American composer (1929–2023)
Nelson in 2019 Ronald Jack Nelson (December 14, 1929 – December 24, 2023) was an American composer ofclassical music andpopular music and a music educator.[ 1]
Nelson was born December 14, 1929, inJoliet, Illinois . He studied composition at theEastman School of Music at theUniversity of Rochester , earning a bachelor's degree in 1952, a master's degree in 1953, and a doctorate in composition in 1957. His teachers at Eastman included Louis Mennini,Bernard Rogers andHoward Hanson . In 1954–1955 he studied withTony Aubin in France at theEcole Normale de Musique and at theParis Conservatory under aFulbright Grant . In 1956, Dr. Nelson joined the faculty ofBrown University inProvidence ,Rhode Island , where he served as chairman of the music department from 1963 to 1973, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1993.[ 2]
In 1991, Nelson was awarded the Acuff Chair of Excellence in the Creative Arts, the first musician to hold the chair. HisPassacaglia (Homage on B-A-C-H) was the first piece to win all three major wind band composition prizes during one period — the National Band Association Prize, theAmerican Bandmasters Association Ostwald Award , and theSudler International Prize . He was awarded the Medal of Honor by theJohn Philip Sousa Foundation in 1994. In 2006, he was awarded an honorary doctorate fromOklahoma City University .[ 3]
Nelson received numerous commissions, including those from theNational Symphony Orchestra , theRochester Philharmonic , theUSAF Band and Chorus ,Musashino Wind Ensemble ,Aspen Music Festival and numerous colleges and universities. He has also received grants and awards from TheRockefeller Foundation , the Howard Foundation,ASCAP , and several from theNational Endowment for the Arts .[ 4]
ConductorLeonard Slatkin described Ron Nelson as a "quintessential American composer". He noted:[ 5]
...he has the ability to move between conservative and newer styles with ease. The fact that he's a little hard to categorize is what makes him interesting.
Nelson resided with his wife, Michele, inScottsdale, Arizona . He died on December 24, 2023, at the age of 94.
1952Savannah River Holiday 1958Sarabande for Katharine in April 1960This Is The Orchestra 1960Jubilee 1961Toccata for Orchestra 1969Trilogy: JFK-MLK-RFK 1969Rocky Point Holiday 1976Five Pieces after Paintings byAndrew Wyeth 1996Panels (Epiphanies 11) 1997Resonances 11 Works for wind ensemble [ edit ] 1958Mayflower Overture 1969Rocky Point Holiday 1973Savannah River Holiday 1982Fanfare for a Celebration 1982Medieval Suite 1983Pebble Beach Sojourn for organ, brass and percussion 1984Aspen Jubilee 1985Danza Capriccio for solo altosaxophone and wind ensemble 1988Te Deum Laudamus for SATB chorus and wind ensemble 1989Morning Alleluias 1989Fanfare For The Hour of Sunrise 1990Resonances 1 1991Lauds (Praise High Day) 1992To The Airborne 1992Passacaglia (Homage onB-A-C-H ) 1994Epiphanies – Fanfares and Chorales 1994Chaconne (In Memoriam...) 1994Sonoran Desert Holiday 1995Epiphanies (Fanfares and Chorales) 1995Nightsong (Homage Howard Hanson) 1995Fanfare For The Kennedy Center 1995Courtly Airs and Dances 1999Fanfare for the new Millennium for symphonic band and two antiphonal brass choirs 2006Pastorale: Autumn Rune 2019Homage to Landini 1954Dance in Ruins Ballet 1955–1956The Birthday of the Infanta Opera for Chamber Orchestra 1981Hamaguchi Opera for Chamber Ensemble 1982Kristen's Song for Violin, Flute, and Organ 1983And the Moon Rose Golden for Cello and Piano 1958Three Mountain Ballads for women's chorus or SATB 1958Choral Fanfare for Easter for mixed chorus and narrator 1960Fanfare for a Festival for mixed chorus, brass and timpani 1961Behold Man for men's chorus 1962Three Ancient Prayers for SATB and organ 1963Triumphal Te Deum for double chorus, brass, organ, and percussion 1964Oratorio: What is Man? in three movements, for narrator, soprano solo and baritone solo, mixed chorus, and orchestra 1968Autumn Night (women’s chorus and piano; text byAlice Streatch ) 1969Alleluia,July 20, 1969 for mixed chorus 1972Prayer ofEmperor of China on theAltar of Heaven , December 21, 1539 for mixed chorus and ensemble 1977Four Pieces After The Seasons for mixed chorus 1981Mass of SaintLaSalle for mixed chorus, organ, mallet instruments, pianos, and percussion 1982Three Nocturnal Pieces for mixed chorus, solo viola, piano and percussion 1983Three Settings of the Moon for women's chorus (SA), piano, marimba, and glockenspiel 1989Three Pieces After Tennyson for mixed chorus or TTBB 2002Proclaim this Day for Music for mixed chorus, brass, and percussion 2005Let Us Find A Meadow
International National Artists Other
public domain material fromHall of Composers: Ron Nelson United States Marine Corps . RetrievedDecember 1, 2005 .
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromHall of Composers: Ron Nelson.United States Marine Corps. RetrievedDecember 1, 2005.