The Gordon Myers music and personal papers, 1919–2006 An inventory of holdings at the American Music Research Center American Music Research Center, University of Colorado at Boulder The Gordon Myers music and personal papers, 1919–2006 Descriptive summary Title Gordon Myers music and personal papers Date(s) 1919–2006 ID COU-AMRC-69 Creator(s) Myers, Gordon Repository The American Music Research Center University of Colorado at Boulder 288 UCB Boulder, CO 80309 Location Housed in the American Music Research Center Physical Description 12 cu. Feet (27 boxes) Scope and Contents Papers of Gordon Myers (1919–2006), composer, musicologist, humorist, professor of music at Columbia College (1965–68) and Trenton State College (1968–85), member of New York Pro Musica, including published and unpublished music manuscripts; correspondence; scrapbooks; programs; and audio and video recordings of Myers' compositions and performances. Includes the score and parts to God's Trombones, his dissertation (ED D.) from Columbia University. Administrative Information Arrangement The collection's arrangement and description are, in most cases, the creator's Access The collection is open for research. Publication Rights All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the American Music Research Center. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Gordon Myers music and personal papers, University of Colorado, Boulder - Page 2 - The Gordon Myers music and personal papers, 1919–2006 Index Terms Access points related to this collection: Personal names Myers, Gordon--Archives Myers, Gordon Corporate names New York Pro Musica American Music Research Center Subject headings Humorous music Historical information Gordon Myers was born May 9, 1919, on Jackson Township’s Eastlane farm, Bremer County, Iowa, to Logan Clifton Myers and Ruth Iowa Jones Myers. He graduated from Finchford Consolidated High School in 1937 and won a scholarship in singing and graduated from Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, in 1941. In the fall of 1941, he won a fellowship in singing at the Juilliard Graduate School, New York City, NY. Study was interrupted when he enlisted in the U.S. Army, August, 1942. As a soldier, he was chosen by Frank Loesser to premiere his The Ballad of Rodger Young, on the NBC’s The Army Hour, March 25, 1945. Myers earned his Master’s degree from Teacher’s College, Columbia University in 1948. He was the featured singer, program director, and Vice President of WGHF-FM (10 East 40th Street) in New York City from 1948 to 1955. He continued his studies, sang concerts, oratorio, composed and directed a Community Chorus. He sang with the Margaret Dodd Singers, the Randolph Singers. In addition, from 1957 to 1963 he also recorded and toured England, Europe and the United States with the New York Pro Musica. Myers earned his doctors degree (ED.D.) from Teacher’s College, Columbia University in 1965. His Doctoral thesis was a 90-minute choral work, God’s Trombones by James Weldon Johnson, which was published in 1966 by Eastlane Music Corporation with the help of a $1,000 grant from BMI. The copyright to God’s Trombones was transferred to Paraclete Press in 1994 when it was recorded on CD by Gloriae Dei Cantores. The full score with parts for brass was published by Paraclete Press in 1996. He was Chairman of the Music Department, Columbia College, Columbia, South Carolina, from 1965 to 1968. He then moved to Trenton State College, Trenton , New Jersey, in 1968 and retired as full professor of music in 1985. - Page 3 - The Gordon Myers music and personal papers, 1919–2006 He received two Rockefeller Foundation Grants for the summers of 1969 and 1970 to research for today’s performance of American vocal music published and performed before 1800. His “Yankee Doodle Fought Here,” the story of New Jersey in the American Revolution, drew $60,000 in grant monies to tour his Trenton State College Singers one day a week for three years and they performed it 226 times before more than 84,000 school children in New Jersey, 1974-1977. He sang faculty recitals for every year he taught in colleges and invented The Art of Belly Canto, a repertoire of humorous songs that came to be known nation-wide. The Art of Belly Canto songs and Myers autobiography, I Sing – Therefore, I Am are published by Leyerle Publications, 1989 to 1998. Gordon Myers died at home, October 7, 2006. - Page 4 - The Gordon Myers music and personal papers, 1919–2006 Detailed Description Compositions Published compositions by Myers Box Folder 1 1 Music by Gordon Myers: opp. 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 1 2 Music by Gordon Myers: opp. