Louis Barron

Louis Barron

Composer. Born 23 April 1920 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Died 1 November 1989.

ComposerAmerican
1
Title on Fi1m
Born
23 April 1920, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Died
1 November 1989

Biography

Louis Barron (23 April 1920 – 1 November 1989) was an American composer and pioneer of electronic music. With his wife and creative partner Bebe Barron, he produced the first entirely electronic score for a commercial feature film, the 1956 MGM science-fiction production Forbidden Planet.

The couple met in Minneapolis, married in 1947 and established one of the earliest private electronic music studios in New York. They built custom circuits inspired by cybernetics and created early tape compositions, including work with composer John Cage. On Forbidden Planet they were credited for “electronic tonalities” rather than music, owing to a dispute with the musicians’ union.

On Fi1m