Elizabeth Cowling
| Dr. Elizabeth Cowling | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1910 |
| 1997 (aged 86–87)1997 (aged 86–87) | |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Dr. Elizabeth Cowling (1910-18 February 1997) was an American cellist, musicologist, music historian and teacher.
Life
Before pursuing the cello in higher education, Cowling first earned a Bachelor’s in Philosophy from Carleton College, a liberal arts college in her hometown of Northfield, Minnesota, and then a Master’s in Economics from Columbia University. She earned a second Master’s degree in Cello Performance from Northwestern University, where she also received a PhD in Music History and Literature in 1960.[1] Her dissertation was titled "The Italian Sonata Literature for the Violincello in the Baroque Era", later published in 1967. She taught as a professor and cello teacher at the University of North Carolina Greensboro for 31 years before her retirement in 1976.
Cowling established the largest archival collection of cello music-related material in the world, founding the University of North Carolina Greensboro Cello Music Collection, consolidating her own extensive collection of manuscripts, sheet music and publications with the Silva Cello Music Library. Cowling is credited with encouraging the acquisition by the Friends of the Library at UNC Greensboro, from the family of the renowned cellist, Luigi Silva, in 1963, following his death in 1961. This collection continued to grow, and today, the university, in its Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, holds cello-related material from ten notable cellists, including Rudolf Matz, János Scholz and Maurice Eisenberg.
In 1975, Cowling published The Cello with Scribner. At the time, the book was described as the most comprehensive biography of the cello to ever have been written, and it showcased Cowling’s research in the anatomy, making, and history of the instrument from its beginnings in the fifteenth century to modern day.[2]
Career
In 1929, Cowling travelled to Europe to study the cello, first in Paris with Paul Bazelaire, and then with Mischa Schnieder in Budapest. She also briefly learned with Pablo Casals in 1950.[3] She continued to travel to
After completing her second masters, in 1945, Cowling taught at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (formerly the Women’s College) as assistant professor in its School of Music. She first met Luigi Silva at Eastman College of Music in 1946.
Cowling retired from UNC Greensboro in 1976. On retiring, she left approximately 1,050 items, many of which were photocopies of manuscripts she encountered while researching across the US and Europe.
Cowling died on 18 February 1997 in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the age of 86. In her will, she left UNC Greensboro $190,000, part of which was used to continue developing the Cello Music Collections online database.
Publications
- Cowling, Elizabeth. “About the Literature for the Cello: The Early Concerto.” In The Cello, 2nd ed., 99–113. London: B. T. Batsford, 1983.
References
- ↑ Lawrimore, Erin (2013-06-17). "Elizabeth Cowling: Cellist, Musicologist, Teacher". UNCG University Libraries. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ Cowling, Elizabeth (1975). The Cello (2nd rev., U.S. ed ed.). New York: C. Scribner's Sons. ISBN 978-0-684-17870-7.CS1 maint: Extra text (link) Search this book on
- ↑ "Collection: Elizabeth Cowling Musical Score and Personal Papers Collection | ArchivesSpace Public Interface". uncg.as.atlas-sys.com. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
This article "Elizabeth Cowling" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Elizabeth Cowling. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
