20 items

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  Frederick Alexander Memorial Organ Dedicatory Recital, 1961
  In his will, longtime Michigan State Normal College music professor left $85,000 to Eastern Michigan University for the purpose of installing a pipe organ in Pease Auditorium. This recording captures the inaugural recital of that organ after its completion. Also in his will, Alexander requested specific musicians and pieces of music to be performed at this recital. All of his wishes were honored, and here several pieces of music are performed by former Alexander student Russell Gee of Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Pieces of music performed include: Basse et Dessus de Trompette by Louis-Nicolas Clerambault; Prelude, Fugue and Chaconne by Detrich Buxtehude; Chorale Preludes by Johannes Brahams; and Ronde Francaise by Leon Boellman.
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  Harlous Wilson, "Hills of Home," by Oscar Fox, 1954
  The University of Michigan Studio Sampler was a television show spotlighting various local talents, and aired from the University of Michigan campus. The show was written by Don Hall and Bill Rabe, presented by the UoM Department of Speech and PAD T.V. In this clip from the show, Michigan State Normal College senior and baritone vocalist Harous Wilson performs “Hills of Home,” by Oscar Fox.
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  Michigan State Normal College Brass Ensemble, Wagner’s “King’s Prayer,” 1949
  During a musical interlude in the dedication of Pierce Hall at the Michigan State Normal College, the MSNC plays Richard Wagner’s “King’s Prayer,” from the opera Lohengrin.
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  Michigan State Normal College Choral Ensemble, "Faiths of Our Fathers," 1949
  Michigan State Normal College Alum John S. Elwell leads the MSNC Choir and present spectators in the singing of “Faiths of Our Fathers,” at the Centennial Celebration of Michigan State Normal College.
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  Michigan State Normal College Choral Ensemble, 1940
  During the dedication ceremony for the Frederick Alexander Memorial Organ, Music Director Haydn Morgan played a recording of the Michigan State Normal College Choir, circa. 1940. The playing of the vinyl record was part of a tribute to the abilities and musical and teaching talent of Alexander, who led the MSNC Music Department 1909-1941. The choral selection is approximately fifteen minutes in length, though no title was given.
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  Robert Bly, Poetry Reading, 1963
  Robert Bly (born December 23, 1926) is an American poet, essayist, activist, and leader of the mythopoetic men's movement. His most commercially successful book to date was Iron John: A Book About Men (1990), a key text of the mythopoetic men's movement, which spent 62 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. He won the 1968 National Book Award for Poetry for his book The Light Around the Body. Bly visited the campus of Eastern Michigan University in November of 1963 and delivered this poetry reading, in which he explains the construction of his poems, and compares himself to other notable poets of his day. Bly also quotes what he considers to be some of the worst opening lines in literature, and details what he considers to be the restrictions of iambic pentameter.
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  Sally Donegal, "One Fine Day," from Madame Butterfly, 1954
  The University of Michigan Studio Sampler was a television show spotlighting various local talents, and aired from the University of Michigan campus. The show was written by Don Hall and Bill Rabe, presented by the UoM Department of Speech and PAD T.V. This clip from Studio Sampler features Michigan State Normal College senior and soprano vocalist Sally Donegal, as she performs One Fine Day from Madame Butterfly.
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  William Stafford, Poetry Reading, 1964
  William Edgar Stafford (January 17, 1914 – August 28, 1993) was an American poet and pacifist, and the father of poet and essayist Kim Stafford. He was appointed the twentieth Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1970. In this audio recording from Eastern Michigan University’s visiting authors series, Stafford speaks about his creative process, the mechanics of his poetry, and reads several selections from his vast body of work.