THE PAPERS OF WESTON NOBLE

BIOGRAPHY

Weston Henry Noble was born to Merwin and Ruth (Lappin) Noble on November 30, 1922, in Riceville, Iowa. He grew up on a small family farm with his six siblings: Harlan, Russell, Lowell, Dale, and twins, Joe and Jo Ann. At age 5 he began taking piano lessons.

Noble began his Luther education in 1939, and was teased by his peers for being so young when he first arrived. While at Luther, he was very active in the music program. He was a member of both Concert Band and Schola Cantorum. He wanted to pursue a career in music education, and this became his major. According to requirements at Luther at the time, music education was not considered an academic program, so Noble had to choose a second major. He decided on history and became a double major. In 1943, the year Noble was scheduled to graduate, World War II was well underway. In response, Weston decided he would join the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps. However, he was called to start training before his Luther graduation date. He was not alone in this predicament since there were four other Luther men who also faced the same dilemma. As a result, Luther made arrangements for Noble and the other students to complete their graduation requirements early in the spring, allowing them to both receive their degrees from Luther and carry out their duties to the Army.

As a member of the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps, Noble was first sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he was assigned to the armored (tank) corps. He didn’t find this particularly pleasing. After his stay in Fort Knox, Noble received further training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He then became part of the 750th Tank Battalion, and was sent to Europe. While in Europe, Noble was stationed for various periods of time in England, France, Belgium and Germany.

Upon his return to the United States in 1946, Noble debated the possibility of pursuing a graduate degree in music. At the last minute, he decided to postpone his further education and turned to teaching high school music. He received a job at the high school in LuVerne, Iowa, and began teaching there in the fall of 1946. He spent two years at LuVerne before joining the Luther faculty on a “temporary” basis in 1948.

The summer before Noble returned to Luther, he began his graduate studies at the University of Michigan. In the fall, Noble was asked if he would fill in for one year until a replacement was found for a recently resigned member of the music faculty. He agreed, and again put his graduate studies on hold. Although it was not planned, he ended up directing both the Concert Band and the Nordic Cathedral Choir, as well as teaching music classes that first year. Because of his success in these endeavors, Noble was asked to stay another year, thus beginning his legacy at Luther College. He attended 9 years of summer school classes at the University of Michigan, 1947-1955, and completed his master’s degree there in 1951.

Noble’s influence on music at Luther has been profound. In 1950, he began the Dorian Music Festival with the intent of using it to recruit additional students to Luther College. In 1953, he received an offer to teach at Butler University, with the promise of leading a number of musical groups there. Presumably in order to entice him into staying at Luther, Noble received a counter offer which made him the head of the music department at Luther. After just four years of teaching at Luther and at the young age of 31, he became head of the department, effective in September, 1953. In 1973, Noble also received the title of “Director of Musical Activities.” In 1973, at age 51, he gave up direction of the Concert Band and turned all of his attention to Nordic Choir. Noble is perhaps best known for his conducting of Handel’s Messiah. He has had the honor of directing this production since his first year at Luther College in 1948.

By 1965, Noble began to be bothered by the amount of litter on the Luther College campus. By 1982 he was devoted to picking up campus trash. He has become well-known for his dedication to keeping up the campus grounds.

Noble has received numerous honors over the course of his years at Luther. Among the most notable are: Carlo A. Sperati Award in 1961; Honorary Doctor of the Arts Degree from Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1971; first to be named Outstanding Music Educator of the United States in 1989; first recipient of the Weston H. Noble Award in 1994; and Honorary Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota in 1996.

In 1998, a biography of Weston Noble was published. Warmly, Weston: A Luther College Life, was written by Wilfred F. Bunge of the Luther College Religion Department. This complete biography can be found in the main stacks in Preus Library.

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The collection is arranged into ten series: Series I, Correspondence; Series II, Tours; Series III, Guest Conducting; Series IV, Awards/Honorary Degrees; Series V, Writings About/Dissertations; Series VI, Photographs; Series VII, Realia; Series VIII, Audio Visual; Series IX, Yearbooks; and Series X, Scrapbooks.

The first series, Correspondence, spans the years 1940-1998, and also contains some undated material. It includes letters to and from Weston Noble, cards he received, as well as response forms received from alumni who were not able to attend a reception in Noble’s honor on November 18, 1989, after he received the Outstanding Music Educators of the United States Award. There are also a number of congratulatory notes regarding his honorary degree from St. Olaf college received in 1996.

