Finding Aid for Paul Martin Zonn Music and Papers, 1950-2000 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Reed Gallo, Morris Huck, Mary Miller and Scott Schwartz

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Collection Overview

Title: Paul Martin Zonn Music and Papers, 1950-2000

ID: 12/5/35

Primary Creator: Zonn, Paul Martin, 1938- (1938-2000)

Extent: 28.45 cubic feet

Arrangement: The collection is organized into six series. The material is arranged alphabetically or chronologically by date, where applicable.

Date Acquired: 11/17/2004. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Faculty Papers, Music, School of, Music - United States, Music Composition

Formats/Genres: Papers

Languages: English

Abstract

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of sheet music, publicity, programs, correspondence, education materials, photographs and sound recordings that document Paul Martin Zonn's career as a composer, conductor, clarinetist, and educator.

Series 1: Sheet Music, ca. 1955 - 1998 (Boxes 1 - 26 and 41)

Contains Paul Zonn's original compositions, his jazz arrangements, and his Mandolin Ensemble arrangements, compositions written for him and his various performing ensembles, and method books. The music is arranged alphabetically by size and then by styles. Cross referencing between locations is indicated with the use of brackets, [ : ]. The first number identifies the box and the second identifies the folder. Of special note is his "Ultimate Nimbus" written for Clarinet Trio.

Series 2: Publicity, ca. 1950s - 2004 (Boxes 26 - 32, and 38 - 41)

Contains concert programs divided into important performances or performance venues, program notes, concert flyers, press releases, newpaper and magazine publicity, photographs, and sound recordings. The material is arranged by type and each type is then arranged chronologically. Legal sized material is in box 38 and oversized materials in boxes 39 and 41.

Series 3: Correspondence, ca. 1957 - 1999 (Boxes 33 - 34, and 38)

Contains correspondence between Paul Zonn and contemporary composers and educators, various performing ensembles, Universities, publishing companies and radio stations. The material is arranged alphabetically by the writer. Of note are commissions for compositions made by several professional orchestras and chamber ensembles.

Series 4: Education, ca. 1955 - 1998 (Boxes 35 - 37, 38, and 40)

Contains Paul Zonn's classroom materials, published articles, and grant and fellowship proposals. Also contained here is the work of his students. The material is arranged chronologically. Of note is a paper by Daniel Perantoni, former Professor of Tuba at the Unversity of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign.

Series 5: Ephemera, ca. 1930s - 2004 (Boxes 37 - 39)

Contains material from Paul Zonn's high school years, college transcripts and commencement programs, memorial service programs, family photographs and history, and autographs from two famous composers.

Series 6: Sound Recordings, 1957 - 1990 (Boxes 41 - 53)

Organized in two sub-series: Sub-Series 1: Zonn Recordings and Sub-Series 2: Other Recordings.Â Sub-series 1 includes recordings of Paul Zonn's compositions, performances, and conducting and of Wilma Zonn's performances. Organized in chronological order where dates are provided and then arranged alphabetical order by composer, title, ensemble or event where dates are not provided. Sub-series 1 includes recordings of compositions, performances and conducting by others. It too is organized in chronological order where dates are provided and then in alphabetical order by composer, title, ensemble or event where dates are not provided.

Biographical Note

Paul Martin Zonn (1938-2000), modern clarinetist, composer, conductor, educator, gourmet chef, and cutup, graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor's degree in Music in1958, the University of Iowa with a Master of Arts degree in 1965, and a Master of Fine Arts in Composition in 1966. He then started his music career as a Fellow of the Center for Creative and Performing Arts at the State University of New York at Buffalo (1966-67), following with the post of Composer-in-Residence and Conductor of the Grinnell Symphony at Grinnell College (1967-70). He was then appointed Professor of Composition at the School of Music at the University of Illinois, where he retired in 1995 after serving as chairman for the Composition-Theory Division for several years.

Zonn began composing in his early teens and by the end of his life he had produced over 120 musical works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, jazz and mandolin bands, and a variety of instrumental solos. As an innovator in music, he performed, conducted and composed classical, jazz, country, bluegrass, and avant-garde music with equal enthusiasm. In describing his own music Zonn wrote, "My compositions have always been concerned with the very new and the old and the integration of diverse elements? I use the many languages of world music and try to bind them together." He received numerous awards during his lifetime from the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the University of Illinois' Center for Advanced Studies. He also performed on the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Ravinia, and the Library of Congress.

Subject/Index Terms

Faculty Papers
Music, School of
Music - United States
Music Composition

Administrative Information

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: November 17, 2004 and February 4, 2005. The sound recordings were transferred to the Sousa Archives on April 6, 2021. Three different editions of Chroma for Oboe and Piano, program notes, and a program featuring the piece were transferred to the Sousa Archives on May 24, 2023.

Access Restrictions: None.

