]>
mu1000-182
Guide to the Music Department Records,
1863-[ongoing]
Processed by: Doreen E. Mangels; machine-readable finding aid created by:
Doreen E. Mangels
&hdrsca; ©
2009 Wesleyan University. All Rights Reserved.
Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program.
Date of source: November 2009
Description is in English
Finding aid was prepared using DACS
Guide to the Music Department Records, 1863-[ongoing]
Special Collections &
Archives
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT, USA
© 2009 Wesleyan University. All Rights
Reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan
University
Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.). Music
Dept.
Music Department Records, 1863-[ongoing]
1000-182
Material in English
22.25
30
For current information on the location of these materials,
please consult Special Collections & Archives staff.
The music program at Wesleyan University
dates back to the early days of the institution, when informal singing groups
performed for special occasions. As the program expanded and became more formalized,
courses were offered, and in 1929 the Music Department was established. Performance
groups came to include the Glee Club, the Chapel Choir, the Choral Society, the
Jibers, the Cardinals, the Wesleyan Band, and a number of instrumental ensembles.
During the 1950s, associate professor David McAllester introduced world music
courses into the curriculum, and in 1966 the department established a doctoral
program in ethnomusicology. Visiting artists from various regions around the world,
including Africa, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Korea, have performed at the
university.
The collection includes proposals, meeting minutes,
memoranda, correspondence, and reports relating to the establishment of the
ethnomusicology doctoral program. It also contains photographs and printed material
relating to music performances by faculty, student groups, and visiting world music
artists, including concert programs. Materials in the Concert Correspondence Files,
Events Scrapbooks, and Programs and Records series have not been processed.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright Notice
Copyright for Official University records is held by Wesleyan University; all
other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their
descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Music Department Records, Collection #1000-182, Special
Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Series 1 materials given by David McAllester, August 1976. Series 2 received in
1990 from the Music Department. Other materials received in 1992, 1993, 2007 and
at additional dates from the Music Department.
Processing Information
Processed by Doreen E. Mangels, November 2009
Encoded by Doreen E. Mangels, November 2009
Processing of Series 3 by Sean Curtice (class of 2012), Christopher Ceccolini
(class of 2011), and Enjie Romero-Garcia (class of 2012)
Historical Note
Music has been part of the Wesleyan University experience since the early days of the
institution. Known as a "singing college," Wesleyan inherited a tradition of music
from the hymnody of its Methodist roots (see David B. Potts's
Wesleyan University, 1831-1910: Collegiate Enterprise in New England).
The first music performances at the university were organized by volunteers and
sponsored by groups such as the Middlesex Musical Association. Beginning in the
1840s, glee clubs were created for special occasions, and in 1862 Wesleyan singers
had their first public tour. In 1882 the university hired a professional musician as
glee club coach, and the group gave standing-room-only public appearances, including
an 1888 concert at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. From the 1880s on,
undergraduate students as well as alumni composed songs; these were collected in the
Wesleyan Song Book, first published in 1901. Weekly sings took place on the chapel
steps beginning in about 1901, and in about 1913 the university began offering a
small stipend to students who participated in the chapel choir.
During the 1920s, the music program at Wesleyan became more formalized. In 1921, the
Music and Dramatics Board was created to supervise musical and dramatic
organizations and arrange concerts and trips. The university also offered its first
course work in music. In the academic year 1925/26, Hugh L. Smith (class of 1915),
an assistant professor in the Department of Romance Languages, offered a course on
the history and appreciation of music. In 1928/29, courses in dramatic music and
harmony were added. Then, in 1929, alumnus John Spencer Camp (class of 1878) donated
a large sum to set up a chair of music at the university. Joseph Stephen Daltry was
appointed to the newly endowed chair, and the Music Department was established.
The music program at Wesleyan continued to expand over the years. By the late 1940s,
two professors--Joseph Daltry and George McManus--were offering about ten courses a
year. In 1949, Richard Winslow (class of 1940) joined the staff. By the mid-1950s,
singers performed not only with the Chapel Choir and Glee Club but also with the
Choral Society, a male quartet called the Jibers, and a group of eight or nine
called the Cardinals. The Wesleyan Band performed at football games and various
campus affairs, and a woodwind and brass ensemble played several recitals a year.
The Music Department, at that time housed in Judd Hall, had several sound-proof
studios and an extensive collection of phonograph records. By the late 1960s,
musical opportunities at the university included private lessons; the Wesleyan
University concert series; the college orchestra, a "town-gown" organization; the
Wesleyan String Quartet; and the Collegium Musicum, which performed medieval and
Renaissance music.
