Richard Nibley

F. Richard Nibley was a master violinist, composer, and professor of music.

He was born in Medford, Oregon, on April 29, 1913. His family moved to Los Angeles during what he termed “the golden age of California,” which was in the 1920s. Before he moved to Salt Lake City in 1954, he served in the United States Army during World War II and lived for a time in New York City while he studied at Juilliard.

He performed in concerts throughout America and Europe and recorded for the Voice of America. He worked with beginning students of violin through clinics and educational recordings. He was an expert of the influence of music on behavior. He is quoted as saying, “Music creates atmosphere. Atmosphere creates environment. Environment influences behavior.”[1]

Nibley and his wife, Nadine, and their three daughters moved to Ephraim, Utah, in 1966, where he joined the faculty of Snow College.

He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He died on September 22, 1979, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease).

His grandfather, Charles W. Nibley. was a member of the First Presidency of the Church. His brother Hugh Nibley was a well-known scholar and his brother Reid Nibley was an accomplished pianist and composer. His great-grandfather Alexander Neibaur was the first Jew to join the Church of Jesus Christ.