Description
Collection consists largely of
correspondence between Chowning, the Yamaha Corporation, and the Technology Licensing Office
at Stanford, 1974-97; other items include patents and related documents, 1978-87, technical
writings (not all by Chowning), 1974-87, publications and leaflets on Yamaha products, and
miscellaneous notes. The technical writings include "Excerpts from Computer Music Proposal
Submitted to National Science Foundation," July 1974; "Sine Summation Formula Synthesis,"
ca. 1976; and "Progress Report on the Development of the FM-type Musical Instrument for the
period of March 1979 to February 1980."
Background
John M. Chowning, professor emeritus of music at Stanford, developed the technique for
creating digital sounds in the late 1960s which was patented and then licensed to Yamaha in
1973. He earned his bachelor of music at Wittenberg University in 1959, studied composition
with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, and earned his Ph.D. at Stanford in 1966. He was the founding
director in 1975 of Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics.
Extent
1.5 Linear Feet
(4 boxes)
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must
be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford
University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent is given on behalf of Special
Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s) or assigns. See:
http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.
Availability
This collection is open for research.