Organizational History
The Sonneck Society for American Music was organized in 1975 by a group of American music enthusiasts led by music critic and historian Irving Lowens. Founded in response to the neglect of American music within the musicology community, in particular the American Musicological Society, the Sonneck Society promoted the study, teaching, creation, and dissemination of music in the Americas. From the beginning, the society looked beyond musicology, and attracted to its membership ethnomusicologists, music educators, folklorists, social historians, music critics, and performers.
The Sonneck Society for American Music was named in honor of American musicologist, librarian, and editor, Oscar G. T. Sonneck (1873-1928). As chief of the Library of Congress Music Division from 1902 to 1917, Sonneck built the collection into a comprehensive, world-class music research library. In 1915, he founded the journal Musical Quarterly, which he edited until his death. In 1917, he joined the music publishing firm of G. Schirmer in New York, and oversaw the publication of works by contemporary American composers. Sonneck was one of the first serious scholars and chroniclers of music in America.
By the late 1990s, some society members felt that the name “Sonneck” was too obscure, and lack of name recognition was hindering the growth and development of the society. After a contentious debate, on March 13, 1999, members voted to change the name from the Sonneck Society for American Music to the Society for American Music, with the stipulation that society documents would indicate it was founded in Sonneck’s honor.
Date | Event |
---|---|
1973 May | Early American music conference, Sturbridge, Massachusetts, where the idea for an association devoted to American music originated |
1973, July 24 | Ad hoc committee ("Sonneck Junto") met to further discuss the idea, Sturbridge, Massachusetts |
1974, Nov. 3 | At the conclusion of the American Musicological Society meeting in Washington, D.C., interested persons met and voted unanimously to establish the Sonneck Society |
1975 Summer | First issue of Sonneck Society Newsletter published |
1975 Oct. | First organizational meeting of the Sonneck Society held at the annual meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Middletown, Connecticut |
1976 May | First conference as an independent organization, Bayside, New York |
1980 Mar. | Sonneck Society conference, Baltimore, Maryland, noted for its "Salon des Refuses" session devoted to papers on American music that had earlier been officially accepted and then rejected by the Program Committee of the American Musicological Society for its annual meeting the previous November |
1981, Nov. 12 | Board approved donation of the Sonneck archives to Library of Congress |
1983 | Creation of Irving Lowens Book Award, given annually to recognize the most outstanding contribution to American music studies |
1983 Spring | First issue of American Music published |
1983 July | Joint conference with the University of Keele, Keele, England |
1987 | Name of Newsletter changed to Sonneck Society Bulletin |
1988 July | Joint conference with Oxford University, Oxford, England |
1990 Apr. | Joint conference with College Music Society, Northeast Chapter and Association pour l'avancement de la recherche en musique du Québec, Toronto, Canada |
1991 | Published Bringing Music History Home: A Guide for American Teachers of Music History, 1989-1991 Creation of Irving Lowens Article Award, given annually to recognize the most outstanding contribution to American music studies |
1999 March 13 | Name changed from the Sonneck Society for American Music to the Society for American Music |