William Schuman and the Shaping of America's Musical Life, 1910-1992

FAIN: FB-53509-08

Steven Robert Swayne
Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH 03755-1808)

I propose to write the first major study on the life, music and times of William Schuman (1910-1992), American composer, educator (professor, Sarah Lawrence College, 1935-45) and administrator (president, Juilliard School of Music, 1945-62; Lincoln Center, 1962-68). Two collections form the core of my research: the William Schuman Papers at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; and holographs at the Library of Congress. The middle third of the twentieth century was a volatile time in American musical culture, and Schuman provides a window through which to re-examine this period. This study, therefore, is more than a biography; it is an account of the musical culture of, and Schuman's impact upon, this era in American life.