John Donald Robb (June 12, 1892 – January 6, 1989) was an American composer, ethnomusicologist, arts administrator, and attorney.
While pursuing an undergraduate degree in English literature at Yale University, Robb continued his music education, including a course taught by Horatio Parker.
During a 1935–36 leave of absence from his law firm, he studied composition with Nadia Boulanger at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France.
Throughout his life, he made time to study composition; his teachers included Horatio Parker, Darius Milhaud, Roy Harris, Paul Hindemith, and Nadia Boulanger.
"From the offices in the UNM Music Department to the dance hall across the street from the Rainbow Bar in Cuba, New Mexico, Robb recorded anyone willing to spend the time singing and playing for him".
Set on two adjoining ranches in the Southwest, Joy Comes to Deadhorse centers around an Anglo-Hispanic couple who fall in love despite opposition from their fathers.
Due to lackluster reception, Robb began an unsuccessful collaboration with Tom Jones, a young unknown lyricist at the time.
After several years of conflicting interest, Robb agreed to relinquish his rights to the work to Jones, who reworked it with Harvey Schmidt into a non-Hispanic version.
Four distinct collections make up the John Donald Robb Archives in the UNM University Libraries' Center for Southwest Research.
His magnum opus, often referred to as the Big Book, is Hispanic Folk Music of New Mexico and the Southwest: A Self-Portrait of a People, which was out of print for many years and achieved "collectable" status.
This is truly a panoramic survey of Hispanic folk music, including representation of every formal type and dozens of subjects, both secular and religious, from Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.
[10] Upon the deaths of Robb and his wife, Harriet, in 1989, the Trust was established at the University of New Mexico College of Fine Arts by a self-supporting endowment.
The Trust also supports the biennial UNM John Donald Robb Commission Competition, which is open to composers from around the world.
Included among the many distinguished guests have been Milton Babbitt, John Cage, Raven Chacon, Michael Colgrass, George Crumb, Joseph Daley, Julio Estrada, Lukas Foss, Alan Hovhaness, Karel Husa, Betsy Jolas, Ernst Krenek, John Lewis, Gordon Mumma, Thea Musgrave, Pauline Oliveros, Hilda Paredes, Vincent Persichetti, Ned Rorem, Joan Tower, Cecil Taylor, August Read Thomas, Hans Tutschku, Hildegard Westerkamp, Christian Wolff, and Chen Yi.