University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Raymond Francis Dvorak: His life and career in music

Neuenschwander, Daniel Paul

Content Files
NEUENSCHWANDER-DISSERTATION-2019.pdf

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/106235

Description

Title
Raymond Francis Dvorak: His life and career in music
Author(s)
Neuenschwander, Daniel Paul
Issue Date
2019-12-03
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Nichols, Jeananne
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Nichols, Jeananne
Committee Member(s)
  • McCall, Joyce
  • Moorhouse, Linda
  • Peterson, Stephen
Department of Study
Music
Discipline
Music Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ed.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Date of Ingest
2020-03-02T21:58:20Z
Keyword(s)
  • Raymond Dvorak
  • Ray Dvorak
  • Marching
  • Band
  • John Philip Sousa
  • Illinois Bands
  • Wisconsin Bands
  • UW-Madison Marching Band
  • Marching Illini
  • Music Education
  • Midwest Clinic
  • Midwest Band Clinic
  • University of Illinois Bands
  • UW-Madison Bands
  • Badger Band
  • College Band Director
  • Band Pageantry
  • Pageantry
  • CBDNA
  • College Band Directors National Association
  • ABA
  • American Bandmasters Association
  • NBA
  • National Band Association
Abstract
Raymond Francis Dvorak (1900–1982) was a distinguished Director of Bands at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1934–1968. His career spans transformative years at the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dvorak’s life and career are presented and examined through his contributions to the wind band, music, music education professions and civic organizations as an entertainer, innovator, and leader. This historical study, is drawn from artifacts and correspondence housed within the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music on the campus of the University of Illinois, the American Bandmaster Association Research Center, the College Band Directors National Association Archives, and the Midwest Clinic Archives all of which are housed in the Special Collections in Performing Arts at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library on the campus of the University of Maryland. The University of Wisconsin Archives and Records Management located in Steenbock Library on the UW-Madison campus provided valuable resources as well. Interviews were conducted with Dvorak’s living children, former students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his colleagues from the UW-Madison and the board of the Midwest Clinic. Recorded interviews and personal conversations with Dvorak were also utilized in the gathering of information. Dvorak’s significant innovations and contributions to the development of the concert and marching band include establishing collegiate traditions such as the Arm Wave during the singing of the Alma Mater at the UW-Madison, the invention of the Chief Illiniwek mascot for the University of Illinois, the utilization of group singing by the band from the field during football games, and the introduction of moving formations and the use of a colorguard in the marching band. Additionally, Dvorak was crucial in organizing the transportation of the estate of John Philip Sousa to the University of Illinois and consequently the establishment of the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music, the founding of the Illinois All-State Orchestra, helping A. A. Harding develop the Illinois Band Clinics, the establishment and development of the Midwest Clinic, the College Band Directors National Association, and the Wisconsin Bandmasters Association. Off the field and outside of the rehearsal hall, Dvorak promoted the accomplishments of person with disabilities through his leadership roles with the Wisconsin Rehabilitation Association, the Wisconsin Easter Seals, the Governor’s Committee on Employing the Handicapped, and the President’s Committee on Employing the Handicapped. Finally, Dvorak was a champion of John Philip Sousa, his music, and his approach to entertaining crowds. Dvorak worked to make Sousa a household name in America and was the primary person responsible for Sousa being elected into the Hall of Fame for Great Americans as well as having his march “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” being declared the National March of the United States of America.
Graduation Semester
2019-12
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/106235
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2019 Daniel Paul Neuenschwander

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