Composers' Forum recordings, 1951-1975

Columbia's Composers Forum Collection comprises over 600 hours (from approximately 450 reel-to-reel tapes) recorded during 160 concerts presented between 1951 and 1968 in Columbia University's McMillan Theater (now Miller Theater) and at the New York Public Library's Donnell Library. The concerts, designed particularly to support young and adventurous composers, were devoted to music by contemporary American musicians such as William Bolcolm, George Edwards, John Harbison, Lejaren Hiller, and Otto Luening. Examples of works on the tapes include Charles Wuorinen's First Piano Sonata (4/22/61), Milton Babbit's Composition for Four Instruments (1/31/53), Howard Boatright's Canon and Dance (5/8/56), George Antheil's Ballet mechanique (2/22/54), Beverly Clarkson's Four Songs (10/15/66), and other equally significant pieces of American music. In addition to the mix of instrumental and vocal works represented, a number of works incorporate music for electronic tape – e.g. premiere of Vladimir Ussachevsky's early electronic music at a Composers Forum concert on May 8, 1952, when Ussachevsky presented his pieces Transposition, Reverberation, Experiment, Composition, and Underwater Valse.

The early careers of important American composers are documented on these recordings, many of which contain premiere performances of works, while others contain performances of works either never or no longer available commercially. Another notable feature of these recordings is the question and answer period that often follows the music. Audience members submitted questions on index cards for discussion with the composers in sessions moderated by Virgil Thompson, Milton Babbitt, Otto Luening, and others, thereby providing insight into the creative processes by which the works came into being. Taken as a whole, the collection thus provides a snapshot of freshly composed music in the western fine art music academic tradition, documenting activity especially in New York that nourished and contributed significantly to the mid-twentieth century new music scene.