David  W. Guion
American Composer & Arranger
(1892 - 1981)



Many thanks to musicologist Mark D. Camann for his contributions to this website.

Wikipedia entry


Handbook of Texas Online article

"Perfesser" Bill Edwards website entry

1930 NY TImes movie review mentioning "Prairie Echoes" stage show with Guion at the piano

List of Guion's works available from G. Schirmer

Album of Piano Music (G. Schirmer - Vol. 1946c) - published 1983
    Cover of book       Preface

On Saturday, September 20, 2014 the Festival Institute at Round Top (Texas)
presented a day of lectures and exhibitions of western art, plus a lecture and concert of the cowboy songs of David W. Guion.

Event Information                 Printable Brochure (PDF)

GUION COLLECTIONS:

David Guion Collection at Baylor University      Oral Memoirs (Transcript)            Oral Memoirs (audio)

David Guion Collection at The University of Texas     Inventory of the Collection

David Guion Collection at the Round Top Festival Institute       Virtual Tour         Video tour of Round Top Festival Hall & Guion Room (by Leland Sklar)

David Guion Collection at the Dallas Public Library     List of holdings

GRADUATE THESES AND LECTURE/RECITALS ON GUION'S MUSIC (LARGE FILES):

"David Guion's Vision of a Musical Americana" by Mark David Camann (Univ. of Texas 2010)

"The Songs of David W. Guion" by Heidi Ann Cohenour Gordon (Univ. of Oklahoma 2008)

"The Piano Music of David W. Guion and the Intersection of Musical Traditions in America After World War I" by Steven Erle Buchanan (Univ. of Texas 1978)

"David Guion and the Guion Collection" by Shirley McCullough (Baylor University 1975)

Dr. Kay Williams' Lecture/Recital on the music of David W. Guion:      Program Notes   

Recordings

COMPACT DISCS:

"Prairie Echoes"  -  Premier 1024 (1993)
     
Eugene Rowley, piano
     Link with sound clips
     Liner Notes

"Piano Music of David Guion"  -  New World Records NWCRL448

     (CD release of CRI LP: CRL SD 448) (c. 1980)
     Steven Buchanan, Piano
     Spotify album link
     Liner Notes

"The Songs of David Guion" - CMP 7333 (Crescendo Music Publications) (c. 1972)
     Dan Pratt, baritone / David Guion, piano
     Front Cover      Front Cover-medium     Front Cover-small 
     Back Cover      Back Cover-small 
     Record labels:   Side 1     Side 2 
     Guion photo - front     Guion photo - back

"TEXAS" - Suite for Orchestra (composed 1950-52) - Carsan Records LP 1002 (1965)
     Houston Summer Symphony (Ezra Rachlin, cond.)
      Front of LP     Back of LP      Track List    
       Quotes     Bio of Guion

"Prairie Suite" for Orchestra  (Rainbow Pictures, Denver, V112642-2)(?)
     Blue Jeans International Philharmonic Orchestra (Walter Charles, cond.)



Music by David W. Guion





TEXAS FOX TROT (1915) 


TURKEY IN THE STRAW
    (Percy Grainger, piano - recorded 7 Feb 1921)

     MP3 file       Streaming Audio
   Guion wrote, "Turkey in the Straw every American, of course, knows; but not as I do, for I have danced to it thousands of times out here at the cowboy dances until I was almost ready to drop.  I do not know why, where, when or by whom it was written, but the cowboys and old fiddlers rather look on it as their 'national hymn'.  In this concert transciption, I have tried to write it just as I have so often heard it whistled and played by our funny old fiddlers, the cowpunchers and cowboys.   It is not easy - it was not meant to be, but I certainly could have made it a great deal harder to play."
   

SHEET AND GOAT WALKIN' TO THE PASTURE
    (Percy Grainger, piano - recorded 1 Apr 1926)

     MP3 file       Streaming Audio
   
Guion appends to the score these words: "Sheep and Goat was written, whistled, sung or played, once upon a time, by someone somewhere in America.  The first time I remember having heard it was while trottin' on my mother's knees...and i heard it again at the cowboys' and old fiddlers' dances and reunions in my old home in West Texas.  In this arrangement for piano, I have used, aside from the original old melody of Sheep and Goat, a little snatch, here and there, of other old familiar cowboy breakdowns, and a few 'sidekicks' of my own."



To play any file immediately, click on the STREAMING AUDIO link.


To download an MP3 file, RIGHT CLICK on the MP3 link and SAVE.


