Background
Harris was born in London and studied piano from age 6 and was also a self-taught guitarist. His knowledge of this instrument enabled him in later years to compose pieces specifically for guitar.
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Albert Harris
Edit ProfileEducation
Albert Harris studied composition with Mary Carr Moore and Eugen Zador in Los Angeles, and conducting with Richard Lert.
Career
During the mid-1930s he began to make a name for himself as a session musician in London where he featured on many recordings, most notably as session guitarist with the Lew Stone band, his delicate but swinging improvisations enhancing many of Stones records during the 1934-1935 period. He came to New York in 1938 at which time he started playing piano in big bands across the United States., after which he began studying at New York University"s College of Music where he earned a doctorate in music in 1944. Before earning his doctorate he moved to Los Angeles in 1942.
He is a recipient of several awards for choral pieces, songs, and an octet for French Horn from the Los Angeles Horn Club.
Albert Harris the professor of orchestration at University of California, Los Los Angeles He was Assistant Musical Director for National Broadcasting Company from 1946-1949. He was music director for Barbra Streisand on the television special "Barbra and Other Instruments," music orchestrator and arranger for Cher’s album "Bittersweet Moonlight" and was music arranger for Roberta Flack for appearances in Hollywood.
Harris was the composer and conductor for Quinn Martin Productions, specifically "Cannon", "Barnaby Jones", "Streets of San Francisco" and "Federal Bureau of Investigation." Over a period of 30 years, Mr. Harris was employed by all the major film studios as an orchestrator and composer.
While he was president of the American Society of Music Arrangers (a post he held from 1989-1991), he co-lectured at a composer’s workshop with Henry Mancini.
Among those nominating Harris was Aaron Copland with whom Harris shares a harmonic language that, in the words of Ned Rorem, "sounds like the great outdoors". Harris retired from film and television work in 1990. He died in Auckland.
Achievements
Membership
Albert Harris was a member of Composers and Lyricists Guild of America, on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Music Arrangers.
Connections
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Born
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Died
February 14, 2005 (aged 89) -
Nationality
United Kingdom