Eric Robertson (composer)
Encyclopedia
Eric Nathan Robertson is a Scottish composer
, organist
, pianist
, and record producer
who has been primarily active in Canada. A two time Gemini Award
winner, he has composed more than 60 film score
s and written music for a number of television series in Canada and the United States. He has also written a considerable amount of choral
and organ music, sometimes with instrumental or symphonic
accompaniment
. His works display a strong influence of Ralph Vaughan Williams
, Charles Wood
, and William O. Minay, the latter of whom he studied with for over 30 years. He has also produced and played on numerous commercial albums by a variety of artists and released several of his own albums of popular songs and film themes under the name Magic Melodies.
, Robertson began his musical training in organ, piano and music theory
in his native city where he was a pupil of E. Francis Thomas, Eric Reid, and William O. Minay. In 1963, at the age of 15, he entered The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto, Canada where he was a student of Charles Peaker (organ) and Samuel Dolin
(music composition). He graduated with an Associates degree from the RCM in 1966. In 1969, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists
. He also continued his studies with Minay up into the 1990s through annual trips back to Edinburgh.
Robertson began his professional music career as a teenager while a student at the RCM; serving as the music director at St John's Lutheran Church in Toronto and playing the organ in the Toronto R&B band Majestics. He soon began composing music for both the church and the recording studio, was active as a studio musician, and a frequent recitalist on CBC Radio
; pursuits that he has continued in throughout his career. In 1966, he became the organist/choirmaster of Humbercrest United Church, leaving there in 1990 to assume a similar post at St. Paul's, Bloor Street
where he remained until 2009.
As a record producer, Robertson has produced and played on recordings by artists like Liona Boyd
, Moe Koffman
, Nana Mouskouri
, and Roger Whittaker
among others. He has also recorded several of his own albums of popular songs and movie themes under the name Magic Melodies, the first of which sold 300,000 copies in Canada and more than 1.25 million copies internationally. In 1978, he became music director for the CBC Television
program The Tommy Hunter Show.
Robertson began his work as film score composer with the feature film A Quiet Day in Belfast
(1974). He next composed the music for the television film The Insurance Man from Ingersoll (1975) and the television series Readalong
(1976). He has remained active composing music for both the big screen and television. His feature film credits include Plague
(1978), If You Could See What I Hear
(1982), Spasms
(1983), That's My Baby! (1984), Millennium
(1989), Full Disclosure
(2001), and Elliot Smelliot (2004) among others. He has composed music for television films like Shocktrauma
(1982), The Challengers
(1990), Getting Married in Buffalo Jump
(1990), and A Holiday to Remember
(1995). He wrote the music for the television mini-series Rocket Science
(2002) and for television series like Read All About It!
(1979-1983), Street Legal
(1987-1994), OWL/TV
(1989-1994), and Black Harbour
(1996-1999); the latter of which he was awarded his first Gemini Award for in 1996. He received his second Gemini Award in 2001 for the music for the documentary film
Canada: A People's History
and was most recently nominated for a Gemini in 2007 for the documentary Hockey: A People's History
. He also composed the music for the animated series of Watership Down
(1999-2001) and contributed music to a number of television specials featuring The Muppets
.
Outside of television and film, Robertson is best known for his choral and organ compositions. His Four Songs of Remembrance (1983) for choir and orchestra was commissioned and recorded by the Orpheus Choir of Toronto and his choral work Another Spring (1988) was commissioned by the Guelph Spring Festival. His Jazz Magnificat (1985) was written for Ward Swingle
and The Swingle Singers
and his Variations on the 'Sussex Carol was commissioned and recorded by the Elmer Iseler Singers
. Also notable among his choral pieces is Prewett in Love (1988) which contains clarinet and piano accompaniment.
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...
, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who has been primarily active in Canada. A two time Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
winner, he has composed more than 60 film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
s and written music for a number of television series in Canada and the United States. He has also written a considerable amount of choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
and organ music, sometimes with instrumental or symphonic
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
accompaniment
Accompaniment
In music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with an instrumental or vocal soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner...
. His works display a strong influence of Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
, Charles Wood
Charles Wood (composer)
Charles Wood was an Irish composer and teacher.Born in Armagh, Ireland, he was the fifth child and third son of Charles Wood Sr. and Jemima Wood. His father was a tenor in the choir of the nearby St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh , and later worked as the Diocesan Registrar of the church...
, and William O. Minay, the latter of whom he studied with for over 30 years. He has also produced and played on numerous commercial albums by a variety of artists and released several of his own albums of popular songs and film themes under the name Magic Melodies.
Life and career
Born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Robertson began his musical training in organ, piano and music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
in his native city where he was a pupil of E. Francis Thomas, Eric Reid, and William O. Minay. In 1963, at the age of 15, he entered The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto, Canada where he was a student of Charles Peaker (organ) and Samuel Dolin
Samuel Dolin
Samuel Joseph Dolin was a Canadian composer, music educator, and arts administrator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a founding member of the Canadian League of Composers , he served as the CLC's vice president in 1967-1968 and president from 1969-1973...
