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.
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.
The materials are arranged by format. Most of the items in each format are listed alphabetically by title of composition.
Audio-visual materials can be fragile and require specialized equipment to play back. For this reason, access to audio-visual materials is provided through digital copies, and it might take longer to provide access to items that are not yet digitized. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law, condition of the material, or by donor.
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).
Processed by Mark Jensen in 1991.
Performed by Feri Roth with Normal Lee Madsen, Sally Peck and Marian Robertson.
Performed by Utah Symphony Strings.
Performed by the Roth Quartet
Performed by Roth, Madsen, Peck, and M. Robertson
Recorded by the University of Utah Radio Committee.
Performed by the Weicher Quartet
Performed by Robert Cundick, organ.
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Performed by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Standard Hour NBC, Los Angeles
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Standard Hour NBC, Los Angeles
Performed by the Roth Quartet.
Performed by the Roth Quartet.
Performed by the Roth Quartet.
Performed by the Roth Quartet and Carl Fuerstner, piano.
G minor Etude performed by Reid Nibley, piano.
Performed by Ferli Roth, Harold Wolf, Sally Peck, Marian Robertson and Reid Nibley.
Performend by Andor Foldes, piano.
Conductor: Leon Barzin
WABC boradcast
Performend by the WCBS Symphony and Andor Foldes, piano.
Conductor: Leon Barzin
WCBS broadcast "Invitation to Music"
Performed by the Utah Symphony.
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Performed by the Utah Symphony.
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor: Karl Krueger
World premiere with award presentation.
Recorded from tapes.
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Zara Nelsova, cello (entire concerto), Marian Robertson, cello, and Gladys Gladstone, piano (finale).
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Zara Nelsova, cello, and Marian Robertson and Gladys Gladstone, piano.
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Performed by William L. Fowler and Robert Cundick, piano.
Sonata in G major performed by Mary Kroll, violin, and Marian Robertson, piano.
Eb Etude performed by Carl Fuerstner, piano.
Performed by Alexander Schreiner, organ.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) General Music Committee
Performed by the South High School a cappella choir, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Performed by the University of Utah band.
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Performed by the Summer Youth Chorus Program.
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Zara Nelsova.
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Andor Foldes, piano .
Performed by the Paganini Quartet and Wolman, piano.
Performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor: Maurice Abravanel
Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.
Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson
Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.
Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson
Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.
Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson
Performed by Harold Wolf and Ardean Watts
Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.
Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson
Performed with Alexander Schreiner, organ.
Performed by the University of Utah Symphony.
Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson
Compiled by Dr. Cheney.
Arranged by Leroy J. Robertson.
Performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
Conductor: Leroy J. Robertson