Finding Aid for University of Illinois Festival of Contemporary Arts Music and Sound Recordings, 1954-1990 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: University of Illinois Festival of Contemporary Arts Music and Sound Recordings, 1954-1990

ID: 12/5/818

Primary Creator: University of Illinois Festival of Contemporary Arts Committee (1948-1978)

Other Creators: Garvey, John (1921-2006), Johnston, Ben (1926-2019), Kuypers, John Marinus (1900-1994), Roos, Frank J. (Frank John) (1903-1967)

Extent: 1.0 cubic feet

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in three series:

Series 1) Concerts and Festivals, 1953-1967, consists of concert recordings made by Festival Organizers during the years the Festival of Contemporary Arts was active. The materials are arranged alphabetically by concert/festival name, then chronologically by performance date.

Series 2) Individual Works, ca. 1973-1990, consists of audio recordings of music composed by School of Music faculty and composers outside of the University of Illinois after the Festival of Contemporary Arts was concluded. Materials are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the composer whose work is recorded on the reel.

and Series 3) Sheet Music, ca. 1980, consists of one piece of sheet music, which is housed at the end of Series 2.

Date Acquired: 01/22/2007

Subjects: Brün, Herbert (1918-2000), Cage, John (1912-1992), Contemporary Arts Festival, Electronic Music, Gaburo, Kenneth (1926-1993), Garvey, John (1921-2006), Hiller, Lejaren (1924-1994), Johnston, Ben (1926-2019), Martirano, Salvatore (1927-1995), Music, Music, School of, Opera, Partch, Harry, Powell, Morgan, Stravinsky, Igor Fyodorovich (1882-1971), Symphony Orchestra

Formats/Genres: Experimental Music, Sheet music, Sound Recordings

Languages: English

Consists of 27 reel-to-reel recordings and sheet music of musical works by University of Illinois composition faculty and guest composers, documenting the Chamber Music that took place during the Festival of Contemporary Arts between 1953 and 1967, as well as "contemporary" recordings made by the composition faculty in the decades that followed.

The first Festival of Contemporary Arts was held in 1948 and was jointly conceived by Frank Roos, the head of the art department, and John Kuypers, the director of the school of music. Originally presented annually, the Festival became a biannual event begining in 1953. From the outset, the festival supported many different artistic fields including painting, architecture, music, performance art, theater, and sculpture (first included in 1955). The Festival was intended to improve the permanent collection of visual art at the University of Illinois. To this end, monetary awards were presented to each the winning painters during the first few years of the event.

John Garvey served as the University of Illinois Festival Committee as the first music director in 1948, booking a variety of "contemporary" acts that included Pete Seeger. Garvey served as Chair of the Festival Committee in 1951 and served in this capacity until 1961, when Ben Johnston took over as chair. During this period, the focus of the Festival shifted to musical events.

The Festival of Contemporary Arts drew many influential composers and performers from the time period including: Igor and Soulima Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, David Tudor, John Cage, Harry Partch, Ernest Kreneck, Elliot Carter, Benjamin Britten, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Kenneth Gaburo, John Garvey, Salvatore Martirano, Lejaren Hiller, Cornelius Cardew, Pauline Oliveros, Herbert Brün, Ben Johnson, Rodger Reynolds, Malcolm Goldstein, Joel Chadabe, Lukas Foss, and La Monte Young. Of particular note, a concert within the 1953 festival by David Tudor featured music by Morton Feldman and John Cage's "Music of Changes."

Similarly the 1957 festival saw Harry Partch's "The Bewitched" and Jan Meyerowitz's opera "Esther" with libretto written by Langston Hughes. Other premiere performances included Partch's "Revelation in the Courthouse Park," a 1965 performance of Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem," Wallingford Riegger's "Symphony No. 4", and Ernest Kreneck's "The Bell Tower." Though the festival officially ended in 1971, an attempt at revival of the festival occured in 1978.

Brün, Herbert (1918-2000)
Cage, John (1912-1992)
Contemporary Arts Festival
Electronic Music
Gaburo, Kenneth (1926-1993)
Garvey, John (1921-2006)
Hiller, Lejaren (1924-1994)
Johnston, Ben (1926-2019)
Martirano, Salvatore (1927-1995)
Music
Music, School of
Opera
Partch, Harry
Powell, Morgan
Stravinsky, Igor Fyodorovich (1882-1971)
Symphony Orchestra

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Acquisition Method: Transferred from the University Archives to the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music in January of 2007.

Related Materials:

For Festival of Contemporary Arts Committee Records and John Garvey Correspondence see Allen S. Weller Papers, RS 12/1/20.

For John Kuypers Correspondence see John M. Kuypers Papers, RS 12/5/25.

For School of Music Audio Recordings of the Festival of Contemporary Arts see School of Music Audio Department Sound Recordings, RS 12/5/64.