A significant development in the music program that occurred around the middle of the
twentieth century was the introduction of the study of music "as a universal
phenomenon beyond the confines of Western European tradition" (Wesleyan University Bulletin, 1956/57). In 1956/57, associate professor
David McAllester, an anthropologist whose specialty was the culture and music of the
Navajo, first offered Music 31, Ethnic and Folk Music, in addition to the
anthropology courses he taught in the Department of Psychology. In 1961, McAllester
teamed up with Robert E. Brown, a specialist in the music of India, to teach classes
in the university's new World Music Program. McAllester and Richard Winslow proposed
an advanced program of study, and in 1966 the department began offering a doctorate
in ethnomusicology in addition to undergraduate and master's degrees. By the 1970s,
courses taught by resident and visiting members of the department's faculty covered
Western classical, Afro-American, South Indian, North Indian, and Japanese music;
the 1970/71 catalog listed some thirty-two courses and seminars in non-Western
music. Study groups were organized focusing on the music of South India, Japan,
Persia, Korea, and the Javanese gamelan.
In 1973, Wesleyan opened its Center for the Arts, a complex of eleven buildings
housing undergraduate programs in art and art history, dance, theater, and music, as
well as the graduate program in ethnomusicology. The Center comprises classrooms,
galleries, and studios, and its music facilities include a recording studio, a
computer and experimental music studio, Crowell Concert Hall, and World Music Hall.
The Music Department currently provides course work and performing opportunities in
music from around the world. More than sixty courses are offered. A number of
activities--including a variety of chamber ensembles and ensembles in Asian,
African, American, and European traditions--are available to students. Music
facilities include a collection of instruments from many different cultures; a
music-instrument manufacturing workshop; a scores and recordings collection; and a
world music archives. An ongoing departmental colloquium presents lectures on issues
in the world of music by students, faculty, and outside speakers. In addition, the
department sponsors events such as concerts by world-renowned jazz artists, the
Wesleyan World Percussion Festival (2000), New England Gamelan Weekend (2002), the
Celtic Routes Festival (2003), and the annual Navaratri Festival.
Collection Overview
The collection is arranged in six series. The records in Series 1, the
Ethnomusicology Doctoral Program, relate to the establishment of the Music
Department's advanced degree program in world music. The proposal drafts and notes,
created in large part by David McAllester, describe the program and its
requirements, including budget information. McAllester's proposal for an
anthropology department, dating to roughly the same period, is also included. The
meeting minutes, memoranda, correspondence, and grant proposals relate to the
creation of the ethnomusicology doctoral program. An NDEA fellowship application and
a report entitled Program for Advanced Studies in World Music are also included. The
Creative Arts Program documents contain information on the ethnic music component of
the music program.
Series 2, Photographs, comprises images and printed material relating to music
performances by members of the Wesleyan community or artists visiting the
university, circa 1947 to 1988. Approximately 400 print photographs--as well as
contact sheets, negatives, and slides--are included. The photographs are arranged in
two subseries: Faculty and Student Groups, and World Music Performers. The Faculty
and Student Groups subseries includes images of Music Department staff and student
music group members, either posed or during concerts. Photographs in the World Music
Performers subseries show visiting artists who specialized in African, Indian,
Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Native American music. Instruments shown include
the Indian been, kanjira, mrdangam, sarangi, sarod, sitar, tabla, tambura, and vina;
the Javanese gender and gamelan; and the Japanese koto, shakuhachi, and shamisen.
Photographs of ethnic dance performances and Javanese shadow plays are also
included. A third subseries, Printed Material, consists of biographies and resumes
of world music performers. A fourth subseries, Oversized Material, includes a
drawing of Professor Richard Winslow as well as programs and explanatory notes for
world music performances.
Series 3, Concert Programs, contains programs for musical performances held at
Wesleyan University. Performers include Wesleyan and non-Wesleyan musicians. A small
group of organ concerts is listed first, followed by concerts of all types in
chronological order. For a complete list of programs in this series, please see http://www.wesleyan.edu/library/schome/FAs/mu1000-182-3.xml
Materials in Series 4, Concert Correspondence Files; Series 5, Events Scrapbooks; and
Series 6, Programs and Records, have not been processed.
Online Catalog Headings
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online
catalogs.
Wesleyan University (Middletown,
Conn.)--Curricula.
Wesleyan University (Middletown,
Conn.)--Faculty.
Wesleyan University (Middletown,
Conn.)--History.
Wesleyan University (Middletown,
Conn.)--Music Dept.
