Finding Aid for School of Music Ethnomusicology Audio Archives, 1896-2001 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: School of Music Ethnomusicology Audio Archives, 1896-2001

ID: 12/5/75

Primary Creator: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. School of Music. Musicology Program. Ethnomusicology

Extent: 82.5 cubic feet

Arrangement: Organized into two series: Series 1: Collection Files and Audio Recordings (1896-1992); Series 2: Administrative Records (1968-ca. 2001). Series 1 is organized sequentially by collection number which reflects the order of their acquisition in the Archives. The series is divided into three sub-series: 1) Collection Files, 2) Audio and Visual Recordings, and 3) Card Catalog. Series 2 consists of paper records, and publications. The paper records are organized in original order. The publications are organized alphabetically by title and then chronologically. Collection numbers 248-257, 259-263, and 299 are out of order due to these records being accessioned after a majority of the collection was already processed.

Date Acquired: 02/29/2019

Subjects: Cantometrics, Dance, Ethnography, Ethnomusicology, Folklore, Folk music, Folk music--Azerbaijan, Folk music--Pakistan, Folk music--Yugoslavia, Folk songs, Folk songs, Basque, Folk songs, Huichol, Gamelan music--Indonesia--Bali Island, Indians of North America -- Music, Indians of South America -- Music, Instrumental music, Interviews, Jews--Music, Kentucky--Songs and music, Maori (New Zealand people)--Music, Music, Music, School of, Music -- Afghanistan, Music -- Africa, Music -- Alabama, Music -- Argentina, Music -- Australia, Music -- Barbados, Music -- Bolivia, Music -- Brazil, Music -- Bulgaria, Music -- Burma, Music -- Cambodia, Music -- China, Music -- Columbia, Music -- Cuba, Music--Dominican Republic, Music -- Ecuador, Music -- Egypt, Music -- Finland, Music -- Germany, Music -- Ghana, Music -- Guatemala, Music -- Illinois, Music -- India, Music -- Indonesia, Music--Indonesia--Java, Music -- Iran, Music -- Iraq, Music -- Israel, Music -- Italy, Music -- Japan, Music -- Korea, Music -- Kurdistan, Music -- Lebanon, Music -- Mexico, Music -- Middle East, Music -- Minnesota, Music -- Montana, Music -- New Guinea, Music -- New Hebrides, Music -- New Zealand, Music -- Nigeria, Music -- Persia, Music -- Peru, Music -- Philippines, Music -- Portugal, Music -- Qatar, Music -- Rhodesia, Music -- Russia, Music -- Samaritan, Music -- Scotland, Music -- Solomon Islands, Music -- Spain, Music -- Taiwan, Music -- Thailand, Music -- Tunisia, Music -- Turkey, Music -- Vietnam, Music -- Wisconsin, Music -- Zimbabwe, Poetry, Ritual, Shape-note singing, Society for Ethnomusicology, Songs, Vocal music, Warlpiri (Australian people)--Music, World Music

Formats/Genres: Arrangements (Music), Conference papers and proceedings, Sheet music, Sound Recordings, Video recordings

Languages: English, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, NorthAmericanIndian, Hindi, SouthAmericanIndian(Other), Spanish;Castilian, Papuan(Other), CentralAmericanIndian(Other), German, Igbo, Afrikaans, Japanese, Hebrew, Macedonian, Portuguese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Persian, Italian, Russian, Bulgarian, Australianlanguages, Gaelic;ScottishGaelic, Finnish, Shona, Thai, Basque

Consists of field recordings and commercial recordings, both audio and visual, of musical performance and cultural practices collected by faculty and graduate students of the School of Music's Ethnomusicology Division as well as other scholars. Each set of recordings has a collection number and most of the recordings include collection files which provide detailed information about their accompanying field work and recordings. A substantial portion of the recordings are from Iran, India, and from indigenous peoples of North and South America, including (but not exclusive to) the Yahi, Shipibo, Shawnee, Ayore, Siriono, Penobscot, Shuar, Navajo, Hopi, Kiowa, and the Caddo peoples. The Archives also contains card catalogs for the recordings organized by subject headings, collection number, and Human Relation Area Files (HRAF) area codes. The administrative files contain correspondence, visitor logs, publications, and other material related to the daily operation of the Ethnomusicology Archives.