Series II contains items related to the numerous Tours Weston Noble has been a part of between the years 1954 and 1997. Some material is undated. Included in this collection are many programs, itineraries, as well as items acquired by him on these trips, either as souvenirs or gifts. Several of these are signed. Also in this series is a musical score composed by Sigvart Hofland and dedicated to the Luther College Band and Weston Noble.

Weston Noble was involved in Guest Conducting, and items related to this aspect of his career are located in Series III. This series is mostly comprised of programs and advertisements from the events where he was featured, spanning 1967 to 1997, and includes some undated items.

The fourth series, Awards/Honorary Degrees, contains a variety of awards given to Weston Noble. Among these are a certificate of honorable discharge from the Army, items pertaining to his honorary degree from St. Olaf College, and an honorary degrees file compiled in 1988. Also in the collection are numerous miscellaneous awards dating from 1949 to 1996. Awards presented to the musical groups under Weston Noble’s direction can be found in the Music Department records.

Series V, Writings About/Dissertations, covers 1939-1998, and includes some undated material. This collection contains articles from newspapers (including several from foreign countries where groups under his direction performed), magazines and journals (primarily music or education related), which focus on Weston Noble. There are also some undated articles and features. In addition, three dissertations have been written about Weston Noble: “The Music Values and Related Concepts of Two Selected Choral Conductors Who Influence Choral Music in Iowa and Minnesota,” by Robert Dwight Berglund, 1965; “Voice Matching: A Perceptual Study of Vocal Matches, Their Affect on Choral Sound, and Procedures of Inquiry Conducted by Weston Noble,” by David Carmine Giardiniere, 1991; and “Verbal Rehearsal Methods and Their Effects on Expressive Music Performance: A Comparison of Verbal Explanation and Transformational Verbal Imagery,” by Leonard M. Upham, 1993.

Photographs can be found in Series VI. These range from circa 1943 to 1997, and some are undated. A few negatives can also be found in this collection. The photographs include prints from World War II, some choir and band photographs (for additional pictures of musical groups, see Music Department, Record Group 7), many photographs taken on various tours, and pictures of Weston Noble receiving his honorary degree from St. Olaf.

Series VII contains Realia, or memorabilia. This includes six plaques, and a number of items picked up as souvenirs on tours, most of which are from Norway. Also in this series are several items relating to Weston Noble’s service in the military during World War II, including banners from his tank battalion and various military pins.

A few Audio Visual items are located in Series VIII. Included are cassette tapes of two concerts, cassette tapes of interviews of and about Weston Noble, and two video tapes of award ceremonies. Additional recordings of choral and instrumental groups under Weston Noble’s direction can be found in the audio visual collection in Record Group 18.

A couple of Weston Noble’s Yearbooks are in Series IX. These include the Luther College Pioneer from 1940 and 1942, which are signed by many of Weston Noble’s friends and acquaintances. Also in this series is an America’s Youth in Concert memory book from 1976.

The final series in the collection, Series X, contains three Scrapbooks pertaining to Weston Noble. One was given to him on the occasion of his last concert with the Luther College Band in 1973. Another was presented to him after a choir tour in 1949. The third is not identified.

ASSOCIATED COLLECTIONS

The researcher is encouraged to examine the records of the Luther College Music Department (Record Group 7) for additional material about the musical groups directed by Weston Noble. Video and audio tapes of these groups and other events involving Weston Noble, including guest conducting engagements and awards ceremonies, can be found in the Audio Visual collection in Record Group 18. Photographs of musical ensembles and some photographs of Weston Noble are located in the Photograph Collection in Record Group 18, and a few are in Record Group 7 with the Music Department collection. In addition, committee files for the ad hoc Noble Celebration Committee in Record Group 8 contain information regarding Weston Noble.

PROVENANCE AND DONOR

The collection was collected and maintained by Weston Noble. Materials were donated to the Luther College Archives by Weston Noble over the course of his tenure at Luther College. Noble has suggested that more material will come into this collection upon his retirement.

BOX INVENTORY

Box 1, 0.4 c.f.

Series I: Correspondence

Folder 1: 1940-1947

Folder 2: 1951-1953

Folder 3: 1955-1960

Folder 4: 1961-1964

Folder 5: 1965

Folder 6: 1966-1967

Folder 7: 1968

Folder 8: 1969

Folder 9: 1970-1979

Folder 10: 1980-1988

Folder 11: 1989

Folder 12: 1989-1992

Folder 13: Jan. 1993-Feb. 1993

Folder 14: March 1993-April 1993

Folder 15: 1994-1995

Folder 16: Jan. 1996-Oct. 1996

Folder 17: Nov. 1996-Dec. 1996

Folder 18: Jan. 1997-Feb. 1997

Folder 19: March 1997-June 1997, n.d. 1997

Folder 20: 1998

Folder 21: n.d.