Wesleyan University (Middletown,
Conn.)--Songs and music.
Wesleyan University (Middletown,
Conn.)--Students.
Wesleyan University (Middletown,
Conn.)--World Music Institute.
Wesleyan Glee Club.
McAllester, David P. (David Park),
1916-2006.
Music--Africa.
Music--India.
Music--Indonesia.
Music--Japan.
Music--Korea.
Photographs.
Scrapbooks.
Concerts--Connecticut--Middletown.
Programs (documents)
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1. Ethnomusicology Doctoral Program, circa 1960-1966
The Ethnomusicology Doctoral Program records relate to the establishment of
the Music Department's advanced degree program in world music. The proposal
drafts and notes, created in large part by David McAllester, describe the
program and its requirements, including budget information. McAllester's
proposal for an anthropology department, dating to roughly the same period,
is also included. The meeting minutes, memoranda, correspondence, and grant
proposals relate to the creation of the ethnomusicology doctoral program. An
NDEA fellowship application and a report entitled Program for Advanced
Studies in World Music are also included. The Creative Arts Program
documents contain information on the ethnic music component of the music
program.
1
1
Proposal drafts and notes, circa
1963-1966
2
Anthropology Department proposal, after 1960
3
Meeting minutes, 14 May 1964-21
October 1964
4
Memoranda, 24 April 1964-10 November
1965
5
Correspondence, 22 November 1963-9
December 1965
6
Creative Arts Program, 2 November
1964-20 December 1965
7
Grant proposals, 1965-1966
8
NDEA Fellowship application, May
1966
9
Program for Advanced Studies in World Music report, circa 1966
10
Press release, 1966
Series 2. Photographs, circa
1947-1988
The Photographs series comprises images and printed material relating to
music performances by members of the Wesleyan community or artists visiting
the university, circa 1947 to 1988. Approximately 400 print photographs--as
well as contact sheets, negatives, and slides--are included. The photographs
are arranged in two subseries: Faculty and Student Groups, and World Music
Performers. The Faculty and Student Groups subseries includes images of
Music Department staff and student music group members, either posed or
during concerts. Photographs in the World Music Performers subseries show
visiting artists who specialized in African, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, and Native American music. Instruments shown include the Indian
been, kanjira, mrdangam, sarangi, sarod, sitar, tabla, tambura, and vina;
the Javanese gender and gamelan; and the Japanese koto, shakuhachi, and
shamisen. Photographs of ethnic dance performances and Javanese shadow plays
are also included. A third subseries, Printed Material, consists of
biographies and resumes of world music performers. A fourth subseries,
Oversized Material, includes a drawing of Professor Richard Winslow as well
as programs and explanatory notes for world music performances.
Faculty and Student Groups
Folders are arranged alphabetically.
2
1
Joel Andrews? (harp), undated
2
B. Brown [Robert Brown], undated
3
The Cardinals, 1951-1958 and undated
4
Delta Tau Delta informal, undated
5
Glee Club concerts in church, 1965-1968 and
undated
6
Theodore C. Grame, November
1969
7
Sydney Griller and Jack O'Brien, undated
8
Instrumental Ensemble, undated
9
The Jibers, 1952-1959
10
Julliard String Quartet, undated
11
Memorial Chapel concerts, 1959-1988 and undated
12
Music Department, 1957-1961 and undated
13
Music section of the Humanities Laboratory,
undated
14
Olla Podrida,
undated
15
Ray Rendall, May 1958
and undated
16
Smith College/Wesleyan University Concert Choir, circa 1958-1963
17
String instruments, circa 1956 and undated
18
Unidentified group at airport, undated
19
Wesleyan Band, undated
20
Wesleyan Choral Society, 1955-1956
21
Wesleyan Chorus, 1956
22
Wesleyan Glee Club, 1947-1967 and undated
23
Wesleyan Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, 1956-1957 and
undated
24
Richard K. Winslow, 1957-1965 and undated
One drawing is located with Oversized Material in Box 6.
World Music Performers
Africa
Performers include Emmanuel Duodu, Christian Darkwa, and Abraham
Adzenyah.
