Biography

Bruce Haack

1931-1954

Bruce Clinton Haack was born May 4, 1931 in Nordegg or Saunders Creek in the Province of Alberta, Canada.

The area is on the eastern slopes of the Canadian rockies just west of Rocky Mountain house where Bruce’s family later moved to. Bruce’s father Clark Russell Haack (born in Montevideo, Minnesota)was an accountant for the Brazeau Collieries, and his mother whose maiden name was Bertha Ann Bell (from Novra, Mannitoba) was a schoolteacher.

According to Bruce his life as a young child was isolated and somewhat lonely. There were no easily travelled roads into our out of the mining town and the main event was a train that came into the town once a week to pickup coal.One early recollection that Bruce shared is of a light that is always glowing in front of a mining supply store.

He also said we in New York City didn’t know the meaning of the word SNOW!

Bruce was very proud of his Canadian roots and of his parents. After arriving in New York City in 1954 he only returned to the Rocky Mountain House area for visits.

Bruce showed musical abilities at a very early age at the familiy piano apparenly picking out melodies at the piano at age 3 or 4.

By age 12 he was giving piano lessons and later organized country & western bands. Later he used “country” music harmonic and rhythmic patterns in many of his records for children (which were really for adults also).

Bruce applied to the University of Alberta in Edmonton to study music he was rejected because he couldn’t notate, or write down, music well enough.
Instead of music he studied and received his degree in psychology at Edmonton. During his University days in Edmonton he wrote and taped music for theatre productions, had a band and also a weekly radio show. Bruce met Charles Laughton who introduced the idea of going to New York City.

After graduation from Edmonton he received a Canadian government scholarship to attend the Julliard School in New York City to study composition with Vincent Persichetti. A tape was sent of a composition of Bruces to Juilliard that somehow led to the scholarship. What composition that was submitted is not known.

In 1954 Bruce arrived in New York City in as he put it, “with a chicken sandwhich and 60 dollars”. The change from Alberta and Edmonton to New York City must have been radical to say the least.

He dropped out of Julliard’s composition program in 8 months. But his musical efforts were to continue full force after Julliard.

1955-1964

1955
Commissioned Music: Les Etapes (music concrete). A 3 movement ballet scored for electronics, soprano and violin. Commissioned by Belgian TV. Choreographed by Valentina Belova and originally danced by Maurice Bejart’s Ballet of the 20th Century. Possibly created 1954 or 1956.

1956
Taped Composition: Lullaby For A Cat (music concrete)
Created on a Wollensak tape recorder.

1957
Published Pop Song: Tommy, Mark Records Published Pop Song: Miranda, Mark Records
Sputnik Launched by USSR

1958
Published Pop Song: Satellite, Coral Records, Teresa Brewer
Published Pop Song: I like Christmas, Coral Records, Teresa Brewer

1959
Published Pop Song: Sea Shell, Coral Records, Teresa Brewer

1960
Published Pop Song: So I Said Dot Records/Milton DeLugg And His Orchestra
TV Appearance: I’ve Got A Secret, CBS Gary Moore with Bill Cullen, Henry Morgan
Carol Burnett celebrity guest
Bruce played his Dermatron electronic instrument on Ted Pandels forehead while Ted played a song on the piano “Jet, My Love”

1961
Broadway Show: How to Make A Man, Opened 2/2/61, Brookes Atkinson Theatre
Incidental music and title song.
Starring Tommy Noonan, Barbara Britton, Peter Marshall, Vicki Cummings

1962
Off Broadway Show: The Kumquat in the Persimmon Tree (Sept?/June 1962?) Lyrics by Charles Copenhaver

1963
Windsong Composition for Orchestra (Not sure of year). Performed by Calgary Sympony during 60’s.
Mass For Solo Piano Solo piano composition. Premier performance at Carnegie Hall, pianist Praxiteles Pandel
LP Dance Sing and Listen Released on Dimension 5 First of Dim 5 series

1964
Mass For Solo Piano Performed by Praxiteles Pandel at Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
LP Dance Sing and Listen Again released on Dimension 5
Taped Composition: Garden Of Delights. An incredible work mixing Gregorian chant with electronic music. This work was never released or broadcast in its entirety. Bruce enjoyed playing this tape for friends and was extremely proud of the work.

