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Morton Subotnick papers, 1956-2004

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BOX 1-10, 20-25 Music and Sound Art, 1972-2004
This series contains Subotnick's composition workbooks that detail the ideas and technical specifications behind his electronic works. Also present are printed scores and some sketches for his acoustic and electro-acoustic works.
Organized as two subseries.
Workbooks, 1972-2004
Subotnick's workbooks date chiefly from the 1980s. Since his fully electronic pieces do not use acoustic instruments (and consequently do not require a score), his workbooks contain notes about the genesis of a piece and information about patches, synthesizers, and other electronics necessary to perform it. Also present are sketches of musical ideas for acoustic and electro-acoustic works, lecture notes, and budget information.
Arranged alphabetically by title and chronologically therein.
BOX/FOLDER 2/2 2 Butterflies
see also Ascent into Air/Double Life of Amphibians/2 Butterflies and Before the Butterfly
After the Butterfly
BOX/FOLDER 1/1 circa 1980
Includes: Notes on A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur ; lectures
BOX/FOLDER 1/2-3 Undated
All My Hummingbirds Have Alibis
BOX/FOLDER 1/4 circa 1991
BOX/FOLDER 1/5 Undated
Ascent into Air
BOX/FOLDER 1/6-7 1980
Title on cover: IRCAM
Includes: Photocopy of workbook
BOX/FOLDER 1/8-9 1980 January-April
BOX/FOLDER 2/1 1980 September-October
BOX/FOLDER 2/3 1982 February
Note: For U. S. version
BOX/FOLDER 2/4 1984 April?
BOX/FOLDER 2/5 to 3/2 Undated
BOX/FOLDER 2/2 Ascent into Air; Double Life of Amphibians; 2 Butterflies, 1981 July
BOX/FOLDER 3/3 Axolotl, 1980 November
see also Double Life of Amphibians; Last Dream of the Beast; Axolotl
Laid in: Letter from Joan Tower
Before the Butterfly
BOX/FOLDER 21/1 1974-1975
Title on cover: 2 Butterflies for Amplified Orchestra
Laid in: Performance instructions; sketches; electronics schematics
BOX/FOLDER 3/4 1975 September-1976 February
BOX/FOLDER 3/5 A Desert Flowers; Jacob's Room, 1987 February-August
Includes: Early notes on children's music software
BOX/FOLDER 3/6 A Desert Flowers [?]; Last Dream of the Beast, 1989
Includes: Notes about Presser?, Peter Menin
Double Life of Amphibians
see also Ascent into Air/Double Life of Amphibians/2 Butterflies
BOX/FOLDER 4/1 1981 March
Early notes
BOX/FOLDER 4/2 1984
Laid in: Letter from Subotnick to Gene Moon at Theodore Presser, Co.
BOX/FOLDER 4/4 1984 February-August
BOX/FOLDER 4/5 1985
Includes: Miscellaneous notes
BOX/FOLDER 4/6-8 Undated
BOX/FOLDER 5/1 Double Life of Amphibians; Ascent into Air, undated
Note: Contains Subotnick's changes to the pieces
BOX/FOLDER 3/7 Double Life of Amphibians; Last Dream of the Beast; Axolotl, 1981 January-May
BOX/FOLDER 4/3 Double Life of Amphibians; Parallel Lines, 1984
Laid in: Financial memos for Double Life of Amphibians performance; mailgram
Eclipse
BOX/FOLDER 5/2 1974 June
BOX/FOLDER 5/3 1975 February
The First Dream of Light; A Sky Full of Sulphur
BOX/FOLDER 5/4 1979
BOX/FOLDER 5/5 Undated
BOX/FOLDER 5/6 A Fluttering of Wings, undated
Four Butterflies
BOX/FOLDER 6/1 1972 June 7
BOX/FOLDER 6/2 Undated
BOX/FOLDER 6/3 Game Room; Immortals, 1972
see also Place [?]; The Game Room; Passages of the Beast
BOX/FOLDER 6/4 Game Room; Improvisation, undated
Note: For Minnesota-Walker performance
BOX/FOLDER 6/5 Gestures, 1999
Hungers
BOX/FOLDER 6/6 1986 May 25
BOX/FOLDER 6/7-8 Undated
BOX/FOLDER 6/3 Immortals
see also Game Room; Immortals
BOX/FOLDER 6/4 Improvisation
see also Game Room; Improvisation
Intimate Immensity
BOX/FOLDER 6/9 1993?
BOX/FOLDER 7/1 Undated
Includes: Miscellaneous notes
Jacob's Room
see also A Desert Flowers; Jacob's Room
BOX/FOLDER 7/2 circa 1989-1991
BOX/FOLDER 7/4 Undated , Philadelphia workbook
BOX/FOLDER 7/3 Jacob's Room; Voyager, 1991 September 25
The Key to Songs
BOX/FOLDER 7/5 circa 1981-1983
BOX/FOLDER 7/6-7 Undated
BOX/FOLDER 21/2 The Key to Songs; Return, undated
Last Dream of the Beast
see A Desert Flowers [?]; Last Dream of the Beast
BOX/FOLDER 8/1 Life History; ghost pieces log, 1976
BOX/FOLDER 8/2 Messiah, 1999
Passages of the Beast
see Place [?]; The Game Room; Passages of the Beast
Place
BOX/FOLDER 22/1 1976
BOX/FOLDER 8/3, 22/2 1978 August
BOX/FOLDER 8/4 1986 December
BOX/FOLDER 22/3 Place [?]; The Game Room; Passages of the Beast, circa 1976-1978
Performance instructions; sketches
BOX/FOLDER 8/5 Release, 2003
Return
see also The Key to Songs; Return
BOX/FOLDER 8/6 to 9/1 1985-1986
BOX/FOLDER 9/2-3 Undated
Sidewinder
BOX/FOLDER 9/4 2002-2003
BOX/FOLDER 9/6 Undated
BOX/FOLDER 9/5 Sidewinder; Wispers [?]; Until Spring, revised, 2004
A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur
see also The First Dream of Light; A Sky Full of Sulphur
BOX/FOLDER 9/7 1978
Includes: Program notes and Urbana lecture notes
BOX/FOLDER 9/8 1979
Until Spring
see also Sidewinder; Wispers [?]; Until Spring
BOX/FOLDER 24/1 1975
BOX/FOLDER 23/1 1976
Voyager
see Jacob's Room; Voyager
BOX/FOLDER 10/1 Unidentified, undated
Scores, 1980-2003
Subotnick's scores consist mostly of printed editions for his acoustic and electro-acoustic works. Also contained here are some of his sketches for Serenade no. 3 and A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur , which is fully electronic and Subotnick's last piece composed for the LP medium.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
BOX/FOLDER 20/1 4 Butterflies, undated
Excerpt of photocopied printed score
BOX/FOLDER 25/1 After the Butterfly, undated
Printed full score
BOX/FOLDER 20/2 All My Hummingbirds Have Alibis, 1991
Printed full score
BOX/FOLDER 24/2 Ascent into Air, 1982
Ozalid of full score with annotations
BOX/FOLDER 24/3 Before the Butterfly, 1978
Printed full score
BOX/FOLDER 20/3 A Desert Flowers, 1989
Printed full score
BOX/FOLDER 24/4 The Fluttering of Wings, 1981
Printed full score
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