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Robert Jager

 

Robert Jager

1964: Symphony for Band
1968: Diamond Variations
1972: Sinfonietta

Robert Edward Jager (b. 1939) was arranger/composer for the U.S. Navy at the Armed Forces School of Music from 1962 to 1965. In 1968 he graduated from the University of Michigan. He then went on to be the lecturer in composition and directing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1971, he joined the faculty at Tennessee Tech University and remained there until his retirement as professor emeritus in 2001.

Jager has composed over 150 published works for band, orchestra, chorus, and various chamber combinations. Major ensembles that have commissioned his music include the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, the Republic of China Band Association, several large universities, and all five of the Washington-based military bands.

He has received numerous honors for his works, including the Roth Orchestra Award twice, and is the only three-time winner of the ABA Ostwald Award (1964, 1968, 1972). He won the 1964 Award for two movements from his Symphony for Band.

Diamond Variations

Jager's Diamond Variations is a set of five variations on the trio melody of the march Illinois Loyalty. The piece was written for the 75th anniversary of the University of Illinois Concert Band and won the 1968 ABA Ostwald Award.

ABA 1972 album jacket

Sinfonietta

Sinfonietta was premiered by the Butler University Wind Ensemble and performed by the U.S. Army Band at the 1972 ABA convention. The composition contains three movements: Scherzo, Elegy, and Fugue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About

This exhibit presents the history of the American Bandmasters Association's annual award for best composition for concert band, the Sousa/ABA/Ostwald Contest. Launched in 1956 by ABA with sponsorship from Ernest and Adolph Ostwald's band uniform company, the prize has helped advance the careers of dozens of composers and encouraged the composition of thousands of new works for band.

This exhibit is generously supported by the American Bandmasters Association.

Curator: Vincent Novara
Project Archivist for the Exhibit: Matt Testa

With help from John Davis, Alice Rogers, Cindy Zhao, and Laura Cleary.
Recent update by Natalie Salive

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Special Collections in Performing Arts (SCPA) is located in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library on the University of Maryland's College Park campus. We collect, serve, and preserve performing arts materials that document performance practice, instruction, and scholarship.

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