Daniel T. Moe Papers

Collection

Identifier: RG 30-234

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The papers of Daniel Moe consist of an award, biographical information, diaries and scrapbooks, writings and music compositions, correspondence, various files relating to both his Oberlin and non-Oberlin service, photographs and reel-to-reel tape recordings. These materials document Moe’s choral career in both the academic and religious sectors, though the bulk of the collection relates to his time at Oberlin College.

The collection documents Moe’s intense focus on his musical career and his concern for his students. Included in the materials are a number of articles written about Moe as well as reviews of his concerts that illustrate the important impact that he had on choral music.

The composition series consists entirely of music written by Moe, and includes both original and facsimile compositions, and published scores, which span the better part of Moe’s career, from 1949-1990.

The correspondence series, as well as the files relating to non-Oberlin service, illustrate the breadth of Moe’s work in the choral profession. Included in the latter series are files relating to nineteen organizations, both religious and academic, that Moe worked with on speaking engagements, tours, and workshops (1968-1986). These files also include information on a number of All-State Choir Festivals, as well as two folders concerning his involvement with the Lutheran Society for Worship, Music, and the Arts.

The Files Relating to Oberlin Service and the Non-Textual Records series document the tremendous impact that Moe had on both Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory during his 20-year tenure as Professor of Choral Conducting. During this time Moe served as the Conductor for the Musical Union, Oberlin College Choir and the Oberlin College Chorus. The files, which range from reviews of concerts to papers related to tours performed by the Oberlin College Choir, provide insight into Moe’s commitment to his choirs and the gratitude that his students felt towards him.

Finally, the writings series consists of two textbooks that Moe wrote prior to his arrival at Oberlin, a chapter published in Choral Conducting: A Symposium, and articles spanning the period 1959 to 1965.

The Daniel Moe Papers are divided into the following eight series: I. Awards, II. Biographical Material, III. Compositions, IV. Correspondence, V. Files Relating to Oberlin Service, VI. Files Relating to Non-Oberlin Service, VII. Writings by Daniel Moe, and VIII. Non-Textual Records.

Dates

Creation: 1946-1998, undated
Other: Date acquired: 1992 June 8

Creator

Moe, Daniel T. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Class record books in Series V, Subseries 2 restricted, as noted on inventory.

Biographical Sketch

Daniel T. Moe was born on November 2, 1926 in Minot, North Dakota. The son of Lutheran minister Reverend J.M. Moe, Daniel Moe’s Lutheran roots heavily influenced his approach to music. Growing up in Fargo, North Dakota, Moe attended Hawthorne Elementary School and subsequently graduated from Central High in 1944. Throughout his childhood Moe was extremely involved in musical activities, including church choirs, adult choirs, and school band, orchestra, chorus, jazz band and glee club. Following high school, Moe served in the Naval Air Corps as an Aviation Cadet from 1944-46.

As an undergraduate, Moe aspired to be both a composer and a conductor. He completed his B.A. from Concordia College in 1949 and then began graduate study at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. On July 23, 1951, Moe married Doris Tanner. She received her B.A. from St. Olaf College. She subsequently worked as a social worker in Seattle, Denver and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before she completed some graduate study at Columbia University in New York.

Daniel Moe received his M.A. at the University of Washington in 1952. The following year he undertook the position of Director of Choral Activities at the University of Denver, a position he would hold until 1959. He simultaneously served as a Lecturer in Church Music at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, and spent a period of time studying at the Kirchenmusikschule in Hanover, Germany in 1956. During this time, Doris Tanner Moe gave birth to the couple’s first son, Erik Tanner Moe, on June 6, 1958.

Moe cited several men who were influential in his musical development during the early part of his musical career, including Paul J. Christiansen (Concordia College), Robert D. Holliday (Hamelin University in St. Paul, Minnesota), and Stanley Chapple (University of Washington). He also noted the importance of the Denver Symphony Orchestra, which he worked with from 1955-6 as a guest conductor. His experience with the orchestra allowed him the opportunity to develop knowledge of the choral-orchestral medium.

In 1961 Moe took the position of Director of Choral music at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He served as the Iowa State Chairman of the American Choral Directors Association from 1963-65. He also took a brief position as a Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California in the summer of 1963. During this time the Moes had two more children, Nelson Jacob (July, 6. 1961) and Martin Troen (June 18, 1965). In 1968 Daniel Moe organized a University of Iowa Choir tour to Yucatan, Mexico that received an abundance of regional publicity. In addition to his academic work, Moe served as the President of the Lutheran Society for Worship, Music, and the Arts, and as the director of various Protestant church choirs.

He joined the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in 1972, and served as Professor of Choral Conducting, the Conductor of the Musical Union, Oberlin College Choir, and Oberlin College Chorus. Moe helped transform the Choir into a touring musical group and had a dramatic impact on his students.

Following his divorce from Dorris Moe, Daniel Moe married Ann Stephenson, the choirmaster and organist at the Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota, Florida. Together they had two children. In 1992, he retired to Florida and became the director of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, and music director of the Key Chorale in Sarasota.

Over the course of his career, Moe wrote several influential books, including Problems in Conducting (1968, Augsburg) and Basic Choral Concepts (1971, Augsburg), and published over 40 compositions. He was also a frequent contributor to journals such as Journal of Church Music and The Choral Journal.

Daniel T. Moe died on May 24, 2012 in Sarasota at the age of 85.

For further information about Moe’s career, see the following articles:

Salisbury, Wilma. “Oberlin Conductor Scales Choral Heights.” The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), September 24, 1972.

McCray, James. “American Choral Music with Organ: The Music of Daniel Moe.” The American Organist, Vol. 21, No. 2 (February 1987).

Sources Consulted

The Faculty File of Daniel Moe, Alumni and Development Records, 28/3.

The Oberlin College Online Catalog (OBIS) for musical works of Daniel Moe.

Note written by Caitlin Condell.

Extent

4.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Method of Acquisition

The Daniel Moe Papers were received in two accessions by the Oberlin College Archives. Daniel Moe donated one lot in 1992, and the Conservatory of Music transferred a second lot to the College Archives in 2004.