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 Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, 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, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

trumpeter and enrolled at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

, 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. The school was founded in 1920 by a group of supporters led by Martha Bell Sanders and Mary Hutchens Smith, with Ernest Bloch serving as its first dire ...

. In 1964, Erb earned a Doctorate in Music from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

, where he studied with Bernhard Heiden.

Honors and awards

In the course of his career, Erb earned considerable recognition. He received the 1992 Rome Prize and was composer-in-residence with the

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...

. He was Distinguished Professor of Composition, Emeritus, at the Cleveland Institute of Music in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. He has received grants and fellowships from the Rockefeller, Guggenheim, Ford, Fromm, and Koussevitzky foundations. For a list of Erb's notable students, He died at his home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, on August 12, 2008, at the age of 81.Richard M. Peery,
Donald Erb: Avant-Guard [sic] 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 *[http://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 American classical composers 21st-century American classical composers American male 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 Classical musicians from Ohio 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians