Bezanson, Philip, 1916-1975

This series is arranged topically, and the folders are filed alphabetically by topic, except for the inventory folder, filed first, and miscellaneous materials, filed last.

Includes clippings of newspaper articles about performances of Dr. Bezanson’s works and some correspondence relating to performances, publication or copyrights of his works. In a few cases, he drafted replies on the versos of incoming letters. In addition, there are programs and posters for musical performances which included one or another of Dr. Bezanson’s works, and material relating to several of his vocal works, most notably the opera Golden Child and its earlier version, Western Child in which he collaborated with the poet Paul Engle. These materials include several versions of the libretto and show some of the development of that text. Included also are an early synopsis of the opera’s plot, sketches of its melody lines, and schedules for its rehearsal prior to its television performance.

Two fragments of musical revisions, detached from unknown scores, and thirteen unlabeled music notebook sheets are in folder 20. Two oversized items are filed as the first two items’ in box 2.

Materials relating to the late Professor Howard M. Lebow, and the scholarship fund in his name, and to the second concert to benefit that fund, have been either removed to the Lebow and scholarship files of the Archives or destroyed.

Titles have been standardized as much as possible, favoring the cover page version, and are listed in alphabetical order.

The earliest of the 47 scores in this series dates from 1946, and most of the 37 scores for which there is an indication of the date were completed over the 25-year period from 1951 through 1975. The ten undated works appear to have been written between 1946 and 1956. One of the composer’s works, Saint Judas, is known to have been retained by the donor. Two lists of the composer’s works (see Series I, folder 7), one chronological and the other analytical and incomplete, vary somewhat in the titles given the works, and both often vary from the name given on the cover page of the score itself.

The series contains eleven works with vocal parts, including two operas. The lyrics for four of the works, including one of the operas, were provided by Paul Engle. Lyricists and sources of lyrics for vocal works are: the Bible (11), William Blake (8, 37), Paul Engle (20, 26, 28, 36; See also Series 1), Keith Gunderson (8), Robert Herrick (8), Joseph Langland (22), Abraham Lincoln (21), Christopher Marlowe (44), and William Reardon (38).

Although most of the scores are in the form of copies photoreproduced from holograph scores, there are nine holographs and three published scores in this series. Many scores include more or less extensive annotations, presumably those of the composer. Doubtless many of them were meant only to clarify or to emphasize musical points for the benefit of the performer or conductor, but there are a number of instances of changes in musical lines, and there are several instances of rather extensive revisions of music which were reproduced and pasted or attached by transparent tape over the text to be revised.

Citations show the most complete and standard name of the work, its date and performance time where found, and, for vocal works, the name of the lyricist; under each title the kinds of scores and instrumental parts or reductions and the number of copies of each part in the Papers are listed. There are some 389 copies of scores and parts in the collection, and additional photocopies of parts. Where appropriate, indications of the composer’s changes and annotations are noted. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts are reproduced from holograph scores.

Voice and instrumental parts for “Song of the Cedar” are in the Music library of the University of Iowa.