School of Music records

The year 1884 marked the official opening of the School of Music on the campus of DePauw University, evolving from a small department begun in 1882 by Professor of Mathematics John P.D. John. Dean for the first 10 years (1884-1894) was James H. Howe, who had previously taught at the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1884 the School of Music was open to three classes of students: candidates for the bachelor of music; candidates for the degree of bachelor of literature in the College of Liberal Arts; and “persons who wish to pursue music to greater or lesser extent.” Under the leadership of Dean Howe, several musical groups were organized on campus, including a university orchestra, band, and the DePauw Concert Company. Howe arranged the Annual Musical Festival in 1885, however the faculty refused him permission to stage an opera, The Mikado. Members of the faculty decreed that the “histrionic rendition of opera is not in harmony with the spirit of the university.” Howe overcame the opposition of the faculty in 1892, however, when he staged a partial version of the opera Der Freischutz and later staged a previously banned opera, Martha. One of Howes noteworthy accomplishments was the founding of Alpha Chi Omega. In the fall of 1885 Dean Howe encouraged a group of women in the School of Music, who were not then admitted into any of the existing social fraternities, to establish their own sorority. Alpha Chi Omega later accepted liberal arts students as well and eventually became the alpha chapter of a new national social fraternity. Upon the resignation of Howe, Belle A. Mansfield took over the administration of the School of Music in 1894. Dean Mansfield was a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan and the first woman admitted to the bar in the United States. During the administration of Mansfield, enrollment rose from 116 students in 1895 to 300 in 1909. Dean Mansfield was also responsible for the creation of a department of kindergarten and illustrated work, where Greencastle children were permitted to take lessons in the School of Music, a program that continues today. After Mansfield’s death in 1911, the university preserved her memory for a time by renaming the woman’s dormitory Mansfield Hall. The new dean of the School of Music hired in 1911 was Robert Guy McCutchan. The McCutchan era witnessed a complete restructuring and integration of the School of Music into the University, which had previously been operated more or less autonomously under the direction of the dean. A music major and minor were accepted as part of the liberal arts degree program and in 1931 the School of Music announced the establishment of a master of music degree. The growth of the School of Music under McCutchan brought about a need for more space. In 1927 the Music Hall was moved from Locust Street to Hanna Street next to Bowman Gymnasium and a large annex was erected in the rear of the new site. Van Denman Thompson was named director in 1937, serving 19 of his 45 years at DePauw in this position. He was the organist at Gobin Memorial Methodist Church. During this time, band director Daniel H. Hanna contributed to the success of the DPU band. According to the 1949 Mirage, the 70 member band was one of the best in the state. Upon the retirement of Thompson in 1956, DePauw graduate Milton S. Trusler became director of the School of Music. Trusler was the first alumnus to hold this position. As director, Trusler accomplished the initiation of the performance degree. Donald White began his 4 years of directorship in 1974. During his administration White witnessed the move of the School of Music in 1976 to its present home in the Performing Arts Center. It is here that faculty and students continue to strengthen and make the music program of DePauw University one of the best.