David Burge Papers

Call Number

MSS.395

Date

1947-2011, inclusive

Creator

Burge, David, 1930-2013

Extent

19 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Abstract

Burge was born in Evanston, Illinois and studied at the Eastman School of Music and the Cherubini Conservatory, Florence as a Fulbright scholar. He served on the faculty at the University of Colorado in Boulder during the 1960s and 1970s, founded and directed the Colorado Festival of Contemporary Music, and was Musical Director and Conductor of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. Later, Burge chaired the Piano Department at the Eastman School of Music. Over his career, he gave more than 1,000 concerts in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, composed more than 100 works, authored the book Twentieth-Century Piano Music (Shirmer Books, 1990), wrote prize-winning columns for Keyboard Magazine, Clavier and The Piano Quarterly, and published the novel Vanishing Spring (1999). The David Burge Papers contain sheet music, scores, scripts, scrapbooks, photographs, media, and objects which document David Burge's personal and professional life.

Biographical Note

David Burge was a pianist and composer. Born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1930, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Northwestern University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and an artist's diploma from the Eastman School of Music in 1956.

While on the faculty at the University of Colorado in Boulder during the 1960s and 1970s, Burge founded and directed the Colorado Festival of Contemporary Music, and was Musical Director and Conductor of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. During that period, George Crumb collaborated with Burge while writing Makrokosmos, a series of four volumes of pieces for piano. Burge also worked with composers such as Ernst Krenek, Luciano Berio, and Karlheinz Stockhausen, and singers including Cathy Berberian and Bethany Beardslee.

After leaving the University of Colorado, he chaired the Piano Department at the Eastman School of Music for many years. Over his career, he gave more than 1,000 concerts in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, composed more than 100 works, authored the book Twentieth-Century Piano Music (Shirmer Books, 1990), wrote prize-winning columns for Keyboard Magazine, Clavier and The Piano Quarterly, and published the novel Vanishing Spring (1999). He won Ascap-Deems Taylor Awards in 1978 and 1979 for his writings in Contemporary Keyboard magazine.

For about a decade starting in the mid-1990s, he was composer in residence with the San Diego Ballet. He accepted visiting professorships at universities and conservatories in the United States, Denmark, Turkey, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Korea.

Burge died from a heart attack on April 1, 2013 in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Arrangement

The David Burge Papers are organized into eight series:

Missing Title

Series I: Music by David Burge
Series II: Notebooks
Series III: Scores
Series IV: Books
Series V: Photographs
Series VI: Media
Series VII: Objects
Series VIII: Posters and Artworks

The collection has been kept in the original order in which it was recieved.

Scope and Content

The David Burge Papers contain sheet music, scores, scripts, scrapbooks, photographs, media, and objects that document David Burge's personal life and his work as a pianist, composer, and writer.

Subjects

Genres

Sheet music.

People

Silsbee, Ann; Krenek, Ernst, 1900-1991; Boulez, Pierre, 1925-; Berio, Luciano, 1925-2003; Cage, John; Crumb, George; Wuorinen, Charles; Albright, William; Bartok, Bela, 1881-1945; Burge, David, 1930-2013

Topics

Piano music.; Music -- Manuscripts.; Musical theater -- United States

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open to researchers. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); David Burge Papers; MSS 395; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Provenance

The David Burge Papers were donated to NYU's Fales Library & Special Collections by Evon Burge in 2014.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers.

Separated Materials

Books written by David Burge have been removed for cataloging.

Collection processed by

Laura Newsome, 2014.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 17:14:10 -0400.

Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Repository

Fales Library and Special Collections

Series I: Music by David Burge