Robert T. Anderson

This article is about the musician Robert T. Anderson. The politician of the same name can be found under Robert T. Anderson (Politician) .

Robert Theodore Anderson (born October 5, 1934 in Chicago , Illinois , † May 29, 2009 in Honolulu , Hawaii ) was an American organist , composer and music teacher .

Life

Robert T. Anderson received his musical training at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago (piano) and the Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington ( Bachelor's Degree in Organ with Lillian Mecherle McCord). Further studies followed at the Union Theological Seminary in New York (Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Sacred Music, 1957 and 1961) and (via a Fulbright scholarship ) from 1957 to 1959 with Helmut Walcha in Frankfurt am Main . In addition, he studied organ with Heinrich Fleischer and Frederick Marriott, composition with Harold Friedell and Seth Bingham, and harpsichord with Maria Jager. In 1960 Anderson was appointed professor of organ and church music at the Southern Methodist University (SMU) and thus university organist at the local Perkins Chapel in Dallas , where he worked until his retirement in 1997.

As a composer he wrote numerous works for organ, including a triptych (1958) and a cantata "Garden of Gethsemane" based on a text by Boris Pasternak .

Some of the most important concert hall organs in North America are thanks to the initiative and expert advice of Robert Anderson, including the two CB Fisk organs in the Meyerson Symphony Center (Opus 100, 1992) and in the Caruth Auditorium of Southern Methodist University (Opus 101, 1993), both in Dallas . He also initiated the renowned Dallas International Organ Competition , which was held in 1997 and 2000 under Anderson's chairmanship.

Robert T. Anderson played numerous concerts in the United States and Europe and was a guest at the most important international organ festivals in Nuremberg, Paris, Berlin and Vienna. He was one of the most influential and successful organ teachers of his time in the United States. His former students include renowned organists such as George C. Baker , Ignace Michiels , Carole Terry and Wolfgang Rübsam .

Recordings

• The CB Fisk Organ, Opus 101, at Southern Methodist University.
  • Works by Grigny (Pange lingua), Tournemire (Paraphrase-Carillon), Zwillich (Prelude), Buxtehude (Prelude BuxWV 151), Bach (Trio Sonata BWV 530) and Reger (“Wachet auf” op. 52 No. 2).
    • Robert T. Anderson (Grigny, Tournemire, Zwillich) and Wolfgang Rübsam (Buxtehude, Bach, Reger), organ. Recorded in June 1994 (Anderson) and July 1994 (Rübsam) on the CB Fisk organ in the Caruth Auditorium of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Valparaiso, IN: RMC Classics, 1994. 1 CD.

bibliography

• Beckmann, Klaus (ed.). Repertory organ music 1150-2000. Volume 1: Organ Solo. Mainz: Schott, 2001.
• Shulman, Laurie. "Opus 100: The Lay Family Concert Organ". In The Meyerson Symphony Center. Building a dream . Denton (USA): University of North Texas, 2000, pp. 304-322.

Web links

• Fisk Organ Opus 100 at Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas (1992)
• Fisk Organ Opus 101 in the Caruth Auditorium, SMU, Dallas (1993)
• Obituary by Scott Cantrell for Robert T. Anderson in The Dallas Morning News, September 28, 2009
• Short CV of Robert T. Anderson in the "Honolulu Advertiser"