Music Department Records, 1899-2014

Title: Music Department Records, 1899-2014

Predominant Dates: 1927-1997

ID: RG 148

Primary Creator: Oregon State University. Department of Music

Extent: 10.45 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The records are arranged in 11 series: I. General Correspondence, 1938-1966; II. Scholarships, 1956-1989; III. Historical Sketch of OSU Music Department, 1871-1967, circa 1967; IV. Departmental Memos, 1966-1975; VI. Publications, 1908-2007; VII. Sound Recordings and Moving Images, circa 1947-2008; VIII. Scrapbooks, 1899-1961; IX. Programs and Special Events Records, 1948-2007; X. OSU Bands, 1927-1999; and XI. OSU-Corvallis Symphony, 1951-2006.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

The Music Department Records document music instruction at Oregon State as well as performances by Oregon State bands, choirs, and other musical groups as well as individual students, faculty, and guest artists. The Records include sound recordings in a variety of formats.

Items from this collection have been digitized and are available online.

The Music Department Records document music instruction at Oregon State as well as performances by Oregon State bands, choirs, and other musical groups and individual students, faculty, and guest artists. The records provide information about courses and degree requirements; facilities and equipment, especially instruments; scholarships; and faculty and staff. The bulk of the collection pertains to Oregon State bands, choirs, and other musical groups. These materials include programs, brochures, and posters; newspaper clippings; scrapbooks; newsletters; and sound recordings of performances, especially from the 1960s-1980s. The collection includes several recordings of the Oregon State alma mater and fight song. The sound recordings include 100 reel-to-reel audiotapes, 28 phonograph records, 13 CDs, and 4 cassette tapes. A video production on the history of choral groups and choral instruction at Oregon State is part of the collection.

An addition to the Music Department Records (Accession 2010:058) consists of three photographs and a ceramic sculpture documenting the OSU Symphonic Band's tour of Costa Rica (1995) and Taiwan (1987). Two of the images are group shots of the band members who went on the tours. They are posed with their instruments and in concert dress.The other photograph is a framed print of a Costa Rica rainforest landscape presented to University Bands Director James Douglass as a gift by the Escuela de Musica Sinfonica de Perez Zeledon. The sculpture is in the form of a horse in full riding gear given to Douglass from the Taiwan Minister of Education Huan Lee. It stands about 11 inches high and 10 inches in length.

A second addition to the Music Department Records (Accession 2011:043) consists of sound recordings, posters, flyers, informational brochures, and concert programs documenting performances by OSU Music Department choirs and bands and the Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra. There are also newspaper clippings featuring stories about these concerts and profiles of the musicians as well. The sound recordings are made up of two cds: "Cheer for the Beavers" contains a selection of popular songs performed by the OSU Marching Band and "Chinese American Friendship" documents the March 2011 concert tour of China by the OSU Chamber Choir.

A third addition to the Music Department Records (Accession 2013:011) consists of concert programs, flyers, posters, and cds documenting performances of Music Department choirs, choruses, bands, and ensembles. These materials also reflect events organized by the Corvallis-OSU Symphony, the Corvallis-OSU Piano International, and the "Music a la Carte" series. The three cds contain the following concerts: "Mad About Mahler-Symphony No. 2 Resurrection," a performance by the OSU Wind Ensemble at the 2012 CBDNA meeting, and "Postludes" by Jesse Jones as performed by the Jeffers-Carlson Duo. The summer 2011 issue of the OSU Bands newsletter was also part of this addition.

A fourth addition (Accession 2014:110) is made up of brochures, concert programs, flyers, posters, and cds documenting performances of Music Department choirs, choruses, bands, and ensembles. These materials also reflect events organized by the Corvallis-OSU Symphony, the Corvallis-OSU Piano International, and the "Music a la Carte" series. Other publications found in this transfer include items for the 2014 graduation of music students, a conference program for the 2014 Oregon Music Education Association meeting (hosted by OSU), and sheet music published by OSU alumnus Joshua Rist for the poem "Invictus." Two of the three cds contain performances by the OSU Meistersingers, dated 2012/13 and 2013/14 respectively, while the third is made up of recordings by the OSU Marching Band entitled "That's an Awfully Big Sound for a Band to Have!"

A fifth addition (Accession 2015:031) consists of materials generated by the Music Department that document various concerts organized by the department, fundraising, the dedication of renovated instructional spaces in Benton Hall, the Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra, department history, and publicity for OSU choirs and bands. In addition to event programs, this transfer is made up of brochures, cds, correspondence, photographs, and posters. Numbering about 400 photographs in total (300 prints and 100 negatives), the images depict department faculty in portrait shots, the dedication of the Walker Memorial Recital Hall, the dedication of the choral room, and an opera workshop. About half of these records are organized into biographical files on Music Dept. faculty and alumni. Other than portrait shots, these files contain cds, curriculum vitae, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and press releases. Among those represented in these files include: Tina Bull, Roosevelt Credit, Angela Carlson, David Eiseman, Gary Frame, German Gonzalez, Carol Robe, and Laura Zaerr. The two cds are sound recordings of a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony by the Music Department.

Items from this collection have been digitized and are available online.

Accruals: Additions to the collection are expected.

More Extent Information: including 1 DVD and 400 photographs; 21 boxes, including 6 oversize boxes; 1 microfilm reel

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions: Copyright, reproduction, and use restrictions may apply to some of the sound recordings.

Acquisition Note: Materials in the collection were received in numerous transfers and donations from 1968 through 2009.

Related Materials:

The Ted Mesang Collection (MSS Mesang) provides information about the OSU Bands under Mesang's direction from 1949 to 1967; the Robert B. Walls Collection (MSS Walls) consists of sound recordings of performances by Oregon State University choirs. The Special Collections and Archives Research Center holdings include several other collections documenting music activities at Oregon State, including the Corvallis-Oregon State University Music Association Records (MSS CorvallisMusicAssoc), Grace Gramms Scrapbook (MSS Gramms), Homer Maris Collection (MSS Maris), Catherine Perry Collection (MSS Perry), Lillian Jeffreys Petri Collection (MSS Petri), and Helen E. Plinkiewisch Papers (MSS Plinkiewisch).

The Oregon State University Bands Motion Picture Films and Videotapes (FV 104) consist of recordings of OSU Marching Band shows during the 1970s and 1980s. The OSU Memorabilia Collection (MSS MC) includes announcements and programs for Music Department events and posters for the OSU-Corvallis Symphony. Photographs of Music Department events and academic programs are part of the Music Department Photographs Collection (P 137), OSU Band Photographs (P 104), and Harriet's Photograph Collection (P HC).

Preferred Citation: Music Department Records (RG 148), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Other URL: A preliminary container list was created for this collection on or before November 19, 2015.

Oregon State University. Department of Music
Carlson, Marlan
Douglass, James
Mesang, Ted (1902?-1967)
Oregon State College. Department of Music
Walls, Robert B.

Marching bands--Oregon--Corvallis.
Music--Instruction and study--Oregon.
Music in universities and colleges--Oregon--Corvallis.
Oregon State College--Bands.
Oregon State College--Choral organizations.
Oregon State College. Department of Music
Oregon State University--Bands.
Oregon State University--Choral organizations.
Oregon State University--Funds and scholarships.
Oregon State University. Department of Music
Students' songs--Oregon--Corvallis.

Audiocassettes.
Audiotapes.
Born digital.
Compact discs.
DVDs.
Phonograph records.