Acquisition Method: The music and papers were donated to the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by Wilma Zonn on November 17, 2004.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Sheet Music, 1955-1998],
[Series 2: Publicity, 1950s-2004],
[Series 3: Correspondence, 1957-1999],
[Series 4: Education, 1955-1998],
[Series 5: Ephemera, 1930s-2004],
[Series 6: Sound Recordings, 1957-1990],
[All]

Series 2: Publicity, 1950s-2004

Contains concert programs divided into important performances or performance venues, program notes, concert flyers, press releases, newpaper and magazine publicity, photographs, and sound recordings.

Sub-Series 1: Programs, Program Notes, and Concert Flyers

Box 26: Programs: 1950s - 1970s

Folder 7: Programs, 1950s
Folder 8: Programs: Miami Edison Senior High School, 1953-55
Folder 9: Programs: Carousel, 1956
Folder 10: Programs: University of Miami, 1955-59
Folder 11: Program: Internationele Gesellschaft fur Neue Musik: Ortsgruppe Basel, 1958-68
Folder 12: Programs: New Hampshire Music Festival, 1959
Folder 13: Programs, 1960s
Folder 14: Progams: Northwestern University, 1960s
Folder 15: Programs: Grinnell College, 1967-69
Folder 16: Programs: Tanglewood Music Festival, 1967-68
Folder 17: Programs: Carnegie Recital Hall, 1965-69
Folder 18: Programs: University of Iowa, 1965-68
Folder 19: Programs: State University of New York at Buffalo, 1965-68
Folder 20: Programs: University of Illinois (1 of 2), 1970s

Box 27: Programs: 1970s - 1980s

Folder 1: Programs: University of Illinois (2 of 2), 1970s
Folder 2: Programs (1 of 4), 1970s
Folder 3: Programs (2 of 4), 1970s
Folder 4: Programs (3 of 4), 1970s
Folder 5: Programs: (4 of 4), 1970s
Folder 6: Programs: Northwestern University, 1970s
Folder 7: Programs: Grinnell College, 1970
Folder 8: Programs: University of Iowa, 1972
Folder 9: Programs: Carnegie Recital Hall, 1975, 1979
Folder 10: Programs: Ravinia Festival, 1978
Folder 11: Programs: Midwest Composers Symposium, 1978, 1982
Folder 12: Programs: University of Illinois, 1980s

Box 28: Programs: 1980s - 1990s

Folder 1: Programs: Northwestern University, 1980s
Folder 2: Programs, 1980s
Folder 3: Programs: The Heartland Band, 1983-84
Folder 4: Programs: The Library of Congress, 1984
Folder 5: Programs: Nashville New Music Consort, 1987-89
Folder 6: Programs: Ciosoni, 1989
Folder 7: Programs: University of Illinois, 1990s
Folder 8: Programs (1 of 4), 1990s
Folder 9: Programs (2 of 4), 1990s
Folder 10: Programs (3 of 4), 1990s
Folder 11: Programs (4 of 4), 1990s

Box 29

Folder 1: Programs: Ciosoni, 1990s
Folder 2: Programs: Northwestern University, 1990s
Folder 3: Programs: The Presidents` Own Marine Band, 1993-99
Folder 4: Program: International Double Reed Society, 1994
Folder 5: Program: Bowling Green University - Music & Art Festival, 1994
Folder 6: Programs: Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, 1995-99
Folder 7: Programs, 2000s
Folder 8: Progams, Undated
Folder 9: Program Notes: Midnight Secrets, ca. 1992
Folder 10: Program Notes, Undated
Folder 11: Concert Flyers, 1970s
Folder 12: Concert Flyers, 1980s
Folder 13: Concert Flyers, 1990s
Folder 14: Original Artwork for Concert Flyers and Programs, ca. 1960s - 1990s

Box 31: Publicity: 1972 - 1998

Folder 1: Concert Flyers: University of Illinois, ca. 1972-95
Folder 2: Concert Flyers: Contemporary Directions, 1977-78
Folder 3: Concert Flyers: National Academy of the Arts, 1978
Folder 4: The Ultimate Clarinet: Val Gawenda, 1979
Folder 5: Concert Flyers: Northwestern University, 1980
Folder 6: Concert Flyer: Nashville New Music Consort, 1988
Folder 7: Concert Flyers: Ciosoni, ca. 1990
Folder 8: Concert Flyers: Nashville Mandolin Society, 1998
Folder 9: Concert Flyers: Bluegrass, Undated
Folder 10: Concert Flyers: Chicago Society of Composers, Undated
Folder 11: Concert Flyers: The New School, Undated

Box 32: Scrapbook: ca. 1959 - 1985

Folder 1: Scrapbook, ca. 1959-85

Box 38

Folder 1: Programs, 1960s
Folder 2: Programs: University of Illinois, 1990s
Folder 3: Programs: Ciosoni, 1990
Folder 4: Program Notes: Various Pieces, Undated
Folder 5: Concert Flyers, 1970s
Folder 6: Concert Flyers, 1980s
Folder 7: Concert Flyers, Undated

