Richard Stephen Robbins (December 4, 1940 – November 7, 2012) was an American-born
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 def ...
, best known for his
motion picture
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
scores for the
Merchant Ivory
A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...
films.
Robbins was born in South
Weymouth, Massachusetts
Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is one of 13 municipalities in the state to have city forms of government while retaining "town of" in their official names. It is named after Weymouth, Dorset, a coastal town ...
. In November 2012, he died of
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
at the age of 71. He died at his home in New York.
Personal life
Robbins began playing the piano at the age of five. He graduated from the
New England Conservatory
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...
in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, and later received a fellowship through a fund established by the philanthropist
Frank Huntington Beebe to continue his studies in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.
Robbins was
gay, and had a relationship with
Ismail Merchant, and probably
James Ivory
James Francis Ivory (born Richard Jerome Hazen June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was a principal in Merchant Ivory Productions along with Indian film producer Ismail Merchant (his domestic and professio ...
, with whom he worked on several films. He lived his later years with his long-term partner, artist Michael Schell.
[
]
Awards
Robbins was nominated for an Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
in 1992 for his score for the film ''Howards End
''Howards End'' is a novel by E. M. Forster, first published in 1910, about social conventions, codes of conduct and relationships in turn-of-the-century England. ''Howards End'' is considered by many to be Forster's masterpiece. The book wa ...
'' (performed by Martin Jones) and in 1993 for '' The Remains of the Day''. Additionally, he won a Sammy Film Music Award in 1992 for ''Howards End
''Howards End'' is a novel by E. M. Forster, first published in 1910, about social conventions, codes of conduct and relationships in turn-of-the-century England. ''Howards End'' is considered by many to be Forster's masterpiece. The book wa ...
''.
Filmography
Robbins wrote the score for the following films unless otherwise noted:
* '' Sweet Sounds'' (1976); short film; director only
* '' Roseland'' (1977); assistant to producer Ismail Merchant
* ''The Europeans
''The Europeans: A sketch'' is a short novel by Henry James, published in 1878. It is a comedy contrasting the behaviour and attitudes of two visitors from Europe with those of their relatives living in the "new" world of New England. The nov ...
'' (1979)
* '' Jane Austen in Manhattan'' (1980)
* ''Quartet
In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...
'' (1981)
* '' Heat and Dust'' (1983)
* '' The Bostonians'' (1984)
* '' A Room with a View'' (1985)
* '' Sweet Lorraine'' (1987)
* '' My Little Girl'' (1987)
* '' Maurice'' (1987)
* '' The Perfect Murder'' (1988)
* '' Slaves of New York'' (1989)
* '' Love and Other Sorrows'' (1989, TV)
* '' Bail Jumper'' (1990)
* '' Mr. & Mrs. Bridge'' (1990)
* '' The Ballad of the Sad Café'' (1991); directed by Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English actor. Known as a character actor on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Olivier Award and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for two BAFT ...
* ''Howards End
''Howards End'' is a novel by E. M. Forster, first published in 1910, about social conventions, codes of conduct and relationships in turn-of-the-century England. ''Howards End'' is considered by many to be Forster's masterpiece. The book wa ...
'' (1992)
* '' The Remains of the Day'' (1993)
* '' Street Musicians of Bombay'' (1994); also director
* '' Jefferson in Paris'' (1995)
* '' Surviving Picasso'' (1996)
* '' The Proprietor'' (1996)
* '' Lumière and Company'': segment "Merchant Ivory
A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...
" (1996)
* '' The Hidden Dimension'' (1997)
* '' A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries'' (1998)
* ''Place Vendôme
The Place Vendôme (), earlier known as the Place Louis-le-Grand, and also as the Place Internationale, is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madelein ...
'' (1998); directed by Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia (born 22 April 1946) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. Her film '' Charlie Says'' was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Her film '' Going Away'' was screened in the Special Presentation section at the ...
* '' Cotton Mary'' (1999); directed by Ismail Merchant
* '' The Golden Bowl'' (2000)
* '' The Girl'' (2000), directed by Sande Zeig
* ''The Mystic Masseur
''The Mystic Masseur'' is a 2001 Merchant Ivory film based on the novel of the same name by V. S. Naipaul. It is one of relatively few films directed by Ismail Merchant, who is better known as the producer in the Merchant Ivory partnership ...
'' (2001)
* '' Le Divorce'' (2003)
* '' The White Countess'' (2005); directed by James Ivory
James Francis Ivory (born Richard Jerome Hazen June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was a principal in Merchant Ivory Productions along with Indian film producer Ismail Merchant (his domestic and professio ...
References
External links
*
Richard Robbins
at ''Epdlp'' (Spanish)
Richard Robbins obituary
1940 births
2012 deaths
American film score composers
American gay musicians
American LGBTQ composers
American male film score composers
Deaths from Parkinson's disease in New York (state)
Film directors from Massachusetts
Gay composers
LGBTQ film score composers
LGBTQ people from Massachusetts
Musicians from Massachusetts
People from Weymouth, Massachusetts
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