A
Brief History of The School of Music
The
First Sounds of Music
At
the turn of the twentieth century, the Glee Club sounded the first
musical notes on the USC campus, giving music its initial entrance
into the University’s heart and soul. Actually, it was commonplace
at many American colleges and universities during the early 1900s for
music to be a student activity with no official sponsorship. Fortunately
for the University, the talented Glee Club members were also instrumental
musicians, playing violin, piano, cornet, flute, cello, and drums.
Recognizing the musical interest and talent that existed on campus,
incoming President William Currell provided the first direct University
support for
music in 1914. By the 1921–1922 academic year, Maurice Matteson was serving
as music instructor and J. C. Lanham as the first band director. Music was
alive at the University of South Carolina and destined to play an increasingly
important role in the lives of future University students.
Getting Attention
Musical
interest had risen substantially by 1924 when Flinn Hall became the
home of the new Department of Music. During the summer session, music
education classes were added, and by the following year campus enrollment
in music studies had reached 147.
The school year 1926–1927 saw the initiation of credit for applied studies
in piano, voice, and violin. Organ study was added the next year and cello
the year after. Under the direction of Mr. Matteson, the Glee Club made several
out-of-state tours—to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago,
and Miami.
The Best and Worst of Times
Significant
changes occurred in 1929 with the hiring of Madame Felice de Horvath,
who had been teaching violin at Columbia College. After moving into
her studio, a remodeled carriage house adjacent to Flinn Hall, de Horvath
introduced an extensive course of violin study, including the first
on-campus "Teacher’s Training Course" comprised of both
classroom instruction and student teaching. The course was open, however,
only "to pupils over 20 years of age."
In 1929 Madame de Horvath also established the University Symphony
Orchestra, which was composed of both USC students and members of
her existing municipal
orchestra. During the first four years of its existence, the Orchestra presented
four concerts annually in the small University (Rutledge) Chapel. In 1933 the
group moved its concerts to Drayton Hall, the University’s new auditorium.
Unfortunately, the Great Depression put a damper on the Music Department’s
efforts and made a shambles of university funding. Faculty salaries were cut
60 percent in three years and the Music Department struggled, with the bulk
of faculty incomes coming from student lesson fees. In the midst of these troubled
times, Chairman Matteson resigned just before the beginning of the 1936–37
school year. It is interesting to note that the $970 annual salary the University
offered potential replacements for the position failed to attract suitable
candidates.
Forging Ahead
The
University was determined to reorganize and recover from the financial
devastation of the Depression. One of its most progressive thinkers
was its leader, President J. Rion McKissick, who began to examine ways
to improve the Music Department’s facilities, including the erection
of a new Fine Arts building. It was to be some sixty years, however,
before McKissick’s vision for new music facilities was fulfilled.
Eagerly looking toward the future were the three remaining music
faculty members: newly appointed Music Director Hugh Williamson,
his wife Evelyn Potter Williamson,
and Madame de Horvath. All three moved into the third floor of the Rutledge
College building above the chapel and began to rebuild the Department’s
course offerings. Requirements for a B.A. degree with a major in music were
established, organ studies were added in 1941 after an alumnus’ gift of
an instrument, and the piano pedagogy program was begun in 1945. That same
year the Music Department started an outreach program for nonmusic majors,
and "Music Appreciation" became a required subject for all School
of Education students. The BA in Education with a major in music soon followed.
Practice Makes Perfect
As
the Department of Music grew, its students had one major obstacle standing
in the way of musical perfection. They had no place to practice! Rutledge
College was out of the question when the chapel was in use, and no
other "official" practice rooms existed. Students had to
go to their rooms—the dormitories, that is. Needless to say, practicing
music in the dorm was not appreciated by all, and complaints were soon
clearly heard from all corners of the campus.
In response to the situation, USC President Norman M. Smith requested
in 1949 a report on the facility needs of the growing Music Department
and a "new" home
was found: Rowe House (now Lieber College), a former faculty residence on the
Horseshoe. Director Williamson described the facility as ". . . quite
spacious and charming. Of course, it is not suitable for music, but it gives
us five additional studios and seven practice rooms."
In 1960 the University purchased McMaster Elementary School (built in 1911)
to be used as a Fine Arts facility. That fall the music and art departments
moved in with band and practice rooms on the first floor, and studios, classrooms,
and a concert hall on the third floor.
