Wendell Logan
Encyclopedia
Wendell Morris Logan was an American
jazz and concert music composer
who created the jazz department at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
.
Logan was born on in Thomson, Georgia
on November 24, 1940. His first musical studies were with his father, an amateur alto saxophonist. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in music in 1962 from the historically black
Florida A&M University
, which he had attended on a football scholarship. At Florida A&M in 1962, Logan heard Igor Stravinsky
's Firebird Suite
for the first time. This initial exposure to the twelve-tone technique
led Logan to aspire pursuing a career as a composer. He earned a master's degree in music in 1964 from Southern Illinois University Carbondale
and was awarded a Ph.D.
in music theory and composition in 1968 from the University of Iowa
.
After graduating from college, he had been on the faculty of Ball State University
, Florida A&M University and Western Illinois University
After joining the faculty of the at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1973, he would become chairman of the jazz studies department and professor of African-American music. He started teaching jazz music shortly after joining Oberlin. Logan formed the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble
in 1973. When Logan first arrived at Oberlin, Jazz was exclusively an extracurricular activity. Logan developed a curriculum for a jazz major in 1989, and by 1991 he helped modify Oberlin's admission standards to allow students to be selected for admission to the conservatory based on their talent as jazz performers.
In addition to playing soprano saxophone
and trumpet
, Logan composed both jazz and concert music. Among his concert works are the 1989 "Runagate, Runagate" based on a poem by Robert Hayden
about a fugitive slave and "Doxology Opera: The Doxy Canticles" in 2001 which features a libretto by Paul Carter Harrison
. Logan's music has been recorded on Orion Records
and other labels.
Logan saw his being described as a "black composer" to be a two-edged sword. He would have preferred that music by African-American composers be performed alongside works by Beethoven and other composers. He said "No one is asking for a special day: 'Here's the day for black American composers.' That's kind of demeaning. But it's better than nothing". On his Oberlin College profile, Logan described jazz
as "our classical music" and said that it "belongs here just as much as Americans belong on this soil."
He was selected for a Guggenheim Fellowship
in 1991.
A resident of Oberlin, Ohio
, Logan died in Cleveland at age 69 on June 15, 2010, after suffering a short illness. He was survived by his wife, the former Bettye Reese, as well as by a daughter, a son and four grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz and concert music composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who created the jazz department at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, located on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, was founded in 1865 and is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. Students of Oberlin Conservatory enter a very broad network within the music world, as the school's alumni...
.
Logan was born on in Thomson, Georgia
Thomson, Georgia
Thomson, incorporated February 15, 1854, is a city in McDuffie County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,828 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of McDuffie County. Thomson's nickname is "The Camellia City of the South", in honor of the thousands of camellia plants...
on November 24, 1940. His first musical studies were with his father, an amateur alto saxophonist. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in music in 1962 from the historically black
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
Florida A&M University
Florida A&M University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M or FAMU, is a historically black university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, the state capital, and is one of eleven member institutions of the State University System of Florida...
, which he had attended on a football scholarship. At Florida A&M in 1962, Logan heard Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's Firebird Suite
The Firebird
The Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
for the first time. This initial exposure to the twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg...
led Logan to aspire pursuing a career as a composer. He earned a master's degree in music in 1964 from Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system...
and was awarded a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in music theory and composition in 1968 from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
After graduating from college, he had been on the faculty of Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
, Florida A&M University and Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...
After joining the faculty of the at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1973, he would become chairman of the jazz studies department and professor of African-American music. He started teaching jazz music shortly after joining Oberlin. Logan formed the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble
Oberlin Jazz Ensemble
Composed of jazz as well as classical performance majors, the ensemble is a component in a four-year curriculum in jazz studies, leading to a bachelor of music degree with a concentration in performance, composition, or both.-History:...
in 1973. When Logan first arrived at Oberlin, Jazz was exclusively an extracurricular activity. Logan developed a curriculum for a jazz major in 1989, and by 1991 he helped modify Oberlin's admission standards to allow students to be selected for admission to the conservatory based on their talent as jazz performers.
In addition to playing soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
and trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, Logan composed both jazz and concert music. Among his concert works are the 1989 "Runagate, Runagate" based on a poem by Robert Hayden
Robert Hayden
Robert Hayden was an American poet, essayist, educator. He was appointed Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1976.-Biography:...
about a fugitive slave and "Doxology Opera: The Doxy Canticles" in 2001 which features a libretto by Paul Carter Harrison
Paul Carter Harrison
Paul Carter Harrison is an American playwright and professor.-Biography:Born in New York City, Harrison earned a B.A. in psychology from Indiana University in 1957. Harrison earned an M.A. in psychology and phenomenology from New York City's New School for Social Research in 1962...
. Logan's music has been recorded on Orion Records
Orion Records
Orion Records was a primarily classical record label active from the late 1960s until 1988. It grew out of an earlier, Canadian label, Baroque Records, founded by former Everest Records executive Giveon Cornfield...
and other labels.
Logan saw his being described as a "black composer" to be a two-edged sword. He would have preferred that music by African-American composers be performed alongside works by Beethoven and other composers. He said "No one is asking for a special day: 'Here's the day for black American composers.' That's kind of demeaning. But it's better than nothing". On his Oberlin College profile, Logan described jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
as "our classical music" and said that it "belongs here just as much as Americans belong on this soil."
He was selected for a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
in 1991.
A resident of Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, to the south and west of Cleveland. Oberlin is perhaps best known for being the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students...
, Logan died in Cleveland at age 69 on June 15, 2010, after suffering a short illness. He was survived by his wife, the former Bettye Reese, as well as by a daughter, a son and four grandchildren.