Finding Aid for School of Music Audio Department Sound Recordings, 1945-2009 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: School of Music Audio Department Sound Recordings, 1945-2009

ID: 12/5/64

Primary Creator: School of Music Audio Department

Other Creators: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. School of Music

Extent: 334.0 cubic feet

Arrangement:

Organized in thirteen series: Series 1, University of Illinois Ensembles; Series 2, Faculty Recitals; Series 3, Student Recitals; Series 4, Festival of Contemporary Arts, 1953-1978; Series 5, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra; Series 6, Convocations, Symposia, Forums and Guest Recitals; Series 7, Special Requests and Donations; Series 8, Card Catalogs; Series 9, Transcription Discs; Series 10: DAT Sound Recordings; Series 11: F1 Audio and Betamax Video Recordings; Series 12: CD-R and DVD Sound Recordings, 1951-2009; and Series 13: Rex Anderson Master Recordings, 1977-1991.

Recordings in series 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 are arranged by call numbers as originally assigned by the Music and Performing Arts Library, which begin with a MO number or Music Archive Tape number. All items included within these series that do not have identifying numbers are arranged chronologically at the end of the series. Recordings in Series 4, Series 7, Series 9, Series 10, and Series 11 are arranged chronologically, with the exception of the end of Series 7, which contains items arranged by call number beginning with the letter "R". Series 9 in particular, has been arranged chronologically rather than by record label number because several of the original label numbers duplicate, many are missing, many appear out of order, and the record labels changed in early 1949 from a four digit label (ex. 5000/5001) to a single digit label (ex. 1/2). Series 12 is arranged by item number as originally assigned by the School of Music Audio Department, and is largely, though not consistently, chronological by recording date. Some cases include duplicate recordings of concerts, each assigned a unique item number despite sharing the same archival number. Some recordings dated prior to 2000 are noted as either remastered copies, reel-to-reel transfers, and DAT to CD-R transfers. Series 13 is arranged alphabetically by the performer's surname.

Note: Cards in Series 8 include all extant cards from the Music and Performing Arts Library that correspond to the recordings; cards marked "Withdrawn" indicate tapes that were deaccessioned based on their being duplicates or on other appraisal decisions.

Date Acquired: 03/07/2013. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Compositions-Music, Computer Music, Contemporary Arts Festival, Electronic Music, Faculty, Instrumental music, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Music, School of, Music Composition, Smith Music Hall, Speakers, Visiting, Student Performance, Symphony Orchestra

Consists of original 1/4"-inch reel to reel, 12'' inch transcription discs, 10'' inch audio recordings, and CD-R and DVD audio recordings of performances by university ensembles, faculty, students, and guest performers between 1945 and 2009. The audio tapes were recorded either as mono or stereo on 2- and 4-track acetate and polyester tape, while the transcription discs were recorded on acetate discs. In addition to the recordings of University of Illinois ensemble performances and faculty/student recitals, this collection includes recordings of performances associated with the University's Festival of Contemporary Arts, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, SPICMACAY, Enescu Ensemble, and lectures, concerts, music forums and symposia given by visiting performers and scholars. Of particular note are recordings of performances and lectures by Harry Partch, John Cage, Aaron Copland, Paul Hindemith, Igor Stravinsky, Soulima Stravinsky, Georges Enesco, Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, Ben Johnston, Frederic Rzewski, Béla Bartók, Max Roach, Gunther Schuller, Harrison Birtwhistle, George Crumb, Salvatore Martirano, Carl Dahlhaus, Joel Chadabe, Lucas Foss, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Cornelius Cardew, Morton Feldman, Iannis Xenakis, Stefan Wolpe, David Tudor, Milton Babbit, David Rosenboom, Pauline Oliveros, Sudhir Phadke, Jon Faddis, the Astor Piazzolla Quintet.

The School of Music purchased its first recording equipment in 1948 (University of Illinois, 1948).  Since then, the School of Music Audio Department has provided recording services for student, faculty, and guest performers at University venues including Smith Music Hall, the Krannert Center for Performing Arts, and the Music Building Recording Studios (University of Illinois School of Music, 2013).  Past Directors of the Audio Department include Jim Campbell, Carl Volkers (ca. 1950s-1976), Jeff Whimsatt (1976-78), and Rex Anderson (1978-2010). Following Anderson's retirement in 2010, audio engineers Frank Horger and Bill Demkov jointly managed the department until Demkov left the position in 2015. Horger then solely oversaw the recordings until 2020, when the management of the recordings was transferred to Graham Duncan. Duncan worked for the Audio Department as a part-time employee from 2002-2005 and 2007-2021, at which point he was appointed the full-time audio director.

The Festival of Contemporary Arts, first organized in 1948, included as part of its programming dance, theater, landscape architecture, music and an Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture. The Festival's music events included a variety of concerts, lectures, and workshops that were produced by University faculty and student ensembles, and guest composers and performers.  The styles of new music performance incorporated into these festivals encompassed everything from contemporary orchestral, jazz, opera, and choral music to new forms of performance art.  Initially held annually, the five- to six-week festival of performing and studio arts became a biennial event after 1953. Budgetary concerns led to the effective end of the festival after 1971, however, a related Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held in 1978.

Compositions-Music
Computer Music
Contemporary Arts Festival
Electronic Music
Faculty
Instrumental music
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Music, School of
Music Composition
Smith Music Hall
Speakers, Visiting
Student Performance
Symphony Orchestra

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: Originally obtained from the Music and Performing Arts Library on March 7, 2013. A second set of recordings, Series 9, was found within the Music and Performing Arts library in 2014 and were transferred to the Sousa Archives on August 9, 2015 and December 7, 2015. Additional reel-to-reel recordings of the 1970 and 1971 performances of the University of Illinois Opera Group and 1971 performances of the John Wustman studio were transferred to the Sousa Archives from the Library's Audio Preservation Unit on August 18, 2016. Recordings of the University wind band and men's glee club tapes were transferred from the the University Press Building on September 26, 2017, and a third addition of reel-to-reel tapes from the Music and Performing Arts Library was transferred to the Center on May 1, 2018. The CD-R and DVD sound recordings were transferred to the Sousa Archives from the School of Music Audio Department on October 26, 2023. Additional CD-Rs and 1/4" reel-to-reel tapes were transferred to the Sousa Archives from the Department on November 14, 2023.

Acquisition Source: School of Music Audio Department

Appraisal Information: Several items within all series were deaccessioned due to decay, lack of information on the object, and duplication elsewhere within the collection or at other archives. Several discs in series 9 were deaccessioned due to acetate breakdown, but a description of the record number and works performed have been retained within the collection record.

Related Materials: Festival of Contemporary Arts Programs Announcements, 1948- (record series: 12/1/806) For more information please see http://archives.library.illinois.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=5243.

Related Publications: For further information about other Lejaren Hiller sound recordings and personal papers please visit the University at Buffalo's Lejaren Hiller Papers which can be accessed using the following URL [https://research.lib.buffalo.edu/hiller].