Box 55

Folder 4: Program Notes and Program: Chroma, 2002

Sub-Series 2: Newsclippings and Press Releases

Box 29

Folder 15: Publicity, 1940s
Folder 16: Publicity: Mullin and Magnetophon, 1946
Folder 17: Publicity, 1950s
Folder 18: Publicity, 1960s
Folder 19: Publicity: Portland Chamber Players, 1963
Folder 20: Publicity: New York Times, 1965
Folder 21: Publicity: Grinnell College, 1968
Folder 22: Publicity, 1970s
Folder 23: Publicity: BMI, 1970, 1971, 1975
Folder 24: Publicity: Red Wiggler for Solo Tuba, 1974
Folder 25: Publicity: The Clarinet - International Clarinet Society, 1975
Folder 26: Publicity: Newsclippings (1 of 3), 1980s

Box 30: Publicity: 1965 - 2004

Folder 1: Publicity: Newsclippings (2 of 3), 1980s
Folder 2: Publicity: Newsclippings (3 of 3), 1980s
Folder 3: Publicity: University of Illinois, 1980s
Folder 4: Publicity: The Heartland Band, 1982-83
Folder 5: Publicity: Percussive Arts Society International Convention, 1989
Folder 6: Publicity: Newsclippings (1 of 2), 1990s
Folder 7: Publicity: Newsclippings (2 of 2), 1990s
Folder 8: Publicity: Ciosoni, ca. 1990
Folder 9: Publicity: The Festival at INT, 1990
Folder 10: Publicity: Pan Pipes, 1990, 1992
Folder 11: Publicity: Sinfonia da Camera and Pennyrile Variations, 1991
Folder 12: Publicity: Indiana Clarinet Trio, 1992
Folder 13: Publicity: Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, ca. 1996-99
Folder 14: Publicity, ca. 1998
Folder 15: Publicity: The Nashville Musician, 2001-02
Folder 16: Publicity: Newsclippings, 2002
Folder 17: Publicity: Hendersonville Star News, 2004
Folder 18: Publicity: Newsclippings, Undated
Folder 19: Publicity: Nashville New Music Consort, Undated
Folder 20: Publicity: University of Illinois Contemporary Chamber Players, Undated
Folder 21: Publicity: University of Illinois students, Undated
Folder 22: Nashville Music Awards: Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, 1997
Folder 23: Indie Award Winner: Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, 1999
Folder 24: Press Releases, 1970s
Folder 25: Press Releases, 1980s
Folder 26: Press Releases, 1990s
Folder 27: Repertoire Publications, 1965-87
Folder 28: University of Illinois Contemporary Chamber Ensemble: Performers & Repertoire Lists, 1977-82
Folder 29: CD Jackets, ca. 1983

Box 38

Folder 8: Publicity, 1950s
Folder 9: Publicity, 1960s
Folder 10: Publicity: Grinnell College, 1967
Folder 11: Publicity, 1970s
Folder 12: Publicity, 1980s
Folder 13: Publicity, 1990s
Folder 14: ASUC National Conference, Memphis State University, 1990
Folder 15: Publicity, 2002
Folder 16: Publicity, Undated
Folder 17: Press Releases, 1990s
Folder 18: Repertoire Publications: Pioneer Editions, Inc., Undated

Box 41: Publicity: Oversized

Folder 2: Publicity, ca. 1968-90s

Sub-Series 3: Photographs

Box 39: Photographs

Folder 1: Paul Zonn, ca. 1940 - 1990s
Folder 2: Miami Edison High School, 1954-55
Folder 3: University of Illinois, 1960s
Folder 4: University of Illinois, 1970s
Folder 5: University of Illinois, 1980s
Folder 6: University of Illinois, Undated
Folder 7: Tokyo, 1969
Folder 8: Computer Conference, Photo Negatives, 1987
Folder 9: Other Ensembles: Elliot Schwartz; The Blair String Quartet, 1975; 1989
Folder 10: Ultimate Nimbus: Evanston, Indiana, 1995
Folder 11: Victory Celebration Fanfare: Evansville, Indiana, 1998
Folder 12: Portland Chamber Players, 1963
Folder 13: Buffalo Chamber Players, 1967
Folder 14: Tanglewood Clarinet Fellows, 1967
Folder 15: Ciosoni: Paul Zonn, Michael Cameron, & Tim Lane, ca. 1990
Folder 16: Nashville Mandolin Society, ca. 1995
Folder 17: Paul Zonn performing with other bands, 1953, 1998

Sub-Series 4: Sound Recordings

Box 40: Sound Recordings

Folder 1: Timbral Variations: The University of Illinois Chamber Players, ca. 1972
Folder 2: Paul Zonn: Original Compositons, Vol. I, ca. 1967-94
Folder 3: Paul Zonn: Original Compositions, Vol. II, ca. 1965-95
Folder 4: Paul Zonn: Three American Dances, 1998
Folder 5: Ultimate Nimbus: Chicago Clarinet Trio, 1998