Biographical Sketch

Leon Dallin (1918-1993) received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the Eastman School of Music in 1940 and 1941, respectively, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1949. He taught composition and theory at Brigham Young University from 1948 to 1955 and at California State University at Long Beach from 1955 until his retirement in 1983. He is best known for his 1957 book Techniques of Twentieth Century Composition: A Guide to the Materials of Modern Music, which he revised in 1964 and again in 1974; this book was one of the cornerstones of the theory of twentieth-century music prior to the development of set theory in the 1970s.

 

Provenance

These papers were all in Dallin’s personal possession and were donated to Sibley Library by his wife, Mrs. Lynn Dallin in 1997.

 

Scope and Content

The Leon Dallin Collection consists of materials related to Dallin’s career as a composer — sketches, scores, parts, transparencies, and published versions of many of his works have been included to the extent possible.

 

Restrictions and Use

The Dallin family retains copyright on all items in the collection to the fullest extent of the law, except for those works for which copyright is otherwise assigned.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF SERIES

Items within each series are arranged alphabetically.

 

Series 1: Orchestral Music

This series contains materials pertaining to Dallin’s orchestral output, including two pieces, Overture to a Festive Occasion and Sierra Overture, for which band arrangements were made; these arrangements may be found in Series 2. Songs of Praise, for orchestra or band with chorus, may be found in Series 3.

 

Series 2: Band Music

This series comprises two arrangements for band of Dallin’s orchestral works.

 

Series 3: Choral Music

This series includes works for chorus with or without accompaniment.

 

Series 4: Chamber Music

This series includes works for various smaller instrumental ensembles. Works for one instrument and piano are to be found in Series 6.

 

Series 5: Songs

This series includes solo vocal music with piano or instrumental accompaniment.

 

Series 6: Instrumental Solo Music

This series includes works for a single instrument with piano accompaniment.

 

Series 7: Piano Music

This series includes works for solo piano.

 

Series 8: Organ Music

This series includes works for solo organ.

 

Series 9: Film Music

This series includes music and production materials for Dallin’s eight film scores.

 

Series 10: Ballet Music

This series includes materials for Dallin’s ballet A Solution for Peace. Materials for In Fancy Free: A Ballet Movie may be found in Series 9.

 

Series 11: Theater Music

This series includes materials for Dallin’s incidental music to Critical Moments.

 

Series 12: Other Material

This series includes Dallin’s juvenilia, his student pieces from Eastman (many with notations by Howard Hanson), and a number of unidentified sketches

 

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INVENTORY

Series 1: Orchestral Music

Box 1

folder 1	Chamber Symphony (1940), score
folder 2	Chamber Symphony, parts
folder 3	Chamber Symphony, transparencies
folder 4	The City in the Sea (1939), pencil score and ink score
folder 5	The City in the Sea (1939), parts and some transparencies
folder 6	Concerto for Clarinet and Small Orchestra (1945, 1952), score
folder 7	Concerto for Clarinet and Small Orchestra, piano reduction
folder 8	Concerto for Clarinet and Small Orchestra, parts
folder 9	Concerto for Clarinet and Small Orchestra, some transparencies

Box 2

folder 1	Nocturne for Small Orchestra (1940), score and parts
folder 2	Nocturne for Strings (1938), score, parts, and transparencies
folder 3	Overture to a Festive Occasion (1939), score
folder 4	Sierra Overture (1944-45), score
folder 5	Sierra Overture, parts
folder 6	Sierra Overture, some transparencies
folder 7	Symphonic Sketches (1939), score
folder 8	Symphonic Sketches, parts
folder 9	Symphonic Sketches, sketches

Box 3

folder 1	Symphony in D (1949), score
folder 2	Symphony in D, parts
folder 3	Symphony in D, transparencies
folder 4	Symphony in D, sketches

Series 2: Band Music

Box 4

folder 1	Overture to a Festive Occasion (1939, arr. Frederick Westphal), score
folder 2	Overture to a Festive Occasion, parts
folder 3	Overture to a Festive Occasion, sketches
folder 4	Sierra Overture for Band (1952), published score, parts, and short score
folder 5	Sierra Overture for Band, score
folder 6	Sierra Overture for Band, parts
folder 7	Sierra Overture for Band, transparencies
folder 8	Sierra Overture for Band, sketches and short score

