Finding Aid for Salvatore Martirano Music, Personal Papers, and Sal-Mar Construction, 1927-1999 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Elizabeth Surles and Hannah Jellen

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Collection Overview

Title: Salvatore Martirano Music, Personal Papers, and Sal-Mar Construction, 1927-1999

ID: 12/5/42

Primary Creator: Martirano, Salvatore (1927-1995)

Extent: 55.0 cubic feet

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into eight series and seven sub-series. Series 1: Music, ca. 1947-1995, is organized alphabetically by title. Whenever possible an identification of the format of the music for each title (i.e., full score, condensed score, piano score, and parts) has been noted with the corresponding abbreviations, FS, CS, PS, P. Series 2: Correspondence, ca. 1932-1999, is organized into two sub-series. Sub-series 1: Contracts, Publishing, and Royalties, 1959-1995, is arranged chronogically. Sub-series 2: Personal and Professional, 1932-1999, is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically. Correspondence from 1990-1999 is organized chronologically. Business correspondence is arranged alphabetically according to institution name, while correspondence from colleagues, family, and friends is ordered alphabetically according to the letter writer's last name. Series 3: Instruments and Technology, ca. 1967-2000, is arranged in two subseries. Sub-series 1: Sal-Mar Construction, 1967-1984, is arranged according to document type. Sub-series 2: YahaSALmaMac, 1986-1993, is arranged according to document type. Series 4: Publicity and Performance, ca. 1950-1995, is arranged into three sub-series. Sub-Series 1: Publicity, Marketing, Media Coverage, and Interviews, is arranged according to document type and then chronologically. Sub-series 2: Performances, Lectures, and Panels, is arranged according to document type and then chronologically. Sub-series 3: Published and Unpublished Research, is arranged alphabetically by author. Series 5: Photographs, ca. 1927-2004, is organized by type of image, subject matter, and then chronologically. Series 6: Family and Personal Papers, ca. 1927-1952, is organized by document type and then chronologically. Series 7, Sound Recordings, 1956-1993, is organized by recording number. Series 8, L's GA Props, 1960-1999, is organized by item type.

The collection was received in annotated and numbered envelopes and folders. To retain the original order and annotation, the numbering system and information on the folders and envelopes have either been photocopied and retained with the original records or transcribed on the folders in which the collection has been rehoused. Additional documentation of the original order and annotation is located in the collection's control file.

Date Acquired: 06/06/2008. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Electronic Music, Music, School of, Music Composition, Photographs

Formats/Genres: Architectural drawings, Financial Records, Newspaper Clippings, Papers, Photocopies, Sheet music

Languages: English, French, Korean, Italian, Japanese, German, Romanian, Dutch;Flemish

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of correspondence between Martirano and colleagues, friends, and family, including Milton Babbit, John Cage, Elliot Carter, Gilbert Chase, Aaron Copland, Luigi Dallapicolla, Paul Fromm, Loren Maazel, Morton Subotnik, and Igor Stravinsky; recording and publishing contracts; royalty statements; published and unpublished music scores, drafts, manuscripts, and studies; grant proposals, applications, and reports; address book and lists; Sal-Mar Construction and YahaSALmaMac circuit diagrams, transparencies, and negatives; Sal-Mar Construction wiring lists; circuit boards; books; news clippings; photographs; negatives; slides; posters; concert programs and program notes; mailers; brochures; fliers; articles; theses; concert ticket; scrapbooks; invitations; birth certificate; autograph book; military records; poems by MC Halloway; architectural drawings; technical riders; lecture notes and transparencies; interviews; awards; and degrees. In addition, the Sal-Mar Construction, publicly unveiled in 1970 as the first musical instrument to generate dynamic improvisatory electronic music using analog and digital circuits designed with help from engineers who worked on the University's of Illinois' early Illiac supercomputer, was also included as part of this donation to the University. The papers, music, and Sal-Mar Construction document Martirano's activities as an award-winning composer, performer, and leader in the field of computer generated music.

Biographical Note

Born in Yonkers, Salvatore Martirano (1927-1995) grew up in New Rochelle, New York where he graduated from high school in 1945. While there he was the leader of "The Sonny Martin Band," the name of which came from Martirano's childhood nickname "Sonny." After graduating, Martirano served as a Marine for fourteen months in 1945 and 1946, during which time he performed with the Parris Island Marine Band and a touring USO show.