Folder 22: n.d.

Box 2, 0.4 c.f.

Series II: Tours

Folder 1: 1954-1963

Folder 2: 1972-1984

Folder 3: 1994-1997, n.d.

Folder 4: n.d., “Nordic Choir Through 50 Years,” by Weston Noble

Folder 5: 1969, Gifts

Folder 6: 1972, Gifts

Folder 7: n.d., Gifts

OS 1950-1951, “Dedicated to Luther College Band and its director Weston Noble, 1950- 1951, Symphony C minor (Movement I) Sigvart Hofland, arranged for Band by the composer, Christmas 1950”

OS 1988, Russian Music Book given to Weston Noble by V. Genin, in Moscow, June 4, 1988

Series III: Guest Conducting

Folder 8: 1971-1976

OS Poster, ACDA North Central Division Conv. Des Moines, IA, February 7-9, 1974

Folder 9: 1978-1979

Folder 10: 1979-1981

OS Poster, Washington State University Summer ‘81

Folder 11: 1982

Folder 12: 1982, 1985

Box 3, 0.4 c.f.

Series III: Guest Conducting

Folder 1: 1986

Folder 2: 1987

Folder 3: 1988-1989

Folder 4: 1990

Folder 5: 1991

Folder 6: 1993

Folder 7: 1995-1996

Folder 8: 1997

Folder 9: n.d.

Series IV: Awards/Honorary Degrees

Folder 10: 1949,1952, 1961

OS 1971, one of ten most outstanding music directors in the U.S. award

Folder 11: 1979-1995

Folder 12: 1996

Folder 13: 1998

Folder 14: Honorary Degrees File, turned over to President’s Office by Kristi H. July 6, 1988

Folder 15: Honorary Degrees File, turned over to President’s Office by Kristi H. July 6, 1988

Box 4, 0.4 c.f.

Series V: Writings About/Dissertations

Folder 1: 1939-1948

OS April 24, 1949, Full page of the Cedar Rapids Gazette

OS 1949, “Luther to Present ‘Messiah’ on Dec. 18”

OS May 8, 1957, “CHS Extends a Hearty Welcome to All Visiting Musicians” [The Clintonian, Clinton, IA]

Folder 2: 1952-1958

OS Dec. 12, 1952, College Chips

OS Nov. 30, 1953, “A Thousand Voices Ring out in Song” [Des Moines Register]

Folder 3: 1960-1969

OS Nov. 19, 1967, “Messiah at Luther” [The Cedar Rapids Gazette]

Folder 4: 1961, in Norwegian

Folder 5: 1972

Folder 6: 1975-1977

Folder 7: 1978-1979

Folder 9: 1980

Folder 10: 1981-1982

Folder 11: 1983-1984

OS March 1, 1983, “In defense of pure unreason” [Des Moines Register]

OS November 26, 1983, “‘Messiah’ at Luther: a Noble effort” [Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN]

Folder 12: 1985

OS Feb., 1985, “Two Iowa Choirs Chosen to Perform at ACDA National Convention” [Sounding Board]

OS April 18, 1985, “Luther News” [Vinland]

Folder 13: 1986

Folder 14: 1987-1988

Folder 15: 1989

Folder 16: 1990-1993

Folder 17: 1995-1996

Folder 18: 1997

Folder 19: 1998, n.d.

OS n.d., “‘Messiah Heralds Yule Season”

OS n.d., “The confessions of an Iowa campus junkie”

Folder 20: Dissertation: “The Music Values and Related Concepts of Two Selected Choral Conductors Who Influence Choral Music in Iowa and Minnesota” by Robert Dwight Berglund, 1965 (bound)

Box 5, 0.4 c.f.

Series V: Writings About/Dissertations

Dissertation: “Voice Matching: A Perceptual Study of Vocal Matches, Their Affect on Choral Sound, and Procedures of Inquiry Conducted by Weston Noble” by David Carmine Giardiniere, 1991 (unbound)

Folder 1: “Voice Matching,” chapters 1-3, letter

Folder 2: “Voice Matching,” chapter 4-Appendix A

Folder 3: “Voice Matching,” Appendix B-end

Dissertation: “Verbal Rehearsal Methods and Their Effects on Expressive Music Performance: A Comparison of Verbal Explanation and Transformational Verbal Imagery” by Leonard M. Upham, 1993 (bound)

Box 6, 0.4 c.f.

