Norman Alec Symonds (23 December 1920Clifford Ford.
Canada's music: an historical survey
'. GLC Publishers; 1982. p. 233. – 21 August 1998) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

composer, clarinetist, and

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

who lived and worked in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

.
The Canadian Music Journal
'. Canadian Music Council.; 1957. p. 40. A leading figure in the third-stream movement in Canada, he composed several jazz works which employed classical forms.

Early life and education

Symonds was born in Nelson, British Columbia. He grew up in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

, where he began playing the clarinet as a teenager. He served in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

from 1938-1945. While stationed in Halifax he played with a

dixieland band Dixieland Band (1980 – April 7, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Dixieland Band was bred by Bayard Sharp, a prominent and highly respected Delaware horseman and president of The Blood-Horse Inc. Out of th ...

under the direction of saxophonist Charles "Bucky" Adams. In 1945 Symonds entered

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

where he studied clarinet, piano, theory, and harmony through 1948. He then studied privately for several years with

Gordon Delamont Gordon Arthur Delamont (27 October 1918 – 16 January 1981) was a Canadian music educator, author, composer, and trumpeter. He is best remembered for his work as an educator, having helped shape the talents of dozens of notable musicians in Toro ...

in Toronto.

Career

From 1949-1966, Symonds worked actively as a clarinetist, alto and baritone saxophonist and arranger with several

dance bands (; "dance band"), or in Norwegian and Danish, is a Swedish term for a band that plays ("dance band music"). ' is often danced to in pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired by ...

in Toronto, including those led by Leo Romanelli, Bobby Gimby, and Benny Louis. From 1953-1957 he played with and directed his own jazz octet whose members also included

Ed Bickert Edward Isaac Bickert, (November 29, 1932 – February 28, 2019) was a Canadian guitarist who played mainstream jazz and swing music. Bickert worked professionally from the mid-1950s to 2000, mainly in the Toronto area. His international reputat ...

Ron Collier Ron Collier, (July 3, 1930 – October 22, 2003) was a Canadian jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger. He performed in and led a number of jazz groups, and created orchestrations for and recorded with Duke Ellington. Early life and educat ...

, Ross Culley, Bernie Piltch, Jack Richardson, and

Jerry Toth Jaroslav "Jerry" Toth (15 November 1928 – 31 March 1999) was a Canadian saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, arranger, composer, and record producer. Life and career Born in Windsor, Ontario, Toth was the son of violinist and cimbalom maker Car ...

. The ensemble performed at the Stratford Festival in 1956. Symonds' ''Concerto Grosso for Jazz Quintet'' was performed in 1963 by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Ron Collier Jazz Quintet. In 1967 the orchestra performed his ''Democratic Concerto'' along with the Fred Stone Quartet. In 1968 Symonds travelled about rural Canada on a fellowship from the Canada Council, writing and composing; his work became a 13-part radio series titled ''Travelling Big Lonely''.Joel Flegler.
Fanfare
'. Vol. 11, Issues 1-2. J. Flegler; 1987. p. 387. Symonds' composition "A Gift of Thanksgiving" was performed in 1980 by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra."Symonds composition a hit"
''Medicine Hat News'', via Newspaper Archives. September 11, 1980 - Page 23 In 1987 his work was included on the National Arts Centre Orchestra recording ''Canadian Classics Vol. 2''.
Music Magazine
'. Vol. 10-11. Barrett & Colgrass; 1987. p. 42-43.

Selected compositions

*"Concerto Grosso for Jazz Quintet" *"Big Lonely" *"Three Atmospheres" *"A Gift of Thanksgiving"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Symonds, Norman 1920 births 1998 deaths Canadian clarinetists Canadian male composers Canadian saxophonists Male saxophonists The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century Canadian male musicians Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II Canadian military personnel from British Columbia