Robert James Berkeley Fleming (November 12, 1921 – November 28, 1976) was a Canadian composer, pianist, organist, choirmaster and teacher. Robert was born in Prince Albert,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. At a young age his family settled in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

where he first studied with his mother. Between 1937 and 1939 he studied under

Arthur Benjamin Arthur Leslie Benjamin (18 September 1893, in Sydney – 10 April 1960, in London) was an Australian composer, pianist, conductor and teacher. He is best known as the composer of '' Jamaican Rumba'' (1938) and of the '' Storm Clouds Cantata'' ...

, and

Herbert Howells Herbert Norman Howells (17 October 1892 – 23 February 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music. Life Background and early education Howells was born in Lydney, Gloucest ...

in England at the RCM. When he returned to Saskatoon he taught piano before making his formal debut in 1940 at Darke Hall in Regina and later toured Saskatchewan as a recitalist. While studying piano with Lyell Gustin in 1941-2 he became the assistant organist at the Church of St Alban the Martyr in Saskatoon. In 1941 and 1945 he attended

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 ...

(RCM), to which in later years he contributed music. While at RCM he studied under

Healey Willan James Healey Willan (12 October 1880 – 16 February 1968) was an Anglo-Canadian organist and composer. He composed more than 800 works including operas, symphonies, chamber music, a concerto, and pieces for band, orchestra, organ, and ...

for composition, Norman Wilks for piano,

Ettore Mazzoleni Ettore Mazzoleni (18 June 1905 – 1 June 1968) was a Canadian conductor, music educator, writer, and arts administrator of Swiss birth. He was one of the Canadian Opera Company's principal conductors during its early years, working there from 195 ...

for conducting, and

John Weatherseed John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and Frederick Silvester for Organ. Between 1945 and 1946 he taught at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

before joining the

National Film Board The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary fi ...

, where he worked in Ottawa and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

as a staff composer between 1946 and 1958 before becoming music director between 1958 and 1970. Between those years he was music director for the Ottawa Ballet Festival in 1953 and organist-choirmaster at Glebe United Church in 1954 and at St George's Anglican Church in

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue () is an on-island suburb located at the western tip of the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is the second oldest community in Montreal's West Island, having been founded as a parish in 1703. The old ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. In 1970 he and his family moved back to Ottawa, where he taught 20th-century music and Canadian composers at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

. In 1972 he became the organist-choirmaster at St Matthias' Anglican Church in Ottawa (Westboro). He died November 28, 1976.

Works

Through his career Robert contributed music to well over 200 film scores including the ''

Canada at War ''Canada at War'' (french: link=no, Le Canada en guerre) is a 1962 Canadian World War II documentary television series which aired on CBC Television. Premise Production of this National Film Board of Canada documentary series began in 1958, usi ...

'' series and the Oscar-nominated 1953 short documentary, ''

Herring Hunt ''Herring Hunt'' is a 1953 National Film Board of Canada short documentary film about the operations of a herring boat off the coast of British Columbia, directed by Julian Biggs, written by Leslie McFarlane and produced by Guy Glover, which was n ...

.'' * ''Bella Bella Sonatina for Violin and Piano'' (1943) * ''Sonatina for Piano'' (1943) * ''Coulter Songs'' (1946-54) * Song cycle for Mezzo-Soprano ''The Confession Stone'' (1966) * ''Hexad for Orchestra'' (1972)

Robert Fleming Prize

In his memory, the

Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

awards the Robert Fleming Prize annually to encourage the careers of young creators of music including André Lamarche (1979), Denys Bouliane (1980), Anthony Genge (1981), Denis Dion (1983), Guy Perron (1986) and Jacques Tremblay (1991). The current recipient is Melody McKiver (2020). Another Robert Fleming Award is presented by the Ottawa Music Festival Association.

References

External links

*
Robert Fleming Fonds

Robert Fleming Prize

Robert Fleming biography

Robert Fleming fonds (15427)
at Library and Archives Canada {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Robert 1921 births 1976 deaths Canadian Anglicans Canadian film score composers Canadian male composers Canadian music academics Male film score composers Musicians from Ottawa Musicians from Saskatchewan National Film Board of Canada people People from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century musicologists 20th-century Canadian male musicians Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom

Works

Robert Fleming Prize

See also

References

External links