Series VI: Photographs

OS 1941, Organ at Methodist Church in Decorah

Folder 1: ca. 1943-1946, Prints made for 75th anniversary

Folder 2: 1949-1953

OS 1950, Weston Noble, Chuck Rosenthal, Olaf Christianson (conductor of St. Olaf Choir), when that choir sang at Decorah Lutheran Church, Feb. 13.

Folder 3: 1955-1970

OS 1963, All State Orchestra and Chorus, November 8-9, 1963, Aberdeen, SD

Folder 4: 1980

Folder 5: 1982-1989

Folder 6: 1989, letter and photos

Folder 7: 1993, 1994

Folder 8: 1994

Folder 9: 1994

Folder 10: 1996

Folder 11: 1997

Folder 12: n.d.

OS Weston Noble in chorus at University of Michigan

Folder 13: negatives

Box 7, 0.2 c.f.

Series VII: Realia

Plaque, “Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans Award, Bicentennial Edition 1976- 1977”

Plaque, “ACDA North Central Division Convention, Madison, Wisconsin, March 6-8, 1980”

Plaque, “With thanksgiving for your support and commitment, ‘LIFTING UP OUR GIFTS’ CAMPAIGN, Lutheran Summer Music Festival Week 1996, Lutheran Music Program, Inc.,” with photograph

Plaque, “Iowa Music Educators Association, Honor Performance, 1982”

Box 8, 0.2 c.f.

Series VII: Realia

Metal plate, “Centuries old city in a modern hotel, hotel Atlantic, Stavanger, Norway,” with picture

Plate, “Tromso Lufthavn, September 1964,” blue with airplane scene in center

Bottle opener, shaped like Norway

Spoon, green handle says “Floro,” sterling, from Norway, in box

Badge, red and white with blue star in center, attached is a military pin which says “rifle”

Flag, from Czech Republic

Ribbon, blue, says “Festspillene i Bergen 1972”

OS Psalm 104:33, by William H. Franzmann

OS “O Lord God/ I will sing to the Lord/ as long as I live/ I will sing praises/ to my God/ while I have my being/ O Lord God” by Jean Formo, 1983, matted.

Box 9, 0.2 c.f.

Series VII: Realia

Plaque, “To Weston Noble in appreciation, Conference All-State Band, Rochester, NY, December 1-4, 1972”

Plaque, “CPL. Weston H. Noble, United States Army, CO. D., 750TH Tank BN,” 1943-1946 is written on back in pen.

Military pins, in a small box labeled “Good Conduct Decoration Medal”

T-shirt, red with white writing which says, “South Dakota Honors Choir 1996”

Box 10, 0.4 c.f.

Series VII: Realia

Banner from U.S. Army Ft. Knox, KY with pins attached, ca. 1943

Box 11, 0.4 c.f.

Series VII: Realia

Banners from Weston Noble’s Tank Battalion, WWII

Box 12, 0.2 c.f.

Series VIII: Audio Visual

Cassette tapes, The Forty Fourth Annual Iowa All-State Festival Concert, Ames, IA, November 10, 1990

Cassette tapes, Lutheran Summer Music-1996, Sounds of Summer

Cassette tape, “Rollie Dain”

Cassette tape, “Weston Noble Documentary with Andy Haase, 1997”

Cassette tape, “Interview with Pip Qually Aug. 8, 1984. . . sports history, Weston Noble, Notre Dame, Knute Rockne, his personal history, very short segment on continuing on side B, unedited, by Arbne Sorlien”

Video tape, “Rapid City, N.C.ACDA award”

Video tape, “U of Mich, SCH of Music, Alumni Awards, 10/22/93, W. Noble, et. al. + Misc.”

Box 13, 0.2 c.f.

Series IX: Yearbooks

Pioneer, 1940

Pioneer, 1942

America’s Youth in Concert 1976

Box 14, 0.6 c.f.

Series X: Scrapbooks

1949-1951, brown cover with gold rose embossed on front

1949, brown cover says, “To Weston Noble, Choir Memories of 1949, Presented by the Nordic”

Box 15, 0.2 c.f.

Series X: Scrapbooks

1973, given to Weston Noble at last concert with Luther band, contains material from 1950-1973 (11 folders)

Box 16, 0.6 c.f.

Oversize materials