It all started with a circa 1813 boxwood and ivory clarinet purchased from a period instrument dealer in California in 1958. Now, thanks to Dr. Charles Aurand, it is a collection at Michigan State University that is among the most significant musical instrument collections in the country.

Dr. Aurand, an MSU College of Music alumnus in Tucson, Arizona, has donated what is now known as the Aurand Collection of Musical Instruments. It consists of more than 200 rare and vintage musical instruments that have markers and dates of origin spanning 300 years, according to the appraisal. These instruments are a tremendous resource to faculty and students when researching music and studying performance.

“For educational purposes, this collection can yield invaluable information on how to perform many of the major works on modern instruments,” said Mingzhe Wang, associate professor of clarinet at MSU. “Our students will benefit tremendously from this collection.”

Dr. Aurand has also documented an estate gift to create an endowment to support the collection. Called the Aurand Early Music Instrument Collection Maintenance, Acquisition and Educational Endowment, it will help ensure that the instruments remain well-cared for, the collection expanded when opportunities arise and in service as a valuable educational tool. The Aurand Collection will be housed and displayed in the Billman Music Pavilion which has excellent humidity and climate control necessary to preserve these historic instruments.

“Most collections, I suspect, begin rather innocently to satisfy an immediate need,” explained Dr. Aurand on the origins of his collection. “My need for a period instrument arose when I was beginning my career teaching at a liberal arts college in Ohio. I simply felt a desire to demonstrate to my students the differences between current woodwind instruments and those instruments that preceded the instruments we enjoy today.”

The dedication to teaching he showed in that simple act began while earning his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from MSU in 1954 and 1958, respectively. A clarinetist, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and went on to enjoy a long career as a professor of music, including serving as chairman of the Department of Music at Hiram College, dean of the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University, and dean of the College of Creative and Communication Arts at Northern Arizona University.

“I purchased that first boxwood and ivory clarinet, which happened to be a very fine early instrument. I subsequently used it for demonstration purposes with both music major clarinet students as well as students in music history,” Dr. Aurand said. “As time progressed, I began to search for other woodwind instruments to illustrate the same issues as those of the clarinet.”

Over time, folk instruments from many countries were included in the instrument collection. As Dr. Aurand traveled for conferences, he learned where to find the best sources of available period instruments. This led to more opportunities to use the instruments for the benefit of his students.

“I found it very important for my students to know the history of their major instrument,” he said. “Music instruments of 18^th century were significantly different from those of the 21^st century. The early instruments were not required to project sound to large auditoriums, rather, most performances in the early 1800s took place in much smaller spaces. Students realized very quickly that early instruments presented performance problems that today’s performers take for granted.”

Eric Satterlee of Meridian Winds in Okemos is a nationally known expert in woodwind instruments, and he appraised the collection in April 2020. He considers it a world class historical collection.

“A comparable assemblage of instruments is to be found only in the great musical instrument museums of our country, The Sterns Collection at the University of Michigan, The Henry Ford Museum Collection, The Library of Congress Collection, The National Music Museum in Vermillion South Dakota, etc.,” Satterlee explained in his appraisal. “This collection having a home at Michigan State University will become a great resource of reference as well as enjoyment to many in the coming years.”

As Dr. Aurand explained, one important benefit of the collection is that most of the instruments in it illustrate the evolution of wind instruments. Many are rare and difficult to find.

"Several instruments are quite rare,” said Dr. Aurand. “These include the early boxwood and ivory clarinets, the Doleisch Basset horn (c. 1800), the octavin, the Adolphe Sax alto saxophone (1867), the early bassoons, the early ivory flute (1725) and finally, some of the early copies of period instruments by Stefan Beck and David Ross.”

These period instruments from the collection will assist performance major students as well as students of music history and interdisciplinary humanities. It is Dr. Aurand’s hope that over time other collections of historic brass, percussion, and string instruments can be added to the collection.

“I hope that the historical instrument collection that is now at MSU will be of service to the fine music faculty in the College of Music as well as music students that wish to learn more of the history of these instruments,” he said.

Based on the reaction from faculty, the collection will be more than “of service” to those in the college. “The Aurand Collection will be a transformative resource for teaching, performance, and for research,” said College of Music Dean James Forger.

Associate Professor Wang agrees.

“I am absolutely thrilled that Dr. Aurand gave the College of Music such a wonderful gift,” he said. “I have long been interested and passionate about historical instruments and have performed on historical clarinets for many years, and I think using historical instruments offers a fantastic window into the sound world of past composers. We are very appreciative of Dr. Aurand’s generous gift.”

The CARES Act and what it can mean for you

At the end of 2020, Congress passed a second stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, extending many of the charitable giving provisions from the original Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Expansion of the universal charitable deduction for cash gifts
In 2021, the deduction is $300 for single filers and $600 for married couples filing jointly. This is available to taxpayers who take the standard deduction. This tax incentive is available for cash gifts to qualified charities (but not to supporting organizations or donor advised funds).

Extension of the cap on deductions for cash contributions
Contributions to public charities are generally limited to a percentage of a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income. The CARES Act lifted the cap on annual contributions for those who itemize, increasing it from 60% to 100% of AGI for 2020 and now for 2021. Any excess contributions available can be carried over to the next five years. For corporations, the law raised the annual limit from 10% to 25% of taxable income.

We can help with your charitable goals
The College of Music is grateful for the continued kindness and support of donors during this difficult time. Please contact the the Music Advancement Office at 517-353-9872 or via email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).