Don Gillis (composer)

Donald Eugene Gillis ( born June 17, 1912 in Cameron, Missouri, † January 10 in Columbia, South Carolina, 1978 ) was an American composer, conductor and teacher. Among his most famous compositions include the Symphony No.. 5 ½, A Symphony for Fun.

Biography

Don Gillis was born in Cameron, Missouri. His family moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he studied composition at Texas Christian University under Keith Mixson. He was a trombonist and deputy head of the university band. He received his Bachelor of Music in 1935, but remained for some years at the University of faithful. 1943, the Master of Music degree from North Texas State University, he was awarded.

He was, inter alia, Production manager of various radio stations like WBAP (1942 ), later NBC (1943 ), where he worked for the NBC Symphony Orchestra at the time when Arturo Toscanini conducted the orchestra. Gillis produced a series of radio shows including " Serenade to America ," " NBC Concert Hour" and " Toscanini: The Man Behind the Legend", which was still running a few years after the death of the Italian conductor on NBC.

For the brass ensemble Canadian Brass, he arranged and produced several works, among others the recordings " Champions " and " Unexplored Territory ".

Offices

Music

Gillis wrote ten symphonies, string quartets and 6 further edits

• The Panhandle
• The Alamo
• Symphony No.5 1/2
• Portrait of a Frontier Town
• Alice in Orchestralia
• Texas Centennial March
• Amarillo - A Symphonic Celebration
• Toscanini: A Portrait of a Century

Publications

Gillis wrote three books: