ROBERT MCBRIDE
From the desk of James Reel on Monday, July 16th 2007 at 7:52
Tucson-born and -based composer Robert McBride died a couple of weeks ago. As far as I can tell, neither daily paper saw fit to note his passing, although they fall all over themselves to eulogize young traffic-accident victims who've had far less importance in the larger community. I never met McBride, but I did talk to him on the phone a couple of times. About 10 years ago, he told me something remarkable: He no longer listened to music, because he heard everything about a half-step off, and it drove him nuts. Here's the paid obituary (supplied by family and funeral home, not by journalists) that appeared in the local papers; the memorial service was July 14:
Robert Guyn McBride, University of Arizona Music Professor Emeritus, died July 1, 2007. He was born in Tucson, Arizona Territory, on February 20, 1911. Robert is survived by Carol, his wife of 66 years; their daughter, Marion of Irvington, NY; their son, Lawrence (Barbara) of Arlington, VA; and by grandchildren, Karin Sosis, Andrew Sosis, Lindsay McBride, and Graham McBride. Bob's musical talents matured at the UA, where he received a Master of Music degree in 1935. This "desert rat" then taught at Bennington College in Vermont, where he met and married Carol. In 1945 he moved to New York City to write music for films. As television supplanted short subjects at the movies, he returned in 1957 to Tucson and the UA to teach composition. Skilled as an instrumentalist (oboe, English horn, clarinet, and saxophone), Bob performed widely at colleges and with orchestras. His compositions were played by major orchestras and chamber groups, and were published and recorded. His music, often with catchy titles, ranged from serious to whimsical: opera, jazz pieces, modern dance scores, instrumental solos, chamber pieces, and orchestral works. He received a Guggenheim Foundation grant in 1937, and in 1942 the American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded him a prize for "writing a new idiom and expression" in modern American music. Later, the UA honored him with a Medallion of Merit. Bob was a true gentleman whose great patience and wonderfully agreeable nature endeared him to his family, friends, and students. An achievement Bob especially enjoyed was scoring 11 holes-in-one at the local par three course, the last at age 92. The family wishes to thank all those who have cared for Bob recently; we are grateful for their help.
Add a Comment
Comments are closed
To prevent spam, comments are no longer allowed after sixty days.
AZPM Blogs
Cue Sheet
Rappaport's Notebook
Inside TV
AZ Week Notebook
Political Buzz
The Inside Story
All AZPM Blogs
tags
1-cent sales tax(1)
2011 campaign finance reports(1)
2012(1)
2012 election campaign(1)
2012 presidential election(3)
9-11(3)
Abbey(1)
ABC News(2)
Adam Kwasman(1)
Afghanistan(1)
AFSCME Local 3111(1)
AHCCCS(1)
Al Melvin(1)
Alan Bersin(1)
Ally Miller(1)
Andhy Biggs(1)
Andrei Cherny(2)
Andrew Morrill(2)
Andy Tobin(1)
Ann Day(1)
Ann Kirkpatrick(1)
Antenori(2)
April(1)
Arizona(4)
Arizona Board of Regents(1)
Arizona budget 2012-13(1)
Arizona Budget Deficit(1)
Arizona Budget Director John Arnold(1)
Arizona Capitol(1)
Arizona Capitol Times(2)
Arizona Child protective Services(2)
Arizona Child Safety Task Forcer(1)
Arizona Cities And Towns(1)
Arizona Commerce Authority(2)
Arizona Congressional District 4(1)
Arizona Congressional Districts(1)
Arizona Democratic Party(3)
