University Bands Collection, circa 1840-2021 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Arranged in eleven series:

Series 1) Instruments, ca. 1810-1950 consists of instruments purchased by University Bands. These instruments were available for use by students and many have been assigned inventory numbers, were stamped, or were given a university property sticker. These materials are unarranged.

Series 2) Photographs, ca. 1890-2011 consists of photographs, copy prints, and negatives. Materials are arranged by ensemble and chronologically therein.

Series 3) Uniforms, ca. 1920-2021 consists of marching uniforms, jackets, pants, hats, pins, ties, and Chief Illiniwek outfits. Materials are unarranged.

Series 4) Ephemera, ca. 1912-2024 consists of posters, correspondence, programs, sound recordings, alumni newsletters, magazines, awards, and commemorative Cheez-It box. Materials are unarranged.

Series 5) Music, ca. 1901-1975, consists of published and unpublished sheet music that were included in the University of Illinois Band Library. Materials received after 2022 are arranged alphabetically by title, prior to 2022, materials were unarranged.

Series 6) Pressbooks, 1935-1975, consists of three oversized pressbooks, containing newspaper reviews and clippings about the band. Materials are arranged chronologically.

Series 7) University of Illinois Band 16mm Films, 1932-1985 consists of 16mm film reels of the University Bands. Materials are arranged chronologically.

Series 8) Bound Concert Programs, 1906-1985 consists of 12 bound books of concert programs. Materials are arranged chronologically. NOTE: these materials are located in the Sousa Reference Collection.

Series 9) University of Illinois Band Videocassettes and Sound Recordings, 1979-2002 includes tape cassettes, CDs, beta tapes, cassette tapes, U-Matic, VHS, DVDs, and BetaCam tapes. Materials are arranged chronologically.

Series 10) Administrative Records, 1906-2010, includes band conference and clinic programs, festival adjudications, Illinois commencement programs and band concerts, Marching Illini programs, ISYM programs, and WILL Radio broadcasts that were managed by the Assistant Directors of Bands between 1956 and 1974, including Eldon Oyen who joined the University Bands staff in 1969. Materials are arranged chronologically and starting with the 2024 accession alphabetically by subject.

and Series 11) Direct Cut Discs, 1937-1956 includes alumninum and acetate direct cut 12" and 14" Discs. Materials are unarranged.

The University of Illinois Military Band was established in 1870 for the purpose of providing music for functions within the military department of the Illinois Industrial University. From 1868 to 1894, the band was administered by student leaders and from 1895 to 1904 was led by various university faculty members. From 1905-1907, the band was led by Albert Austin Harding, who was an undergraduate in engineering.

In 1907, Harding was named the first director of bands, serving in this role for over forty years (1907-1948) and leading the band to a position of national prominence. Under Harding, the University of Illinois band became the first band to perform at a collegiate baseball game (1906) and a collegiate football game (1907); one of the few collegiate bands to receive a march written by John Philip Sousa (1929); and a laboratory ensemble for many of Harding's mentees, which included William D. Revelli, Frederick Fennell, Clarence Sawhill, Ray Dvorak, and Glen Cliffe Bainum. In 1929, Harding became one of the founding members of the American Bandmasters Association.

In 1932, upon the death of John Philip Sousa, Sousa left his vast library of sheet music and original manuscripts in the care of the University of Illinois Band. In 1955, the Band Department had grown so large that they required a new building to be constructed. In 1958 the Harding Band Building was completed, becoming the first permanent building specifically constructed for a collegiate band program in the country.

Subsequent directors of the Band Department include: Mark H. Hindsley (1948-1970), Harry Begian (1970-1984), James F. Keene (1985-2008), Abel Saldivar Ramirez (2008-2009), Robert Rumbelow (2009-2014), Linda Moorhouse (2014-2015), Stephen Peterson (2015-2022), and Kevin Geraldi (2022- ). The University Band Department also saw the rise of several important assistant directors and directors of the Marching Illini, including: Ray Dvorak, Glen Cliffe Bainum, Clarence Sawhill, Everett Kisinger, Guy Duker, Eldon Oyen, Harvey Herman, Gary E. Smith, Ken Steinsultz, Peter Griffin, Tom Cavena, Roby George, Barry Houser, Jesse Leyva, Elizabeth Peterson, and Kimberly Fleming.

The Band Department is currently a unit of the University of Illinois School of Music, which is in turn a unit of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Ensembles under the administration of the Band Department include the UI Wind Symphony, two symphonic bands, three concert bands, a British Brass Band, Clarinet Choir, the UI Basketball Band, the Orange & Blues and the Marching Illini.

University of Illinois Bands History, online at: https://www.bands.illinois.edu/history.

Nolan Vallier, "Passing the Baton," Sonorities Magazine 2023: 23-25.