James Erb

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James "Jim" Bryan Erb (January 25, 1926 – November 11, 2014) was an American composer,

Richmond Symphony Chorus,[1] Erb led that chorus from 1971 to 2007 while also directing chorus activities at the University of Richmond, where he was for a while chair of the music department.[2] Erb is most broadly known for his arrangement of the folk song "Shenandoah", and among musicologists of the Renaissance for his work on the magnificats of Orlando di Lasso published by Bärenreiter.[3]

Career

Erb was born in

He began teaching music at a junior high school in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Beginning in 1954 he taught music and conducted the choirs and glee clubs at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, where he taught until his retirement in 1994. While teaching at Richmond, he was a three-time winner of the university's Distinguished Educator Award. It was during this period that he composed his arrangement of the folk tune "Shenandoah", for a tour of Europe by the University of Richmond Choir.[4]

In addition to the Richmond Symphony Chorus, Erb also conducted the group Chorus of Alumni and Friends of the University of Richmond (CAFUR), which was originally associated with the University of Richmond. CAFUR's final concert was in 1994 with the singing of Rachmaninoff's Vespers.[5] In 2014, he died at the age of 88 in Richmond.[6]

Works

Erb's published arrangements include sources from classical, liturgical, and folk music.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir, whose performance of it appeared on the soundtrack to the 1995 film Nixon.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Music & Musicians: Richmond Symphony Chorus". Richmond Symphony. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  2. ^ a b Robertson, Ellen (2014-11-11). "James B. Erb, Richmond's masterful chorusmaster, dies at 88". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  3. ^ Magnificat 1–24, Bärenreiter
  4. ^ "James Erb (1926–2014)". Letter V: The Virginia Classical Music Blog. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  5. ^ Bustard, Clarke (24 April 1994). "Choir Master James Erb is leaving the teaching life at UR, but this is hardly his swan song". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. J1. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Obituaries & In Memoriam: Erb, James". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
  7. ^ Erb, James "Musica Main Search Menu". musicanet.org. Retrieved 2014-12-01. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  8. ^ "Program Notes: By Request". Chicago a cappella. Retrieved 2014-12-01.
  9. ^ "Shenandoah (TTBBB score)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2014-12-01.
  10. ^ "Traditional – Shenandoah (arr. M. Bartholomew and J. Erb". Retrieved 2014-12-01.
  11. ^ "Nixon (1995): Soundtrack". IMDB.com. Retrieved 2014-12-01.