Collection is open for research.
Donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives by Greta V. Marquis, George Welton Marquis' second wife, circa 1985. The accession number associated with this donation is retro-0085.
George Welton Marquis was born in Walla Walla, Washington on March 4, 1916. He earned his bachelor's degree from Whitman College in 1942, and his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in 1950. He worked as an arranger, composer, and conductor in Hollywood from 1937 to 1941, and proceeded to become the head of music departments at various colleges and universities from 1951 to 1977. Additionally, he served as the Bursar for Whitman College for a number of years. A well-regarded musician and an expert in early music and music theory, Marquis wrote numerous books and composed music throughout his career until he died February 26, 1985 in his home in Ashland, Oregon at the age of 68.
The George Welton Marquis collection houses the personal records of George Welton Marquis. This collection, which spans from approximately 1921 to 1968, contains phonograph records, reel-to-reel tapes, cassette tapes and sheet music, as well as manuscripts for books, correspondences, scrapbooks, photographs, medals, notebooks, and slides. This collection documents a pioneer of modern music theory, particularly in his musical and theoretical development.