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 The
Indiana University School of Music : A History by
George M. Logan
"How
did the foremost American school of music, a major world
cultural institution, come to be at a state university in
a provincial town, amid the cornfields of southern Indiana?"
Professor George Logan has not been alone in posing this
question, but his reply is unique: this magnificent volume.
This institutional biography, enlivened with anecdotes and
photographs, reveals modest beginnings indeed, when the
orchestra for the 1833 Commencement "was composed of
two flutes, one of them cracked." The major shift came
in 1919 with the arrival of Winfred Merrill, a dean who
was also a violinist, conductor, and composer--as well as
a seasoned administrator and teacher. He advertised for
students, and soon not even seven pianos could meet the
demand for practice instruments. Other visionary improvements
and expansions were implemented, and not without a fight.
The world's greatest performers were engaged to perform
in tremendously popular concert series beginning in the
1920s. Under Deans Sanders, Bain, and Webb, the push to
recruit the very best intensified--and succeeded. With scholarly
scruples, George Logan has resisted any temptation to give
a wine-and roses rendition of history, and tales of thorns
and vinegar get ample play as well. What emerges is the
epic of a glorious institution, a source of tremendous pride,
brought into being and sustained through genius, hard work,
and some strokes of incredibly good luck.(Amazon.com)
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