Arizona Democrats(1)
Arizona Department of Administration(1)
Arizona economy(2)
Arizona Education Association(1)
Arizona home sales(1)
Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams(1)
Arizona immigration laws(1)
Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission(16)
Arizona Investment Council(1)
Arizona job growth(1)
Arizona League of Cities and Towns(1)
Arizona Legislature(20)
Arizona Minority Coalition for Fair Redistricting(2)
Arizona Office of Tourism(1)
Arizona politics(1)
Arizona presidential primary election(1)
Arizona Ready Council(1)
Arizona Redistricting(2)
Arizona Republic(1)
Arizona Republican legislators(1)
Arizona Republican Party(2)
Arizona Republican Presidential Debate(1)
Arizona Senate(4)
Arizona Senate president(1)
Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce(1)
Arizona Senate President Steve Pierce(1)
Arizona state budget(2)
Arizona State University(2)
Arizona Supreme Court(7)
Arizona Tourism(1)
Arizona unemployment(2)
Arizona water(2)
Armistice Day(1)
Aruna Murthy(3)
ASU(1)
Attorney General Tom Horne(1)
Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers(2)
AZ Department of Economic Security(1)
AZ employment statistics(1)
Baja Arizona(1)
ballot(1)
Banner-Health(1)
behavioral health(1)
Bill Montgomery(1)
Bivens(1)
black friday(1)
Bob Walkup(1)
Brewer(3)
BritComs(2)
budget(4)
Budget Director John Arnold(1)
Byron Jackson(3)
campaign(1)
campaign finance(2)
campaign financing(1)
Cardon(2)
Carlotta-Flores(1)
Carmona(5)
Casino(1)
Catherine Miranda(1)
CD1(1)
CD4(2)
CD8(9)
CD9(2)
Cesar Chavez(1)
Chad Campbell(1)
Changes(6)
Charles Manolakis(1)
Charlie Manolakis(2)
Cheez-It(1)
Child Protective Services(1)
christmas(1)
City Manager Richard Miranda(1)
City of Tucson(1)
Clarence Carter(1)
Classic(2)
Classical Music(319)
classical-music(3)
Colleen Mathis(7)
Community(1)
Congress(2)
copper(1)
Cortes(1)
Craig Barrett(1)
Customs and Border Protection(1)
Dana Wolfe Naimark(1)
Daniel Patterson(1)
Daniel Ptterson(1)
Dave Sitton(5)
David Schapira(1)
David Shapira(1)
Dean Runyan Associates(1)
debate(1)
Debt(1)
Dennis Hoffman(1)
development(1)
Diane Sawyer(2)
Director(1)
do more with less(1)
Don Bivens(2)
Don Cardon(1)
Douglas Sylvester(1)
Eastern Arizona(1)
Economic Development(1)
Economics(1)
Economist Matthew Murray(1)
economy(2)
education(2)
education reform(1)
El Charro Cafe(1)
election(6)
elections(1)
elephants(1)
Elliott D Pollack and Co(1)
emmy(1)
endorsements(1)
environment(2)
Event(1)
Feb 28(1)
Felipe Garcia(1)
Fernando Shipley(3)
Fiesta Bowl(1)
First Amendment(1)
fiscal cliff(1)
Fiscal-Year(2)
Flake(7)
Foreclosures(1)
Frank Antenori(7)
Franks(1)
fundraising(1)
Gabrielle Giffords(5)
general election(1)
General Manager(4)
Giffords(1)
Glenn Hamer(2)
Glock(1)
GM(1)
GM Letter(1)
Goldwater Institute(3)
Gov Brewer(1)
Gov Jan Brewer(17)
government(1)
Governor Jan Brewer(2)
Governor Janet Napolitano(1)
Grand Canyon Institute(2)
Greg Stanton(2)
Gulf War(1)
Gv Jan Brewer(1)
Highway User Revenue Fund(1)
Hispanic(1)
Hispanic Coalition for Good Government(1)
holiday shopping(1)
holidays(1)
House Ethics Committee(1)
House Speaker Kirk Adams(1)
HURF(1)
illegal immigration(1)
Independent Redistricting Commission(2)
Iraq(1)
Jan 8(2)
Jan Brewer(3)
January 8(1)
January 8th(1)
January 8th shooting(1)
Jeff Flake(2)
Jeff Wentworth(1)
Jennifer Steen(1)
Jerry Lewis(3)
Jesse Kelly(7)
Jim Lane(2)
Jim Rounds(3)
Job Growth(1)
jobs report(1)
Joe Arpaio(1)
John Adams(1)
John Kavanagh(1)
John Lervold(1)
