Guide to the Paul Cooper Papers, 1943-1995


Descriptive Summary
	Creator:	Cooper, Paul
	Title	Paul Cooper Papers
	Dates:	1943-1995
	Abstract:	Paul Cooper’s papers document his professional career as a composer, music critic, author and teacher, at Rice University, University of Michigan, and University of Cincinnati. Formats include correspondence, compositions (scores), course notes and outlines, photographs, notes, performance, programs, and sound recordings; dates range from 1943-1995.
	ID	MS 463
	Extent	28 boxes
	Language	Materials are in English.
	Repository:	Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX

Biographical Note

Paul Cooper (1926-96), composer-in-residence and Lynette Autrey Professor of Music at Rice University, was internationally known as a composer, music critic, author and teacher. He earned degrees from the University of Southern California and studied at the Conservatoire Nationale and the Sorbonne in Paris, and made his professional debut in 1953 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was a music critic in Los Angeles and Ann Arbor, MI and taught at the University of Michigan (1955-68) and the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati before joining the Rice faculty in 1974. Cooper held guest professorships in Stockholm and Copenhagen. He received Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellowships, grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Ford, Rockefeller and Rackham Foundations and the National Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and 25 consecutive ASCAP awards beginning in 1966. He served as cultural representative to Yugoslavia for the US State Department in 1965, and in 1976 began his involvement with the Music Teachers National Association. He served on the boards of Meet-the-Composer [Texas], Houston Composers Alliance, Voices of Change, Texas Composers Forum, and Phi Beta Kappa Alumni of Houston. Cooper was married to the former Christiane Ebert, a noted poet with whom he collaborated on oratorios, song cycles, instrumentals and chamber works. They have two children.

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Scope and Contents

Paul Cooper’s papers document his professional career as a composer, music critic, author and teacher, at Rice University, University of Michigan, and University of Cincinnati. Formats include correspondence, compositions, course notes and outlines, photographs, notes, performance, programs, and sound recordings; dates range from 1943-1995.

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Arrangement
	This material has been arranged into the following series:

		Series I: Correspondence, Professional, 1950-1995
		Series II: Rice University, 1978-1995
		Series III: Teaching Materials, 1957-1995
		Series IV: Personal, 1950-1995
		Series V: Compositions (scores and recordings), 1943-1993

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

No access restrictions; this material is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish from the Paul Cooper papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

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Index Terms

	Subjects (Persons)
		Cooper, Paul -- archives
	Subjects
		Composers -- archives
		Music education -- archives
	Subject (Organizations)
		Shepherd School of Music (Rice University) -- history.
	Formats
		Correspondence
		Music compositions
		Music scores
		Programs
		Sound recordings
		Photographs
		Notes

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Series I: Correspondence, Professional, 1950-1995
		Subseries A: General, 1950s-1990s
box	folder
1	1		1950s
	2		1960s
	3		1970s
	4		1980-83
	5		1984-85
	6		1986-89
	7		1990s
	8		n.d.
		Subseries B: Named correspondents, 1952-1995
box	folder
1	9		Ross Lee Finney, 1966-95, n.d.
box	folder
2	1		Re: Boulanger, 1952-53
	2		Publishers-Dodd, Mead & Co., 1968-75
	3		Publishers-Wilhelm Hansen, 1971-88
	4		Publishers-Harper & Row, 1975-87
	5		Publishers-copyright cleared to Harper & Row, 1978
	6		Publishers-general, 1963-95
	7		ASCAP [American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers], 1970-88
	8		MTNA [Music Teachers National Association] Executive Board, 1972-84
	9		MTNA National Commissioning, 1976
	10		MTNA-general, 1970s-80s

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Series II: Rice University, 1978-1995
box	folder
3	1	[PC’s] Reports to the President, 1982, 88, 90-92, 94-95
	2	Recommendations, 1983/84-84/85
	3	Tenure and Chair meetings, 1983/84-84/85
	4	Composition/Theory staff meetings, 1988
	5	Departmental meetings, 1990-91
	6	Theory department, 1991-92
	7	Fondren Library Committee, 1983-84
	8	Music degree programs, 1984
	9	Correspondence [Rice only], 1978-79, 81-86, 88-89, 91-93, 95
	10	Lectures, 1981, 83, 85
box	folder
4	1	Shepherd School faculty minutes, 1983-84
	2	Shepherd School faculty minutes, 1984-85
	3	Shepherd School -misc.
	4	Phi Beta Kappa (Greater Houston Assoc.), Rice chapter, 1983/84
	5	Phi Beta Kappa, Rice chapter, 1984/85
	6	SYZYGY, 1983-84
	7	SYZYGY, “Meet the Composer,” 1991-92
	8	SYZYGY concert programs
	9	Festival of American Contemporary Music
	10	Rice-related concert programs

