Composer's Details

Name:
Eldon Rathburn
Born:
21.4. 1916
Died:
30.8. 2008

Biography

ELDON RATHBURN was born at Queenstown, New Brunswick on April 21, 1916. He received his Licentiate of Music at McGill University, Montréal in 1937 and the following year won the Canadian Performing Rights Society Scholarship Competition. From 1938-39 he studied composition at the Toronto Conservatory of Music with Healey Willan. In 1944 he became a staff composer with the National Film Board(NFB). Before retiring from the NFB in 1976, Rathburn had written scores for over 100 films including Canon, Short and Suite, The Railroader, City of Gold, Universe, Morning on the Lièvre, Drylanders and Labyrinthe, the multi-screen extravanganza for which a special theatre was built at the Montréal Expo 67'. Other films that Rathburn has composed for include: Circus World (Imax), Skyward (Imax), Transition (3D Imax film Expo '86), Who Has Seen The Wind?, Canada's Sweetheart (CBC TV-NFB), Final Chapter (CBC TV-NFB) and the MacKenzie King Chronicles (CBC TV-NFB).

Eldon Rathburn was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada on April 14, 1999. In addition, he took part in many projects including IMAX films, the Momentum, Expo? 92, Seville, The First Emperor, Beavers, The Last Buffalo, NFB films and The Creative Process, The Journey.

Following his retirement from the NFB, Rathburn was engaged in freelance composition and in researching the subject music and railroads. He wrote many works for concert performance, many for specific performance at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival under the direction of Julian Armour, who in some ways became a patron of his works. His Ottawa Suite, written for the Festival was featured twice. It pokes fun at a number of institutions particular to Ottawa, such as the Senate, Parliament Hill, the National Gallery and the Byward Market. Numerous other works were played at the festival, including Schoenberg vs. Gershwin: A Tennis Match, Subway Thoughts, and Diabolus in Musica.

Eldon Rathburn passed away August 30th, 2008 at the age of 92 after a short illness. He was unanimously chosen as the first, and to date only, Honourary Member of the Ottawa New Music Creators.