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Timeline
9 events▣ Album 6◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1910s
1970s
2000s
· Debut release
Debut release: Light Classics Inspired by the American Southwest
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
Biography
English biography468 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1360900727
Biography
Donald Eugene Gillis (June 17, 1912 – January 10, 1978) was an American composer, conductor, teacher, and radio producer. The composition that has gained him most recognition is his orchestral Symphony No. 5½, A Symphony for Fun.
Biography
Gillis was born in Cameron, Missouri. His family moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and he studied at Texas Christian University, playing trombone and acting as assistant director of the university band. He graduated in 1935, and obtained a master's degree from North Texas State University in 1943.
He became production director for the radio station WBAP, later moving to NBC where he became producer for the NBC Symphony Orchestra during the tenure of its conductor Arturo Toscanini. He held several teaching posts at academic institutions in the southern United States during his career, and also helped to found the Symphony of the Air orchestra. Gillis produced several NBC radio programs, including Serenade to America and NBC Concert Hour. After Toscanini retired in 1954, Gillis, serving as president of the Symphony Foundation of America, was instrumental in helping to form the Symphony of the Air, using members of the old NBC Symphony. Gillis also produced the radio program Toscanini: The Man Behind the Legend, which ran for several years on NBC after the Italian conductor's death.
In 1973 he joined the faculty of the University of South Carolina where he founded, and was chairman of, the Institute for Media Arts and was instrumental in establishing the Instructional Services Center. Dr. Gillis also served as USC's composer-in-residence until his death.
He died in Columbia, South Carolina, on January 10, 1978. His papers and an extensive collection of recorded material are housed at the University of North Texas in Denton.
Music
Despite his administrative responsibilities, Gillis was a prolific composer, writing ten orchestral symphonies, tone poems like Portrait of a Frontier Town, piano concertos, rhapsodies for harp and orchestra, and six string quartets. He also composed a wide variety of band music. Gillis is best remembered as the composer of his Symphony No. 5½, A Symphony for Fun, originally performed by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra during a September 21, 1947, broadcast concert that Gillis also produced; it was preserved on transcription discs but not commercially issued. Since 2005, his symphonies have been recorded on the Albany Records label.
Gillis sought to interpret contemporary American culture musically. His music drew upon popular material, particularly emphasizing jazz, which he considered a revitalizing element in American music. He assimilated popular influences in a simple and straightforward style aimed at communicating with his audiences through an emphasis on clear, accessible, melodic writing. Many of his works are best characterized as fun and full of humor.
Memberships and affiliations
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Alpha Alpha, 1958 (National Honorary Chapter)
Gamma Theta, 1941 (University of North Texas College of Music Chapter)
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 9 | 54.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 7 | 80.4th |
| Studio albums | 7 | 87.5th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -22 | 8th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (7 release groups · 7 studio albums)
Albums · 7
Light Classics Inspired by the American Southwest
2000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 19 tracks · 1:08:00
1Symphony "X" ("The Big D"): I. All-American City3:152Symphony "X" ("The Big D"): II. Requiem for a Hero3:543Symphony "X" ("The Big D"): III. Conventioneer2:494Symphony "X" ("The Big D"): IV. The Cotton Bowl3:335Shindig: Episode I2:006Shindig: Episode II3:187Shindig: Episode III0:438Shindig: Episode IV1:429Shindig: Episode V4:5410Shindig: Episode VI1:5611Shindig: Episode VII0:4212Shindig: Episode VIII7:0113Encore Concerto: I. Brightly6:4714Encore Concerto: II. Slowly, with a feeling of Blues5:0015Encore Concerto: III. Brightly, in a Gay Manner5:4716Symphony 5 1/2: I. Perpetual Motion3:4417Symphony 5 1/2: II. Spiritual?3:5218Symphony 5 1/2: III. Scherzofrenia3:1119Symphony 5 1/2: IV. Conclusion?3:522003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:06:30
