About Don Robertson
Composer and author Don Robertson was born in Denver, Colorado in 1942. He loved and listened to music throughout his childhood. At age 6, he began collecting records of music that he heard on the radio. Wanting to share this music, he created his own neighborhood radio station when he was 10, enabling him to broadcast records from his bedroom.
Beginning in 1960, while in the U.S. Navy, Don taught himself jazz guitar and studied harmony and orchestration from books that he had checked out from the Long Beach Public Library. In 1963, he composed a four-movement symphonic work called Moments avant de partir. It was performed for him in rehearsal by the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra.6
After his four-year hitch with the navy, Don played guitar in bands, attended classes at the University of Colorado in Boulder and at UCLA in Los Angeles, while continuing with his self-education. During 1966, he studied counterpoint privately with musicologist and pianist Leonard Stein, the Indian sitar with Ravi Shankar student Harihar Rao, and the Chinese pipa with Chinese composer and music teacher Lui Tsun-Yuen.
In 1966, he moved to New York City. While working as a studio musician, performing on major popular albums and TV commercials, he attended the Juilliard School of Music, while also simultaneously studying discordant modern classical composition privately with composer Morton Feldman and harmonious spiritual North Indian classical music with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. It was while studying with these two masters that Don Robertson discovered the reality of the two qualitative polarities of positive and negative music. Thus began his life’s work.
Don wrote the first American instruction manual for the Indian drums, called the tabla, in 1968. Published by the Peer-Southern Music Corporation in New York City, it sold all over the world for over for 30 years. In 1969 he moved to San Francisco, where he recorded Dawn, the first new-age music record album, for Mercury Records.
Further Reading
Books by Don Robertson
- Tabla – A Rhythmic Introduction to Indian Music (1968 – Peer Southern Music Corp) read the flipbook
- Kosmon (1970 – Earth Media)
- Scriabin (c.1979) unfinished
- Accessing Transport Networks: MPTN and Anynet Solutions (1996 – McGraw-Hill)
- Denver’s Street Railways, Volume 1: 1871-1900 (1999, with Morris Cafky and Ed Haley – Sundance Publications)
- Denver’s Street Railways, Volume 2: 1901-1950 (2004, with Ed Haley – Sundance Publications)
- Denver’s Street Railways, Volume 3: The Interurbans (2010, with Kenton Forrest – Colorado Railroad Museum)
- Songwriting for Dummies [contributions to the 1st edition] (2002 – Wiley Publishing)
- Music Through the Centuries (2005 – DoveSong.com)
- The Scale: Our Musical Inheritance from Nature (2010 – Amazon.com) read the flipbook
- Ripples in Time: Collected Poems (2014 – Amazon.com) read the flipbook
Short Stories by Don Robertson
- The Hare and the Toad (1985)
- Immaculate Journey (c.1992)
- Breakfast at Barky’s (1996)
- Goin’ Home (2005)
- Ole Ted (2010)
Known Books That Include References to Don Robertson
- “New Sounds” by John Schaefer
- “Le son des vibrations” by Emmanuel Comte (2015 – Editions Dangles)
Interviews with Don Robertson
- Ben Kettlewell Interview – National Public Radio (c.1988)
- Diego Oscar Ramos – First Interview (2004)
- Diego Oscar Ramos – Second Interview (2009)
- Dustin Mahrt – Interview (2020)
Music Albums by Don Robertson
All of Don Robertson’s albums may be listened to here
Classical Music
- Anthem – Digital Symphony No. 1 (1981-1986)
- Starmusic – Digital Symphony No. 2 (1982, 1998)
- Celestial Voyager – Digital Symphony No. 3 (1984-1986)
- Alpine Symphony – Digital Symphony No. 4 (1999)
- Poème – Digital Symphony No. 5 (2001)
- Yo Ki – Digital Symphony No. 6 (2001)
- Inroads – Digital Symphony No. 7 (2003)
- Aum – Digital Symphony No. 8 (2001, 2009)
- The Southern Wind String Quartet (performed by the Futureman Digital Orchestra)
- The Jubilation Mass – Instrumental Version
Popular Music
- Resurrection (1981)
- Spring (1983)
- Castles in the Sun (1986, 2018)
- Keys (1999)
- Favorites (1999)
- Take My Hand (2008)
New Age Music
- Dawn (1969) (Re-released in 2003 on vinyl and on CD by Akarma Records, a division of Comet Records in Italy)
- Celestial Ascent (1980) (Re-released in 2015 on vinyl and digital by Black Sweat Records in Italy)
Classical Music Compositions by Don Robertson
- “Hungarian Dance” for orchestra (1963)
- “Pulque” for orchestra (1963)
- “Moments avant de partir” for orchestra (1963). Performed by the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra in rehearsal (1963)
- “Prelude” for piano (c.1963). Featured in the album Keys by Don Robertson
- “Three Variations for Two Clarinets” (1966)
- “A Dream” for signal generator, percussion, piano and celeste (1966)
- “Babar” for piano, percussion and narrator (1966)
- “The Yin and Yang Quintet” (1966). Partially performed in class, Juilliard School of Music.
