Robert Prince (May 10, 1929 – March 4, 2007) was an American composer of music for dance, theater, television, film and records and a graduate of the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

. In addition to his work as composer and arranger he also performed on

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist ...

and

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

.George Avakian, liner notes to RCA Victor LPM/LSP-2435

Dance and theater

Prince is noted for composing the jazz-influenced music for '' N.Y. Export: Op. Jazz'' (1958) and ''Events'' (1961). These were groundbreaking modern ballets choreographed by

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

for his company Ballets USA. Prince also composed incidental music for the play '' Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad'' which Robbins directed off-Broadway in 1962. He also composed and arranged music for the musicals ''

Something More! ''Something More!'' is a musical with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Marilyn Bergman and Alan Bergman. The book by Nate Monaster is based on the 1962 novel ''Portofino P.T.A.'' by Gerald Green. Composer Robert Prince contributed some music ...

'' (1964), ''

Half a Sixpence ''Half a Sixpence'' is a 1963 musical comedy based on the 1905 novel ''Kipps'' by H. G. Wells, with music and lyrics by David Heneker and a book by Beverley Cross. It was written as a vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele. Background ...

'' (1965) and ''The Office'' (1966).

Film and television

Prince composed the music for Francis Ford Coppola's 1966 film '' You're a Big Boy Now'', the

George Peppard George Peppard (; October 1, 1928 – May 8, 1994) was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as struggling writer Paul Varjak in the 1961 film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', and for playing commando leader Col. John "Hannibal ...

film ''

Newman's Law ''Newman's Law'' is a 1974 American crime film directed by Richard T. Heffron and starring George Peppard. Plot Vince Newman, a no-nonsense cop, decides to investigate on his own when tipped off that colleagues in the police department are inv ...

'' (1974), the cult horror film '' Squirm'' (1976) and the blaxploitation movie '' J. D.'s Revenge'' (1976), and wrote the music for TV movies such as ''Gargoyles'' (1972), ''

The Return of Charlie Chan ''The Return of Charlie Chan'' (also known as ''Happiness Is a Warm Clue'') is a 1973 American television film. It was directed by Daryl Duke and stars Ross Martin, Richard Haydn, Louise Sorel, and Leslie Nielsen. Plot Charlie Chan investigates ...

'' (1973), '' Scream, Pretty Peggy'' (1973), ''The Strange and Deadly Occurrence'' (1974), '' Where Have All the People Gone?'' (1974), '' The Dead Don't Die'' (1975) and '' Snowbeast'' (1977). Throughout the 1960s and 1970s he composed background music for a variety of dramatic television series including episodes of '' The Wild Wild West'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'', ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...

'', '' Columbo'', '' Murder, She Wrote'', and Rod Serling's ''

Night Gallery ''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, ''The Twilight Zone ...

''.

Jazz

Prince was also active as a composer, arranger and producer in the jazz and pop field where he went by the name Bob Prince and contributed to several projects for Columbia Records in the 1950s. Contracted to the Warner Bros. label in 1959 he released four albums under his own name. Notable among these albums is ''Saxes Inc.'' which is arranged for an ensemble of twelve saxophones and rhythm section and features some of the top New York jazz and studio players of the time including

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

Gene Quill Daniel Eugene Quill (December 15, 1927 – December 8, 1988) was an American jazz alto saxophonist who played often with Phil Woods in the duet Phil and Quill. Quill also worked as a sideman for Buddy DeFranco, Quincy Jones, Gene Krupa, Gerry M ...

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...

and

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

. There is also a guest appearance by

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

.George Avakian, liner notes to Warner Brothers 1336 Prince's two compositions for

are considered excellent examples of

Third stream Third stream is a music genre that is a fusion of jazz and classical music. The term was coined in 1957 by composer Gunther Schuller in a lecture at Brandeis University. Improvisation is generally seen as a vital component of third stream. Schu ...

music, the blending of jazz and classical styles.

Discography

As leader

* ''What's New? New Jazz from Teo Macero and Bob Prince'' – Columbia CL 842 (1956) * The Bob Prince Quintet: ''Dancing with Oh Captain!'' – Harmony HL 7097 (1958) * ''N.Y. Export: Op. Jazz from "Ballets U.S.A." and Ballet Music from Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story"'' – Warner Bros. – 1240 (1959) * ''Orchestral Moods of a Western Sunset'' – Warner Bros. – 1259 (1959) * ''Charleston 1970'' – Warner Bros. – 1276 (1959) * ''Saxes Inc.'' – Warner Bros. – 1336 (1959) * ''Events and N.Y Export: Op. Jazz'' – RCA Victor LPM/LSP-2435 (1961)

As arranger and sideman

* ''Johnny Mathis'' with Johnny Mathis – Columbia CL 887 (1956) ''arranger'' * ''Far Out, Near In'' with Johnny Eaton – Columbia CL 996 (1956) ''vibraphone'' * ''Desmond Blue'' with Paul Desmond – RCA Victor (1962) ''arranger''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Robert (composer) Ballet composers 1929 births 2007 deaths Timpanists American percussionists Juilliard School alumni American film score composers American television composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers American male film score composers 20th-century American male musicians