To Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge54
September 6, 1940 | 228 17th Avenue, San Francisco
Dear Mrs. Coolidge:
I am writing to you against the expressed wish of Dr. Reinhardt of Mills College. She believes that it would be untactful for me to approach you with regard to my desire to establish a center of experimental music, because she has already mentioned my desire to you, and has been unable to awaken your interest in it. However, I believe so deeply in the importance of the work which I hope to do, that I am making every attempt towards its realization; therefore, I trust you will understand my reason for writing to you.
The proposed center of experimental music would be principally concerned with the composition and performance of percussion, electrical and synthetic music. The history of this music includes the work of Luigi Russolo,55 Edgar Varese, and the many composers, including myself, whose works have been presented on the nine programs of percussion music which I have already given. Luigi Russolo, as you probably know, developed approximately twenty “noise-tuners”; these instruments were of a mechanical nature. He came to the conclusion that his work would be best continued with electrical instruments, which, through lack of funds, he was unable to obtain. According to Varese, Russolo is at present in Italy, poor and discouraged. Edgar Varese has told me that he himself has tried, during the past twenty years, to obtain cooperation in the development of electrical music to no avail.
In order to make my percussion concerts possible, I assembled some 150 instruments of great variety and unusual character. I collected about thirty scores from such composers as Amadeo Roldan, Jose Ardevol, Lou Harrison, J. M. Beyer, William Russell, and Henry Cowell. The majority of these scores have been copied for inclusion in the Edwin Fleischer Collection of Orchestral Music in Philadelphia. I have become convinced that only through the use of electrical means, or like means, may important advances in the exploration of sound be made. I therefor proposed to Dr. Reinhardt the establishing of a center of experimental music at Mills College. I also proposed this center to L. Moholy-Nagy of the School of Design in Chicago. Both realize the worth of this project, but in each case it is necessary to find outside support. In obtaining the sympathy of Mills College and of the School of Design, I have met with more cooperation than has been accorded any like endeavors in the past.
The establishing of this project would constitute a two-fold stimulus: first, to inventors and acousticians; second, to composers and musicians. The former could contribute instruments for which there is no commercial demand today. The latter would be presented with an ever-unfolding field of sound. Ultimately the entire field of sound would be available for musical purposes. And the instruments which bring about this availability will have a commercial value in that they will make possible not only the performance of any music of the past but also any music of the future.
The beginnings would be modest. I would have the use of my large collection of percussion instruments, Henry Cowell’s “Rhythmicon,” a collection of instruments invented by Leon Theremin, a thunderscreen developed by Harold Burris-Meyer of the Stevens Institute of Technology,56 instruments which my father has recently designed for the variation of the overtone structure of a tone, and any others which might be available. Composers throughout the country would be notified of the possibilities of this new orchestra and invited to present scores for performance. Performances would be given immediately. I am fortunate in having a nucleus of four players, all of whom are devoted to these new possibilities in music.
This letter is already long and inadequate. I hope that it will serve to interest you in the work which I hope to do.
To George Antheil57
September 17, 1940 | 228 17th Avenue, San Francisco
Dear Mr. Antheil:
Following the percussion concert at Mills College last July, I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Antheil. I shall be in Los Angeles during October and should like to see you then. I would appreciate your writing to me and letting me know how to get in touch with you.
In the meantime I am doing everything I can to establish a “center of experimental music.” The purpose of this center will be to do research, composition and performance in the field of sounds and rhythms not used in the symphony orchestra; the ultimate purpose will be the use of electrical instruments which will make available the entire desirable field of sound. Recently my father, who is an inventor, designed an instrument which should give rich possibilities in the variation of the overtone structure of a tone. This instrument will be constructed soon. I also have recordings of two of the percussion concerts; I think you would enjoy hearing them.
Both Mills College and the School of Design in Chicago hope that I can find support for the center so that it may be established either at Mills or in Chicago. If you have any suggestions that might lead to its support, I would appreciate your letting me know about them.
To Henry Cowell
October 3, 1940 | 1207 Miramar Street, Los Angeles
Dear Henry:
I am back in Los Angeles now, making further attempts to get the center established. My address will be the one above now. In San Francisco I saw Diego Rivera,58 who heard the records of the percussion and was very enthusiastic. He is seeing people and has referred me to [Charlie] Chaplin and to Edsel Ford and Stokowski.59 He believes that a letter from Stokowski to Ford and a letter from me mentioning Rivera’s interest would do the trick. I saw Bender who was very kind but very involved in refugees. Mrs. Henry Swift is a well-to-do artist in the Bauhaus way and should be a member of the N.M.S. She doesn’t like old music. I also saw an executive engineer of the General Electric who was interested but on account of an agreement made between Bell, GE and RCA, RCA is the only one who could be active in the field of music. Their letter to me states that they do not believe the development I want to make is practical. Frankenstein says for me to keep on trying to get the work established even though this is a bad time. He is very enthusiastic too. Ashley Pettis was no help. Mrs. Charles Felton (who should also be a member of NMS) ## 3311 Pacific, S[an] F[ranscisco], was very interested but said that I could get no help from San Francisco women because they are too conservative; she is a friend of Varese and tried successfully to raise 150 dollars for a performance of Offrandes, but only because there were other numbers on the program which everybody knew. Mrs. Henry Swift’s address is 148 Tunnel Road, Berkeley. Down here I have many new people to see. I had a letter from Carl E. Seashore at the University of Iowa, which is very good.60 It practically invites me to come to Iowa, but is a little vague about whether or not they would support the work. I am replying to that letter today and hope very much that it works out because they have a good laboratory