Roger Alfred Nixon (August 8, 1921 – October 13, 2009) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, musician, and professor of music. He wrote over 60 compositions for

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

. 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 California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Biography

Nixon was born and raised in California's Central Valley towns of Tulare and

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

. Nixon attended

Modesto Junior College Modesto Junior College (MJC) is a public community college in Modesto, California. It is part of Yosemite Community College District along with Columbia College. MJC, and Columbia College, belong to the California Community College system al ...

from 1938–1940 where he studied

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

with Frank Mancini, formerly of

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...

's band. He continued his studies at

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...

, 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 A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

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 opposin ...

, 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. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

His primary teacher was

Roger Sessions Roger Huntington Sessions (December 28, 1896March 16, 1985) was an American composer, teacher and musicologist. He had initially started his career writing in a neoclassical style, but gradually moved further towards more complex harmonies and ...

. He also studied with

Arthur Bliss Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (2 August 189127 March 1975) 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. In the post-war years he qu ...

Ernest Bloch Ernest Bloch (July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Swiss-born American composer. Bloch was a preeminent artist in his day, and left a lasting legacy. He is recognized as one of the greatest Swiss composers in history. As well as producing music ...

Charles Cushing Charles Cook Cushing (December 8, 1905 – 1982) was an American composer, band director, and professor of music. Biography Charles Cushing, a native Californian, studied at the University of California, Berkeley. Encouraged by visiting French Com ...

, and

Frederick Jacobi Frederick Jacobi (May 4, 1891 – October 24, 1952) was a Jewish-American composer and teacher. His works include symphonies, concerti, chamber music, works for solo piano and for solo organ, lieder, and one opera. He taught at Juilliard School o ...

. In the summer of 1948, he studied privately with

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

. 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 San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

, 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. Nixon received several awards including a Phelan Award, the Neil A. Kjos Memorial Award, and five grants from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

. He was elected to the

American Bandmasters Association The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music.Raoul F. Camus. "American Bandmasters Association." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/sub ...

in 1973, the same year he won the association's

Ostwald Award The Sousa/Ostwald Award is an annual award given by the American Bandmasters Association for a composition for concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic wi ...

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 George Nagano GOQ, MSM (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 20 ...

. Nixon died on October 13, 2009, from complications from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

at Mills Peninsula Hospital in

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 and is known for its numerous eucalyp ...

.Joshua Kosman, "SFSU Composer Roger Nixon Dies", ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (October 17, 2009)
/ref>

Selected works

;Stage * ''The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky'', Opera in 4 scenes (1967); libretto by Ray Benedict West, Jr. adapted from the short story by

Stephen Crane Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism an ...

;Orchestra * ''Air for Strings'' for string orchestra (1948) * ''Mooney's Grove Suite'' (1964, revised 1967) * ''Three Dances'' (1962) * ''Overture'' ;Concertante * Concerto for violin and orchestra (1950s) * ''Reflections'' for flute and band (1965) * ''Elegiac Rhapsody'' for viola and orchestra; initially composed as a separate work, used as movement II of the Viola Concerto * Concerto for viola and orchestra (1969) * ''Two Elegies'' for solo cello and cello ensemble (1978, 1984) ;Concert band * ''Music of Appreciation'' (1944, premiered 1992, published 1994) * ''Elegy and Fanfare-March'' (1958, revised 1967) * ''Fiesta del Pacifico'' (1960) * ''Prelude and Fugue'' (1961) * ''San Joaquin Sketches'' (1962, revised 1982) * ''Nocturne'' (1965) * ''Reflections'' (1965) * ''Centennial Fanfare-March'' (1970); composed for the centennial of the founding of

Modesto, California Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

* ''A Solemn Processional'' (published 1971) * ''Festival Fanfare-March'' (1971); received the 1973 Ostwald Award of the American Bandmasters Association * ''Psalm'' (1972, revised 1979) * ''Music for a Civic Celebration'' (1975) * ''Pacific Celebration Suite'' (1976) * ''Chamarita!'' (1981) * ''Academic Tribute'' (1982, published 1987) * ''California Jubilee'' (1984) * ''Arises the New Flower'' (1985) * ''Flower of Youth'' (1988, published 1992) * ''A Centennial Overture'' (1995) * ''A Lyric Remembrance'' (1997) * ''Las Vegas Holiday'' (2001) * ''Monterey Holidays'' (2001) * ''Mondavi Fanfare'' ;Brass * ''Ceremonial Fanfare No. 1'' for brass (1976) * ''Ceremonial Piece'' for brass (1976, published 1980); composed for Bicentennial of America * ''Concert Prelude'' for brass (1982–1988) ;Chamber music * String Quartet (1949) * ''Nocturne'' for flute and piano (1960) * ''Four Duos'' for flute or oboe (or violin) and clarinet (or viola) (1966) * ''Movement'' for clarinet and piano (1975) * ''Variations'' for bass clarinet (1978) * ''Conversations'' for violin and clarinet (1981) * ''Variations'' for bassoon (1982, published 1983) * Duo (Dialog) for flute and alto flute (published 1982) * ''Two Duos'' for piccolo and E clarinet (or flute) (published 1982) * ''Three Duos'' for flute and clarinet (1983) * ''Music for Clarinet and Piano'', 5 Movements (1986) * ''Variations'' for clarinet and cello (1991) ;Piano * ''Five Piano Preludes'' (1946) * ''Twelve Preludes'' (1984) * ''Music for Piano'' (1994) * ''Twenty-Four Preludes'' (1946–2000) ;Vocal * ''Chinese Seasons'', Song Cycle for soprano and piano (1942); words from ''The Hundred Names'' * ''Six Moods of Love'', Song Cycle for soprano and piano (1940s?) :# ''I Am Dark and Fair to See''; anonymous words :# ''I Am in Love with High, Farseeing Places''; words by Arthur Davison Ficke :# ''Grief, Find the Words''; words by

