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Crawford Gates papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 7762

Scope and Contents

Contains music manuscript scores written by Gates, his correspondence, sound recordings, and other materials spanning the years 1929-2014.

Dates

  • 1929-2014

Creator

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. Permission to publish material from the Crawford Gates papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Coordinating Committee.

Researchers have to contact Crawford Gates to obtain permission to publish.

Biographical History

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.

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

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States