Roger Nixon
Encyclopedia
Roger Nixon was an American
composer
, musician, and professor of music. He wrote over 60 compositions for orchestra
, band, choir
and opera
. Nixon received many awards and honors his works, many of which contain a feel of the rhythms and dances of the early settlers of his native state of California
.
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.
Nixon has received several awards including a Phelan Award, the Neil A. Kjos Memorial Award, and five grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
, and 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
.
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...
, musician, and professor of music. He wrote over 60 compositions for orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, band, choir
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 opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. Nixon received many awards and honors his works, many of which contain a feel of the rhythms and dances of the early settlers of his native state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Biography
Nixon was born and raised in California's Central Valley towns of TulareTulare, California
Tulare is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 59,278 at the 2010 census.Just eight miles south of Visalia, it is part of the Census Bureau's designation of the Visalia Metropolitan Area. The city is named for the currently dry Tulare Lake, once the largest...
and Modesto
Modesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
. Nixon attended Modesto Junior College
Modesto Junior College
The Modesto Junior College is a community college located in Central Valley's Modesto, California.-Accreditation:Modesto Junior College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In January 2008, the Western Association Colleges and Schools notified the college that it had...
from 1938–1940 where he studied clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
with Frank Mancini, formerly of John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
'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
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 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.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
His primary teacher was Roger Sessions
Roger Sessions
Roger Huntington Sessions was an American composer, critic, and teacher of music.-Life:Sessions was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a family that could trace its roots back to the American revolution. His mother, Ruth Huntington Sessions, was a direct descendent of Samuel Huntington, a signer of...
. He also studied with Arthur Bliss
Arthur Bliss
Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO was an English composer and conductor.Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army...
, Ernest Bloch
Ernest Bloch
Ernest Bloch was a Swiss-born American composer.-Life:Bloch was born in Geneva and began playing the violin at age 9. He began composing soon afterwards. He studied music at the conservatory in Brussels, where his teachers included the celebrated Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe...
, Charles Cushing
Charles Cushing
Charles Cook Cushing was an American composer, band director, and professor of music.-Biography:Charles Cushing, a native Californian, studied at the University of California, Berkeley. Ecouraged by visiting French Composer Charles Koechlin during the summers of 1928 and 1929, he received his...
, and Frederick Jacobi
Frederick Jacobi
Frederick Jacobi was a prolific American composer and teacher.His works include symphonies, concerti, chamber music, works for solo piano and for solo organ, lieder, and one opera....
. In the summer of 1948, he studied privately with Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
.
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.
Nixon has received several awards including a Phelan Award, the Neil A. Kjos Memorial Award, and five grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, and he was elected to the American Bandmasters Association
American Bandmasters Association
The American Bandmasters Association was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music. Goldman sought to raise esteem for concert bands among musicians and audiences...
in 1973, the same year he won the association's Ostwald Award
Ostwald Award
The Sousa/Ostwald Award is an annual award given by the American Bandmasters Association for a composition for concert band. It was first awarded in 1956, after band uniform suppliers Ernest and Adolph Ostwald established the ABA/Ostwald Award for the best band composition written in the previous...
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
Kent Nagano
__FORCETOC__Kent George Nagano is an American conductor and opera administrator. He is currently the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Bavarian State Opera.-Biography:...
.
Nixon died on October 13, 2009, from complications from leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
at Mills Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame, California
Burlingame, California
Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
.
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 (1966)
- The Bride Comes to Yellow SkyThe Bride Comes to Yellow Sky"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is an 1898 western short story by American author Stephen Crane . Originally published in McClure's Magazine, it was written in England. The story's protagonist is a Texas marshal named Jack Potter, who is returning to the town of Yellow Sky with his eastern bride...
, Opera in 4 scenes (1967) - Love's secret: four-part chorus, SATB (1967)
- To the Evening Star (William BlakeWilliam BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
): 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
- Anthony Mazzaferro, "Roger A. Nixon and His Works for Band", Journal of Band Research (Fall 1988)