an Academy Award in 1954 for "Best Score" for writing the music to the comedy Genevieve.

Mathieson was also musical director on films with scores composed by others, most notably on Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo in 1958, where he conducted Bernard Herrmann's score, later releasing an album of the music with the Sinfonia of London.

In the year of Vertigo alone he is credited with musical directorship of 28 films. Overall he is said to have conducted the music for over a thousand British films. His daughter, Fiona Mathieson, became an actress.

[edit] Biography

Hetherington, S. (2006) Muir Mathieson: A Life in Film Music, Scottish Cultural Press, ISBN 1898218110

• Muir Mathieson at the Internet Movie Database