UML Frank Simon collection
Collection dates: 1900-1980
The Frank Simon Collection consists of Simon's personal music library accumulated throughout his career as cornet soloist, conductor, and music educator. The Collection contains 4,587 published and manuscript scores for band spanning over one hundred eighty years, with the bulk of materials dating from the 1890s to 1950s consisting of 203 linear feet of sheet music.
The collection is predominantly printed scores, with handwritten manuscripts and parts also being predominantly featured. A significant number of Band Folios, likely from Simon's ARMCO Band tenure, are also included. Many pieces contain full scores and parts, though incomplete scores and handwritten parts are also present. The materials maintain their original arrangement as found, lacking apparent organization by date, composer, style, or ensemble.
The collection's strength lies in its representation of the "golden age" of American bands, featuring works by John Philip Sousa, Herman Bellstedt, Ellis Brooks, L. P. Laurendeau, Victor Herbert, M. L. Lake, and Paul Yoder. Of note to the University of Arizona community are 17 compositions by former UA Director of Bands Joseph De Luca, world-renowned composer, conductor, and euphonium soloist. Performance notes handwritten throughout many scores provide valuable documentation of period performance practice.
As Simon's personal performance library, these materials document how the professional band tradition established by Sousa was adapted and transmitted through educational institutions during the mid-20th century. The collection serves as an invaluable resource for scholars studying American band history, performance practice, music education, and the cultural role of bands in American society.
Frank Simon (1889-1967), cornet soloist, conductor, and educator, was a pivotal figure in American band history who helped bridge the era of professional touring bands with the modern school band movement. Born November 26, 1889, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Simon began his musical education at age 11 with Q.C. Buckles and by age 14 was directing the Middletown Municipal Band.
Simon's professional training included study with William J. Kopp of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Herman Bellstedt, former Sousa band member and celebrated soloist and arranger. On Bellstedt's recommendation, Simon joined John Philip Sousa's band in 1914, serving as cornet soloist and assistant conductor until 1920. His departure led to his return to Ohio where he founded and conducted the ARMCO Band (1920-1939), one of America's most celebrated industrial bands.
Under Simon's leadership, the ARMCO Band achieved international recognition through concerts and radio broadcasts on NBC's "Armco Ironmaster Program" (1929-1939), bringing quality band music to millions of American homes. Simultaneously, Simon established his reputation as a dedicated music educator, joining the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music faculty in 1930 and founding its instrumental music program in 1932.
A charter member and past president of the American Bandmasters Association from 1935 - 1937, Simon remained active in the musical community through clinics, recordings, and scholarship. His recordings of Sousa marches, accompanied by commentary on stylistic interpretation, reflect his lifelong dedication to performance practice and historical authenticity and culminated in the landmark recording project “Sounds of John Philip Sousa” with the American School Band Directors Association.
Diagnosed with emphysema in 1955, Simon relocated to Tucson, Arizona, where he served as part-time faculty at the University of Arizona from 1956-1966. During this final decade, he continued teaching trumpet and conducting while mentoring young musicians. His march entitled “Here Comes the Band”, written in 1957 in a display of gratitude to the University of Arizona, can still be heard performed by the Pride of Arizona Marching Band in the present day.
Simon donated his personal music library of approximately 4,600 pieces (Is an approximate number here or a literal one better? I have 4,587 actual items in the spreadsheet - would it be best to say the exact number?) to the University of Arizona before his retirement and return to Ohio, where he died in Columbus on January 28, 1967. Simon's career exemplified the transition of American band music from entertainment to education, and his influence on generations of band directors helped establish the artistic and pedagogical standards that continue to guide American band programs today.
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