Guide to the John M. Chowning Papers SC0906
Daniel Hartwig & Jenny Johnson
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
October 2010
Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford 94305-6064
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Note
This encoded finding aid is compliant with Stanford EAD Best Practice Guidelines,
Version 1.0.
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: John M. Chowning papers
Identifier/Call Number: SC0906
Physical Description:
1.5 Linear Feet
(4 boxes)
Physical Description:
6000 Megabytes
Date (inclusive): 1974-2014
Abstract: 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."
Physical Location: Special Collections and University
Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 36-48 hours in advance. For more
information on paging collections, see the department's website:
http://library.stanford.edu/spc .
Information about Access
This collection is open for research.
Biographical/Historical Sketch
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.
Cite As
John M. Chowning Papers (SC0906). Department of Special Collections and University
Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Description of the Collection
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."
Ownership & Copyright
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.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of
digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Synthesizer (Musical instrument)
Computer music.
Chowning, John M.
Risset, Jean-Claude
Stanford University. Office of Technology
Licensing
Yamaha Corporation.
Stanford University. Center for Computer Research in
Music and Acoustics
Papers, 2008-177 Accession ARCH-2008-177
Box 1, folder 15
Correspondence
1995-1997 and undated
Box 2, folder 1
Technical writings
1974-1987
Box 2, folder 2
Technical writings
undated
Box 2, folder 4
Publications and leaflets (Yamaha products)
Box 2, folder 5
Patents and related documents
1978-1987
Addenda, 2015-087 Accession ARCH-2015-087
Box 1
John Chowning & Jean-Claude Rissette: pionniers de la computer
music
2014 Sep
24-26
Physical Description: 2 computer
file(s)
Box 1
John Chowning & Jean-Claude Rissette: pionniers de la computer music
(program)
2014 Sep 24-26
Addenda, 2016-053 Accession ARCH-2016-053
Box 1, folder 1
Niels J. Reimers correspondence re patent application
1975-1981
Box 1, folder 3
Stanford visit to IRCAM
1977
Addenda, 2020-032 [audiovisual materials] Accession ARCH-2020-032
Untitled by Steve Martin
1971 Dec 23
Chowning's stuff
1971 Dec 18
John Chowning on Léon Theremin's visit to Stanford
2015 Sep 3
