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David K. Stigberg Audio Recordings and Papers, 1968-2000

By Jonas Kromer Yela

Collection Overview

Title: David K. Stigberg Audio Recordings and Papers, 1968-2000

ID: 12/5/87

Creator: David K. Stigberg (1942-2018)

Extent: 3.65 cubic feet

Arrangement: The collection is arranged into two series: Series 1), Field Recordings and Research Notes, 1968-1985, and Series 2) Personal Student and Univerity of Illinois Faculty Records, 1968-2000. Series 1 is divided into three sub-series, based on the three field research projects represented in the collection: Sub-series 1) Queretaro Project, Sub-series 2) Veracruz Project, and Sub-series 3) Chiapas Project. Series 2 is divided into four sub-series: Sub-series 1) Student papers and Sound Recordings, Sub-series 2) Universtiy of Illinois at Chicago Circle Faculty Papers and Sound Recordings, Sub-series 3) University of llinois Urbana-Champaign Faculty Papers and Sound Recordings, and Sub-series 4) Correspondence. The collection is arranged in original order, with the exception of the 5" and 7" tape reels and Series 2, Sub-series 1, 2, & 3, which were without any order upon aquisition and rearranged based on the stages of Stigberg's career during which they were produced. The papers within Series 2, Sub-series 1, 2, & 3 are arranged in chronological order. The sound recordings in Series 2, Sub-series 2 & 3 are arranged by subject. Folder names were changed to better describe their contents where necessary.

Date Acquired: 10/31/2023

Languages: English [eng], Spanish;Castilian [spa]

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of sound recordings, research notes, drafts and outlines of articles and presentations, and correspondence documenting David Stigberg's ethnomusicological research in Mexico and his teaching duites as a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Of particular note are field recordings of popular music groups from Veracruz from the 1970s and traditional music from Zinacantan, Chiapas, from Stigberg's field research in the 1980s. The sound recordings, in 7" and 5" reel-to-reel and cassette format, make up the bulk of the collection. These include the field recordings, tapes used for teaching, and compilations and dubs of commercial music that he shared with his contacts in Mexico.

Biographical Note

David K. Stigberg was born on October 31, 1942, in Bridgeport, CT. Stigberg grew up in several towns and cites along the east coast, as his family relocated frequently due to his father's work. Stigberg attended the Univerity of Connecticut for undergraduate study, where he met his first wife Gerry Lynn Callis. They married in June 1964, and in 1965, moved to Champaign where Stigberg began his master's studies in musicology at UIUC. In 1968, he participated in ethnomusicological field work in Querétaro, Mexico. After completing his master's degree, Stigberg enrolled in the PhD program in ethnomusicology at UIUC, studying under Bruno Nettl. In 1971 and 1972, Stigberg did field work in Veracruz, Mexico, as part of his doctorate studies. In 1973, he returned to the United States to accept a teaching position at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle. He taught at Chicago until 1980, when he completed his dissertation and moved back to Champaign with his family to teach at UIUC.

During the 1980s, Stigberg made three trips to Zinacantan, Chiapas, Mexico, to conduct field research on cross-cultural exchange in the musics of the Tzotzil-speaking indigenous people and hispanic Mexicans. He taught at UIUC until 1987, when he shifted into a career in computer programming, working on digital mapping projects for the US Army as well as agricultural mapping in Illinois. Stigberg and his wife Gerry were divorced in 1994, and he remarried Sara Tuber. Stigberg passed away in 2018 at the age of 75.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Source: Sara Taber

Acquisition Method: Gift


Box and Folder Listing