Series 3: Choral Music

Box 5

folder 1	Arise O Jerusalem (n.d.), MS score, printed score, and sketches
folder 2	The Crucifixion (1952), MS score, printed score, and sketches
folder 3	Every Knee Shall Bend (1951), MS score, printed score, and sketches
folder 4	How Great the Wisdom and the Love (1952), printed score
folder 5	How Long, O Lord (1953), MS score and printed score
folder 6	Songs of Praise (1948), MS score
folder 7	Songs of Praise, published piano score
folder 8	Songs of Praise, MS piano score
folder 9	Songs of Praise, orchestra parts
folder 10	Songs of Praise, sketches(some additional material for Songs of Praise is in Box 10)

Box 6

folder 1

Three Songs from the Portuguese (1953), MS piano score, printed choral score, transparencies, sketches

Series 4: Chamber Music

folder 2	Aubade in Blue (saxophone sextet, n.d.), published score and parts
folder 3	Autumn Vignette (clarinet quartet, 1941), MS score, published score and parts, sketches
folder 4	Concert Rondo (clarinet quartet, 1946), published score and parts, sketches
folder 5	Crossroads (Rural Sketches) (woodwind quintet with piano, 1940), score, parts, program notes
folder 6	Divertimento (mixed quintet, 1956), score, parts, transparencies, sketches
folder 7	Fountains at Dawn (clarinet quartet, 1940), photocopies of published score
folder 8	Op. 010 (any ensemble, 1986), typescript of performance instructions
folder 9	Sextet (string quartet, clarinet, horn, 1938), score and parts
folder 10	String Quartet in F (1952), score, parts, transparencies, sketches
folder 11	String Quartet, iii. Scherzando (1940), score, parts, some transparencies

Series 5: Songs

Box 7

folder 1	How Do I Love Thee (1954), two piano scores in different keys, transparencies, sketch
folder 2	If Thou Wilt, Remember (n.d.), piano score
folder 3	Longing (n.d.), piano score
folder 4	Two Songs from “The Sorcerer of Shad” (n.d.), score and parts, some transparencies
folder 5	Whenever I See You (n.d.), transparency of chart

Series 6: Instrumental Solo Music

folder 6	Prelude to Midnight (alto clarinet and piano, 1938), MS score, additional bass clarinet part, transparencies, published score and part
folder 7	Serenade to a Silhouette (alto saxophone or English horn and piano, 1939), MS score, published alto saxophone score, published English horn score, transparencies.

Series 7: Piano Music

folder 8	Lyric Interlude for Piano (1941), MS score, printed score
folder 9	Sylphine Serenade: A Piano Suite (1939), printed score, transparencies, sketches

Series 8: Organ Music

folder 10	Epilogue for Organ (1953), score, sketches
folder 11	Interlude for Organ (n.d.), MS score, printed score, transparencies
folder 12	Processional Prelude and Fugue for Organ (1959), printed score
folder 13	Three Preludes and Fugues for Organ (1950), printed score, transparencies

Series 9: Film Music

folder 14	The Barrier (1953), sketch
folder 15	The Barrier, parts
folder 16	The Barrier, production material
folder 17	The Bishop (1954), score
folder 18	The Bishop, parts
folder 19	The Bishop, sketches
folder 20	The Bishop, production material
folder 21	Caineville (1953), organ score, sketches
folder 22	In Fancy Free (1951), short score, parts, sketches, production material

Box 8

folder 1	A Film Overture (1946-47), parts
folder 2	A Film Overture, transparencies
folder 3	A Film Overture, sketches(some additional material for A Film Overture is in Box 10)
folder 4	From the Embers (1962), short score, parts, production material
folder 5	Idyllwild (n.d.), score, production material
folder 6	The Sorcerer of Shad (n.d.), short score, parts, transparencies, sketches, production material

Series 10: Ballet Music

folder 7

A Solution for Peace: A Ballet (1950), score, transparencies, sketches, production material

Series 11: Theater Music

folder 8

Critical Moments (1943), sketches, lyrics, production materials

Series 12: Other Materials

Box 9

folder 1	Juvenilia
folder 2	Student pieces
folder 3	Assorted sketches

OVERSIZE MATERIALS

Box 10

folder 1	Chamber Symphony, transparencies
folder 2	Songs of Praise, band score
folder 3	Songs of Praise, transparencies of band score
folder 4	Songs of Praise, band parts
folder 5	Songs of Praise, orchestra transparencies
folder 6	A Film Overture, orchestra score
folder 7	A Film Overture, orchestra transparencies