Donald Erb (January 17, 1927 – August 12, 2008) 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 Def ...

best known for large orchestral works such as Concerto for Brass and Orchestra and ''Ritual Observances''.

Early years

Erb was born in Youngstown,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, graduated from Lakewood High School, a Cleveland suburb, and gained early recognition as a trumpet player for a local dance band. Following a stint in the

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

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he continued his career as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

trumpeter and enrolled at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music in 1950. Three years later, he earned a Master of Music degree from the

Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1920 by Ernest Bloch, it enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing educatio ...

. In 1964, Erb earned a Doctorate in Music from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest c ...

, where he studied with

Bernhard Heiden Bernhard Heiden (b. Frankfurt-am-Main, August 24, 1910; d. Bloomington, IN, April 30, 2000) was a German and American composer and music teacher, who studied under and was heavily influenced by Paul Hindemith. Bernhard Heiden, the son of Ernst ...

Honors and awards

In the course of his career, Erb earned considerable recognition. He received the 1992

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

and was composer-in-residence with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He was Distinguished Professor of Composition, Emeritus, at the Cleveland Institute of Music in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

. He has received grants and fellowships from the

Rockefeller Rockefeller is a German surname, originally given to people from the village of Rockenfeld near Neuwied in the Rhineland and commonly referring to subjects associated with the Rockefeller family. It may refer to: People with the name Rockefeller f ...

, Guggenheim, Ford, Fromm, and Koussevitzky foundations. For a list of Erb's notable students, He died at his home in

Cleveland Heights, Ohio Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs. The city's population was 45,312 at the 2020 census. As of the 2010 census, Cleveland Heights was ranked the 8th largest ...

, on August 12, 2008, at the age of 81.Richard M. Peery,
Donald Erb: Avant-Guard Composer, Conductor
", ''Cleveland Plain Dealer'' (Tuesday August 12, 2008).

Selected works

* 1966 Concerto for Solo Percussionist * 1964 ''Symphony of Overtures'' * 1965 ''Phantasma'' for four musicians * 1966 ''Diversion For Two (other than sex)'' for trumpet and percussion * 1966 String Trio for violin, electric guitar and violoncello * 1967 ''Reconnaissance'' for instruments and electronic sounds * 1968 ''In No Strange Land'' for instruments and electronic sounds * 1969 ''The Seventh Trumpet'' for orchestra * 1983 "Prismatic Variations" for orchestra * 1986 Concerto for Brass and Orchestra * 1994 ''Changes'' * 1994 ''Remembrances'' * 1994 Sonata for Solo Violin * 1995 ''Sunlit Peaks and Dark Valleys'' * 1995 Sonata for Solo Harp * "Autumn Music for Orchestra" * "Christmas Music for Orchestra" * "Harold's Trip to the Sky" for Viola, piano and percussion * "Klangfarbenfunk I & II" for jazz group and orchestra * "Percussion Concerto" for percussion and orchestra * "The Hawk" for jazz group * "The Treasures of the Snow" for electronics and orchestra * "Trombone Concerto" * "2 Milosci do Warszawy" for piano, clarinet, cello, trombone and electronic sounds *String Quartet N. 1 *String Quartet N. 2 *String Quartet N. 3 *"Music for Mother Bear" for flute alone * "Evensong" for orchestra

References

External links

Donald Erb's page at Theodore Presser Company
August 15, 2008 * ttp://www.clevelandcomposers.org/members/member_profile.php?id=54 Donald Erb bio as listed by th
Cleveland Composers Guild
February 28, 1985 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erb, Donald 1927 births 2008 deaths Cleveland Institute of Music alumni Kent State University alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Nonesuch Records artists Musicians from Youngstown, Ohio Cleveland Institute of Music faculty United States Navy personnel of World War II Pupils of Bernhard Heiden 21st-century American composers 20th-century American composers Classical musicians from Ohio 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians