Olly Wilson facts for kids

Olly Woodrow Wilson, Jr. (born September 7, 1937 – died March 12, 2018) was an American composer and musician. He was also a musicologist, which means he studied music history and theory. Olly Wilson was one of the most important African American composers of his time.

He is famous for creating a list of "Heterogeneous Sound Ideals." These ideas help us understand different parts of music, especially music from African cultures. Olly Wilson believed that "the essence of Africanness consists of a way of doing something, not simply something that is done." This idea guided his work in ethnomusicology, which is the study of music from different cultures.

Wilson also started the TIMARA (Technology in Music and Related Arts) program at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. This was the first program of its kind in electronic music at a music school. Olly Wilson had a very diverse musical background. He wrote traditional music and studied academic subjects. He also played jazz and orchestral music professionally. He worked with electronic music and even studied African music in West Africa.

Olly Wilson's Early Life and Education

Olly Wilson was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His mother, Alma Grace Peoples Wilson, was a seamstress. His father, Olly Woodrow Wilson, Sr., worked as an insurance salesman and a butler.

He went to Washington University in St. Louis, earning a bachelor's degree in music in 1959. In 1960, he earned a master's degree in music composition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Some of his teachers for composition included Robert Wykes and Philip Bezanson. Later, he earned his Ph.D. (a very high academic degree) from the University of Iowa in 1964.

Teaching and Career Highlights

Olly Wilson taught at Florida A&M University and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music from 1965 to 1970. He then became a professor of music at the University of California, Berkeley. He taught there from 1970 until he retired in 2002. From 1993 to 1997, he was also the chairman of the music department at Berkeley.

Many students learned from him, including Neil Rolnick and Robert Greenberg. Famous orchestras, like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, asked him to write music for them. In 1979, he wrote an organ piece called Expansions for a festival.

Wilson's music is published by Gunmar Music. You can find his music on several record labels, including Columbia Records and New World Records.

Understanding Heterogeneous Sound Ideals

Olly Wilson helped us understand African and American music better. He did this by describing "heterogeneous sound ideals." These are common ideas found in traditional African music. They involve how sound is used, like pitch (how high or low a sound is), duration (how long a sound lasts), timbre (the unique quality of a sound), and volume (how loud or soft a sound is).

These ideals also include how people use their bodies when making music. They also look at how listeners think about the music. His ideas are still used today to understand different sounds in many types of music.

Here are some of his key ideas:

• Rhythmic Contrast: This means having different rhythms playing at the same time or rhythms that clash. It often includes syncopation, which is when rhythms play off the main beat.
• Percussive Playing: This is when singing or playing an instrument sounds like drums. It means adding strong accents or stresses to the melody.
• Call and Response: This is like a musical conversation. One part "calls" and another part "responds." It can be simple back-and-forth or parts that overlap, like in a round.
• High Density of Sounds: This means a lot of musical events happen in a short time. It fills up the listening space with many layers or parts.
• Physical Body Motion: Moving your body is a very important part of making music.
• Vocal Sounds: Music can use a wide range of vocal sounds, from talking to singing. This idea comes from African drumming, which can sound like speech.
• Wide Range of Timbres: Different sound qualities (timbres) help define the music's structure. For example, a bass sound might have a different role than a treble sound.
• Contrasting Timbres: This means using many different sound colors within one melody or across several melodies. Sometimes, non-word sounds (like moans) or instruments are used to sound like human speech.
• Fixed vs. Variable Rhythms: There are often two levels of rhythm. One rhythm might stay the same, acting as a "timeline." The other rhythm changes around it.
• Audience Participation: The audience, including dancers and people who call out, is a big part of the music-making experience. Individual expression happens within the group.

Olly Wilson passed away on March 12, 2018, in Berkeley, California. He was 80 years old.

The song "Check One" by Kyra Gaunt for the Black Girl Game reflects these ideals:

• Check 1: Shows how individuals contribute to a group, and uses Call and response (music) patterns.
• Get 2 the Floor: Explores the connection between sounds and people's bodies, similar to Drum dance relationships.
• Get 3ree: Features Improvisation, a wide variety of sounds, and African cultural memories.
• Sync it off 4: Highlights complex rhythms and syncopation, where sounds play against the main beat.

Awards and Honors

Olly Wilson received many important awards for his work:

• He was chosen to be a member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1995. This is a group that honors top artists in the U.S.
• He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1971. This award allowed him to live in West Africa and study African music and languages.
• He was given a Rome Prize in 2008.