Finding Aid for Morgan Powell Music Manuscripts, 1956-2019 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: Morgan Powell Music Manuscripts, 1956-2019

ID: 12/5/41

Primary Creator: Powell, Morgan (1938-2023)

Extent: 16.35 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 in 2014. It is arranged in three subseries: Subseries 1 consists of sheet music, manuscripts, and scores; Subseries 2 consists of personal papers, including press releases, photographs, correspondence, concert programs, newspaper clippings, and posters; Subseries 3 consists of audio-visual and audio materials including recordings and digital photographs of Morgan Powell's collegiate jazz ensembles, the Tone Road Ramblers, the Boneyard Jazz Quintet, the Traditional Jazz Orchestra and other ensembles. Items 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

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.

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.

Compositions-Music
Instrumental music
Jazz
Music, School of
Music Composition

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.

Acquisition Source: Morgan Powell and the School of Music

Acquisition Method: Gift.