Crawford Gates papers
Scope and Contents
Contains music manuscript scores written by Gates, his correspondence, sound recordings, and other materials spanning the years 1929-2014.
Dates
- Creation: 1929-2014
Creator
- Gates, Crawford (composer, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Donor restricted until 2040. Permission to use materials must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services.
Conditions Governing Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Please direct any questions to Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.
Biographical / Historical
Crawford Gates (1921- ) is an American conductor and composer. He has written music that is very well known and loved in the Mormon community and is best known for his work "Promised Valley" and the hymn, "Our Savior's Love."
Crawford Gates was born in December 1921, in San Francisco. He grew up in Palo Alto, California, and was educated in that city, with Stanford University right there. He was influenced culturally by the plays and concerts available to him, and at the age of eight could play the piano and composed his first piece. In high school, he had the opportunity to take high quality viola lessons and played that until his two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (in the eastern states mission) at the age of eighteen. Crawford Gates composed his first piece of music at the age of eight and has since then composed over eight hundred titles. He wrote ten more pieces between the ages of eight and twelve and then the depression hit. In 1932 his family lost everything and they lived in semi-poverty for six years. He was drafted into the navy at the age of twenty. He got out of the war in 1946. After the war he received his BA at San Jose State University, his MA at Brigham Young University under the direction of LeRoy Robertson, and his PhD from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. He also studied conducting under the direction of Eleazar de Carvalho and Hans Swarowsky.
His composer debut was at Stanford University in 1938. He was a conductor of the Utah Symphony, Symphony Orchestra and Opera at Brigham Young University, and the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. His compositions include six stage works, seven symphonies, tone poems, suites, concertos, numerous choral arrangements, four major choral works, trumpet concertino and horn sonata, and a pentameron for piano and orchestra.
His recordings include Symphony No. 2, Orchestral Setting of Beloved Mormon Hymns, included on Philadelphia Orchestra Album; The Lord's Prayer and A Jubilant Song; Music to the New Hill Cumorah Pageant, 1988; Promised Valley.
Extent
31 oversize boxes (45.91 linear ft.)
4 cartons (4 linear ft.)
220 boxes (111.92 linear ft.)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arranged in four series: 1. Crawford Gates personal papers, 1929-2014. 2. Craford Gates ephemera, 1937-2011. 3. Crawford Gates audio/visual material, 1930-2014. 4. Crawford Gates manuscripts and scores, 1933-2011.
Custodial History
Donated by Crawford Gates in 1977.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated; Crawford Gates; 1977.
Appraisal
Noteworthy Latter-day Saint composer (Section IV. LDS Music Archives Collection Development Policy January 2011).
Processing Information
Processed; Sara Ott; March 2011.
Subject
- Gates, Crawford -- Archives (Person)
- Title
- Register of Crawford Gates papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sara Ott
- Date
- 2011 March 1
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English in Latin script.
Repository Details
Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States