Beatrice Witkin addition to papers
Scope and Contents
The Beatrice Witkin addition to papers collection ranges from correspondence throughout her professional career, biographical material, programs and events materials collected during her career as well as the copyrights for three of her works. The collection also holds materials from other artists as well as organizations she was a part of or worked with. Also included in this collection are some of her compositions and musical work in their early stages.
Dates
- Creation: 1947-1993
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
University records - Copyright held by Wesleyan University; all other copyright is retained by the creator - In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted
Biographical / Historical
Composer Beatrice Witkin (1917-1990) was born in New York City. She attended Hunter College in New York and did her graduate work at New York University. She studied composition with Mark Brunswick, Roger Sessions, and Stefan Wolpe, and piano with Edward Steuerman. She was also the recipient of the ASCAP Standard Award, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Witkin was one of the first women to work in the electronic music idiom. In 1968, she was invited to work at the Electronic Music Studio at the New York University School of the Arts. Two years later, her electronic composition Glissines was a winner in High Fidelity Magazine's Electronic Music Contest.
In 1963, she helped establish the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, a performing group that commissioned new works. She was a guest composer of the McDowell Colony as well as a longtime member of the Women's Composers Forum and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Extent
1.75 Linear Feet (4 hollinger boxes and 1 oversize flat box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Beatrice Witkin (1917-1990) was an accomplished composer and one of the first women to produce electronic music compositions. This collection contains her correspondence, copyrights, writings and compositions.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into six series alphabetically. Each series is further arranged chronologically.
Series I: Copyrights and royalty statements
Series II: Correspondence
Series III: Events and programs
Series IV: News and print materials
Series V: Papers and writings
Series VI: Oranizations and programs
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Witkin's grandson, Alexander Hurd, 2015.
- Title
- Beatrice Witkin addition to papers, 1947-1993
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Erica Ciallela
- Date
- January 7, 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the University Archives Repository