Gaston Borch (1871-1926)

[Wheesht]

Gaston Borch, born to a Norwegian father and a French mother, was a prolific composer of photoplay music for silent films, but according to biographical information gathered on the website of the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra he also wrote two symphonies, four symphonic poems and a piano concerto. I have not been able to find out if any of these large-scale works have survived. Some of his many shorter compositions are available, for example photoplay music, on CDs by the Mont Alto Orchestra. There is also an interesting arrangement of The Shepherd (1927) for bassoon and harp by Robert Rønnes.

[semloh]

Gosh, that IS unsung, Wheesht! I'm fascinated to see if any of our great UC members will come up with more information....

[eschiss1]

Cypressdome has uploaded a fair amount of his accompaniment-music (some of which was at SFSMA) and some songs as well to IMSLP.

[cypressdome]

The link provided by Wheesht to the Mont Alto Orchestra's site is likely contain all the information currently discoverable about Borch on the internet. It includes communication from one of the composer's grandsons (who would appear to have none of Borch's scores) and does a good job of trying to clarify Borch's complex personal life.  I suppose if any of his manuscripts survive they would have passed to his last (third?) wife Elsie and those related to his work might have been left with the cinema orchestra he was conducting in Stockholm.  I did typesets of a dozen or so piano reductions of some of his photoplay music including a 4 movement suite entitled Oriental Pictures which can be listened to at Musescore.

[semloh]

Thanks for that link, cypressdome. Fascinating to explore.