3
1
African dance, circa
1972
2
African drumming, circa 1972 and undated
3
African wind instrument, undated
4
Emmanuel Duodu (dance)--West Africa, undated
India
5
Ravi Shankar, undated
6
Jon Higgins--South India, undated
7
Ranganathan (mrdangam), Jim Anderson, and Jon Higgins (tambura); unidentified performer (tambura), Bob Brown, Ranganathan--South India, circa 1968 and undated
8
Tewari (vocal), Srinivasan (tambura), and Zia Mohiuddin
Dagar (been)--North India, circa 1968 and undated
9
Raghu (mrdangam), Viswanathan (flute), Srinivasan
(tambura), and unidentified performer (violin)--South India,
undated
10
Viswanathan (flute)--India, undated
11
Ranganathan (mrdangam), Viswanathan (flute), Srinivasan
(tambura), and unidentified performers (kanjira and
violin)--South India, undated
12
Kalyanakrishna (vina) and Muthulakshmi (vina), circa
1968-1971 and undated
13
Nageswara Rao (vina), circa 1966 and undated
14
Krishna Sanyal (sitar), undated
15
S. Ramanathan (vina), undated
16
Ramnad V. Raghavan--South India, circa 1970 and
undated
17
L. Shamkar (violin)--South India, 1973 and
undated
18
Sharda Sahai (tabla) and Ram Chakravarty (sitar)--North
India, undated
19
Ram Narayan (sarangi), undated
20
Debu Chaudhuri (sitar) and Sitaram Sharma (tabla),
undated
21
Mahapurush Misra (tabla), 1966 and undated
22
Dagar (sarod)--North India, undated
23
Unidentified performer (violin)--South India,
undated
24
S. Subbulakshmi (singer), S. Radha (singer, singer’s daughter), T.K. Murthy (mrdangam), Vinayakaram (ghatam),
undated
25
K.V. Narayanaswamy (singer), Jon Higgins (singer), T. Viswanathan (flute), Hilaire Hiler (sruti box),
undated
26
T. Ranganathan (mrdangam), undated
27
Ravi Shankar (sitar), Allah Rahka (tabla),
undated
28
K.V. Narayanaswamy (singer), Palghat Raghu (mrdangam), V. Nagarajan (kanjira), Srinivasan (tambura),
undated
Indonesia
4
1
Oemartopo, undated
2
Suharto (dance), undated
3
Mrs. Suharti Soedarsono and Suharto, undated
4
Mrs. Suharti Soedarsono, undated
5
Robertus Soedarsono (dance)--Java, circa 1970 and
undated
6
Sumarsam and Urip Sri Maeny (dance), undated
7
Endo Swanda, undated
8
Prawotosaputro (gender)--Javanese gamelan, circa 1970
9
Javanese gamelan, undated
Japan
10
Hiroka Abiru and Hirochika Nakajima, circa 1970
11
Kansuke Kawase, circa
1971
12
Mrs. Ayano Ichimura (koto), Miss Momoyo Kishibe, and Mr.
Kansuke Kawase, undated
13
Mrs. Ayano Ichimura (koto and shamisen), circa 1971
14
Mr. Jodo Tanaka, circa 1972 and undated
15
Tanaka, Ichimura (shamisen), and Torii (koto), 1973
16
Namino Torii (shamisen and koto), circa 1966-1979 and
undated
17
Kazuyuki Takano (shamisen and koto), circa 1969 and
undated
18
Kodo Araki (shakuhachi), circa
1968
19
Student recital, 27 January
1971
20
Unidentified performers (flute), undated
21
Unidentified performer (koto), undated
Korea
5
1
Chae-Son Cho (flute), circa
1968
Native American
2
Douglas Mitchell (drum), undated (deceased December
1972)
Unidentified
3
Contact sheet, undated
4
Negatives, 12 October 1969 and undated
5
Photograph, undated
6
Photographs (guitar), undated
7
Slides, undated
Printed Material
Oversized printed material is located in Box 6.
8
World music performers' biographies and resumes, undated
Oversized Material
6
1
Drawing of Richard K. Winslow, undated
2
World music performance programs and explanatory notes,
1970-1971
Series 3. Concert Programs, 1863-[ongoing]
Series 3, Concert Programs, contains programs for musical performances
held at Wesleyan University. Performers include Wesleyan and non-Wesleyan
musicians. A small group of organ concerts is listed first, followed by
concerts of all types in chronological order. This collection is incomplete.
For a complete list of programs in this series, please see http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/schome/FAs/mu1000-182-3.xml
Organ Concerts
11886-1972
General Concerts
11863-1965
21966-June 1972
3August 1972-May 1980
4September 1980-May 1986
5September 1986-May 1993
6September 1993-July 1999
7September 1999-October 2005
Series 4. Concert Correspondence Files, 1935-1973
1 box (0.5 linear feet)
Series 5. Events Scrapbooks, 1944-1953 and
1958-1968
1 box (0.5 linear feet)
Series 6. Programs and Records
15 boxes (14.5 linear feet)