(music composition). He graduated with an Associates degree from the RCM in 1966. In 1969, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists
Royal Canadian College of Organists
The Royal Canadian College of Organists , founded in 1909,is a national association of organists and church musicians in Canada, with 32 centres from Victoria, British Columbia to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.The National Office is in Toronto....
. He also continued his studies with Minay up into the 1990s through annual trips back to Edinburgh.
Robertson began his professional music career as a teenager while a student at the RCM; serving as the music director at St John's Lutheran Church in Toronto and playing the organ in the Toronto R&B band Majestics. He soon began composing music for both the church and the recording studio, was active as a studio musician, and a frequent recitalist on CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
; pursuits that he has continued in throughout his career. In 1966, he became the organist/choirmaster of Humbercrest United Church, leaving there in 1990 to assume a similar post at St. Paul's, Bloor Street
St. Paul's, Bloor Street
The Church of St Paul's, Bloor Street, is a large parish of the Anglican Church of Canada in the Diocese of Toronto.Located in downtown Toronto near the denomination's national headquarters, the parish, along with Little Trinity Anglican Church, is one of historical flagship low church parishes of...
where he remained until 2009.
As a record producer, Robertson has produced and played on recordings by artists like Liona Boyd
Liona Boyd
Liona Maria Carolynne Boyd, LLD, D.Mus, CM, O.Ont, is a Canadian classical guitarist, composer, songwriter and singer. Boyd was born in London, England on July 11, 1949, moved to Canada with her parents when she was eight years old and became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1975...
, Moe Koffman
Moe Koffman
Moe Koffman, OC was a Canadian jazz musician and composer. He played the flute, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone and clarinet...
, Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
, and Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker is an Anglo-Kenyan singer-songwriter and musician with worldwide record sales of over 55 million. His music can be described as easy listening. He is best known for his baritone singing voice and trademark whistling ability...
among others. He has also recorded several of his own albums of popular songs and movie themes under the name Magic Melodies, the first of which sold 300,000 copies in Canada and more than 1.25 million copies internationally. In 1978, he became music director for the CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
program The Tommy Hunter Show.
Robertson began his work as film score composer with the feature film A Quiet Day in Belfast
A Quiet Day in Belfast
A Quiet Day in Belfast is a 1974 Canadian drama film set in Northern Ireland and starring Barry Foster, Margot Kidder and Sean McCann. British soldiers battle the Provisional Irish Republican Army in early 1970s Belfast...
(1974). He next composed the music for the television film The Insurance Man from Ingersoll (1975) and the television series Readalong
Readalong
Readalong was an educational, Canadian television program for young children, first produced in 1976 for TVOntario.The program taught fundamentals of reading with the help of live child actors and puppets, including a comically dressed grandmother figure named Granny and anthropomorphic footwear: a...
(1976). He has remained active composing music for both the big screen and television. His feature film credits include Plague
Plague (1978 film)
Plague is a 1978 Canadian science fiction film about a genetic engineering accident, a fertilizing bacterium that escapes from a laboratory in Canada. The film is also known internationally as Induced Syndrome , M-3: The Gemini Strain or Mutation .-Plot:A deadly bacteria called M3 is released and...
(1978), If You Could See What I Hear
If You Could See What I Hear
If You Could See What I Hear is a 1982 biography/drama movie about blind musician Tom Sullivan, starring Marc Singer and Shari Belafonte, directed by Eric Till.Tagline: The true story of a born winner!-Plot summary:...
(1982), Spasms
Spasms
-Plot:Jason Kincaid has this massive serpent captured and brought to the US because it killed his brother and he now shares some kind of psychic link with it...
(1983), That's My Baby! (1984), Millennium
Millennium (film)
Millennium is a 1989 film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Kris Kristofferson, Cheryl Ladd, Robert Joy, Brent Carver, Al Waxman and Daniel J. Travanti. The original music score was composed by Eric N. Robertson...
(1989), Full Disclosure
Full Disclosure (film)
Full Disclosure is a 2001 thriller film starring Fred Ward, Christopher Plummer, Rachel Ticotin and Penelope Ann Miller. It was directed by John Bradshaw.- Background :The film was shot in 1999...
(2001), and Elliot Smelliot (2004) among others. He has composed music for television films like Shocktrauma
Shocktrauma
Shocktrauma is a 1982 television film produced in Canada and syndicated nationally in the USA by sponsor General Foods. The screenplay by Stephen Kandel is based on the book by Jon Franklin and Alan Doelp, which details the true story of the first trauma center in America, founded in Baltimore,...
(1982), The Challengers
The Challengers (CBC TV film)
The Challengers is a 1990 family television film that was produced by Lauron Productions for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It stars Gema Zamprogna , Gwynyth Walsh and Eric Christmas. The film features the song "I'll Find My Way Home".The film was first broadcast in Canada on 14 October...
