William Colvig Papers
Charles Hanson, Kate Dundon
University of California, Santa Cruz
2018
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz 95064
speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Title: William Colvig papers
creator:
Colvig, William, 1917-2000
Identifier/Call Number: MS.133
Physical Description:
12 Linear Feet
22 boxes
Date (inclusive): circa 1934-2000
Physical Location: Collection stored off-site at NRLF:
Advance notice is required for access.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection has not been processed but is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights for this collection reside with the University of California. Literary
rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. The publication
or use of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use for research or
educational purposes requires written permission from the copyright owner. Responsibility
for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more
information on copyright or to order a reproduction, please visit
guides.library.ucsc.edu/speccoll/reproduction-publication.
Preferred Citation
William Colvig Papers. MS 133. Special Collections and Archives, University Library,
University of California, Santa Cruz.
Biography
William Colvig (March 13, 1917–March 1, 2000) was an electrician and amateur musician. He
was the long term partner of composer Lou Harrison, whom he met in San Francisco, California
in 1967. Colvig helped construct the so-called "American gamelan" used in works such as the
puppet opera
Young Caesar (1971),
La Koro Sutro (1972), and
the
Suite for Violin and American Gamelan (1974).
Scope and Contents
This collection contains correspondence from 1934-2000; family genealogy; John Edmunds
manuscripts; realia and calendar diary pages.
Box 1
Letters to Family
September 25, 1934 – December 6,
1937
Box 2
Letters to Family
January 5, 1938 – December 13,
1939
Box 3
Letters to Family
January 5, 1940 – December 30,
1941
Box 4
Letters to Family
January 1, 1942 – November 27,
1943
Box 5
Letters to Family
January 3, 1944 – May 15, 1945
Box 6
Letters to Family
May 17, 1945 – December 2, 1962
Box 7
Letters to Family with South American Trip letters to Ingolf and Etta
Dahl
January 18, 1963 – July 29, 1968
Box 8
Letters to Ingolf Dahl
September 7, 1955 – January 27,
1958
Box 9
Letters from Ingolf Dahl
September 4, 1955 – December 27,
1956
Box 10
Letters from Ingolf Dahl
January 1, 1957 – December 13,
1959
Box 11
Letters from Ingolf Dahl
February 6, 1960 – July 17, 1970
Box 12
William Colvig and Ingolf Dahl – Artifacts, photographs, Ephemera, Programs,
Reviews
Box 13
Letters from Star Colvig and other family members
Box 14
Colvig Family History with genealogy, childhood letters, high school,
college
Box 15
Letters from siblings to Mother, typed copies of letters from William from WWII
and South America
Box 16
Letters and manuscripts from John Edmunds
Box 17
Letters to others: Political, sociopolitical, and environmental. Letters to
William from friends and colleagues
Box 18
Tuning schemas, notes from Harrison, passports, diaries from Alaska, articles,
memorials
Box 19
Artifacts: small tools, tape measures, political buttons, small knives,
etc.
Box 20
Remainder of calendar diary, additional photos and carbons of typed
letters
Box 21
Two large folios with calendar/diary
Box 22
One large folio with calendar/diary