- “Murchana” for chamber ensemble (1967)
- “Card Music” for chamber ensemble (1967). Performed in class, Juilliard School of Music.
- “Five Piano Pieces” (1967)
- “Two Piano Pieces” (1967)
- “Glissandi” for String Quartet (1967). Performed in class, Juilliard School of Music.
- “MU” for horn and piano (1967). Premiered 1967 in the Juilliard School of Music auditorium
- “Music for Clarinet and Piano” (1967)
- “Constructions” for flute, guitar and contrabass (1967). Premiered 1967 by Bertram Turetzky Ensemble (distinguished emeritus professor of music at the University of California, San Diego)
- “Two Duocord Piano Pieces” for piano (1967-8)
- “Duochord Piece” for piano (1968)
- “Duochord Sonata” for solo violin (1968)
- “Last Piece” (1967-8)
- “Piano Fantasy” for piano (1976). Recorded in 1999 for the album Keys by Don Robertson.
- Prelude – “First Breath of Spring”
- “Kopavi” Ballet for orchestra and chorus (1993)
- “Southern Wind String Quartet” (1996-2001). Performance of first movement in Nashville – 2014
- “Thrushes in the Moonlight” for choir and chamber orchestra (2004)
- “Three Sacred Songs” for choir and piano (2003)
- “Sequence” for orchestra (2004)
- “One” for orchestra (unfinished)
- The Jubilation Mass for chorus and orchestra (2004-2007) website
- “The Quest” opera (in progress)
Songs by Don Robertson
Don Robertson’s songs may be listened to here
- “Tete du faun” (1965)
- “Cup of Wine” [words – Tom Bernath] (1967)
- “Look to Me” [words – Tom Bernath] (1967)
- “Untitled 1” (1967) No Words
- “Untitled 2” (1967) No Words
- “Ballad of A Young Girl” [words – Tom Bernath] (1967)
- “Natural Trip” [words – G. Severin] (1967)
- “Pipe Dream” (1967)
- “Heavy Trip” (1969)
- “Dawn II” (1969)
- “I Can See I’m Not Understood” (1969)
- “Joy” (1969)
- “Dew” (1980s). Instrumental song featured in album Keys, by Don Robertson
- “Melissa” Instrumental song featured in album Castles in the Sun, by Don Robertson (1980s)
- “Romance” (1980s). Instrumental song featured in album Keys, by Don Robertson
- “Mary Ellen” (1999)
- “Wise Man from the East” Sacred song for piano and choir
- “Praise the Lord” Sacred song for piano and choir with optional oboe (2003)
- “I Was There all the Time” Sacred song for piano and choir
- “Turning Today into Tomorrow” (2004)
- “My Proud Soldier” [with Toni Staples] (2004)
- “Holy Family” (2004)
- “No Room at the Inn (2004)
- “What Was Eden Like? (Before it Went All Wrong)” (c.2004)
- “Places She’s Never Been” [with Doak Turner, Paul Harbin and Dian Wakinshaw] (2004). Recorded by Brinn Black in 2008
- “The Sun Will Always Shine” [words – Beth Eames] (2004)
- “Via Della Rosa” (2004)
- “Forever and Always” [words – Beth Eames] (2005). From album Take My Hand by Don Robertson
- “Just as You Are” (2005). From album Take My Hand, by Don Robertson
- “Caroline” (2005). From album Take My Hand, by Don Robertson
- “You’re Everything to Me” [words – Beth Eames] (2005). Featured in the album Take My Hand, by Don Robertson
- “Forever’s Just a Dance” [words – Beth Eames] (2005)
- “The Girl You Left Behind” [by Jesse McRae, with Don Robertson] (2006)
- “Completely” [words – Beth Eames] (2006) Featured in the album Take My Hand, by Don Robertson
- “Eternally” [words – Beth Eames] (2006) Featured in the album Take My Hand, by Don Robertson