1965-1974

1965
Gloria for Solo Piano Premiered Jordan Hall, Boston, pianist Praxiteles Pandel and later Brooklyn Musem and Town Hall, New York City
TV Appearance: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, NBC Bruce plays Dermatron
TV Appearance: The Mike Douglas Show, network Bruce plays Dermatron
Dance Sing and Listen Again & Again released on Dimension 5

1966
TV Appearance: I’ve Got a Secret, CBS With Steve Allen Guest Victor Borge played the Dermatron on 12 girls, each ‘pitched’ chromatically
TV Appearance: Merv Griffin’s Play Your Hunch, NBC Ted Pandel plays forehead of friend Joan Milkson.
Radio Documentary: Bruce Haack Music Maker, WBAI Chris Albertson interviewed Bruce and sampled works including sections of 3 majors works; Les Etapes, Mass for Solo Piano and Garden of Delights

1967

1968
The Way Out Record For Children released on Dimension 5
Commercial: Parker Brothers “Booby Trap”
Agency: Badger, Browning & Parcher(Boston)
Commercial: Phillips 66 Tires “What’s Out There?”
Agency: J. Walter Thompson

1969
The Electronic Record for Children released on Dimension 5
Commercial:Goodyear Arriva Tires
Commercial: Kraft Cheese “Once Upon A Time” Date 1/23/69
Commercial: Stevens Utica No-Iron Sheets, (approx 1969)
Agency: Laroche,McGaffrey and McCall
Commercial:Lincoln Life Insurance (3 ‘spots’)
Agency: Pelican Films

1970
FM Guide Magazine Review of Electric Lucifer plus editorial
Electric Lucifer released on Columbia Records
Bruce Meets Electronic Music Pioneer Raymond Scott (might have been in 1970). Apparently, the release of Electric Lucifer led to the introduction of the two.

Bruce worked with Scott’s Electronium and was given a Clavivox keyboard instrument which Bruce gave to the 17 year old Harry Spiridakis, then a student at the High School of Music and Art in New York City. Pleaes visit the Raymond Scott web site.

1971
Together released on Dimension 5
School Music Book: Exploring Music 8 (eighth grade method book)
Lyrics and Music from “Program Me”
Electric Lucifer (LP), 1971, Columbia Records

1972
Dance to the Music released on Dimension 5
Bruce moves to West Chester, Pennsylvania to join his friend
Ted Pandel.

1973
Captain Entropy released on Dimension 5
Teacher Magazine – Piano arrangement and Lyrics to “The Friendship Song”
from Dance to the Music, Dimension 5

1974
This Old Man released on Dimension 5
Commissioned Music: The Witches Vacation Scholastic Magazine/Records
Commissioned Music: Clifford the Small Red Puppy Scholastic Magazine/Records

1975-1988

1975
Funky Doodle released on Dimension 5
Song Book: The Bruce Haack Songbook, Piano arrangements with Lyrics to many Dimension 5 released songs. Graphic layouts and notes by Bruce Haack

1976
Ebenezer Electric released on Dimension 5
Commissioned Music: A Picture for Harolds Room
Scholastic Magazine/Records
Radio Documentary: Bruce Haack Music Maker, WBAI Chris Albertson
interviewed Bruce and sampled works including sections of
3 majors works; Les Etapes, Mass for Solo Piano and Garden of Delights

1978
Haackula un-released

1979
Electric Lucifer Book II un-released but planned for release year 2000.
Commissioned Music: Icarus, written for the Icarus Odyssey Exhibition (Mexico)
Commissioned by The Rainbow Art Foundation
Described by Bruce as “aero-expansionist” music.

1980
School Music Book: Canada Is.. Music 3-4. Printed and recorded version in accompanying record of “The Friendship Song” from Dance to the Music, Dimension 5
Unreleased Compositions: Jesus Loves Me, eight songs for children.
Unreleased Compositions: Three Short Childrens Stories

1981
BITE released on Dimension 5
Zoot-Zoot-Zoot Here Comes Santa in his New Space Suit released on Ra-Jo International
With Tiny Tim

1982
Poetry Compilation:A Golden Wine, compiled by Bruce of poetry written in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s.
Extended Rap Composition: Party Machine Unreleased

1983 – 1988
The Silly Song Book released on Dimension 5
The Funny Song Book released on Dimension 5
The World’s Best Funny Songs released on Dimension 5
Eveybody Sing & Dance released on Dimension 5
Music for all attributed to Praxiteles Pandel. All cassette releases.

1988 – present
See Discography for postumous releases.