"PRAIRIE SUITE" for Orchestra

The Blue Jeans International Philharmonic Orchestra (Walter Charles, cond.) - Rainbow Pictures LP V-12642 (1960)
      LP record label:     Side 1     Side 2    
      Article about Blue Jeans International Philharmonic (The Rotarian, May 1964)

Movement
Title
MP3 FILE
1
Morning
MP3
2
Afternoon
MP3
3
Evening
MP3




"TEXAS" - Suite for Orchestra (1952)
    
Movement
LP Track
Title
Subtitle
Original Form
MP3 FILE
STREAMING AUDIO
1
1
Prairie Dusk
(West Texas)
-
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
2
6
Square Dance
(San Angelo / West Texas)
-
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO
3
3
Buffalo Bayou Song
(Southeast Texas)
-
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
4
4
The Scissors Grinder
(Dallas / East Texas)
Piano: "The Scissors Grinder"
MP3
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
5
5
Lonesome Song of the Plains
(Pecos County / West Texas)
-
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
6

Wild Geese Over Palestine, Texas
(East Texas)
Song: "Wild Geese" 
MP3


7
7
Camp Meetin' Along The Brazos
(Houston, South-east Texas)
-
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO
8

I'on Bars (Prison Song)
(Huntsville, South-east Texas)
-


9
2
Buck and Wing Dance
(South Texas)
-
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
10

Prairie Woman
(Lonely Panhandle Section,
North-west Texas)
-


11
(b)
Ride, Cowboy, Ride!
(West Texas)
Song: "Ride, Cowboy, Ride"
Concert: MP3
Rehearsal: MP3
STREAMING AUDIO
STREAMING AUDIO
12

Country Jig
(Ballinger, Runnels County,
West Texas)
Piano: "Country Jig in D"
MP3


13
(a)
West Texas Cake Walk
(Brownwood, West Texas)
Piano: "Texas Fox Trot"
MP3
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO
14
8
High Steppin' Lula Belle May Ida Brown
of Lyons Avenue Steps Out
(Negro Rhapsody)
(Houston,
South-east Texas)
-
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO


"THE SONGS OF DAVID GUION" (1972) - Dan Pratt (baritone), David Guion (piano)


Track
Title
MP3 FILE
STREAMING AUDIO
1
At The Cry of the First Bird
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
2
My Lord And My God
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
3
I Talked To God Last Night
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
4
The Cross-Bearer
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
5
Da Massa And De Missus
MP3 STREAMING AUDIO
6
My Son
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO
7
Wild Geese
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO
8
Hymn To The Sun
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO
9
Brazos Boat Song
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO
10
All Day Long On The Prairie
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO
11
Home On The Range
MP3
STREAMING AUDIO


OTHER SCANS (from the Guion Collection at Baylor University):


PHOTOGRAPHS:



    
PHOTOS FROM THE DAVID GUION COLLECTION AT ROUND TOP
(April 27, 2012)
I appreciated the assistance of Lamar Lentz and his staff at the Round Top Festival Institute during my visit.

List of photos on display in the Guion Room at Round Top, with Guion biography

Display featuring Guion Hall at the A&M College of Texas (now Texas A&M University)
  (Note: the beautiful commemorative plate and the postcard were donated by Mark D. Camann)
Texian Campaign platter
Guion biography and photo
Guion Room photos 1
Guion Room photos 2
Guion Room photos 3
Guion Room photos 4
Guion Room photos 5
Guion Room photos 6
Guion's corner cabinet with blueware
"Cowboy Composer" poster
Guion's piano 1
Guion's piano 2
Guion's cowboy hat and top hat
"Prairie Echoes" poster 1
"Prairie Echoes" poster 2
Guion portrait painting
Guion Room - wide-angle view of upstairs area
Bill Thompson with Guion's piano-1
Bill Thompson with Guion's piano-2
Guion Room entry plaque-1
Guion Room entry plaque-2
Texas Fox Trot - sheet music-1
Texas Fox Trot - sheet music-2
Texas Fox Trot - sheet music (cropped)


PHOTOS FROM THE GUION COLLECTION AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
(April 27-29, 2012)

I appreciate the Baylor Library Fine Arts staff for giving me access to the Collection and for their very helpful assistance during my visit.  Thanks also to Mark Camann for his guidance regarding the Collection.  A number of the scans and photographs elsewhere on this page are from the Baylor collection.

Baylor: Boxes containing the David Guion Collection
The Collection is contained in about 40 boxes, which were made available to me in the Riley Reading Room.   I brought my laptop and scanner, which you can see in the photograph.  I was also given permission to use the KIC Scanner downstairs to scan oversize items such as manuscripts and orchestral scores.

Baylor: Texas Musicians exhibit - David Guion
(NOTE: Several Guion scores had been removed from the display case so that they could be made available for me to inspect)

Baylor: Texas Musicians exhibit - Scott Joplin
Baylor: Texas Musicians exhibit - Buddy Holly



OTHER LINKS:

David Guion's grave (Find A Grave website)

GUION HALL at THE A&M COLLEGE OF TEXAS (later Texas A&M University) was built in 1918 and was named after David W. Guion's father, Judge John I. Guion (1854-1920), retiring president of the Texas A&M Board of Directors.  In view of David Guion's career in the world of music, it seems appropriate that "Guion Hall" was the venue for on-campus entertainment for over 50 years, until its demolition in 1971.

Back to The Thompsonian Institution