(1990), Getting Married in Buffalo Jump
Getting Married in Buffalo Jump
Getting Married in Buffalo Jump is a 1990 Canadian TV movie filmed in Alberta, Canada. In specific Cowley, Lundbeck, and Pincher Creek. It was directed by Eric Till and stars Wendy Crewson and Paul Gross.-Plot:...
(1990), and A Holiday to Remember
A Holiday to Remember
A Holiday to Remember is a TV movie starring Connie Sellecca and Randy Travis. It premiered on CBS in 1995. As of 2009, it was shown in the 25 Days of Christmas programming block on ABC Family, but it was not part of the block in 2010...
(1995). He wrote the music for the television mini-series Rocket Science
Rocket Science (miniseries)
Rocket Science is a miniseries first released in 2002-2003, chronicling the major events in the American/Soviet space race, starting from the first hypersonic rocket planes to human space flight. It focuses mainly on the American side of the race, briefly mentioning major Soviet achievements...
(2002) and for television series like Read All About It!
Read All About It!
Read All About It! was a Canadian educational television series produced from 1979 to 1983 by TVOntario that aired during the early to mid 1980s; It also aired in repeats in the 1990s. It starred David Craig Collard as Chris, Lydia Zajc as Lynne, Stacey Arnold as Samantha, and Sean Hewitt as...
(1979-1983), Street Legal
Street Legal (TV series)
Street Legal is a Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1987 to 1994.-Synopsis:A spinoff from the 1985 television movie Shellgame, Street Legal focused on the professional and private lives of the partners in a small Toronto, Ontario law firm, Barr, Robinovitch and Tchobanian...
(1987-1994), OWL/TV
OWL/TV
OWL/TV is a children's educational television series that aired on the CBC, and then later on CTV, from 1985 to 1994. Its focus is nature and science discovery, emphasizing to viewers how they can have an impact on their own environment. PBS, BBC, ITV and Showtime also aired the show for a brief...
(1989-1994), and Black Harbour
Black Harbour
Black Harbour is a Canadian television series, which ran on CBC Television from 1996 to 1999.The show starred Rebecca Jenkins as Katherine Hubbard, a successful restaurant owner who returned to live in her Nova Scotia hometown to be with her mother who had suffered a heart attack. Her husband...
(1996-1999); the latter of which he was awarded his first Gemini Award for in 1996. He received his second Gemini Award in 2001 for the music for the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Canada: A People's History
Canada: A People's History
Canada: A People's History is a 17-episode, 32-hour documentary television series on the history of Canada. It first aired on CBC Television from October 2000 to November 2001. The production was an unusually large project for the national network, especially during budget cutbacks. The unexpected...
and was most recently nominated for a Gemini in 2007 for the documentary Hockey: A People's History
Hockey: A People's History
Hockey: A People's History is a television documentary series from the CBC's Documentary Unit. It premiered on September 17, 2006. It aired on Sunday nights, in two-episode blocks, on the CBC's main network; repeats were made later in the week on CBC Newsworld.Much like previous series Canada: A...
. He also composed the music for the animated series of Watership Down
Watership Down (TV series)
Watership Down is an animated television series, adapted from the novel of the same name by Richard Adams. It was a co-production of Alltime Entertainment of the United Kingdom and Decode Entertainment of Canada, and produced by Martin Rosen, the director of the 1978 feature film...
(1999-2001) and contributed music to a number of television specials featuring The Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
.
Outside of television and film, Robertson is best known for his choral and organ compositions. His Four Songs of Remembrance (1983) for choir and orchestra was commissioned and recorded by the Orpheus Choir of Toronto and his choral work Another Spring (1988) was commissioned by the Guelph Spring Festival. His Jazz Magnificat (1985) was written for Ward Swingle
Ward Swingle
Ward Swingle is an American vocalist and jazz musician.Swingle was born in Mobile, Alabama. He studied music, particularly jazz, from a very young age. He was playing in Mobile-area Big Bands before finishing high school. After high school, Swingle graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Cincinnati...
and The Swingle Singers
The Swingle Singers
The Swingle Singers are a mostly a cappella vocal group formed in 1962 in Paris, France by Ward Swingle with Anne Germain, Jeanette Baucomont, Jean Cussac and others. Christiane Legrand, the sister of composer Michel Legrand, was the group's lead soprano through 1972. Until 2011 the group...
and his Variations on the 'Sussex Carol was commissioned and recorded by the Elmer Iseler Singers
Elmer Iseler Singers
The Elmer Iseler Singers is a professional chamber choir based in Toronto, Canada.The twenty-voice choir, conducted by Artistic Director Lydia Adams], founded by Dr. Elmer Iseler in 1979, is one of Canada’s leading choral ensembles. The choir has built an international reputation through its...
. Also notable among his choral pieces is Prewett in Love (1988) which contains clarinet and piano accompaniment.