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A. Cyril Graham papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 147

Scope and Contents

The A. Cyril Graham papers, 1901-circa 1939, 1976 and undated, primarily includes published and unpublished sheet music for pieces composed by Graham, as well as material related to a 1976 musical program in his honor. Scores (1901-circa 1939 and undated) include both manuscripts and published versions of compositions and orchestrations of musical pieces written by A. Cyril Graham. Musical Program Honoring Mr. and Mrs. A. Cyril Graham series (1976) contains information about a recital at Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts on the Augustana College campus on 31 October 1976. The program consisted of a performance of A. Cyril Graham's Sonata for Violin and Piano as well as The Lark Ascending by R. Vaughan Williams and Concerto composed by Edward Elgar. All of the pieces were performed by A. Cyril Graham's granddaughter, violinist Virginia Louise Graham, who was accompanied by her mother Floryn Payton Graham (Mrs. J. D. Graham), pianist. The series contains a program, a newspaper clipping announcing the recital, and an audiocassette recording of the recital.

Dates

  • Creation: 1901-circa 1939, 1976 and undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection. Audiovisual materials may be inaccessible pending reformatting. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Augustana College Special Collections and the copyright holder.

Historical Note

A. Cyril Graham was born 24 August 1878 in Brooklyn, New York. As a child, he relocated to Chicago with his mother. His interest in music started at a young age; by the time he was twelve, Graham was organist at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Riverside, Illinois. He graduated from Northwestern University School of Music where he studied organ and theoretical subjects under the tutelage of Dean Peter C. Lutkin. He then spent three years in post-graduate work at the American Conservatory of Music studying piano under Gertrude H. Murdough and composition with Adolf Weidig. While at the American Conservatory of Music, Graham met his wife, Helen M. Jordan, also an accomplished pianist. The couple was married in 1908 and had two sons, Richard C. and John Douglas Graham.

A. Cyril Graham worked for twelve years as head of the theory department and teacher of organ and piano at the Columbia School of Music and in 1921, Graham assumed the position of Head of the Organ and Theoretical Departments at the Conservatory of Music at Augustana College. Graham stayed at the Conservatory until 1932, when he retired. He had a variety of responsibilities at the conservatory including serving as dean from 1924 to 1927 and directing the Handel Oratorio Society from 1922 to 1930.

Graham was also an accomplished composer. Notable works by Grahm include a cantata, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, which was written for the Chicago North Shore Festival, and The Poet and The Dryad, written for the MacDowell festival at Peterborough, New Hampshire.

Graham died in 1953 at the age of 74 in Rock Island, Illinois.

Extent

0.8 Cubic Feet (/ 1 oversize box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

A. Cyril Graham was an organist, instructor, and composer who served as Head of the Organ and Theoretical Departments at the Conservatory of Music at Augustana College from 1921 to 1932. The A. Cyril Graham papers, 1901-circa 1939, 1976 and undated, primarily includes published and unpublished sheet music for pieces composed by Graham, as well as material related to a 1976 musical program in his honor.

Arrangement

Chronological.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Received from J. D. Graham, A. Cyril Graham's son, in 1985.

Processing Information

Processed by Emily Hughes Dominick, 2007. Revised by Atticus Garrison, May 2016.

Title
A. Cyril Graham papers, 1901-circa 1939, 1976 and undated.
Status
Completed
Author
Atticus Garrison
Date
May 2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Augustana College Special Collections Repository

Contact:
639 38th Street
Thomas Tredway Library
Rock Island Illinois 61201 United States