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Leroy J. Robertson music recordings, 1920s-1970s

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Robertson, Leroy J.
Title
Leroy J. Robertson music recordings
Dates
1920s-1970s (inclusive)
Quantity
Phonograph records and reel-to-reel audiotapes
Collection Number
A0241
Summary
The Leroy J. Robertson music recordings (1920s-1970s) consist of audio recordings of pieces composed by Robertson as well as other music including hymns, carols, classical music and compositions by other American composers, some of which Robertson conducted or arranged. A respected composer of works for chamber music, orchestra, violin, cello, piano and voice, Leroy J. Robertson taught music at Brigham Young University (BYU), the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Utah before retiring in 1964.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Materials must be used on-site; no use of original material, access copies will be made available for viewing. Five business days advanced notice required. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law, condition of the material, or by donor.

This collection is open to public research on library premises but no copies may be made.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Leroy J. Robertson (1896-1971) was born in Fountain Green, Utah, on 21 December 1896, the son of Utah-born Mormon parents. His first musical experiences were simple and personal--he fashioned tunes on a homemade fiddle and played by ear on the parlor organ in his home. In grammar school, after a few rudimentary music lessons, he organized a small orchestra of young friends and taught them to play music of his own devising. He graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in boston under George Whitefield Chadwick in 1923. His later studies were under Ernest Bloch in San Francisco and in Roveredo Capriasca, Switzerland; Hugo Leichtentritt in Berlin; and Arnold Schoenberg in Los Angeles. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Brigham Young University (BYU) and Ph.D. degree from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He was professor and chairman of the music department at BYU; lecturer of composition at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and professor and chairman of the music department at the University of Utah from 1948 until his retirement in 1964. Upon retirement, Robertson received the first Distinguished Research Professorship at that institution.

Robertson was an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa; a fellow of the Utah Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Letters; a member of the Executive Music Committee of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishrs (ASCAP). Robertson's compositions include works for chamber music and orchestra; concertos for violin, cello, and piano; solos, vocal, and instrumental; choral compositions and an "Oratorio from the Book of Mormon" for chorus, soloists, organ, and orchestra. While the Reichhold prize for his "Trilogy" was by far the most impressive, Robertson has a long list of other awards to hs credit. In 1923, he won the Endicott prize for his "Overture in E Minor"; his "Quintet in A Minor for Piano and Strings" won first place in a contest conducted by the Society for Publicaiton of American Music in 1936; his "String Quartet" was chosen by the Critics Circle in New York in 1944; and his "Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra" was given an award by the Utah Institute of Fine Arts in 1945. He received the National Federation of Music Clubs Award of Merit in 1959. Robertson died on 25 July, 1971 in Salt Lake City.

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Content Description

The Leroy J. Robertson music recordings (1920s-1970s) are phonograph records and reel-to-reel audiotapes of pieces composed by Robertson as well as other music including hymns, carols, classical music and compositions by other American composers, some of which Robertson conducted or arranged. Several pieces are performed by Utah musical groups including the Utah Symphony and the University of Utah Orchestra.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The materials are arranged by format. Most of the items in each format are listed alphabetically by title of composition.

Related Materials

See also the Leroy J. Robertson papers (Ms 38) and photograph collection (P0038). Sheet music for some of Robertson's compositions is available in the Maurice Abravanel papers (Ms 517).

Processing Note

Processed by Mark Jensen in 1991.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

  • Description: American Serenade

    Phonograph record

    Performed by Feri Roth with Normal Lee Madsen, Sally Peck and Marian Robertson.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 1-2
  • Description: American Serenade

    Phonograph record

    Performed by Utah Symphony Strings.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 3-6
  • Description: American Serenade

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Roth Quartet

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 7-8
  • Description: American Serenade, Caprice, Nocturne

    Phonograph record

    Performed by Roth, Madsen, Peck, and M. Robertson

    Recorded by the University of Utah Radio Committee.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 9
  • Description: American Serenade test pressing

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Weicher Quartet

    Dates: 1961
    Container: Disc 10
  • Description: Fantasia for Organ

    Phonograph record

    Performed by Robert Cundick, organ.

    Dates: 1955
    Container: Disc 11
  • Description: Novelette: Carl Fuerstner (piano)

    Phonograph record
    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 12
  • Description: Oratorio from the Book of Mormon test pressing

    Phonograph record
    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 13
  • Description: Passacaglia

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: 1955
    Container: Disc 14-17
  • Description: Prelude, Scherzo and Ricercare parts 1-4

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

    Dates: 1948
    Container: Disc 18-19
  • Description: Punch and Judy

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Symphony Orchestra.

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: 1951
    Container: Disc 20
  • Description: Punch and Judy

    Phonograph record

    Standard Hour NBC, Los Angeles

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 21
  • Description: Punch and Judy

    Phonograph record

    Standard Hour NBC, Los Angeles

    Dates: 1949
    Container: Disc 22
  • Description: Quartet in E minor

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Roth Quartet.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 23-24
  • Description: Quartet in E minor

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Roth Quartet.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 25-26
  • Description: Quartet in E minor

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Roth Quartet.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 27
  • Description: Quintet in A minor for piano and strings parts 1-4

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Roth Quartet and Carl Fuerstner, piano.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 28-29
  • Description: Quintet in A minor for piano and strings part 5 and G minor Etude

    Phonograph record

    G minor Etude performed by Reid Nibley, piano.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 30
  • Description: Quintet in A minor for piano and strings

    Phonograph record

    Performed by Ferli Roth, Harold Wolf, Sally Peck, Marian Robertson and Reid Nibley.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 31-32
  • Description: Rhapsody for piano and orchestra

    Phonograph record

    Performend by Andor Foldes, piano.

