Leroy Robertson

Leroy Robertson (December 21, 1896 – July 25, 1971) was an American composer and music educator. Robertson was born in Fountain Green, Utah. One of his earliest instructors was Anthony C. Lund. He graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a certificate in Public School Music and diplomas in Composition, Violin (after studies with Harrison Keller), and Piano in 1923, the same year he was awarded the Endicott prize for "Overture in E Minor". Following his graduation, Robertson taught music at North Cache High School in Richmond, Utah and at Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah, where he also supervised music in the Alpine School District. Robertson was appointed to the music faculty at Brigham Young University in 1925. He soon became Professor and Chairman of the Music Department, a position he held until 1948. In 1930, Robertson studied with Ernest Bloch at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He would continue his studies with Bloch in Roveredo Capriasca, Switzerland in 1932, and with Hugo Leichtentritt in Berlin, Germany, in 1933. Robertson received a BA degree and an MA degree from Brigham Young University in June 1933. Between 1933-1945 Robertson composed several works for piano and organ, as well as strings, including "Songs from the Shadow", "Fantasia for the Organ", "String Quartet" and "Punch and Judy". It was also during this period that he began work on the "Oratorio from the Book of Mormon". In 1945, Robertson was awarded the Utah Institute of Fine Arts Award for "Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra". Robertson won the Reichhold Award of $25,000 for "Trilogy for Orchestra" in 1947, which was premiered by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra with Karl Krueger conducting. The following year, he was appointed Professor and Chairman of the Music Department at the University of Utah, a position he held until 1962. Robertson's "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra" premiered under Maurice Abravanel during the centennial of the University of Utah in 1950 with Utah Symphony Orchestra's concertmaster Tibor Zelig as soloist. In 1954, he received his Ph.D from the University of Southern California. Robertson was instrumental in the promotion of the Utah Symphony and of classical music in Salt Lake City. He is best known for his Oratorio from the Book of Mormon, which premiered in 1953. The setting of the Lord's Prayer from that oratorio was recorded by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and released as a 45 single on the flip side of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which hit the top 50 charts. Amongst Robertson's works in the 1948 LDS hymnal was the music for "Up! Arose Thee, O Beautiful Zion", with words by Emily H. Woodmansee. In the 1985 edition of the LDS hymnal there is one hymn with words by Robertson and eight hymns for which he wrote the music. "On This Day of Joy and Gladness" (hymn #64) has both words and music by Robertson, while "Let Earth's Inhabitants Rejoice" (hymn #53), ""Great King of Heaven" (hymn #63), "God of Our Fathers, Known of Old" (hymn #80), "I'm A Pilgrim, I'm A Stranger" (hymn #121), "Upon The Cross Of Calvary" (hymn #184), "We Love Thy House, Oh God" (hymn #247) and "Go Ye Messengers of Glory" (hymn #262) have music by Robertson.