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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1978)
Ed Soule Librarian delights not only in books but also in creating and singing songs By MELODY WARD Of the Emerald The University is about peo ple helping and teaching other people, says Ed Soule, Uni versity music librarian and composer. Since 1966 he has served on the library faculty, but his ac tivities don’t stop with refer ence work. Soule teaches, serves on several graduate students’ committees, com poses “serious” music and is a self-described “singer of folk songs.” “I just like to write for peo ple,” Soule says of his compos ing. “It doesn’t mean lowering your standards.” Though he says he has thrown away "car ton after carton of scraps that had no meaning,” Soule has finished around 400 pieces, several of which have been published. His works include piano music, art songs (“there’s a snobbish name for every thing”), chamber music and choral music. Much of Soule’s piano music is in the form of “teaching pieces” for students. Three of them were chosen for publication in the ‘‘Joy of Easy-Modern Piano Pieces", edited by Denes Agay, nation ally known composer of children's music and compiler of many anthologies of teach ing music. “The only person having four (published) was Bart ok,” Soule observes with a grin. Yet, he says publishing is hard to come by, even though “the amount of junk published is appalling.” Soule doesn’t think he has ever written a perfect piece. “Sometimes I have a big sort of vision of a piece, but usually it never comes out the way I’d thought,” he says. Soule considers himself only one of several composers in the campus community. “We have a really good composition department here, headed by Hal Owen,’’ he says. Owen and Monte Tubb, another music faculty member, were both Ford Foundation composers and have “a good deal of music” published. “Music is for people,” Soule affirms. “I often write things because people ask me to or because someone expresses interest in certain combina tions of instruments or needs pieces for a specific instru ment.” He says, “the music faculty and students have been very helpful. I’ve gotten a lot of per formances I never would have received otherwise. You really don’t do anything without someone else helping.” A grant from the Office of Scientific and Scholarly Re search was particularly helpful, according to Soule. He was given money to update, edit and disseminate his composi tions a few years ago. Soule says he knows a piece is well done when a person says afterward that it was beautiful. “I put it on a very naive basis,” he explains. ‘‘I want to create beautiful music but not in the Victorian sense. Beauty can be terrifying.” He says one of the best compliments he ever received was from a co-worker on the library staff: "You know, it’s so wonderful to hear this music from good old everyday Ed!” Terming himself the “mid dlest of the middle guys,” Soule asks, “If you aren’t in touch with people, then what are you doing? There’s really no future or money in compos ing. Ask any composer. You just have to keep on writing. Half the poor bastards starve to death doing it.” Success, or the American image of success, causes con flict for many creative artists, Soule says. “We are sur rounded by a feeling about success. In American success terms, I’m not very successful. But I must have the integrity to University librarian Ed Soule Photo by Alan Auyaong ■*1 jyaung stay with what I believe in. It’s not standing still — it’s pro gressing on my own terms.” Soule has taught more than 20 different courses in his career. Prior to becoming a li brarian, he served on the music faculties of several colleges and universities. He has a Yale/Eastman background in theory and composition and taught musi cianship, piano, orchestration and other courses for more than 20 years. In 1966, he got a master’s degree in library sci ence at the age of 51 in just 10 months, and then started a second career. “Teaching is very important in librarianship. You’re giving people a feeling of being at home.” Soule believes the real busi ness of universities is to teach. “I think research should come out of teaching ... we have some good teachers here but we could always use more.” CSPA students to attend Job Faire Spring often brings thoughts of graduation and questions about the job market into the minds of many students. The Wallace School of Community Service and Public Affairs (CSPA) will sponsor a Job Faire Thursday so students can meet with representatives from various agencies and learn about career op portunities. “It’s a good chance for people to find out about the job market and what sort of courses they should be taking to prepare for certain jobs,” says Sharon Murphy, Job Faire coor dinator. Areas to be represented include human ser vices, corrections, public administration on all government levels, the Internal Revenue Ser vice, the National Alliance of Businessmen, VISTA, and the University Veterans Associa tion. Murphy estimates that close to 20 agen cies will participate. Employers from throughout Oregon will take part, and some will be looking for students to fill jobs now or in the future, Murphy says. There is no cost for attending the faire. Those who register will be given a “mini resume” form. Students can also draw up a resume before the faire in the Career, Plan ning and Placement Office before Thursday. The Job Faire will run from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and from noon to 4 p.m. in Room 167 EMU. Now Open on Mondays at 11:00 a.m. MONDAY SPECIAL: SPAGHETTI DINNER 1 SP (Served all Day) All the Spaghetti you can eat with the sauce of your choice. Meal includes soup or salad and • bread sticks FAMILY STYLE LUNCH & DINNER Reservations recommended for parties of six or more 726-1844 3111 Gateway SI., oil I-5 at Belt Line Exit Greyhound Rx. The cure for college blahs. It’s a feeling that slowly descends upon you. The exams, the pop tests, the required reading, the hours at the library, the thesis— they won’t go away. But you can. This weekend, take off, say hello to your friends, see the sights, have a great time. You’ll arrive with money in your pocket because your Greyhound trip doesn't take that much out of it. 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