Arthur B. Rubinstein

This article is about the American film and television composer. For the Polish-American pianist, see Arthur Rubinstein. For the Russian composer/conductor, see Anton Rubinstein.
Arthur B. Rubinstein
Birth nameArthur Benjamin Rubinstein
Born(1938-03-31)March 31, 1938
Brooklyn, New York, United States
DiedApril 23, 2018(2018-04-23) (aged 80)
GenresFilm score
Occupation(s)Composer, Conductor
Instrument(s)Piano, Synthesizer
Years active1971–2002

Arthur Benjamin Rubinstein (March 31, 1938 – April 23, 2018) was an American Emmy Award-winning composer.[1] He composed several television series soundtracks and songs for film scores. He was frequently hired by film director John Badham, and the majority of his movie soundtracks are found in Badham's work, including Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981), WarGames (1983),[2] Blue Thunder (1983), Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1986), Stakeout (1987), The Hard Way (1991), Another Stakeout (1993), and Nick of Time (1995).[3] He was also member of the band The Beepers.

In 1983 Rubinstein created the score to Blue Thunder (which he composed, conducted and produced) using various synthesizers, a popular instrument of the 80's era. In the score Rubinstein used these synthesizers in a symphonic manner by combining them with brass, percussion and string ensembles. Using the Synclavier II (a digital computer instrument) and dubbing this with both the Jupiter, the Prophet and the Moog analog synthesizers.[4] Rubinstein also created a very unusual sound by placing a microphone inside a large empty water bottle and placing it underneath a Steinway grand piano.

His other film and TV movie scores include The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972), The Great Bank Hoax (1978), The Great American Traffic Jam (1980), On the Right Track (1981), The Phoenix (1982), Deal of the Century (1983), The Cartier Affair (1984), It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (1984), Lost in America (1985), Murder in Space (1985), The Best of Times (1986), Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star (1986), Love Among Thieves (1987), Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (1987), Once Upon a Texas Train (1988), Inherit the Wind (1988), several Season Two episodes of The Simpsons and Dead Man's Island (1996).[3]

He died on April 23, 2018, from cancer at the age of 80.[2] He was among those honored at the 2019 Grammy awards.[5]

  1. ^ "BMI Mourns the Loss of Arthur B. Rubinstein". BMI.com. 2018-04-25. Archived from the original on 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  2. ^ a b ‘WarGames’ Composer Arthur B. Rubinstein Dies at 80
  3. ^ a b "Arthur B. Rubinstein Filmography". AllMovie.com. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  4. ^ "ARTHUR B. RUBINSTEIN'S BLUE THUNDER - AN APPRECIATION OF A GREAT SCORE. - Itscorez". Itscorez. 2018-05-13. Archived from the original on 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2020-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ cartermatt (2019-02-11). "Grammys 2019 In Memoriam: Avicii, Mac Miller, Aretha Franklin honored". CarterMatt. Archived from the original on 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2020-01-31.