American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primary for television and film
Frequently worked as an orchestrator on scores composed by Jerry Goldsmith.
Familiarly known and referred to as Sandy Courage.
Famous for his "Star Trek Fanfare"
Survivors include four stepchildren and six grandchildren.
He was also an award-winning photographer whose photos appeared in such popular magazines as Life and Colliers.
He was among the founders of the Composers and Lyricists Guild of America, the union that represented composers and songwriters in Hollywood during the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
He received his degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. in 1941, then enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a band leader at various bases in California and Arizona.
He moved to New Jersey as a boy and took up both the piano and horn.
He enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army Air Corps on 6 January 1942 during World War II.
When Courage finished the signature theme to Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, the series creator, penned lyrics to it, allegedly in order to collect half the royalties. In revenge, when Courage was asked to sign autographs, he would occasionally sign Roddenberrys name.
Said he made the "whoosh" sound which is heard as the Enterprise zooms through the opening credits of "Star Trek".
The eight-note brass fanfare that Courage wrote to herald the starship Enterprise became one of the most familiar musical signatures in television history.
Son of a Scottish father and a French-American mother.
(on composing the theme for "Star Trek"),I have to confess to the world that I am not a science fiction fan.
