By Christian Folk, Project Archivist, American Bandmasters Association Research Center
The papers for conductor and music educator Don R. Marcouiller (1925-2018) have recently been acquired and are now available for use as part of the American Bandmasters Association Research Center at Special Collections in Performing Arts (SCPA) in the University of Maryland's Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. A finding aid for the Marcouiller papers can be found here.
Marcouiller was born in Lena, Wisconsin. He then went on to receive his undergraduate and graduate degrees in music education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During his undergraduate career, Marcouiller served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946 during World War II. In 1951, Marcouiller was appointed Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Marching Bands at the University of Wisconsin. He led the University of Wisconsin Marching Band to the Rose Bowl in 1953, and was inducted into the University of Wisconsin Marching Band Hall of Fame in 2014.
University of Wisconsin Marching Band in action
In 1956, Marcouiller accepted the Director of Bands position at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he served until 1987. The Drake University Concert Band performed for national conferences of preeminent music education organizations, and premiered major compositions by six nationally renowned composers. Most prominent among these premieres is Vincent Persichetti's Parable for Band, one of the landmark works in the wind band repertoire. Marcouiller served as Professor Emeritus of Wind and Brass Instruments at Drake University following his retirement.
The Drake University Marching Band performed at 18 National Football League games and was named, "One of the nation's top five marching bands" by CBS Television. While at Drake he authored the book, "Marching for Marching Bands," introducing the unit system of marching which was widely adopted by marching bands across the U.S. Marcouiller was a Board Member of the American Bandmasters Association, and Past President of College Band Directors National Association.
Drill formation for Drake University Marching Band
Like all of SCPA's collections, the Marcouiller papers are open for research and creative use in our reading room. The collection mainly includes materials dealing with Marcouiller's tenure at the University of Wisconsin and Drake University, along with recordings, professional activity materials, and items related to Persichetti's Parable for Band.
Handwritten score to Persichetti's Parable for Band
This collection highlights Marcouiller's substantial contributions to music education and American wind bands. The Don R. Marcouiller papers at SCPA will aid in preserving Marcouiller's impact and allow researchers access to his important work.
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