School of Music

1884— School of Music founded; Indiana Asbury renamed DePauw University

Previously known as Indiana Asbury, the institution was renamed DePauw University after its great benefactor, Washington C. DePauw, who donated over $600,000 in the 1870s. W. C. DePauw and his family were particularly interested in forming a school of music on campus, which was realized in 1884 when James Hamilton Howe was appointed dean to organize and direct. The School of Music moved into Music Hall, a building originally planned to hold the Schools of Law and Theology, where it remained until 1976.

The School of Music offered instruction to three classifications 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 a greater or lesser extent.” Students pursuing the bachelor of music were required to have two years of piano lessons before they were accepted into the school, and had to continue piano lessons for the first year. Thereafter, they could continue their studies in piano, or choose organ, voice, violin, or any orchestral instrument, and were to take two lessons per week with an expectation of 20 hours of weekly practice on their instrument. Other curricular requirements included basic harmony, sight-singing, elocution, and “biography” in the first year; harmony, sight-singing, and French in the second year; counterpoint, music history, and Italian in the third year; and composition, German, and a thesis in the fourth year.

James Hamilton Howe was a graduate of the College of Music of Boston University and taught at the New England Conservatory before his appointment as dean of the new School of Music of DePauw University in 1884. A talented pianist, Howe offered, during the
first year of his term, two lecture-recitals on the “History of Pianoforte Technique” and “My System of Pianoforte Technique,” and gave the first recital the School of Music offered. Professors of Piano Glen Sherman, Claude Cymerman, and Lorna Griffitt repeated that exact program as a part of the School of Music’s centennial celebration in 1984.

Music Hall as shown on a postcard from 1907

During his 10-year term, Dean Howe managed to establish a curriculum, overcome strong opposition to an opera program, and encourage an active performance calendar; however, in the process, he managed to accrue a $3000 debt, mostly in unpaid faculty salaries and student deposits that the university took responsibility for. The new School of Music saw a strong enrollment during the decade of direction under the Howe administration. Though during that time only 22 students graduated and only one bachelor of music was conferred, hundreds of students benefited from musical instruction made newly available to them through the establishment of the School of Music.

Music Hall, a three-storied ivy-covered brick structure, was originally intended to house the School of Theology; however, due to enthusiastic enrollment in music classes and private lessons, the building was reassigned to the School of Music. Heated by steam and initially lighted by gas, the School of Music stayed in Music Hall for 90 years until it was razed in 1976 after the Performing Arts Center was completed, home of the School of Music until 2007. In 1927, the entire structure was moved from the northwest corner of Hanna Street to the southwest corner to make room for Lucy Rowland Hall.