Michael Mark collection of historic wind instruments
Collection
0418-SCPA-MARKHWI
The collection of historic wind winstruments of American music educator Michael Mark (1936-2018) measures 4.5 linear feet with the bulk of the materials dating from circa 1820-1950, with the bulk of the material from 1820-1880. The collection consists of twelve flutes, three clarinets, and a soprano saxophone of Western European and American manufacture, collected over the course of Mark's career.
Some instruments are damaged in the form of missing keys or components; the remainder show expected wear and tarnish given their vintage.
Copyright was not transferred to the University of Maryland with the gift of any copyrighted materials. All rights remain with the creators and rights holders. The University of Maryland Libraries is granted permission for the use in scholarly research by the Libraries’ patrons under fair use in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.
To inquire about duplication of materials for research or for publication, please contact SCPA’s curator.
16 Items
The collection of historic wind wind instruments measures 4.5 linear feet with the bulk of the materials dating from circa 1820-1950, with the bulk of the material from 1820-1880, all amassed by Michael Mark over the course of his career as an educator and performer. There are eleven wooden transverse flutes and fifes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries highlighting historical developments in American and European instrument construction of the time. Also included in the collection are three clarinets made in Germany and the United States over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth century, a soprano saxophone manufactured in the early twentieth century, and a flageolet, likely produced in the nineteenth century.
Michael Mark (1936-2018) was a multi-instrumentalist, music educator, historian, and philosopher of the field of music education. Originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, Mark earned a BM in music education with a minor in clarinet performance from Catholic University in 1958, a MM in music education with a minor in woodwind doubling from the University of Michigan in 1961, and a DMA in music education from Catholic University in 1969.
While working as a music educator in Prince George’s County public schools, Morgan State University, and Catholic University, Mark remained an active performer in the Baltimore-Washington area. A member of both city’s musicians unions, Mark was active as a professional woodwind player. Mark performed in multiple symphony orchestras and pit orchestras in the Baltimore-Washington area, performed numerous solo clarinet recitals, and formed, lead, played alto saxophone in, and served as chief arranger for the Baltimore Saxophone Quartet.
While best known as a music educator and author, this collection of historic wind instruments showcases Mark’s efforts as a historian and multi-instrumentalist.
The collection consists of one series:
Some instruments are damaged in the form of missing keys or components; the remainder show expected wear and tarnish given their vintage.
Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library