Canadian composer, conductor and luthier (1914–1988)
Joseph Albert Maurice Blackburn (22 May 1914 – 29 March 1988) was a Canadian composer , conductor , sound editor for film, and builder of string instruments . He is known for his soundtracks for animated film.[ 1]
Personal life
Blackburn was born in Quebec City , Quebec .[ 2] He was a graduate of the Université Laval and the New England Conservatory in Boston.[ 2] He won the George Allan Prize in 1940.
He was married to screenwriter Marthe Blackburn , and was the father of science fiction writer Esther Rochon .[ 3]
Career
From 1942 to 1978 Blackburn worked as a film composer for the National Film Board of Canada , where he was a frequent collaborator of Norman McLaren .[ 2] Together they developed techniques for etching sound and image directly on film .[ 4] Blackburn composed the music for McLaren's animation film Blinkity Blank (1954)[ 5] which won twelve prizes, including the Short Film Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival .[ 6] In 1969 he created an animated film of his own, Ciné-Crimé .[ 7]
He composed the opera Une mesure de silence , whose libretto was written by his wife Marthe.[ 8]
In 1983 he was awarded the Albert-Tessier Prize by the Quebec government.[ 3]
Discography
Compilations
References
International National Artists Other