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By Emily Schneider, Mary Regan, Nolan Vallier, and Hannah Jellen
Collection Overview
Title: Morgan Powell Music Manuscripts, 1956-2019
ID: 12/5/41
Primary Creator: Powell, Morgan (1938-2023)
Extent: 18.35 cubic feet
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in two series. Series 1 consists of scores and manuscripts acquired in 1995 from the Music Library. Series 2 consists of materials acquired from Morgan Powell and his estate from 2014 and later. Series 2 is arranged in three 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: Compositions-Music, Instrumental music, Jazz, Music, School of, Music Composition
Formats/Genres: Sheet music
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The collection consists of thirty-six boxes of material. Series 1 consists of original compositions and arrangements for large and small jazz ensemble, small chamber ensemble, chamber ensemble and dancers, and vocal ensemble. Many of the musical works were either composed or arranged for the University of Illinois Jazz Band. Of particular interest are Powell's "Ray's in the Window: Gaman" (1985) and "Red White and Black Blues" (1992) that were composed for the Cleveland Chamber Symphony and "Dreams: Music for Dance" (1983) that was commissioned by One Plus One. Series 2 includes additional original compositions by Morgan Powell including "The Waterclown" (2000) and "The Common Root of All Organisms" (2003). It also includes photographs of Morgan Powell and his ensembles, correspondence, and posters regarding the Traditional Jazz Orchestra, the Boneyard Jazz Quintet, the Tone Road Ramblers, and the North Texas State University jazz ensembles. The audio-visual and audio recordings include dubs of LPs, recordings of concerts with Morgan Powell's ensembles, and recordings of his own original compositions. This collection also includes materials regarding John Garvey, the University of Illinois jazz ensembles, and Medicare 7 8 or 9.
See also record series number 35/3/68.
Biographical Note
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.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
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.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Materials received from the Music Library, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1958-1990],
[
Series 2: Materials received from Morgan Powell, 1956-2014],
[
All]
- Series 1: Materials received from the Music Library, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1958-1990
- Consists of published scores and ozalid copies of scores received from MPAL. Materials are arranged alphabetically by score title.
- Box 1
- Folder 1: All Gone, 1991
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Beatitudes for RAY and Bird Merchant, 1991, 1969
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 2
- Folder 1: Carmine Moray: A Nasty Blues Chorus Line, Charts from Gene Hall, 1960
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Charts of Arrangements, undated
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 3: Cloudy, for jazz ensemble, 1958
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 3
- Folder 1: Duet II, 1982
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Folder contains:Transparency Copy and Ozalid Copies 14" by 22".
- Folder 2: Fine Tuning, for trumpet and clarinet, 1981
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 4
- Folder 1: Dickel Seven and Dreams: Music for Dance, 1983
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Duet II, 1982
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Folder contains: Ozalid Copy 12" by 17" and Ozalid Copy 11" by 17".
- Folder 3: Duet III, 1984
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 5
- Folder 1: Duet V, for bass trombone, flute, trumpet, clarinet
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Elegy for Winds, 1961-62
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 3: Fulminating Fomentation of Fermenting Fermati, for the Tone Road Ramblers, 1992-1993
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 6
- Folder 1: Five Pieces for String Quartet, 1962
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Greetings Dawn, 1958
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 3: A Jazz Service, 1970
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Complete mass for jazz band.
- Folder 4: Lament for Olton, for Jazz Ensemble, 1980
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 7
- Folder 1: Inacabado through LKP, 1960-1974
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Folder includes: Inacabado, for trombone unaccompanied, 1974; Interlude I, Duet for Trombone (bass) and flutes, undated; Interlude II, for flute, clarinet, trumpet, cello, and piano, undated; Introduction and Allegro for trumpet, horn, and trombone, 1960; and LKP, 1963.
- Folder 2: Loneliness, for violin, harp, trombone, tuba and chorus, 1969
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 8
- Folder 1: Music for Brass Quintet and Percussion, 1971
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Music for Brass Quintet and Percussion, version 1, 1971
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Secondary Title: Darkness II.
- Box 9
- Folder 1: Music for Brass Quintet and Percussion, version 2, 1970
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Music for Jazz Ensemble: Three Pieces for Jazz Ensemble, undated
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Folder contains: Movement 2: Naej and Movement 3: Odomtn. See Box 10, Folder 3 for Movement 1.
- Folder 3: Music for Voices and Instruments, ozalid copy, 1968
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 10
- Folder 1: Midnight Realities, for solo tuba, 1972
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Music for Brass Quintet no. 2, 1973
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 3: Music for Jazz Ensemble: Three Pieces for Jazz Ensemble, 1967
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Folder Contains: Movement 1: Sirhmrej. See Box 9 Folder 2 for Movements 2 and 3.
- Folder 4: Music for Jazz Ensemble, version 2, undated
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Folder Contains: Movement 1: Sirhmrej, Movement 2: Odomtn, and Movement 3: Naej.
- Box 11
- Folder 1: Music for Jazz Band and Orchestra, 1974
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Music for Voices and Instruments, 1968
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Transparency Copy - version 2, 11" x 17". Does not contain instructions or comments.
- Folder 3: Music for Jazz Ensemble: Three Pieces for Jazz Ensemble
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Folder contains: Sirhmrej.
- Box 12
- Folder 1: Music for Voices and Instruments, 1968
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Folder contains: Transparency copy - version 1, 17" x 12.5" with 8 pages of instructions and comments; Ozalid copy of version 1 (12 copies); and Ozalid copy of version 2, 25" by 17.5", pasted on cardboard.
- Box 13
- Folder 1: Music for Voices and Instruments, 1968
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Folder contains: Ozalid Copy of version 2 with instructions and comments (3 copies); Ozalid copy of version 2 without instructions; Ozalid copy of version 2 with instructions.
- Box 14
- Folder 1: Music for Voices and Instruments, 1966
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Photocopy of version 2 without instructions (4 copies).
- Folder 2: Old Man, for voices and instruments (FS), 1968
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 3: Ray's in the Window: GAMAN (FS), 1985
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 4: Ray's in the Window: GAMAN (P), 1985
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 15
- Folder 1: Ray's in the Window: GAMAN (P), 1985
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: Red, White, and Black Blues , 1992
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 3: Steppin' on the Gas, 1987
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 16
- Folder 1: Bass Solo, for trumpet, alto-tenor-baritone saxophones, trombone, bass, and piano, 1961
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 2: My Child, for trumpet, clarinet, flute, alto sax, oboe, trombone, bass, and piano, 1961-62
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 3: Old Man, for voices and instruments (P, Sketches), 1968
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 4: Piece for Violin and Piano and Piece for Woodwind Trio, 1959, 1960
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 5: Short piece for Tuba and Euphonium, 1974
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 6: Structure for Improvisation, 1960
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 7: Suite for Three, 1958
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 8: Suite Changes, undated
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 9: Untitled Composition for jazz band, 1959
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 10: Warm Up, for jazz quintet, 1981
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Box 17
- Folder 1: Music for Voices and Instruments, 1968
- Composer: Morgan Powell. Ozalid copy of version 2 with instructions and comments.
- Folder 2: Theme and Variations, for trombone and piano, 1959
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 3: Three Poems by Paul Zelanski, 1968
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 4: Windows, for brass quintet, 1977-1985
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 5: The Young-old Faces, 1972
- Composer: Morgan Powell
- Folder 6: Zelanski Medley, 1972
- Composer: Morgan Powell
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Materials received from the Music Library, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1958-1990],
[
Series 2: Materials received from Morgan Powell, 1956-2014],
[
All]
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