- “Take My Hand” [with Ashley Owen and Mary Ellen Bickford] (2007) Featured in the album Take My Hand, by Don Robertson
- “Someday” (2007). Featured in the album Take My Hand, by Don Robertson
- “Stay” (2008). Featured in the album Take My Hand, by Don Robertson
- “How Can I Love You More?” [with Ashley Owen] (2008) Featured in the album Take My Hand, by Don Robertson
- “If You Call My Name” (2008)
- Evening Climbing Ladders” (2016)
Don Robertson’s Videos
- “Zurich Trolley Ride 1999” (2006)
- “Nashville Summer Grammy Party” (2009)
- “13th Century Music Performed in la Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris” (2009)
- “The Summer NAMM Show in Nashville” (2010)
- “Nawpak in Paris 2009” (2010)
- “Mitch Miller – Meet Mister Callaghan” (2010)
- “America’s Endangered Wetlands” (2010)
- “The Music City Flood – Nashville 2010” (2010)
- “Sortie for a Sunday Mass Improvised by Thierry Escaich” (2010)
- “Groupe Cenizas in the Chatelet Metro Station in 2009” (2009)
- ”Nashville Music History – The Famous 3rd Sunday Party” (2010)
- “Strong Enough” (2011)
- “Tony Bennett sings Hank Williams’ song ‘Cold, Cold Heart’” – 1951 (2011)
- “Mississippi Millie with the Superbad String Band at ‘The Tent’” (2013)
- “Razorblade’s Story – Clarksdale, Mississippi” (2013)
- “The Mauldin Brothers’ Garden” (2013)
- “Alive From Nashville Presents: Sloco” (2015)
- “The Mauldin Brothers – Saving the Bees” (2015)
- “Pourquoi la vie est-elle comme ça ?” (2015)
- “DoveSong Unveiled – Spring 1997” (2016)
- “A Conversation About Films” (2016)
- “Wade in the Moment” [with the late Paris Delane] (2016)
- “Sory Diabate and Friends in Nashville” (2016)
- “Train to Neuschwanstein 1999” (2017)
- “Finding Wagner” [filmed in Europe 1999] (2017)
- “A Tribute to Maurice Duruflé” (2017)
- “Sous le ciel de Paris” (2017)
- “A Ukrainian Band in the Chatelet Metro Station, Paris in 2009” (2017)
- “Fête de la Musique in Belleville, Paris 2009” (2017)
- “Kodály Zoltán – Adventi ének” (2018)
- “Music in the Notre Dame Cathedral 2009” (2019)
- “The Dustin Mahrt Interview” (6 parts) (2020-2021)
- “Don Robertson in His Music Studio in 1984” (2021)
- “Christmas Afternoon 1984 with Don Robertson” (2021)
- “Christmas 1992 – Don Robertson’s Family” (2022)
Videos with Don Robertson's Music
Classical Music
- “Kyrie” excerpt from The Jubilation Mass (2009)
- “Southern Wind String Quartet 1st Movement March 2, 2014” [Performance in Nashville] (2014)
- “Excerpts from Kopavi” (2016)
- “Thrushes in the Moonlight” (2021)
Popular Music
- “’Dance’ from Spring” (2010)
- “Nature Boy” Don Robertson-sitar, Jack Sheldon-Trumpet, Don Sebeski-arranger 1968 (2011)
- “The Contrasts – On Green Dolphin Street 1965” (2012)
- “Castles in the Sun” (2015)
- “Dawn II” (Audio recorded in 1969) (2016)
- “Heavy Trip” (2016)
- “Evening Climbing Ladders” (2016)
- “Master Plan, by Door Frame” (2016)
- “Django’s Nuages” (2019)
- “Dreaming of the Tennessee River” (2019)
- “I Was There All the Time” (2021)
- “Praise the Lord” (2021)
- “The Wise Man from the East” (2021)
Ambient Music (New Age)
- “Dew” video by Mary Ellen Bickford (2009)
- “Le Calme et l’Océan” (2010)
- “Piano Improvisation Good Friday” (2015)
- “Bicycles” (2015)
- “Le jardin enchanté” (2016)
- “Concert Dec 7, 1981 – San Rafael, Ca” (2016)
- “Cry of Infinity” (2016)
- “Shower of Nector – 1980” Steve Coughlin and Don Robertson (Zyther) (2016)
- “Misty Interlude” (2016)