By Geri Laudati
The Music Library was saddened to learn of the death of Harry B. Peters, Professor Emeritus at the School of Music, on 21 April in Lexington, Kentucky. His daughter, Jane S. Peters, survives him.
Dr. Peters, who held degrees from Eastman (BME and MM) and the University of Toronto (DMA-Musicology and Composition), came to the University in 1960, from faculty positions at Oberlin and SUNY-Fredonia. Initially, Peters taught all of the woodwinds and theory classes.
Peters was instrumental in the conception and development of the Wingra Quintet. During his first year at the UW, he heard a performance by the New York Woodwind Quintet, which sparked a desire to create a similar group composed of School of Music faculty. In 1961, John Barrows, horn, and Glenn Bowen, clarinet, joined the faculty, followed by Robert Cole, flute, in 1962, and Richard Lottridge, bassoon, in 1965. The University Woodwind Quintet performed its first concert on 17 October 1965, at the Memorial Union's "Sunday Music Hour." Peters remained as oboist of the group, whose name changed to "The Wingra Quintet" in 1968, until summer 1971, when he retired from the group to return to teaching and other pursuits.
In addition to his performing and teaching activities, Peters found the time to publish works that have become staples in music library reference collections. In 1966, he took a leave to do research in France on woodwind literature. In addition, he kept a written log of all music read and performed by the Quintet, and included commentary from the performers on each composition. The result of his work, The Literature of the Woodwind Quintet, was published by Scarecrow in 1971. The bibliography, the first of its kind, was of such importance that Peters was approached to serve as editor for a comprehensive bibliography of woodwind music, planned by the Music-In-Print series. Woodwind Music in Print, a 743-page bibliography, edited by Harry B. Peters, was published in 1997 by Musicdata, as number 8 in the series.
Peters was also responsible for perhaps the single most important book on music in Wisconsin. In January 1973, A. J. Blotz, widower of Helene Stratman-Thomas, approached him to continue her work on a book of Wisconsin folk songs that she had collected and recorded throughout the state in the 1940s, as part of a project sponsored by the Library of Congress. Although Peters had little previous exposure to the genre, he worked with Stratman-Thomas's manuscript materials and added songs collected by Franz Rickaby in the 1920's and Asher Treat and Sidney Robertson in the 1930s, along with commentary, texts, and photographs of some of the informants. Folk Songs Out of Wisconsin (State Historical Society, 1977) presents a remarkable overview of songs and ballads from the oral tradition popular among inhabitants of the state during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Peters also edited oboe music, still in the catalogs of Southern Music. His edition of Bellini's Oboe Concerto in E-flat Major remains in pedagogical literature as one of the important pieces for study.
A fund in his memory was established with the proceeds devoted to the Mills Music Library. Additional contributions may be sent to either the School of Music or directly to the Music Library.