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Series III: Teaching Materials, 1957-1995
		Subseries A: University of Michigan course notes and outlines, 1957-1967
box	folder
5	1		1957
	2		1958
	3		1959
	4		1962
	5		1963
box	folder
6	1		1964
	2		1965
	3		1966
	4		1967
		Subseries B: University of Cincinnati course notes and outlines, 1969-1974
box	folder
6	5		Teaching project, 1969-70
	6		Course notes and outlines, 1972
	7		Course notes and outlines, 1974
		Subseries C: Rice University course notes and outlines, 1976-1995
box	folder
6	8		1976-79
	9		1980s
box	folder
7	1		1990s
	2		n.d.
	3		[PC’s] Sample examinations

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Series IV: Personal, 1950-1995
box	folder
8	1	Vitae
	2	Thesis (Master’s), 1953 and graduate recital programs, 1956
	3	Literary writings
	4	Music Literature for Sight Singing, 1973
	5	The Keyboard Music of Paul Cooper, John Carbon, n.d.
	6	Military
	7	School papers
	8	Seminar and class notes
	9	Photographs
	10	Honors
box	folder
9	1	Newsclips
	2	Insurance and household
	3	Income tax
	4	Grant applications
	5	Correspondence
	6	Correspondence
	7	Correspondence
	8	Catalogs listing Cooper’s works
	9	Reviews written by Cooper
	10	Reviews of Cooper’s works
box	folder
10	1	Reviews of Cooper’s works
	2	Programs from performances of Cooper’s works, 1950s
	3	Programs from performances of Cooper’s works, 1960s
	4	Programs from performances of Cooper’s works, 1970s
	5	Programs from performances of Cooper’s works, 1970s
	6	Programs from performances of Cooper’s works, 1980s
box	folder
11	1	Programs from performances of Cooper’s works, 1980s
	2	Programs from performances of Cooper’s works, 1980s
	3	Programs from performances of Cooper’s works, 1990s
	4	Programs from performances of Cooper’s works, n.d.
	5	Posters advertising Cooper’s concerts

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Series V: Compositions (scores and recordings), 1943-1993

Subseries A: Standard sized scores

box

folder

All the Day I Hear, 9-48

Canti for Viola and Piano, 1981

Celebration, 1983

Chorales of Nativity, n.d.

Concert for Three, 1977

Concerto for Antiphonal Organs, 1955

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, 1982

Credo, 8-18-70

Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, 1987

Duo Concertante, n.d.

Elegies, 1991

Etude No. 1, n.d.

Folio of compositions for class, 1948-49

Folk Dances, n.d.

Four Impromptus, n.d.

From the Sacred Harp, 1982

Glory to God, 6-18-44

Impressions, 7-18-44

Jubilate, 1986

Last Call; Arias and Recitatives on Poems of C.E. Cooper, 1990

Love Songs and Dances, 1986

Minuet for Catie’s White Square, n.d.

Missa Brevis, n.d.

Momment Musical, 8-7-44

Music for a Festive Occasion, 1985

Mysterion, 1988

Nocturne No. 3, 7-16-44

box

folder

Nun Danket, n.d.

Organ Concerto, 1982

Piano Sonata, 1948

Prayer, 12-10-43

Prelude for Two Pianos, 8-43

Quartet, 1953

Quartet No. 1, 1953

Quartet No. 2, 1954, revised 3-31-79

Quartet No. 4, 1964

Quartet No. 6, 1977

Quintet, n.d.

Quodlibet, 1989

Requiem for Organ & Percussion, 1978

Rhapsody on a Folk Theme, 7-7-44

Rondel Bergamasques, n.d.

Saxophone Concerto, 1982

Scherzo, n.d.

Serenade for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano, 1993

Serenade on a Theme of Carrie Jacobs Bond, 3-47

Seven Songs, 11-20-46

Seventeen Haiku, 1989

The Seventh Psalm, 4-2-44

Silences, 1973

Sinfonia, 1989

Sinfonia for Strings, n.d.

Soliloquies for Violin and Piano, 1972

Sonata, 1952

Sonata da Camera for Harpsichord, n.d.