The Ethnomusicology Archives of the School of Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was created by Professor Bruno Nettl in 1968 as a repository for his field notes and recordings, as well as other materials in his collection. Since field recordings were integral to mid-century ethnomusicology, this archives was an important part of the ethnomusicology program at the University of Illinois which began four years earlier with the appointment of Nettl in 1964.

The first ethnomusicology audio archives at an American university was founded in 1935 at Columbia University by George Herzog, who modelled it after the first major ethnomusicology archive established by his mentor Erich von Hornbostel in Berlin, 1901. In 1948, Herzog began working at Indiana University, where he used the same guiding principles to establish the Indiana University Archives of Traditional Music. Nettl, a former student at Indiana University, brought this archival tradition to the University of Illinois.

In 1972, the Ethnomusicology Archives moved to a room in the newly constructed Music Building and was run by archivist and PhD student Avigdor Herzog. Herzog ran the Ethnomusicology Archives until 1975 and was succeeded by Stephen Blum from 1975-1979. Blum developed the catalog system of the archives. Charles Capwell, appointed in the late 1970s following Blum, was in charge of the Ethnomusicology Archives throughout the 1980s.

The Ethnomusicology Archives was originally conceived as a repository for the field recordings and documents compiled by ethnomusicologists conducting research through the University of Illinois. Some of the first recordings presented in the Ethnomusicology Archives were made by Nettl himself during his fieldwork in Montana among the Blackfoot people. Nettl's recordings from his fieldwork conducted in Iran also reside within the Ethnomusicology Archives, as do field recordings made by prolific scholars including Stephen Blum, Daniel Neuman, Ted Solis, Charles Capwell, Philip Bolhman, Tom Turino, and Virginia Danielson, all of whom were graduate students or faculty at the University of Illinois during the latter half of the 20th century.

Cantometrics
Dance
Ethnography
Ethnomusicology
Folklore
Folk music
Folk music--Azerbaijan
Folk music--Pakistan
Folk music--Yugoslavia
Folk songs
Folk songs, Basque
Folk songs, Huichol
Gamelan music--Indonesia--Bali Island
Indians of North America -- Music
Indians of South America -- Music
Instrumental music
Interviews
Jews--Music
Kentucky--Songs and music
Maori (New Zealand people)--Music
Music
Music, School of
Music -- Afghanistan
Music -- Africa
Music -- Alabama
Music -- Argentina
Music -- Australia
Music -- Barbados
Music -- Bolivia
Music -- Brazil
Music -- Bulgaria
Music -- Burma
Music -- Cambodia
Music -- China
Music -- Columbia
Music -- Cuba
Music--Dominican Republic
Music -- Ecuador
Music -- Egypt
Music -- Finland
Music -- Germany
Music -- Ghana
Music -- Guatemala
Music -- Illinois
Music -- India
Music -- Indonesia
Music--Indonesia--Java
Music -- Iran
Music -- Iraq
Music -- Israel
Music -- Italy
Music -- Japan
Music -- Korea
Music -- Kurdistan
Music -- Lebanon
Music -- Mexico
Music -- Middle East
Music -- Minnesota
Music -- Montana
Music -- New Guinea
Music -- New Hebrides
Music -- New Zealand
Music -- Nigeria
Music -- Persia
Music -- Peru
Music -- Philippines
Music -- Portugal
Music -- Qatar
Music -- Rhodesia
Music -- Russia
Music -- Samaritan
Music -- Scotland
Music -- Solomon Islands
Music -- Spain
Music -- Taiwan
Music -- Thailand
Music -- Tunisia
Music -- Turkey
Music -- Vietnam
Music -- Wisconsin
Music -- Zimbabwe
Poetry
Ritual
Shape-note singing
Society for Ethnomusicology
Songs
Vocal music
Warlpiri (Australian people)--Music
World Music

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Acquisition Source: University of Illinois, School of Music, Musicology Program, Ethnomusicology Division

Acquisition Method: This collection was transferred from the musicology department by the current chair, Dr. Gabriel Solis, to the Sousa Archives on February 29, 2019.