Holdings Fine Arts and Applied Arts School of Music James W Beauchamp Harmonic ... Finding Aid Holdings Fine Arts and Applied Arts School of Music James W Beauchamp Harmonic ... Finding Aid By Scott Schwartz
[Printer Friendly] | [ Email us about these papers]Title: James W Beauchamp Harmonic Tone Generator and Papers, 1963-1966
ID: 12/5/69
Primary Creator: Beauchamp, James W. (1937-2022)
Extent: 5.25 cubic feet
Arrangement: Organized in one series - Series 1: Harmonic Tone Generator Components and Papers.
Date Acquired: 01/14/2015. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Electrical Engineering Department, Music, School of
Languages: English
The James W. Beauchamp Harmonic Tone Generator and Papers, 1963-1966 includes materials concerning Dr. James W. Beauchamp's research in acoustics, electronics, and music during his time at the University of Illinois. Includes the Harmonic Tone Generator, a voltage-controlled electronic music synthesizer, a bound copy of his dissertation, photographs, and professional publications.
James Warren Beauchamp (1937-2022) was Professor Emeritus in both the School of Music and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois. Dr. Beauchamp received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan, in 1960 and 1961 respectively. In 1965, he graduated from the University of Illinois with a PhD in electrical engineering. His dissertation was entitled Electronic Instrumentation for the Synthesis, Control, and Analysis of Harmonic Musical Tones. He worked closely with his mentor, composition professor Lejaren Hiller during his PhD studies to create the Harmonic Tone Generator, among the first voltage-controlled electronic music synthesizers. The HTG was used in a number of electronic music projects staged at the University of Illinois, including Salvatore Martirano's Underworld. He joined the electrical engineering faculty in 1965. Shortly after, he took a leave of absence which he spent working in Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He returned in 1969 to his joint appoitment in electrical engineering and music. During his tenure at Illinois, he served as director of the School of Music's Experimental Music Studios, during which time he headed the Hybrid Computer Project and the Computer Music Project. Dr. Beauchamp was a fellow of both the Audio Engineering Society and the Acoustical Society of America. He was also a visiting scholar at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics and a visiting researcher at the Institut de recherche et coordination in acoustique musique (IRCAM) in Paris.
Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Accruals: Folder of news-clippings donated on 11/16/2017.
Acquisition Source: James Beauchamp
Acquisition Method: Gift
Related Materials: For further information about other Lejaren Hiller sound recordings and personal papers please visit the University at Buffalo's Lejaren Hiller Papers. For more information please see https://research.lib.buffalo.edu/hiller.