Sousa Archives and Center for American Music facts for kids
| Established | September 26, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Location | 236 Harding Band Building 1103 South Sixth Street Urbana, IL 61820 United States |
| Type | University museum |
| Public transit access | C-U MTD |
The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music (SACAM) is a special place that collects and keeps important items about American music. It holds old papers, recordings, and other historical things. SACAM is part of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign library system. It also works with the University of Illinois School of Music.
This center has many important collections. These include items from famous musicians like John Philip Sousa and Herbert L. Clarke. It also has records from Albert Austin Harding, who was the first band-master at the University of Illinois. SACAM works to collect, protect, and share these musical treasures. It also creates exhibits and helps people learn about American music.
You can find the center in the Harding Band Building on the university campus. It acts like a museum, showing different exhibits each year. Past exhibits have covered topics like "Baseball and Music" or "Women and Music." SACAM also hosts events during the annual November Music Month. Anyone can visit and use the collections to learn more about music history.
Contents
What Does SACAM Collect?
The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music opened in 1994. It started with the personal papers of John Philip Sousa and Herbert L. Clarke. These items came from the University Bands. The Bands had received Sousa's papers because of a connection between Sousa and Albert Austin Harding. Harding was the first band-master at the University of Illinois.
Important Music Collections
Since 1994, many more collections have been added. SACAM now has over 50 different groups of records. These records tell the story of American music. They also show the history of music and performing arts at the University of Illinois.
Besides the Sousa, Clarke, and Harding materials, SACAM holds papers and music from many other artists. Some of these include Harry Partch, Harry Begian, and Salvatore Martirano. The center also has instrument collections from Elbern Alkire and Carl Busch. There is also the Jack Linker Sound Recording Collection.
Special Collections and Instruments
SACAM also keeps the records of the Association of Concert Bands. These include official papers, programs from concerts, photos, and sound recordings. A very special item at the center is the Sal-Mar Construction. This was an electronic music system created by Salvatore Martirano. It allowed him to mix human and computer sounds to create new music.
The Sousa collection also includes the Claude Gordon Personal Papers. This collection has music and letters from 1888 to 1992. It includes letters with Herbert L. Clarke and other famous trumpet players. Claude Gordon was a student of Herbert L. Clarke. He was a well-known trumpet player, band leader, and teacher. He published many teaching methods around the world.
See also
- List of music museums
