A history of the music department at Emory College/University, 1836-2010

• Main Author: Starnes-Vincent, Carolyn Ann
• Language: en_US
• Published: Boston University 2015
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/2144/11056

Thesis (D.M.A.)--Boston University === Emory University has a well-established music department with a long and important history, which was not documented until the present research. The history is also interwoven with the history ofthe establishment of the college. On December 10, 1836 the Georgia General Assembly granted the Georgia Methodist Conference a charter to Emory College. The school re-located to the suburban area of Atlanta known as Druid Hills in DeKalb County and was re-chartered as Emory University in 1915. Emory University's reputation rests on the fame of its medical school; however, since the 1800s, music has had an important role in the life ofthe college and university community. It holds a rich heritage, which continues to be shared around the world. The research is an historical study of the Emory University Music Department, 1836- 2010. It focuses on the founding of the music curriculum prior to the actual organization ofthe department, the circumstances under which the department was developed, the historical role music has played at Emory over the course of one hundred seventy-four years, how the music curriculum has evolved as the university has grown, and the influential individuals in the Emory University music department. The study will describe both past and current music curricula, including the implementation of the baccalaureate and master's degree programs in music and sacred music. Music class offerings, as well as the development of degree requirements, will be documented through information obtained in college and course catalogues from 1927 to 2010. Catalogues published prior to 1927 will be reviewed for music course offerings, and it will be determined whether these were credit or non-credit courses. The study is historical in nature, utilizing primary sources found in the archives at the Emory at Oxford campus and Emory University. The primary sources will include individual documents such as personal letters, scrapbooks, photographs, flyers, yearbooks, newspaper clippings, programs, and recordings. Oral history sources will include interviews with faculty and students, both past and present. Recorded interviews will be completed through audio and electronic mail methods. Secondary sources will include books, Emory alumni newsletters/magazines, and electronic information describing music programs and events at Emory College/University. These procedures will illustrate the historic role of music at Emory College/University, Emory's affiliation with the Methodist/United Methodist Church, and the music department's correlation with music education.