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

By Adriana P. Cuervo, Kelly Carlson

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Collection Overview

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

ID: 12/5/818

Primary Creator: Kuypers, John Marinus (1900-)

Other Creators: Brün, Herbert (1918-2000), Johnston, Ben, Martirano, Salvatore (1927-1995), Powell, Morgan (1938-2023)

Extent: 1.0 cubic feet

Arrangement: The collection is arranged in three series; Series 1: Concerts and Festivals, 1953-1967; Series 2: Individual Works, ca. 1973-1990; and Series 3: Sheet Music, ca. 1980. Series 1 is arranged alphabetically by concert/festival name, then chronologically by performance date. Series 2 is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the composer whose work is recorded on the reel. Series 3 consists of one piece of sheet music, which is housed at the end of Series 2.

Date Acquired: 01/22/2007

Subjects: Electronic Music, Music, Music, School of

Formats/Genres: Sound Recordings

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of 27 reel-to-reel recordings and sheet music of musical works by University of Illinois composition faculty and guest composers. These items document the Chamber Music and Contemporary Arts Festivals that took place between 1954 and 1990, as well as the compositional output of the faculty.

Collection Historical Note

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, architechture, music, performance art, theater, and sculpture (first included in 1955). One of the original intents of the festival was to improve the permenant collection of visual art at the University of Illinois, and to this end monetary awards were presented to each of the early festivals' best paintings. The festival 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.

Subject/Index Terms

Electronic Music
Music
Music, School of

Administrative Information

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.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Concerts and Festivals, 1953-1967],
[Series 2: Individual Works, ca. 1973-1990],
[Series 3: Sheet Music, ca. 1980],
[All]

Series 2: Individual Works, ca. 1973-1990

Box 2

Item 1: Unknown, Undated: Unidentified performer(s). 7 inch reel.; Composer: Brooks, William
Item 2: Dust: Sawdust no. 1, 1976-1990: Electronic Music. Includes handwritten note to K. Gaburo. Published by Electronic Music Foundation, 1998; EMF CD 00644. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Brun, Herbert
Item 3: Dustiny; More Dust, Undated: Electronic music. Published by Electronic Music Foundation, 1998; EMF CD 00644. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Brun, Herbert
Item 4: More Dust with percussion; At Loose Ends, Undated: Electronic music and unidentified percussionist. Published by Electronic Music Foundation, 1998; EMF CD 00644. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Brun, Herbert
Item 5: Project Sawdust, 1978: Unidentified performer(s). Published by Electronic Music Foundation, 1998; EMF CD 00644. 10.5 inch reel.; Composer: Brun, Herbert
Item 6: Sonoriferous Loops; Wayfaring Sounds, Undated: Unidentified performer(s). Published by Electronic Music Foundation, 1998; EMF CD 60024. 7 inch disc.; Composer: Brun, Herbert
Item 7: Across 110th St., 1973: Electronic music. 5 inch reel.; Composer: Burt, Warren
Item 8: Rash, 1982: Electronic music. Cassette tape in 5 inch reel box.; Composer: Burt, Warren
Item 9: Interjacence, Undated: Bob Paredes, clarinet; Bart Cummings, Tuba. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Dunn, David
Item 10: Nexus I: Grand Canyon Recordings, 1973: Unidentified performer(s). 7 inch reel.; Composer: Dunn, David

Box 3

Item 1: Chamber Concerto I, II, III, Undated: Illinois Wesleyan Faculty Student group. Handwritten note "For Ken Gaburo" or back cover. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Erickson, Robert
Item 2: Piece for Bells and Piano, Undated: Unidentified performers. Handwritten note "For Ken Gaburo" on back cover. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Erickson, Robert
Item 3: Visions and Spels, November 1975: New Verbal Workshop. Published by Composers Recordings, 1984; CRI SD 515. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Johnston, Ben
Item 4: Bricdage, 1979: Steve Schick, percussion. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Lewis, Peter Todd
Item 5: Fragments/Hedgehogs for Orchestra, 1978: University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra; James Dixon, conductor. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Lewis, Peter Todd
Item 6: Lamentation, 1981: Unidentified performer(s). 7 inch reel.; Composer: Lewis/Froberger
Item 7: Voices I, 1971: Unidentified performer(s). 5 inch reel.; Composer: Lewis, Peter Todd
Item 8: Pieces for Bassoon; Difficult Crossing; Tuba Magritte, 1978: Charles Lipp, bassoon; William DeFotis, conductor; Dan Perentoni, tuba; electronic music. 5.5 inch reel.; Composer: Lipp, Charles
Item 9: Psaltery (for Lou Harrison), 1979: Electronic music. Handwritten note "For Ken Gaburo" on front cover. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Polansky, Larry
Item 10: Transition; Light and Shadows, 1974-1976: Unidentified performer(s). Includes letter written to Ken Gaburo in 1978. Published by New World Records, 1996; 80499-2. Published by Chicago Lakeside Jazz, 1999; CLJ-605-2. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Powell, Morgan
Item 11: Zooligscher Garten, 1965: Unidentified performer(s). 7 inch reel.; Composer: Rzewski, Fredric
Item 12: Songs I-IX; Poems I, II, III; Tit for Tat, 1970-1981: Arthur Steinhorn, percussion; Stuart Smith, vocal. Includes note written to Ken Gaburo. 7 inch reel.; Composer: Smith, Stuart
Item 13: Performance directions for Songs I-IX and Tit for Tat, Undated: 21 typed pages.; Composer: Smith, Stuart

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Concerts and Festivals, 1953-1967],
[Series 2: Individual Works, ca. 1973-1990],
[Series 3: Sheet Music, ca. 1980],
[All]