Philip Sidney Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philip ...

:# ''It Was a Quiet Way''; words by

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...

:# ''Psalm to My Beloved''; words by Eunice Tietjens :# ''A Decade''; words by

Amy Lowell Amy Lawrence Lowell (February 9, 1874 – May 12, 1925) was an American poet of the imagist school, which promoted a return to classical values. She posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926. Life Amy Lowell was born on Febru ...

* ''Gliding o'er All'' for voice and piano (1972); words by

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

* ''A Narrative of Tides'', Song Cycle for mezzo-soprano, flute and piano (1984); words from ''A Ring of Willows'' by Eric Barker * ''Three Transcendental Songs on Poems by

'' for mezzo-soprano and piano (1979) ;Choral * ''Firwood'' for mixed chorus a cappella (1960); words by

John Clare John Clare (13 July 1793 – 20 May 1864) was an English poet. The son of a farm labourer, he became known for his celebrations of the English countryside and sorrows at its disruption. His work underwent major re-evaluation in the late 20th ce ...

* ''Now Living Things'' for mixed chorus a cappella (1961); words by Leonard Nathan * ''The Wind'' for mixed chorus a cappella (published 1962); words from ''

A Child's Garden of Verses ''A Child's Garden of Verses'' is an 1885 volume of 64 poems for children by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It has been reprinted many times, often in illustrated versions, and is considered to be one of the most influential child ...

'' by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

* ''Swallows'' for mixed chorus a cappella (1963); words by

* ''By-By-Baby, Lullay!'' for mixed chorus a cappella (1965); anonymous words from the 15th century * ''Ditty'' for treble voices (SA) with piano (1966); words from ''

Songs of Travel ''Songs of Travel'' is a song cycle of nine songs originally written for baritone voice composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams, with poems drawn from the Robert Louis Stevenson collection '' Songs of Travel and Other Verses''. A complete performanc ...

'' by

* ''Love's Secret'' for male chorus a cappella (1967); words by

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

* ''To the Evening Star'' for mixed chorus a cappella (1967); words by

* ''Christmas Perspectives'' for mixed voices a cappella (1980) * ''Festival Mass'' for mixed chorus and organ (1980) * ''Chaunticleer'', Motet for male chorus a cappella (1984); words by

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

* ''From

the Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''Masterpiece, ...

'' for mixed voices a cappella (1986); words by

in translation by Anne Worthington Prescott * ''Chaucerian Visions'' for mixed voices and piano (1987); words by

in translation by Anne Worthington Prescott * ''Wonders of Christmas'' for soloists and mixed chorus a cappella (1993) :# ''How Great a Mystery''; traditional words :# ''So Gracious Is the Time''; words by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

:# ''Green Grow'th the Holly ''; anonymous words from the 16th century :# ''The Star of Christmas Morning''; traditional words :# ''Nativity Morn''; words by

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

:# ''The Stable''; anonymous words * ''Our Joyful Feast'' for mixed chorus a cappella (published 2002); words by

George Wither George Wither (11 June 1588 O.S. (21 June 1588 NS) – 2 May 1667 O.S. (12 May 1667 NS)) was a prolific English poet, pamphleteer, satirist and writer of hymns. Wither's long life spanned one of the most tumultuous periods in the history of En ...

* ''The Christmas Tree'' for mixed chorus a cappella * ''Long, Long Ago'' for mixed chorus a cappella

References

Telephone interview of February 20, 1989 by Nicholas Pasquariell

External links

American Bandmaster
*
Online Archive of California
January 16, 1988 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nixon, Roger 1921 births 2009 deaths Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in California American male classical composers American classical composers University of California, Berkeley alumni People from Tulare, California Musicians from Modesto, California San Francisco State University faculty United States Navy personnel of World War II Pupils of Roger Sessions 20th-century classical composers Modesto Junior College alumni Pupils of Ernest Bloch Pupils of Arnold Schoenberg 20th-century American composers Classical musicians from California 20th-century American male musicians

Biography

Selected works

Further reading

References

External links