John Verrall was born in Britt, Iowa, in 1908 and died in Seattle in 2001. He was a composer and professor of music at the University of Washington from 1948 to 1973. He received a B.M. from the Minneapolis College of Music in 1929 and a B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1934. Verrall studied composition with Zoltan Kodaly at the Liszt Conservatory of Music in Budapest. He also studied with Aaron Copland, Roy Harris, and Frederick Jacobi. Before becoming an editor for G. Schirmer and the Boston Music Company, he taught at Hamline University from 1934 to 1942 and at Mount Holyoke College from 1942 to 1946. Verrall received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1947 and a D.H. Lawrence Fellowship in 1964. He taught composition at the University of Washington from 1948 until his retirement in 1993.
Verrall composed works in a variety of different genres, ranging from solo piano works for children to large orchestral and operatic pieces. He wrote seven string quartets, and composed or arranged a large number of works for the solo french horn with accompaniment. For the Washington Centennial Celebration, he wrote a choral symphony in honor of Chief Joseph; it was premiered by the Walla Walla Symphony Orchestra in 1989. Many of his compositions used a nine-pitch scale consisting of two tetrachords on either side of a central pitch that was alterable (C-Db-Eb-E, F or F#, G-Ab-Bb-B).
Arranged by type of document.
The John Verrall papers consist almost entirely of musical compositions and arrangements by John Verrall. The music is primarily made up of the composer's facsimile editions printed by the American Composers Alliance (ACA). There are also published musical scores but only a few handwritten manuscripts. However, many of the printed copies have handwritten notes. Some published works are labled "analysis copy" and contain highlighting and musical analysis, presumably by Verrall. Other pieces consist of copy masters for proofreading and editing. Pieces with significant correction markings or added notation have been noted on the inventory. Some pieces contain penciled-in performance markings and bowings.
Also included are Verrall's arrangements of works by other composers, most notably Bach, Mozart, Edvard Grieg, and Stephen Heller; compositions of other composers; an article by John Beale entitled "The Music of John Verrall"; and Verrall's personal catalog of his compositions, which sometimes contains information about the premiere performances and the performers of the compositions.
The papers are open to all users.
The creator's literary rights have not been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
John Verrall Papers. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries, Seattle, Washington.
Most of the Verrall papers were donated by John Kunz on November 29, 2001. A few additional scores, including a program and an annotated copy of the prologue and first act of
Processed in 2004 by Nicholas Netzel.
In processing the papers, efforts were made to keep the highest quality and most complete version of each work.
Twenty-one duplicate scores, including some parts, were transferred to the University of Washington Music Library, June 4, 2004.
Divided into two subseries for instrumental music and vocal music. These subseries are further divided by size and type of ensemble, and, in the case of chamber and solo music, by general instrumentation. Chamber music is considered to be music for ten or fewer instruments. Works for a single instrument and piano accompaniment are filed with solos.
Unless otherwise noted in the description, researchers may assume that non-solo works have both the score and the instrumental parts, and accompanied solos have the part and accompaniment. Instrumentation has been noted when it is not apparent in the title of a work or when it deviates from standard instrumentation for the ensemble. If not described, scores are printed or facsimile copies without a discernable publisher. Non-standard instrumentation has also been noted.
No string parts. One ACA facsimile score and one score with corrections. Text and lyric sheets.
Score and parts with print masters of parts.
Photocopies and ACA facsimiles.
Score only, ACA facsimile.
Full score and piano reduction score, viola part only. ACA facsimile.
ACA facsimile score, 2 copies of 1989 revised score with parts.
Two ACA facsimile scores, with corrections and additions.
Oboe, flute, three clarinets, bassoon, horn, trumpet, three trombones, tuba. Score, facsimile parts, print master parts.
Two ACA facsimile scores and multiple copies of parts with corrections and additions.
ACA facsimile score in concert pitch with additions. Multiple copies of parts.
Three copies of ACA facsimile score with additions and parts.
Score only, with additions.
Two ACA facsimile scores with multiple copies of parts.
ACA facsimile score.
Three scores: two photocopies and one print master. Multiple copies of some parts.
Published by Boston Music. Alternate title is
Score only.
Score only, published by Independent Music.
Condensed score and partial parts. Published by Boston Music.
Condensed score and parts. Published by Boston Music
ACA facsimile.
Two violins, viola, violoncello, contrabass. Published by Highgate Music.
Two violins, viola, violoncello, contrabass.
Score and miniature facsimile score with additions and parts.
Two violins, viola, violoncello, pianoforte. ACA facsimile.
Published by Valley Music.
With corrections, published by Theodore Presser / Oliver Ditson.
Published by Theodore Presser / Oliver Ditson.
Includes original finale with corrections. Independent Music facsimile score is from 1952. Also includes photocopied parts from 1988 revision.
Print master score and photocopied score and parts.
ACA facsimile.
Published by Valley Music.
ACA facsimile score, photocopied scores with corrections and parts.
Two copies of score. Three sets of parts - photocopy, print master, ACA facsimile.
ACA facsimile.
Flute, oboe, two clarinets, horn, two bassoons. ACA facsimile, two scores with corrections and parts.
Flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon. Published by Theodore Presser / Mercury Music.
Published by Theodore Presser / Tritone Music.
Two trumpets, horn, trombone, baritone, tuba. Published by Merion Music.
Score only. ACA facsimile.
Two scores with corrections.
Three scores - facsimile, photocopy, photocopy with corrections.
With corrections and additions.
Two horns, two violins, viola, violoncello, contrabass. ACA facsimile score and Independent Music facsimile parts.
Horn, two violins, viola, contrabass. Manuscript score only.
Flute, oboe, violin, violoncello, pianoforte. ACA facsimile.
ACA facsimile with additions.
Two flutes, two violas, three violoncellos
Horn, three violins, viola, violoncello, contrabass. ACA facsimile.
ACA edition with corrections, Dow Music Publisher editions.
With analysis. Published by Edition Peters.
Score only, includes some manuscript pages.
Published by Dow Music.
Published by Dow Music. Includes two analysis copies.
Published by Dow Music.
For unaccompanied clarinet. Print master and photocopy.
Print masters.
Published by Theodore Presser / Tritone Music.
Part and loose pages of facsimile score and print masters.
Score, horn part, and saxophone part.
Two scores, horn part, saxophone part.
Print masters.
Print master and correction copy.
Horn, pianoforte. ACA facsimile.
Published by Theodore Presser / Oliver Ditson. Photocopy and six indvidual pieces.
Published by New Valley Music.
Includes two analysis copies. Published by Edition Peters.
Two copies. Published by University of Washington Press.
ACA fascsimile and print masters.
Published by Carlton Music.
Two copies. Includes notes.
Photocopies, facsimiles, and print-masters.
Published by Valley Music. Four copies, including two analysis copies and print masters.
ACA facsimile and print master.
ACA facsimile.
ACA facsimile. Alternate title:
Print master.
Full score and piano/vocal score, with corrections and additions.
Flute, clarinet, horn, bassoon, viola, violoncello, bells, pianoforte. Full score and piano/vocal score, with corrections and additions.
Three copies.
For high or low voice.
Words: John Gracen Brown.
Words: Walt Whitman.
Arranged by Verrall. Includes choral parts.
Multiple copies of score and parts.
Horn, pianoforte. Score includes print master and photocopy.
Horn, pianoforte. Score - print master.
Horn, pianoforte. Score - print master.
Horn, pianoforte. Score - print master.
Horn, pianoforte.
Print master.
Print master.
Print master.
Possibly by Stephen Heller. Print master.
Includes information on composition dates and premieres of some of his works.