Jon Kyl(2)
Jonathan Paton(1)
Jonathan Rothschild(8)
Jose Herrera(2)
Kathleen Sebelius(2)
Kelly(1)
Ken Strobeck(3)
Kids(1)
Kirk Adams(1)
Kristin Borns(1)
KUAT-FM(1)
KUAT-TV(1)
Kyrsten Sinema(1)
Latino(1)
Latinos(1)
LD29(1)
League of Arizona Cities and Towns(1)
legislature(2)
letter(1)
Letters-to-the-editor(1)
Linda Lopez(1)
Linda McNulty(3)
Local(1)
Local 3111 AFSCME(1)
Lora Mwaniki-Lyman(1)
Luige del Puerto(2)
Maqsood Ahmad(2)
Marie Lopez Rogers(3)
Mark Flatten(1)
Mark Kelly(4)
Martha McSally(4)
Martha Van Gelder(2)
Mary DeCamp(4)
Masterpiece(1)
Matt Caldwell(1)
Matt Heinz(2)
mayor(4)
McCain-Feingold(1)
McSally(1)
Medicaid(5)
Meeting(1)
mental health(1)
Mental health treatment(1)
Mexican Restaurants(1)
Michael McNulty(1)
Michael Orr(1)
Michele Bachmann(1)
Mike Letcher(1)
military(1)
Mitt Romney(8)
Morrison Institute(2)
Morrison Institute for Public Policy(1)
Music(2)
Mystery(2)
Nancy Young Wright(1)
new-year(1)
News(120)
Newshour(1)
Newt Gingrich(5)
Nick Dranias(1)
Norman J Ornstein(1)
npr(1)
Obama(2)
October-GM-blog(1)
offbeat(12)
Olivia Cortes(1)
OroValley(1)
Paul Babeu(3)
Paul Gosar(1)
PBS(1)
Pearce(1)
personnel reform(2)
Phoenix Business Journal(1)
Phoenix mayor(1)
Phoenix Open Golf Tournament(1)
Pima County(5)
Pinal County(2)
Pledge(1)
pledge-drive(1)
political civility(1)
Politics(12)
Power-Public-Media(1)
President(1)
President Obama(1)
presidential election(1)
primary(1)
Proposition 106(1)
Public education(2)
Quayle(1)
quodlibet(184)
Rabbi Samuel Cohon(2)
radio(7)
radio-life(154)
Rana Singh Sodhi(2)
Raul Grijalva(2)
Ray Bladine(1)
real estate(2)
RealtyTrac(1)
recall(1)
recall election(1)
redistricting(5)
Reid Park zoo(1)
Remembrance Day(1)
Rep John Kavanagh(2)
Rep Matt Heinz(1)
Rep Raul Grijalva(1)
Rep Richard Miranda(1)
Rep Steve Farley(1)
Republican(3)
retail(1)
rewards(1)
Richard Stertz(1)
Rick Grinnell(5)
Rick Perry(4)
Rick Santorum(5)
Robert Robb(1)
Ron Barber(4)
Ron Gould(2)
Ron Paul(5)
Roy Warden(1)
Russell Pearce(5)
Sabu the elephant(1)
Sahuarita(1)
Sara Presler(3)
Sarah Palin(1)
SB 1070(2)
sb1070(1)
Schedule(10)
school budget override elections(1)
Schweikert(1)
Science(1)
Scott Freeman(1)
Sen Andy Biggs(1)
Sen Leah Landrum Taylor(1)
Senate(1)
Senate Bill 1070(1)
Senate President Steve Pierce(3)
seven-oclock-cellist(11)
Sheri Van horsen(1)
Sherlock(1)
Sherry Henry(1)
shopping(1)
Sikh religion(1)
Sitton(1)
South-Tucson(1)
Southern Arizona(1)
spring-training(2)
State-of-the-State-speech(1)
Steve Farley(1)
Steve Pierce(2)
Steve Smith(1)
Stuart McDaniel(1)
Stuart Robinson(1)
Summer(3)
tank(1)
tax-cuts(2)
technology(1)
Tempe(1)
The Economist(1)
Tom-Horne(1)
Tom-Rex(1)
tourist-industry(1)
Travis Grantham(1)
Tucson(14)
Tucson election(2)
Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows(2)
Tucson Mayor(2)
Tucson mayoral race(1)
Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce(1)
Tucson primary election(1)
tucson-arts(203)
Tucson-shootings(1)
Tumamoc Hill(1)
unalienable rights(1)
unemployment(1)
unemployment statistics(1)
unions(1)
universities(1)
university(1)
University of Arizona(1)
University of Tennessee(1)
Updates(1)
US House(4)
US Senate(8)
US Supreme Court(3)
US-Mexico border(1)
Veterans Day(1)
Vic Williams(1)
Vietnam(1)
viewer-comments(1)
Volunteer(1)
voter registration(2)
voter turnout(1)
Voting Rights Act(2)
war(1)
Wasserman Schultz(1)
Water Resources Research Center(1)
Wil Cardon(1)
Will Cardon(1)
Winston Churchill(1)
winter-visitors(1)
WP Carey School of Business(1)
Years(1)
Zimmerman(1)
Archives