Martirano received his undergraduate degree in 1951 from Oberlin College, where he studied composition with Herbert Elwell. A year later he completed his master's degree in composition at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Bernard Rogers. During the same year, Martirano received a Fulbright to study composition in Italy with Luigi Dallapiccola from 1952 to 1954. Martirano continued to work in Italy from 1956 to 1959, when he was a resident fellow at the American Academy. Between 1959 and 1964, Martirano received commissions, awards, and fellowships from the Guggenheim, Ford, Koussevitzky, and Fromm Foundations, as well as from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and Brandeis University. In 1963, Martirano joined the Theory and Composition Department at the University of Illinois, where he remained on the faculty until his retirement and death in 1995. He was also a resident composer at the NSW Conservatorium of Music in Sydney (1979), IRCAM in Paris (1982) and the California Institute of the Arts (1993). Composers including Phil Winsor, Mark Zanter, Thorsteinn Hauksson, Stuart Saunders Smith, Maggi Payne, and Yehuda Yannay studied with Martirano while students at the University of Illinois.

Many of Martirano's early works incorporate twelve-tone compositional techniques as well as jazz, vernacular, and multimedia idioms. His best-known composition, "L's GA" (Lincoln's Gettysburg Address), was widely performed in the late 1960s and early 1970s and became associated with the anti-war movement. In the early 1960s, Martirano became interested in electronic music, and this interest guided much of his work from the 1960s on. Martirano was among the very first composers in the United States to utilize and invent new computer technology for composition. Martirano created a series of electronic music systems, including the Sal-Mar Construction and YahaSALmaMac, which enabled him to write and perform music that mixed human and computer-generated sounds and composition.

Subject/Index Terms

Electronic Music
Music, School of
Music Composition
Photographs

Administrative Information

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: June 6, 2008, September 20, 2008, April 11, 2011, and December 7, 2017.

Access Restrictions: Box 17, Folder 16 restricted until November 17, 2034.

Acquisition Method: The music, papers, and Sal-Mar Construction were donated to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by the Martirano family on June 6, 2008. The Sal-Mar Construction was received by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from the Martirano family on September 20, 2008. Audio-visual materials were received by the Martirano family on April 11, 2011. An addition of two sound recordings and oversized notebooks with music parts were acquired on December 7, 2017 by way of the University of Illinois' Music and Performing Arts Library, which received them from the Martirano family through Stephen Taylor in the School of Music.

Processing Information: Papers, Music, and Sal-Mar Construction processed in 2008-2009.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Music, ca. 1945-1995],
[Series 2: Correspondence, ca. 1932-1999],
[Series 3: Sal-Mar Construction and YahaSALmaMac, ca. 1967-2000],
[Series 4: Publicity, Lectures, and Performances, ca. 1950-1995],
[Series 5: Photographs, ca. 1927-2004],
[Series 6: Family and Personal Papers, ca. 1927-1952],
[Series 7: Sound Recordings, 1956-1995],
[Series 8: L's GA Props],
[All]

Series 1: Music, ca. 1945-1995

Box 5

Folder 1: Action Analysis (FS), 1968: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Ballad, 1966: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Cocktail Music, 1962: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 4: Columbo (FS, incomplete), ca. 1992: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 5: FoDo (P), 1994: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 6: Fugue on a Given Theme (FS), ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 7: Lo Disse Dante notes, ca. 1965
Folder 8: LON/dons (draft, FS, incomplete), 1989: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 9: LON/dons (draft, FS, incomplete), 1989: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 10: LON/dons (draft, FS, incomplete), 1989: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore

Box 6

Folder 1: 1st Orchestra Piece (CS), ca. late 1940s: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Another You (P), 1992: Composer/Arranger: Warren and Gordon/Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Blues for Do (P), 1992: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 4: Blow (FS), 1963: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 5: Bulgarian Dance No. 6 (FS, incomplete), ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Bartok, Bela/Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 6: Chansons Innocentes (FS), 1955: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 7: Cherokee (P), 1992: Composer/Arranger: Noble/Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 8: The Cherry Orchard (draft, FS, P, incomplete), ca. 1950: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 9: The Cherry Orchard (FS, P), ca. 1950: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 10: Cocktail Music (draft, PS, incomplete), 1962: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 11: Contrasto (draft, CS), 1954: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 12: Great Green Dancing Devil, Devil, Devil, Devil (FS, P), 1963: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 13: I Remember April (P), 1992: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore, arr.
Folder 14: Isabela (FS, P), 1993: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore

Box 7

Folder 1: Ballad (FS, P), 1966: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Cocktail Music (PS), 1962: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Contrasto (FS), 1954: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 4: LON/dons (notes), 1989: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 5: Phleu (draft, FS, P), 1988: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 6: Piece for Orchestra (draft, FS, P), 1952: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 7: Sampler, everything goes when the whistle blows (FS, P), 1985: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 8: Stuck on Stella (PS), 1979: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 9: Untitled (FS, incomplete), Undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 10: A Venusian Waltz (FS), ca. 1963: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore

Box 8

Folder 1: L's GA (FS), ca. 1967: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Octet (notes), 1963: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Phleu (draft, notes), 1988: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 4: Phleu and Sampler midi charts, 1985, 1988: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 5: Prelude in A Major, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Vol. I, No. 19 (FS), ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Bach, J.S. and Martirano, Salvatore, arr.
Folder 6: Scrape Rim Skin, 1990: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 7: Sampler, everything goes when the whistle blows (draft, P), 1985: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 8: String Quartet No. 1 (FS, P), 1950: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore

Box 9

Folder 1: LON/dons (FS), 1989: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: The Magic Stones (draft, libretto), 1951: Note: Original title was Something for Nothing.; Librettist/Composer: Rothchild, Eric and Salvatore Martirano
Folder 3: The Magic Stones (FS), 1951: Note: Original title was Something for Nothing; Librettist/Composer: Rothchild, Eric and Salvatore Martirano
Folder 4: The Magic Stones (P), 1951: Note: Original title was Something for Nothing; Librettist/Composer: Rothchild, Eric and Salvatore Martirano
Folder 5: The Magic Stones (FS), 1951: Note: Original title was Something for Nothing; Librettist/Composer: Rothchild, Eric and Salvatore Martirano
Folder 6: The Magic Stones (Something for Nothing) (PS), 1951: Librettist/Composer: Rothchild, Eric and Salvatore Martirano

Box 10

Folder 1: Mass a capella (FS), 1952-1955: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Ninna Nanna (draft, FS), 1957: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: O, O, O, O That Shakespeherian Rag (FS), 1958: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 4: O, O, O, O That Shakespeherian Rag (draft, FS), 1958: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 5: Octet (draft, FS, incomplete), 1963: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 6: Octet (FS, P), 1963: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 7: An Olive for the Noble Snare (draft, FS), 1987: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 8: Play-Time (PS), ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 9: Prelude in A minor, Op. 6, No. 2 (PS), ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 10: Prelude for Orchestra (draft, FS, P), 1951: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 11: Prelude in D-flat minor, Op. 6, No. 15 (PS), ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 12: Prelude IV, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Vol. II (PS), ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Bach, J.S. and Salvatore Martirano

Box 11

Folder 1: Lo Disse Dante (draft, FS), ca. 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Underworld actors parts, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Underworld actors parts, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 7: Underworld cue sheets, undated

Box 12

Folder 1: Sonata for Violin and Piano (draft, FS, P), 1951: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: String Quartet No. 1 (draft, FS, P), 1950: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Suite for Chamber Orchestra (FS), ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 4: Thrown (draft, P), 1984: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 5: Toads in Tweeds (FS), ca. 1963: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 6: UIUS and Jes Fa'laffs (FS, P), 1991: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 7: Unidentified student works, notes, and studies, ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 8: Untitled (draft, FS, incomplete): Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 9: Untitled, Undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 10: Untitled, Undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 11: Unidentified drafts and notes, Undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore

Box 13

Folder 1: Thrown (FS), 1984: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Underworld (draft, notes), 1964-1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: We, Undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore

Box 14

Folder 1: Notebook, ca. 1960: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Theory and Composition Notebooks, ca. 1947-1951: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Unidentified sketches, drafts, and notes, Undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 4: Unidentified sketches, drafts, and notes, Undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 5: Unidentified sketches, drafts, and notes, Undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 6: Unidentified sketches, drafts, and notes, Undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore

Box 15

Folder 1: Underworld bass part, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Underworld bass part, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Underworld tenor saxophone part, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 4: Underworld (draft), 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore

Box 16

Folder 1: Underworld tape part, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Underworld (FS), 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Underworld percussion parts, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore

Box 31

Item 1: Underworld Computer Programming Cards, Undated

Box 33

Item 1: Underworld Score Negative, ca. 1964: Linograph direct print photographic paper roll
Item 2: Underworld Score Negative, ca. 1964: Linograph direct print photographic paper roll
Item 3: Underworld Score Negative, ca. 1964: Linograph direct print photographic paper roll

Box 34

Item 1: Underworld Score Negative, ca. 1964: Linograph direct print photographic paper roll

Box 69

Folder 1: Underworld, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 2: Underworld, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 3: Underworld, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 4: Underworld, 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 5: Underworld, Left String Bass (Amplified) part, April 1965: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 6: Underworld, Right String Bass part, undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 7: Underworld, Tenor Saxophone part, undated: Composer/Arranger: Martirano, Salvatore
Folder 8: Underworld, Performance and Lighting Notes, circa 1966: 3 sheets: Underworld performance notes dated March 10, 1966 and undated stage lighting notes for a performance of Underworld at Gregory Hall.

Box 70

Folder 1: Underworld, Full Score, 1965

Conductor's Score, Version I & II