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Franklin E. Morris Papers

A description of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Dane Flansburgh
Date: November 2019



Biography Note

Franklin E. Morris (1920-2018) was an American composer and Syracuse University professor. Morris received a bachelor degree in chemistry from Ursinus College and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from MIT. As well as degrees in chemistry, he also studied music and composition at Cape Cod Institute of Music, Harvard University, and Yale University. In 1951 Morris started teaching music theory and composition at Syracuse University, a position he held until 1985.

While in Syracuse, Morris was actively involved in the local music scene. He organized annual recitals of solo and chamber works; composed and produced operas; and performed with the Syracuse Symphony. He also founded and directed the Electronic Studio of the School of Music at Syracuse University from 1966 to 1985. He had a particular interest in electronic music, and in 1976 started writing a long series of electronic symphonies. At his death, he had completed more than one thousand electronic symphonies. Additionally, he was interested in the intersection of electronic music and visual and dramatic arts, and presented many multi-media events at Syracuse University and other colleges across the Northeast.


Scope and Content Note

The Franklin E. Morris Papers documents his life and work as a musician. His papers contain films, cassettes, lantern slides, CDs, original music scores, compositions, and memorabilia.

Films are images of avant-garde and abstract art that were used in part at his multimedia performances. Morris used a numbering system for his films, and those numbers have been retained. A handful of films were unnumbered, and appear at the end of the inventory.

The rest of the collection is unprocessed, and not open to researchers.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Access to audiovisual media requires advance notice to produce a listening copy.

Only films have been processed. Unprocessed materials are closed to researchers.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

The University Archives holds clipping and portrait files on Franklin Morris.


Selected Search Terms

Names

Morris, Franklin E., 1920-2018.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Art, Abstract.
Composers.
Composition (music)
Electronic music.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Types of Material

16mm (photographic film size)
Compact discs.
Correspondence.
Experimental films.
Film reels.
Lantern slides.
Scores (documents for music)
Sound recordings.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Franklin E. Morris Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Franklin Morris donated these materials to the University Archives between 1979 and 2017. The last donation was after his death in 2018.

Processing Information

Only the films have been processed in this collection. Other materials have not been processed.


Arrangement

Films are arranged in numerical order. Films without numbers appear at the end of the inventory, and are arranged alphabetically by title.


Table of Contents

Films


Inventory