The papers of Earl V. Moore document his career as professor and dean of the School of Music of the University of Michigan, as well as his career as a composer and performer. Though some of the papers and visual images date from the 1870s, the bulk of the collection dates from the 1920s through the 1960s. Consisting of three linear feet of papers and visual materials, the collection reflects Moore's many accomplishments as conductor, composer, lecturer, organist, and participant in professional societies.
The Moore papers have been divided into seven series: Biographical/Personal Materials, Correspondence, Topical Files, Newspaper Clippings, Musical Scores, Sound Recordings, and Visual Materials.
Earl V. Moore was born September 27, 1890, in Lansing, Michigan, and was graduated from Lansing High School in 1908. In 1910, he received his Artist Diploma in Organ from the University of Michigan's University School of Music. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912 and his Master of Arts degree in 1916, also from the University School of Music. While completing his graduate degree, Moore was active in the school, becoming head of the Organ Department in 1914 and then appointed University Organist in 1915.
Moore was made an instructor in music and head of the Theory Department at the school in 1916, an assistant professor in 1919 and a full professor and director of the School of Music in 1923. From its establishment in 1881 until 1929, the University School of Music was technically a unit of the University Musical Society. In 1929, the School of Music became a unit of the University of Michigan but continued to be governed by its own Board of Directors. In 1940, the University Musical Society relinquished all rights and responsibilities of the School of Music to the University of Michigan, and the School of Music became an autonomous school within the University.
During the reorganization of the School of Music in the academic year 1939/40, Moore took a sabbatical leave to serve as the National Director of the Works Projects Administration Music Program. Upon his return in 1940, he resumed his position as director of the School of Music. In 1946, he was made dean and continued to serve in this position until his retirement from the University of Michigan in 1960.
In 1960 Moore joined the University of Houston as the M.D. Anderson Professor of Music and chairman of the Music Department. He remained there until 1970.
Moore was active in a number of organizations throughout his career. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Music Teachers National Association from 1924 to 1926, serving as vice president in 1928 and president in 1936. He served as the president of the National Association of Schools of Music from 1932 to 1935. In addition, he was a member of the American Guild of Organists and of the music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America. He was also a member of the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation from 1959 to 1972.
Moore, a well known composer, dedicated many of his works to the University of Michigan. His most famous work is "Varsity," written with J. Fred Lawton (class of 1911). Other compositions include "Voices of Michigan," "The Voyage of Arion" and "A Service of Invocation."
In appreciation of his distinguished career, Moore received many awards and honors. He was the recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Rochester in 1929, the American Conservatory of Music in 1938, and Drake University in 1945. In 1974, he was honored by the National Association of Schools of Music. On March 12, 1975, the new School of Music building at the University of Michigan was named the Earl V. Moore Building. An Earl V. Moore Scholarship Fund was begun in 1961 at the University of Michigan to assist music students with tuition and costs.
Earl V. Moore died on December 29, 1987.
