Cykler, Edmund

Edmund Cykler was born in San Jose, California on September 2, 1903. He received a bachelors degree in 1926 from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa, and a Ph.D. in Musicology from Charles University in Prague in 1928. Cykler taught for 43 years. He was chairman of the music department at Los Angeles City College and then moved to Occidental College; while living in the area, he studied with Arnold Schoenberg. Cykler taught at the University of Oregon for 25 years and remained active as an Emeritus Professor for 15 more. At Oregon he directed the university orchestra, played viola in the university string quartet, founded the Eugene Symphony Orchestra, and served as acting dean and associate dean of the School of Music.

Professor Cykler won a Fulbright Fellowship to Austria in 1955. He helped found and was an active member of the International Society for Music Education (ISME), which awarded him honorary lifetime membership in 1975. The 1984 ISME world congress was held in Eugene, Oregon thanks to his efforts.

Cykler wrote the textbooks Introduction to Music and Art and An Outline History of Music with Milo Wold, edited 101 Canons with Egon Kraus, and collaborated on Sing a Song to Sight Read with Leo Rinderer.

Edmund Cykler married his wife Marian in 1926. He died of bone cancer on March 14, 1988, in Eugene, Oregon.

From the guide to the Edmund Cykler Collection on International Music Education Resources, 1921-1987, 1960-1978, (Special Collections in Performing Arts)