Roger Nixon

Roger Nixon (August 8, 1921 – October 13, 2009) was an American composer, musician, and professor of music. He wrote over 60 compositions for orchestra, band, choir and opera. Nixon received multiple awards and honors for his works, many of which contain a feel of the rhythms and dances of the early settlers of his native state of California.

Biography

Nixon was born and raised in California's Central Valley towns of Tulare and Modesto. Nixon attended Modesto Junior College from 1938–1940 where he studied clarinet with Frank Mancini, formerly of John Philip Sousa's band. He continued his studies at UC Berkeley, majoring in composition and receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941. His studies were then interrupted by almost four years of active duty in the Navy during World War II, serving as the commanding officer of an LCMR in the Atlantic.

Following the war Nixon returned to UC Berkeley, first receiving a M.A. degree and later a Ph.D. His primary teacher was Roger Sessions. He also studied with Arthur Bliss, Ernest Bloch, Charles Cushing, and Frederick Jacobi. In the summer of 1948, he studied privately with Arnold Schoenberg.

From 1951 to 1959, Nixon was on the music faculty at Modesto Junior College. He was then appointed to the faculty at San Francisco State College, now San Francisco State University, in 1960 and began a long association with the Symphonic Band, which premiered many of his works. Most of Nixon's works are for band, but he has also composed for orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo piano, choral ensembles, as well as song cycles and an opera. His most popular and most-performed work is Fiesta del Pacifico, a piece for concert band.[1]

Nixon received several awards including a Phelan Award, the Neil A. Kjos Memorial Award, and five grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. He was elected to the American Bandmasters Association in 1973, the same year he won the association's Ostwald Award for his composition Festival Fanfare March. In 1997, Nixon was honored by the Texas Bandmasters Association as a Heritage American Composer. At his death, he was Professor Emeritus of Music at San Francisco State University.

His students at San Francisco State University include Kent Nagano.

Nixon died on October 13, 2009, from complications from leukemia at Mills Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame, California.[2]

Selected works

  • Chinese seasons: song cycle (1942)
  • Music of Appreciation for band (1944)
  • Air for Strings (1948)
  • Elegy and Fanfare March for band (1958)
  • Firwood: for four part chorus (SATB) a capella (1960)
  • By-By-baby-Lullay! (1965)
  • Nocturne: for concert band (1965)
  • Reflections (1965)
  • Four duos for flute or oboe and B flat clarinet (1966)
  • Fiesta del Pacifico, for Symphonic Band (1960)
  • The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, Opera in 4 scenes (1967)
  • Love's secret: four-part chorus, SATB (1967)
  • To the Evening Star (William Blake): for mixed voices a cappella (1967)
  • Viola concerto (1969)
  • Festival Fanfare March for Band (1971) - received the 1973 Ostwald Award of the American Bandmasters Association
  • Psalm: for band (1972)
  • Music for a Civic Celebration (1975)
  • Pacific Celebration Suite (1979)
  • Christmas perspectives for mixed voices (1980)
  • Ceremonial piece for brass (1980)
  • Festival mass (SATB, organ) (1980)
  • Conversations for violin and clarinet in B flat (1981)
  • Three duos (flute & B flat clarinet) (1983)
  • Variations for B-flat bass clarinet (1983)
  • Variations for bassoon (1983)
  • A Narrative of Tides (1984)
  • Twelve Preludes for Piano (1984)
  • Two Elegies for solo cello (1984)
  • Chaunticleer (1984)
  • Arises the New Flower (1985)
  • Music for Clarinet and Piano (1986)
  • From The Canterbury Tales for mixed voices (1986)
  • Academic Tribute: for concert band (1987)
  • California Jubilee (1987)
  • Chaucerian Visions: for mixed voices (SATB) and piano (1987)
  • Variations for Clarinet and cello (1991)
  • Flower of Youth (Concert Band) (1992)
  • Wonders of Christmas: for chorus of mixed voices unaccompanied (4 pieces) (1993)
  • Music for Piano (1994)
  • Centennial Overture (1995)
  • Las Vegas Holiday (2001)

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Salzman, Timothy (ed.) (2006). "Roger Nixon, by William Berz". A Composer's Insight: Thoughts, Analysis and Commentary on Contemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band. Meredith Music Publications. pp. 134–5.
  2. ↑ Joshua Kosman, "SFSU Composer Roger Nixon Dies", San Francisco Chronicle (October 17, 2009)

Telephone interview of February 20, 1989 by Nicholas Pasquariello

External links