    Conductor: Leon Barzin

    WABC boradcast

    Dates: circa 1947
    Container: Disc 33-34
  • Description: Rhapsody for piano and orchestra parts 2-6

    Phonograph record

    Performend by the WCBS Symphony and Andor Foldes, piano.

    Conductor: Leon Barzin

    WCBS broadcast "Invitation to Music"

    Dates: 1947
    Container: Disc 35-36
  • Description: Symphony no. 2, Trilogy

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Utah Symphony.

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: 1947
    Container: Disc 37-38
  • Description: Symphony no. 2, Trilogy parts 1-2

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Utah Symphony.

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: 1957
    Container: Disc 39
  • Description: Symphony no. 2, Trilogy parts 1-3 (complete)

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

    Conductor: Karl Krueger

    World premiere with award presentation.

    Recorded from tapes.

    Dates: 1947
    Container: Disc 40-45
  • Description: Concerto for violoncello

    Phonograph record

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Zara Nelsova, cello (entire concerto), Marian Robertson, cello, and Gladys Gladstone, piano (finale).

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: 1956
    Container: Disc 46-47
  • Description: Concerto for violoncello

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Zara Nelsova, cello, and Marian Robertson and Gladys Gladstone, piano.

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: 1956
    Container: Disc 48-49
  • Description: Fugue in C minor

    Performed by William L. Fowler and Robert Cundick, piano.

    Dates: 1952
    Container: Disc 50
  • Description: Mozart's Sonata in G major and Robertson's Eb Etude

    Sonata in G major performed by Mary Kroll, violin, and Marian Robertson, piano.

    Eb Etude performed by Carl Fuerstner, piano.

    Dates: 1946
    Container: Disc 51
  • Description: Latter-day Organist: hymns, preludes, postludes

    Performed by Alexander Schreiner, organ.

    Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) General Music Committee

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 52
  • Description: The Lord's Prayer and Battle Hymn of the Republic

    Performed by the South High School a cappella choir, Salt Lake City, Utah.

    Dates: 1949
    Container: Disc 53
  • Description: Ernest Toch's Symphony no. 2

    Dates: undated
    Container: Disc 54-55
  • Description: Alleluia and Chorale

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the University of Utah band.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 56-58
  • Description: American Serenade

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: 1943
    Container: Reel 59-60
  • Description: Book of Mormon Oratorio

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 61-64
  • Description: Book of Mormon Oratorio (exerpts)

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Summer Youth Chorus Program.

    Dates: 1958
    Container: Reel 65-66
  • Description: Concerto for cello and orchestra

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Zara Nelsova.

    Dates: 1956
    Container: Reel 67-69
  • Description: University of Utah Festival Overture

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 70-71
  • Description: Passacaglia

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

    Dates: 1955
    Container: Reel 72-74
  • Description: Passacaglia

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

    Dates: 1959
    Container: Reel 75-77
  • Description: Passacaglia

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

    Dates: 1960
    Container: Reel 78-80
  • Description: Piano Etudes

    Reel-to-reel audiotape
    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 81
  • Description: Piano Rhapsody

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Andor Foldes, piano .

    Dates: circa 1944
    Container: Reel 83
  • Description: Punch and Judy

    Reel-to-reel audiotape
    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 86-90
  • Description: Quintet for Piano and Strings

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Paganini Quartet and Wolman, piano.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 91-92
  • Description: Saguaro Overture

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

    Conductor: Maurice Abravanel

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 93-95
  • Description: Symphony no. 2, Trilogy

    Reel-to-reel audiotape
    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 96-99
  • Description: Brahms' Violin Concerto, slow movement

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.

    Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson

    Dates: circa 1953
    Container: Reel 100
  • Description: Delius' Walk to Paradise Garden and Wagner's Rienzi

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.

    Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson

    Dates: circa 1953
    Container: Reel 101
  • Description: Mendelssohn's Symphony no. 5 in D minor

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.

    Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson

    Dates: circa 1953
    Container: Reel 102
  • Description: Mozart's Violin Concerto (exerpts)

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by Harold Wolf and Ardean Watts

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 103
  • Description: Schumann'a 4th Symphony in D Major

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.

    Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 104
  • Description: Summer Youth Chorus

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed with Alexander Schreiner, organ.

    Dates: 1958
    Container: Reel 105
  • Description: Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 6

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.

    Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 106-107
  • Description: Folk Songs Collection

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Compiled by Dr. Cheney.

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 108
  • Description: O Little Town of Bethlehem

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Arranged by Leroy J. Robertson.

    Performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

    Conductor: Leonard Bernstein

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 109
  • Description: Selections from Verdi, Flowtow, Donizetti, Sibelius and Weber

    Reel-to-reel audiotape

    Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson

    Dates: undated
    Container: Reel 110

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Form or Genre Terms

Finding aid prepared by Mark Jensen.
1991

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