1Star-Spangled Symphony: Production Line6:152Star-Spangled Symphony: Prayer and Hymn for a Solemn Occasion11:043Star-Spangled Symphony: Bobby Socks5:014Star-Spangled Symphony: Celebration - Fourth of July6:075Amarillo - A Symphonic Celebration18:316Symphony no. 8 "A Dance Symphony": Juke Box Jive5:137Symphony no. 8 "A Dance Symphony": Deep Blues5:428Symphony no. 8 "A Dance Symphony": Waltz (of sorts)4:329Symphony no. 8 "A Dance Symphony": Low Down Hoe-Down4:052005 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:06:02
1Paul Bunyan: An Overture to a Legend6:482Symphony No. 6 "Mid-Century USA": Slowly; fast; slowly8:373Symphony No. 6 "Mid-Century USA": Quite fast7:104Symphony No. 6 "Mid-Century USA": Slowly-tenderly6:245Symphony No. 6 "Mid-Century USA": Briskly5:216Symphony No. 5 "In Memorium": Slowly; fast; slowly11:057Symphony No. 5 "In Memorium": "In Memorium": Slowly11:328Symphony No. 5 "In Memorium": Quite fast-with force and drive9:052006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 59:18
1Portrait of a Frontier Town: Chamber of Commerce2:502Portrait of a Frontier Town: Where the West Begins5:043Portrait of a Frontier Town: Ranch House Party3:044Portrait of a Frontier Town: Prairie Sunset4:585Portrait of a Frontier Town: Main Street-Saturday Night4:316The Alamo12:507Symphony No. 7 "Saga of a Prairie School": The Vision7:118Symphony No. 7 "Saga of a Prairie School": The People6:299Symphony No. 7 "Saga of a Prairie School": The Dedication; the Fulfillment12:212006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:18:10
1Symphony No. 1 "An American Symphony": Slowly; briskly--brightly12:422Symphony No. 1 "An American Symphony": Slowly--tenderly9:103Symphony No. 1 "An American Symphony": Finale: vivace9:404Symphony No. 2 "A Symphony of Faith": Slowly; brightly10:145Symphony No. 2 "A Symphony of Faith": Quite slowly; moderately fast10:456Symphony No. 2 "A Symphony of Faith": Quite fast--in a gay manner10:267Symphony No. 5 1/2 "A Symphony for Fun": "Perpetual Emotion": Quite fast--in a gay manner4:038Symphony No. 5 1/2 "A Symphony for Fun": "Spiritual?": Slowly3:279Symphony No. 5 1/2 "A Symphony for Fun": "Scherzofrenia": Briskly--in a gay manner3:3810Symphony No. 5 1/2 "A Symphony for Fun": "Conclusion!": Quite fast4:05Symphony No. 3 "Tulsa" - Symphony X: "Big D"
2006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:01:13
1Symphony X "Big D": "All-American City": Fast--with energy and drive3:202Symphony X "Big D": "Requiem for a Hero": Slowly3:423Symphony X "Big D": "Conventioneer": Tempo di valse2:384Symphony X "Big D": "Cotton Bowl": Quickly--energetically3:405Tulsa: A Symphonic Portrait in Oil10:076Symphony No. 3: "A Symphony for Free Men": Very slowly; moderato; fast13:167Symphony No. 3: "A Symphony for Free Men": Slowly13:308Symphony No. 3: "A Symphony for Free Men": Quite fast; slowly--plaintitively; fast11:00Symphony no. 4 “The Pioneers” / Piano Concerto no. 2
— · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:04:47
1Symphony No. 4 "The Pioneers", Slowly; fast; slowly11:142Symphony No. 4 "The Pioneers", Slowly--with much feeling9:173Symphony No. 4 "The Pioneers", Fast...with energy and drive7:164Piano Concerto No. 2, Slowly--solemnly10:005Piano Concerto No. 2, Slowly; tempo di valse12:576Piano Concerto No. 2, Quickly14:03
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Don Gillis head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 9 | 54.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 7 | 80.4th |
| Studio albums | 7 | 87.5th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -22 | 8th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Gillis Jazz Quartet(band) | — | present |
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c17177b2-c596-4d86-8bb3-350d3368d460discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c17177b2-c596-4d86-8bb3-350d3368d460core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q714525genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q714525seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Gillis_%28composer%29biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Gillis_%28composer%29
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q714525 · MusicBrainz: c17177b2-c596-4d86-8bb3-350d3368d460
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