Experimental Music Studios Records, 1924-2016 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: Experimental Music Studios Records, 1924-2016

Series Number: 12/5/70

Acquired: 02/17/2015.

Three historic sound recording devices transferred from EMS by Scott Wyatt on June 1, 2016. Four hundred and seventy six audio and visual recordings along with fifty-four historic documents were transferred from the EMS by Eli Fieldsteel on December 12, 2016. This most recent accession comprised of twenty-six cubic feet of materials.

The SONY MCI (Music Center Incorporated) JH-110 Tape Machine, two dbx 180 Type I Noise Reducation Systems and SONY MCI Audio Location III System with audio cables were transferred to from the Experimental Music Studio on January 4, 2019 by Eli Fieldsteel.

Volume: 37.0 cubic feet

Arrangement

Creator(s)

Administrative History of Creating Unit

The University of Illinois Experimental Music Studios were founded in 1958 by Lejaren Hiller, Jr. and were arguably the first of their kind in the Western Hemisphere (the Columbia-Princeton Music Center officially opened around the same time). Faculty members and students working in these studios have been responsible for major developments in both electro-acoustic music and electronic music instruments (often in collaboration with the University of Illinois College of Engineering). Notable developments within the field of electro-acoustic music include: Lejaren Hiller's Illiac Suite (the first musical score composed by computer), Kenneth Gaburo's Lemon Drops (utilizing tape and locally created electronic instruments), and Salvatore Martirano's Underworld (utilizing Salvatore's unique hand-built synthesizer).

Notable electronic music instruments that were developed within the EMS and the University of Illinois include James Beauchamp's Harmonic Tone Generator (which was developed in 1964 and was one of the first voltage controlled instruments) and Salvatore Maritrano's Sal-Mar Construction (built ca. 1970 utilizing remaining circuit boards of the University's Illiac computer).

The EMS participated in multiple group and individual commercially released albums including Electronic Music From The University Of Illinois (Heliodor Records, 1967), Computer Music From The University Of Illinois (Heliodor/MGM Records 1967), and Music by Computers with accompanying book (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.1969). Albums from individual composers from within the EMS included Kenneth Gaburo's Music For Voices, Instruments & Electronic Sounds (Nonesuch Reccords, 1968), Salvatore Martirano's L's GA (Polydor Records, 1968), and Lejaren Hiller and John Melby's Computer Music (CRI Records, 1973). The EMS also created its own record label (EMS) which it used to release LPs and CDs from the 1970s through the 1990s.

As of 2017, the facility continues as an active and productive center for electro-acoustic and computer music composition, education and research.

Subjects (links to similar materials)

Special Formats (links to similar genres)

Special Languages (non-English)

Administrative Information

Available for use at:

Service Location	Boxes
Offsite: Prior notice required	2016.1205070.001--Wilcox-Gay Recordio Phonograph
Offsite: Prior notice required	2016.1205070.002a&b--Webster-Chicago Model 80 Wire Recorder
Offsite: Prior notice required	2019.1205070.001 - SONY MCI Tape Machine
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard	Box 01-02
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard	Box 03
Offsite: Prior notice required	Box 04 (2016.1205070.003--Timex Magnetic Disc Recorder)
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard	Box 05-08
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard	Box 09-14
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard	Box 15-20
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard	Box 21-26
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard	Box 27
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard	Box 28-31
SACAM, Band Building	Oversized Portfolio Box 1

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Description:

Audio recordings, correspondences, technical reports, lecture notes, music manuscripts, photographic prints, film negatives, promotional publications, and newsclippings documenting the operations of the School of Music Experimental Music Studios (EMS). Included in these documents is information regarding subjects including computer-assisted composition, the ILLIAC digital computers, EMS equipment acquisition and maintenance, renovation of EMS facilities, and grant proposals. The technical reports cover information pertaining to the specifications and usage of audio equipment witin the EMS. Correspondances detail significant authors including: Lejaren Hiller, Herbert Brun, James Beauchamp, and Scott Wyatt.

This collection also consists of audio recordings of materials that were created both within the EMS and by composers not affiliated with the institution. The collection contains both recording masters and copies. The audio collection was originally intended to serve multiple purposes within the EMS including being used for pedagogical and research purposes, to archive the recordings that were created within the EMS, and to be utilized for live performances. The recordings that were not created within the EMS were donated through mail correspondences, through a composer's on-campus, or at various conferences.

Some of the notable recordings from within the audio collection includes the master recordings of Lejaren Hiller's Seven Electronic Studies and A Triptych For Hieronymus, Music by Computers by Various Composers (commercially released in 1969), Salvatore Martirano's Underworld (Performance Loops), and a demonstration tape of James Beauchamp's Harmonic Tone Generator.

Significant composers within the audio collection who the EMS include: Jon Appleton, James Beauchamp, Herbert Brun, Kenneth Gaburo, Lejaren Hiller, Ben Johnston, Paul Koonce, Salvatore Martirano, John Melby, Gordon Mumma, Harry Partch, and Scott Wyatt.

The audio collection also features many recordings originating from non-EMS affiliated composers. The collection is particularly strong in materials from the Polish Experimental Music Studio (featuring composers Bohdan Mazurek and Boguslaw Schaeffer).

Other significant recording studios prominently featured within this collection include: Bell Laboratories, Columbia-Princeton Music Center, Dartmouth College, Experimental Studio of the Polish Radio in Warsaw/Polskie Radio i Telewizja, Radiodiffusion-Television Francaise (RTF), the University of Michigan, the University of Utrecht.

Many of the tape cases from these external institutions were custom made or have institutional markings and documentation on them.

Within the audio tape collection, sixty-one of the tapes have additional documents in the tape cases. Such documents include composition and composer information, program notes, and correspondences originating from the composer.

Many of the recordings also utilize significant electronic and custom instruments. Significant electronic instruments utilized within these recordings include: the Bell Labs GROOVE Systems, the Buchla 200 synthesizer, The Harmonic Tone Generator, the Illiac, the Moog Modular Synthesizer, the RCA Mark II, the Sal-Mar Construction, the Synclavier, and the Theremin.

Although the EMS was founded in 1958, there are recordings in the collection that date back to 1924. These recordings are copies and were used within the EMS for research and pedagogical purposes.

On-line Images / Records

Detailed Description
Series 1: Studio Adminstrative Records, 1952-2016
Series 2: EMS Technical Reports, 1961-1974
Series 3: Audio and Audio Visual Recordings, ca. 1924-2015
Series 4: Equipment, ca. 1940-1957