Holdings Fine Arts and Applied Arts School of Music Morgan Powell Music Manuscr... Finding Aid Holdings Fine Arts and Applied Arts School of Music Morgan Powell Music Manuscr... Finding Aid By Emily Schneider, Mary Regan, Nolan Vallier, and Hannah Jellen
Title: Morgan Powell Music Manuscripts, 1956-2019
ID: 12/5/41
Primary Creator: Powell, Morgan (1938-2023)
Extent: 22.1 cubic feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in two series.
Series 1) Materials Received from the Music Library, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign consists of scores and manuscripts acquired in 1995 from the Music and Performing Arts Library. Materials are arranged alphabetically by score title.
Series 2) Materials Received from Morgan Powell consists of materials acquired from Morgan Powell and his estate from 2014 and later. Series 2 is arranged in four subseries: Subseries 1) Sheet Music, Subseries 2) Personal Papers, Subseries 3) Audio and Audio Visual Recordings, and Subseries 4) Nature's Table Audio Recordings. Materials in Series 2, Subseries 1-3 are arranged in alphabetical order and chronological order thereunder by content received. Series 2, Sub-series 4 is arranged chronologically according to the original order of the materials.
Date Acquired: 10/10/1994. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), Brass Instruments, Composers, Compositions-Music, Faculty, Faculty Papers, Gaburo, Kenneth (1926-1993), Graphic Notation--Music, Illinois Arts Council, Instrumental music, Jazz, Martirano, Salvatore (1927-1995), Music, School of, Music Composition, Nature's Table Restaurant, Powell, Morgan, Pulitzer Prizes
Formats/Genres: Experimental Music, Sheet music
Languages: English
Consists of original compositions and arrangements for large and small jazz ensemble, small chamber ensemble, chamber ensemble and dancers, and vocal ensemble; photographs, correspondence, and posters of Morgan Powell his ensembles, including the Traditional Jazz Orchestra, the Boneyard Jazz Quintet, the Tone Road Ramblers, and the North Texas State University jazz ensembles; and audio recordings, documenting the career of Morgan Powell, jazz trombonist and faculty member at the University of Illinois from 1966 to 1994. Of particular interest are Powell's original compositions "Ray's in the Window: Gaman" (1985) and "Red White and Black Blues" (1992), which were both composed for the Cleveland Chamber Symphony; "The Waterclown" (2000) and "The Common Root of All Organisms" (2003); and "Dreams: Music for Dance" (1983), which was commissioned by One Plus One.
Morgan Powell (1938-2023), born in West Texas, was a composer and jazz trombonist whose works are performed internationally. Powell's primary compositional interests were in the areas of instrumental and vocal music. During his life, he explored the rich and complex components of improvisation and the spirit and elements of jazz, together with "New Music" compositional concepts, techniques and notation.
Among the awards Powell received were three National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships; a Fromm Scholarship; two appointments (1972-1973 and 1991-1992) as Associate to the Center for Advanced Study - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Grants from the Research Board UIUC (1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2004) an American Music Center Grant (1992); Illinois Arts Council (1987, 1996 Finalist, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006); numerous Meet the Composer Awards; ASCAP Awards, 1976, yearly to present; two MacDowell Colony, ten Ragdale Foundation, and one UCross Foundation artists residencies; and selection by The International Rostrum of Composers - 1988, Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for "The Waterclown."
Powell's compositions were published by G. Schirmer, Inc., Lingua Press, Smith Publications, Brass Music Limited, Media Press, Brixton Publications and TUBA Manuscript; and are recorded on Crystal Records Company, University Brass Recording Series, Advance, Century, Opus One, GM, TR2, Einstein Records, Chicago Lakeside Jazz, TNC and New World Records. His numerous commissions include Spoleto Festival, USA; Cleveland Chamber Symphony; and Concert Artist Guild.
Powell's primary composition teachers were Samuel Adler, Kenneth Gaburo, Ed Summerlin and Sal Martirano; he taught at The Stan Kenton Clinics, 1960-1964, North Texas University, 1961-1963, Berklee School of Music, Boston, 1963-1964, and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1966-1994 and was chairman of UIUC composition/theory division 1978-1983.
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)
Brass Instruments
Composers
Compositions-Music
Faculty
Faculty Papers
Gaburo, Kenneth (1926-1993)
Graphic Notation--Music
Illinois Arts Council
Instrumental music
Jazz
Martirano, Salvatore (1927-1995)
Music, School of
Music Composition
Nature's Table Restaurant
Powell, Morgan
Pulitzer Prizes
Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Accruals: Materials first received from the Library of the School of Music at the University of Illinois, October 10, 1994. Additional materials received from Morgan Powell March 28, May 9, and June 5, 2014. Audio recordings from Nature's Table were received from Morgan Powell through Jeff Machota on February 13, 2015. Additional materials were received from Patricia Hruby Powell January 15, 2024. A set of master audio recordings were received from Patricia Hruby Powell on September 8, 2024. Additional manuscript scores, concert programs, posters, degrees, and master audio tapes were received from Patricia Hruby Powell November 18, 2024.
Acquisition Source: Morgan Powell and the School of Music
Acquisition Method: Gift.
Related Materials: See also record series number 35/3/68.
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