12/9/129 Guide to the A Austin Harding Family Papers Harding, A. Austin

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236 Harding Band Building 1103 South 6th Street Champaign, IL, 61820-6223 URL: https://archives.library.illinois.edu/sousa/ Email: schwrtzs@illinois.edu Phone: 217-244-93093 Fax: 217-244-8695
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Guide to the A Austin Harding Family Papers 1892/1952 The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music Overview of the Collection A Austin Harding Family Papers 1892-1952 12/9/129 Harding, Albert Austin, 1880-1958 1.00 English The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
236 Harding Band Building 1103 South 6th Street Champaign, IL, 61820-6223 URL: https://archives.library.illinois.edu/sousa/ Email: schwrtzs@illinois.edu Phone: 217-244-93093 Fax: 217-244-8695
Biographical Information:

Albert Austin Harding was asked to direct the University of Illinois Band by the head of the School of Music in the spring of 1905 while he was still a senior in the College of Engineering. Harding accepted and was officially a member of the faculty in the fall of 1905. To Harding, the position was only a temporary arrangement, as his goal at the time was to become a municipal and sanitary engineer. After two years of conducting the band, Harding was officially appointed the first Director of Bands in 1907, a position he held until his retirement in 1948. With this appointment Illinois became the first university to create a distinct band department under a director of bands. Harding eventually went on to earn a full professorship in music, making him the first band director on an American campus to hold this rank.

Professor Harding expanded the traditional roles of bands at military ceremonies and sporting events and added a great emphasis on concert band music and transcriptions of symphonic and chamber pieces. The professionalism and musicianship of the University of Illinois Bands under Harding were legend and became the standard to which other colleges and universities aspired.

Harding enjoyed a very close personal and professional relationship with the legendary bandmaster, John Philip Sousa. In the 1920s Sousa dubbed the University of Illinois Band "the world's greatest college concert band." On March 20, 1930, the band performed a concert with Sousa as its guest conductor. At the concert, Sousa dedicated his "University of Illinois March" to the faculty, students, and alumni. Upon his death in 1932, Sousa left his vast library and treasured mementoes to the University of Illinois as a gesture of his high esteem for Harding and his band. The Sousa collection is now housed in the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music located in the Harding Band Building, named in honor of Albert Austin Harding and dedicated in 1958. In addition to Sousa, the University of Illinois Band had many other guest conductors while under Harding's direction. Among these were Edwin Franko Goldman, Henry Fillmore, Frank Simon, Harold Bachman, Guy Holmes, and Victor Grabel.

Harding was a charter member of the American Bandmasters Association and served as its president in 1937-38. In 1956, he was elected to succeed John Philip Sousa and Edwin Franko Goldman as Honorary Life President. Harding was honorary life president of the College Band Directors National Association. Harding was among the founding members of the Alpha Xi chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Mr. Harding died on December 3, 1958.

Access Terms

This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Topical Term: Band Musicians Bands
Administrative Information Acquisition Information:

Gift

Arrangement of Materials:

Items are arranged in alphabetical order by file type.

Scope and Contents

Consists of programs, correspondence, photographs, music repertoire lists, newsclippings, journals, and a copy of the original score of Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegels Merry Pranks" arranged by Godfrey with Sousa's signature that were found in Austin J. McDowell's home and belonged to A. Austin Harding. Of particular interest are the concert programs and brochures from the Festival of Contemporary Arts.

Detailed List of Contents id157283 1 1 Advertisement for Godard Music Folios ca. 1928 id157284 1 2 Jane Harding's Champaign High School handbook 1932 id157285 1 3 Margaret Harding, nee Rogers' chemistry manual undated id157286 1 4 Field book 1903-1904 id157287 1 5 Class notebook ca. 1905 id157288 1 6 Class notebooks ca. 1905 id157289 1 7 Blueprints undated id157290 1 8 Homecoming booklet 1948 id157291 1 9 Broadcasts 1935-1936 id157292 1 10 Broadcast programs 1944 id157293 1 11 University of Illinois School of Music brochure 1951 id157294 1 12 Correspondence 1910-1951 id157295 1 13 "A Line a Day" diary undated id157296 1 14 "A. A. Austin Harding March" from University of Illinois Champaign News-Gazette ca. 1931 id157297 1 15 Newspaper, "News of Former Illini Bandmen" ca. 1933 id157298 1 16 Lists of band performances 1892-1943 id157299 1 17 Photographs ca. 1941 id157300 1 18 Unidentified photograph and postcard ca. 1890-1915 id157302 2 1 Portfolio of blank administrative forms ca. 1930s id157303 2 2 Portfolio of blank administrative forms ca. 1930s id157304 2 3 Master portfolio of blank administrative forms ca. 1940s id157305 2 4 University of Illinois Concert Band programs 1915-1929 id157306 2 5 University of Illinois Concert Band programs 1930-1939 id157307 2 6 University of Illinois Concert Band programs 1940-1948 id157308 2 7 Festival programs 1929-1936 Scope and Contents

Includes programs and editions of the Scherzo from Interlochen.

id157309 2 8 Eighth Annual Clinic and Conference of Kansas Teachers and Supervisors of Music program 1939 id157310 2 9 Programs for Festival of Contemporary Arts 1951 id157311 2 10 University of Illinois Twenty-Fourth Annual Band Clinic program 1953 id157312 2 11 Sketch of Sousa's birthplace undated id157313 2 12 Repertoire lists 1914-1924 id157314 2 13 University of Illinois Concert Band commencement week repertoire list 1925 id157316 3 1 Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks (FS) undated Strauss, R.; Godfrey, Jr., Dan Scope and Contents

Sousa's signature is at the top of the page.

id157317 3 2 The Friday Noon 1930 id157318 3 3 Photograph of the National High School Orchestra, Music Educators National Conference 1938 id157319 3 4 Photograph of unknown band undated id157320 3 5 Poster, University of Illinois Bands Football Season 5 id230110 3 6 University of Illinois Football Band Roster 1947 id230111 3 7 Jane Austin Harding School Workbooks 1931-1932 id230112 3 8 Harding's Copy of The Illio 1912