A New Era Begins
In
1963 Hugh Williamson, having seen the Music Department move from virtual
extinction to nine full-time faculty, retired from administrative work,
thus paving the way for the appointment of Dr. Arthur Fraser as head.
During Dr. Fraser’s tenure (1963–1972), music-major enrollment
soared dramatically to 258. Concurrently, the faculty grew both in
numbers and in professionalism. In 1963 the Department initiated the
USC Chamber Music Series—today’s well-known Cornelia Freeman
September Concert Series—which continues to be among the most
popular events of the school year.
By 1965 the shortage of practice rooms and rehearsal space for large
ensembles was so serious that the band was being limited artificially
to 112 members.
To help alleviate this problem, a new rehearsal/performance hall was constructed
in 1970 to accommodate the Marching Band, Symphonic Band, University and Civic
Orchestras, and various scheduled music festivals. Appropriately, the hall
was named in honor of Arthur Fraser in recognition of his dynamic leadership.
The first graduate degree, the Master of Music Education (MME) was offered
in 1966. Master of Music degrees were added in 1971, with degrees
in composition, music theory, and piano pedagogy added in 1972. Doctoral
degrees (DMA and PhD) were added in 1982. Scholarships were
given a
high
priority,
enabling
the University to recruit first-rate music students from throughout the South.
Upon Dr. Fraser’s death in 1972, long-time faculty member Robert L. Van
Doren was named acting head of the Music Department.
In 1973, following a national search, Dr. William J. Moody became
head of the USC Department of Music. The following year Dr. Moody
proposed that the Department
of Music be elevated to the status of School of Music and that the Doctor of
Musical Arts degree be instituted. Change of status took place in 1983, and
one year later the School of Music accepted its first doctoral students. During
Dr. Moody’s tenure as Director (1973–1990), music-major enrollments
rose to over 400, the number of full-time music faculty increased from 20 to
39, and the School became a major center for music study in the Southeast.
Growth over the years had caused the Music Department to become scattered
across campus: McMaster College, Fraser Hall, Dorn East and Dorn
West (converted apartment
buildings), the basement of the ROTC building, warehouses, and other "interesting" locations
were housing at least part of the Department’s activities. A centralized
facility that would unify the School was desperately needed. Finally, in 1979—with
the legislature’s approval of funds for planning a new fine arts complex—came
the promise of a concert hall and a facility to house the entire music program.
Ten years later the Koger Center for the Arts, containing a 2,200 seat auditorium
and two large ensemble rehearsal rooms, was completed, providing first-rate
performance facilities for the School, the University, and the community.
Dreaming the Impossible Dream
With
the completion of the Koger Center, the School’s facilities committee
shifted into overdrive to campaign for a new home. Earmarked as one
of the top three University projects, in 1990 a new music building
was recommended for state funding. Kicking off the building campaign,
newly appointed Director Manuel Alvarez invited legislators to tour
existing music facilities to see the School’s needs firsthand.
Alvarez gained their support by emphasizing how a new music building
would serve not only 400-plus music majors and hundreds of nonmajors
but also thousands of citizens through provision of a place for statewide
music festivals, clinics, and auditions; student, faculty and guest
artist recitals; and numerous meetings and conferences. The Friends
of Music—a newly established support group dedicated to the ongoing
needs of the School of Music—were actively engaged in presenting
the needs of the School to political and community leaders.
In September 1991, the State Legislature approved a bond bill that included
funds for a new music building. With many hearts and hands working together,
construction of the new building began with a festive groundbreaking ceremony
held at the Koger Center on February 16, 1993.
In conjunction with the approaching completion of the new music building, the
School became in 1994 an independent academic unit within the University, and
Dr. Dorothy K. Payne was named its first dean. The extraordinary commitment
to quality music instruction evidenced by Hugh Williamson, Arthur Fraser, William
Moody, and Manny Alvarez continued unabated. In 2000, following the two-year
interim deanship of Dr. Alvarez, Jamal J. Rossi was named Dean of the School.
Today, the School of Music is housed in a state-of-the-art music complex that
provides facilities far beyond what could have been foreseen by President McKissick.
Nearly 500 music majors (340 undergraduate and 140 graduate students) and 1600
nonmusic majors are annually afforded an exceptional education by more than
50 faculty and staff. The quality of the USC School of Music is the direct
result of 100 years of dedicated effort by faculty, students, alumni, staff,
and supporters. Given its rich history and tradition, the School of Music is
truly poised for greatness as it enters its second century of service as a
center for educating musicians and music lovers alike.
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