Eric Gilder (musicologist)

Eric Gilder was an English musicologist (December 25 1911-June 1 2000). He was a composer, teacher, conductor and pianist.

Brief biography

Eric Gilder began his career as a teacher at a London music college that some years later was renamed as the Eric Gilder School of Music. He trained at the Royal College of Music in London where he studied under John Ireland, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Constant Lambert and Sir Malcolm Sargent.

He is remembered with gratitude by the poet and musician Labi Siffre in his poem “education education education”. Siffre studied at Gilders school as did Teddy Osei, founder member of Osibisa, a band that played a central role in developing an awareness of African music in the 1970’s.

Composer

As a composer he composed extensively for the orchestra, voices, theater and television. He served as a choral conductor and appeared at the Royal Festival Hall in London as a conductor and pianist.

He was a pupil at Henry Thornton School, Clapham, from 1926 until 1931 and composed the original school song.

Author

Eric was also a prominent lecturer and he also authored books on a variety of music subjects.