Sonata Fantasy for Two Pianos, 2-7-44

Sonata for Double Bass and Piano, 1964

box

folder

Sonata for Flute and Piano, 1964

Sonata for Viola and Piano, 1961

Sonnets, n.d.

Sonnets for Piano, 7-31-47

String Quartet No. 1, n.d.

Suite for Piano, 2-47

Symphony in Two Movements, 1983

Symphony No. 6, 1987

Theme, Variations & Toccata, 1949

Three Alleluias for solo organ, 1993

Three Intermezzi, n.d.

Three Sonatas for piano, 1953

Tomorrow’s Songs, n.d.

Tre Voci, n.d.

Tre Voci, 1987

Umbrae, 1973

Variants IV, 1986

Variations for Violin and Piano, 1967

Versés, 1990

Violin Sonata 3, n.d.

Voyages; on a text by C.E. Cooper, 1983

We Pray to Thee, 7-5-44

Winter Poems, n.d.

box

15-23

Subseries B: Oversized working copies of scores

box

Canons d’Amour, 1981

Cello Sonata, n.d. [incomplete]

Canti for Viola and Piano, 1981

Chamber Music, 1982

The Color of Gold, n.d.

Concert for Five, 1964

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, 1977

Concerto for Flute and Oboe, n.d.

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, 1980

Concerto for Organ and Orchestra, 1982

Credo, n.d. (see also Box 23)

Danse, 9-22-95

Descants, 1975

box

Dialogues for Violoncello and Double Wind Quintet, 1994

Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, 1987

Double Concerto, 1985-87

Duo Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, 1985

Duo Concerto, n.d.

Equinox for Chorus, Flute, Cello and Piano, 1976

box

Four Impromptus, 1983

[Four] Impromptus, 1983

Incidental Music for “The Woman of Andros,” n.d.

In Nomine, 1984

Jubilate, 1986 [with various instrumental parts]

Landscape Symphony No. 4, 1975

Last Call; Arias and Recitatives on Poems of C.E. Cooper, 1990

Love Songs and Dances, 1986

box

Love Songs and Dances, 1985-86

Mirrors, 1986

Music for a Festive Occasion, n.d.

Mysterion, 1988

Ode for Orchestra, 10-20-43

Ode for Orchestra, n.d.

O Men from the Fields!, 1948

box

Organ Concerto, 1982

Overture, 1953

Overture, 1953 [violin I]

Overture, 1953 [cello]

Piano Quintet, 1994

Piano Quintet, 1995

Prèlude pour le piano, 1993

Quartet No. 2, 1954, rev. 1979

Quodlibet, 1989

Saxophone Concerto, 1982

box

Serenade, 1993 [parts]

Seventeen Haiku, 1987, 89

Silences, n.d.

Sinfonia for solo piano, 1989

Sonata, 1961

Sonata for Cello and Piano, 1963

Sonata No. 2 for Piano, n.d.

Songs of Antigone, 1979

Symphony in Two Movements, 1982-83

box

Symphony No. 2, 8-56 [PC’s dissertation for Doctor of Musical Arts, University of Southern California]

Symphony No. 6, 1987

Toccata, 1989

To Everything, 1987

Three Alleluias for solo organ, 1993

Three Rondels Bergamasques, 1988

Di Tre Voci, 1984

Tre Voci, 1987

box

Variants IV, 1985

Variations on an Aire, 9-5-45

Umbrae (String Quartet No. 5), 1973

Voyagers, 1982-83

Winter Poems, 1984

Untitled and incomplete works (4)

box

Credo, 1970

Desk calendars, 1985-95

Dreaming, John Carbon, 1985

String Quartet No. 1, Mark Bradshaw, 1987

LP record album: CRI-SD 369A/B, 6-22-77

LP record album: Sinphonia for Strings, 1/3, 2/3

LP record album: Quartet No. 4, written in memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1964

LP record album: Test pressing #402

LP record album: Concerto for Antiphonal Organ, graduate recital, 2-10-56, USC

LP record album: Etude in E Major & Ode for Orchestra, 11-14-43

LP record album: Small demo

LP record album: Après un Reve, Gabriel Faure (commercial)

Subseries C: Recordings, n.d.

box

Cassettes and DATs

box

VHS and reel-to-reel: 5 in. and 7.5 in.

box

Reel-to-reel: 7 in.

box

Reel-to-reel: 7 in. and 10.5 in.

box

Reel-to-reel: 7 in. and 7.5 in.

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