Finding Aid for Scott Wyatt Personal Papers and Sound Recordings, 1961-2018 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: Scott Wyatt Personal Papers and Sound Recordings, 1961-2018

ID: 12/5/73

Primary Creator: Wyatt, Scott (1951 -)

Extent: 8.25 cubic feet

Arrangement:

Organized in four series: Series 1: Non-commercial Sound Recordings, ca. 1978 - 2018; Series 2: Commercial Sound Recordings, ca. 1985 - 1987; Series 3: Scott Wyatt Experimental Music Studios Papers, ca. 1961 - 1984, which is organized into two sub-series: 1) Experimental Music Studios 40th Anniversary Exhibit Photographs and Labels, and 2) Experimental Music Studies pomotional materials and compositions; and Series 4: Personal Papers.

Series 1 and 2 are arranged in original order. Series 3, Sub-Series 1 is arranged by exhibit subject. Series 3, Sub-Series 2 and Series 4 are unarranged.

Date Acquired: 06/12/2017. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Brün, Herbert (1918-2000), Cage, John (1912-1992), Center for Advanced Study - University of Illinois, Compositions-Music, Computer Music, Electronic Music, Faculty, Faculty Papers, Farm Aid, Gaburo, Kenneth (1926-1993), Hamm, Charles (1925-2011), Hiller, Lejaren (1924-1994), Illiac Computers, Martirano, Salvatore (1927-1995), Music, School of, Music Composition, Music teachers

Formats/Genres: Experimental Music, Papers, Posters, Sound Recordings

Languages: English

Consists of sound recordings, photographs of the University of Illinois' Experimental Music Studio used for its 40th anniversary, posters, reports, and personal papers, documenting Scott Wyatt's work as a School of Music faculty member and director of the Experimental Music Studio, and his work as a composer throughout his career at the University of Illinois between 1974 and 2014. Also included in these papers is the complete computer code used by Lejaren Hiller to create his computer composition, "Avalanche" completed in 1970.

Scott Wyatt (b. 1951) studied Music Education and Piano Performance at West Chester University in Pennsylvania in 1970 where he also studied music composition  with Larry A. Nelson and John Melby. After graduating with his bachelors degree, Wyatt continued his studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1974, where he studied composition with John Melby, Herbert Brun, Ben Johnston, Salvatore Martirano, and Paul Martin Zonn. In 1975 Wyatt was hired as composition faculty lecturer and co-director of the Experimental Music Studios with James Beauchamp. In 1976, he was awarded a tenure track faculty position and became the director of the Experimental Music Studios. He retained that title until 2016, when he retired from the University of Illinois.

Wyatt composes music for a variety of ensembles and genres including works for theatre, voice, acoustic instruments, electroacoustic music, and music for dance, documentary film, radio, television, and laser shows. Wyatt has won several awards for composition including: the 1978 International Society for Contemporary Music National Composers Competition, the 1979 National Flute Composition Competition, the 1979 Concorso Internazionale Luigi Russolo Composition Competition, and the 1984 International Confederation of Electro-Acoustic Music Grand Prize at the International Electro-Acoustic Music Competition in Bourges, France. In 1985 he was awared the University of Illinois University Scholar Awared as part of the University's first class of University Scholars to acknowledge nationally and internationally recognized achievement and distinction as a faculty member of the university. In addition, Wyatt has received several awards for his teaching and research including: the 1990 Arnold Beckman Research Award for the development of digital timescaling applications, numerous grants between 1996 and 2011 for live performance methodology for eight-channel sound diffusion and sound spatialization, a 1991 Illinois Arts Council Award, a 1994 Educational Technologies assistance grant for course development, a 1997 College of Fine and Applied Arts Outstanding Faculty Award, a 1998 appointment as an Associate in the UIUC Center for Advanced Study, and a 2008 Fine and Applied Arts Creative Research Award for the collaborative composition for electroacoustic music with live continuum performance and two giant 900,000 volt Tesla coils, titled "Risky Business: a Tribute to Nikola Tesla." Among other compositions, Wyatt was commissioned in 1989 by the Champaign-Urbana Symphony to create "Time Pinnacle" for Orchestra, electroacoustic music, visual projections, and lasers for the Beckman Institute dedication. In addition, in 1995, he was commissioned by the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts to create an opening compositions (for 6 choral octetes, percussion, conductor, and 8-channel electroacoustic music involving 600 lighting cues), title "Visions in Time" for the KCPA 25th Anniversary Gala Commemoration.

Wyatt is also known for his development and application of positional three-dimensional audio imaging and spatialized audio recording techniques designed for discrete 8-channel performance. His compositions are recorded on Capstone, Centaur, GMEB Cultures Electroniques Series, Library of Congress, MARK, OFFICE, Music from SAMUS, UBRES, and VERIATZA recordings.

Brün, Herbert (1918-2000)
Cage, John (1912-1992)
Center for Advanced Study - University of Illinois
Compositions-Music
Computer Music
Electronic Music
Faculty
Faculty Papers
Farm Aid
Gaburo, Kenneth (1926-1993)
Hamm, Charles (1925-2011)
Hiller, Lejaren (1924-1994)
Illiac Computers
Martirano, Salvatore (1927-1995)
Music, School of
Music Composition
Music teachers

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: Additional photographs and news clippings were received from Scott Wyatt on November 13, 2017. Additional sound recordings were received from Scott Wyatt on April 16, 2018

Acquisition Source: Scott Wyatt

Acquisition Method: Gift

Related Materials: For further information about other Lejaren Hiller sound recordings and personal papers please visit the University at Buffalo's Lejaren Hiller Papers. For more information please see https://research.lib.buffalo.edu/hiller.