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 1 3 Songs — Abingdon Press While Shepherds Watch'd Their Flocks By Night Let Us Break Bread Together (Solo arr.) Let Us Break Bread Together (SATBB) When Jesus Wept 1 4 Songs — Bourne Inc. The Love of Spike Malone Two With God 1 5 Songs — Carl Fischer, Inc. Road Signs Cradled in a Manger 1 6 Songs (Humorous) — Eastlane Music Corp See also: CD 28 Mini-Song Cycle Crows and Other People Wedding Song (Not To Be Sung In Church) 1 7 Songs (Sacred) — Eastlane Music Corp The Lord's Prayer Thanksgiving Prayer of St. Francis Six Songs of Early Americans Except the Lord Build The House Beloved, Let Us Love One Another 1 8 God's Trombones — Eastlane Music Corp 1 9 Songs (Children) — Holt, Reinhart & Winston See also: Cassette 43 1 10 Do You Sing, Mr. Twain? — Leyerle Publications 1 11 In Pursuit of Happiness — Leyerle Publications 1 12 Poor Richard Says — Leyerle Publications 1 13 They Said… A Modern Song Sickle Cutting Through the Quotes of Time (Vol. 1) — Leyerle Publications 1 14 They Said… A Modern Song Sickle Cutting Through the Quotes of Time (Vol. 2) — Leyerle Publications 1 15 God's Trombones — Scrapbook: Introduction 1 16 God's Trombones — Scrapbook: 1-4 1 17 God's Trombones — Scrapbook: 5 (Myers Dissertation) - Page 5 - The Gordon Myers music and personal papers, 1919–2006 1 18 God's Trombones — Scrapbook: 6-10 1 19 God's Trombones — Scrapbook: 11-15 2 1 God's Trombones — Scrapbook:16-24 2 2 God's Trombones — Scrapbook:25-32 2 3 God's Trombones — Scrapbook: 33 2 4 God's Trombones — Source material See also: CDs 29-32 2 5 God's Trombones — Full Score and parts 22 1 God's Trombones—Pencil master, Chorus parts 22 2 God's Trombones—Piano Vocal Score 22 3 God's Trombones—Orchestra Score, mvts II, III, IV 22 4 God's Trombones—Brass parts (Set II), lacking Trombone II, III 22 5 God's Trombones—Brass parts (Set III) 22 6 Know the Love of God, 1956 (Apr. 22) 22 7 The Lord Is My Shepherd, 1954 (Oct.) 22 8 The Prince of Peace—Piano Vocal Score (onion skins) 22 9 The Prince of Peace—Piano Vocal Score 22 10 There is no Love of Such Virtue 22 11 Three Shakespeare Plays for A Capella Voices 25 1 God's Trombones—Brass Quintet Version; Pencil Masters (sets 1-4) 25 2 God's Trombones—Brass Quintet Version; Pencil Masters (sets 5-8) 25 3 God's Trombones—Brass Quintet Version; Onion skins 25 4 God's Trombones—Full Orchestra Score; Onion skins 25 5 God's Trombones—Chorus parts 26 1 God's Trombones—Full score 26 2 God's Trombones—Score for Brass Quintet 26 3 God's Trombones—Score for Brass Quintet; Copy 2 26 4 God's Trombones—Score for Brass Quintet; Copy 3 26 5 The Prince of Peace—Copyist's manuscript 1 28 Mini Song Cycle : Composed for Barbara Harris, 1968 Format Compact Disc 1 29 God's Trombones [Myers/James Weldon Johnson] Format Compact Disc 1 30 Lift Every Voice And Sing Format Compact Disc 1 31 Let My People Go, 1964 (Feb. 21) Format Compact Disc 1 32 God's Trombones (first poem, read by James Weldon Johnson) Format Compact Disc 1 33 The Belly Cantata, 1979 (Jul. 9) Format Compact Disc Unpublished compositions by Myers Box Folder 2 6 Unpublished Choral works - Page 6 - The Gordon Myers music and personal papers, 1919–2006 We The People Four Shakespeare Songs 2 7 Unpublished Sacred Songs Behold, What Manner of Love Amazing Grace Seven Short Songs Let Shine In Us Faith Atonement Christ Shall Give Thee Light 2 8 Unpublished songs Something Borrowed — Something Blue A Net for a Night Raven The 23rd Psob Lullaby I'm Just a Happy Little Feller I Get a Blizzard in my Gizzard Cryin' Over you 2 9 The Belly Cantata, 1977 See also: CD 33 2 10 I Shall Be Very Quiet 2 11 Unpublished songs A Magical Thing On Visiting Myrtle Beach Hear The Voice of the Bard Rain Falls Through a Maple April Love At Least Once A Day Leaning Trees on a Windy Hill My Mother Was So Very Nice Wee Watlz Look Up – and Sing! The Arrow and the Song My Heart Was but Swimming in the Sea Epitah Four Songs For A Birthday (Green is the Forest) To Effie, Again – The Music of Us 3 1 Songs/Compositions — Miscellaneous 3 2 Adam and Eve, the World's First Opera See also: CD 34 3 3 A Promise 3 4 At Least Once a Day 3 5 At the Turning Point of Time [Myers/Rudolph Steines], 1993 3 6 Barren Woman [Myers/Hellen King] 3 7 Beauty's More Than Skin Deep [Myers/Matthew Griffith] 3 8 Bless the Lord All You Angels (Psalms 103, 91) 3 9 Dilemma 3 10 Favorite Haiku Poems See also: CD 35 - Page 7 - The Gordon Myers music and personal papers, 1919–2006 3 11 God Only Made So Many Perfect Heads, and other short anecdotes 3 12 A half-a-cup-o-Decaffinated Coffee Cantata 3 13 Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty 3 14 Hope See also: CD 36 3 15 Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Wall 3 16 [In Time of Grief and Heartache] 3 17 Jesus Sat at the Treasury 3 18 La Ci Darem La Mano See also: CD 37 3 19 Lines from the Prophet 3 20 Listen to the Night [Myers/Leslie Kalison] 3 21 Little Jesus Sweetly Sleep 3 22 The Loaves and the Fishes 3 23 The Lord Is My Shepherd, Oct., 1954 3 24 Mist Upon the River This Morning See also: CD 38 3 25 Prayer for a New Baby 3 26 Prayer for St.