The archive consists of materials relating to publications of New Music by Smith Publications. Includes correspondence with composers, manuscripts and scores, phonotapes, compact discs, videotapes of performances, and publications by and about composers.

Some of the composers represented include Robert Ashley, Milton Babbitt, William Brooks, Herbert Brün, John Cage, Randolph Coleman, Thomas DeLio, Robert Erickson, Jean-Charles François, Ben Johnston, Pauline Oliveros, Dan Senn, Ralph Shapey, Stuart Saunders Smith, and James Tenney.

Who is Sylvia Smith?

Sylvia Smith is the owner and publisher of Smith Publications and Sonic Art Editions. She has been active as a music publisher since 1974 and has won many honors and awards for her activities in music publishing.

Sylvia Smith's Biography and Resume

Smith Publications and Sonic Art Editions are actually two different names for the same music publishing company. Smith Publications, as it is more commonly referred, is one of the few music publishers in the United States that only publishes New and Experimental classical music.

A brief history of Smith Publications and Sonic Arts Editions

An article about Smith Publications from the Baltimore Sun

"New music" is generally experimental in its compositional technique, in its performance or in its use of sound. Other names that are synonyms for "New music" include: Contemporary Classical Music, Modern Music, and Experimental Music.

How can I find out more about new music?

The following are useful web resources with more information on "New" music.

The Post-Classical Music FAQ

An introduction to the terminology, styles and aesthetics commonly associated with this contemporary art form.

The New Sounds OUT POST

A resource for finding other new music archives in North East Ohio. There is also information about New music ensembles/organizations in the area and an up-to-date new music concert and events calendar for North East Ohio and Cleveland.

The American Music Center

The American Music Center is the foremost information resource for American contemporary music. It serves to provide information about American composers, and their recorded music and scores. The organization represents 2500 composers in the US many of whom are well know in the genre of contemporary music.

Information in the Archive includes correspondence with composers, manuscripts and scores, phonotapes, LPs, compact discs, videotapes of performances, and publications by and about composers. There are also several "Invented" instruments in the archive as well as an exhibit of scores which exemplify nontraditional music notation.

The archive inventory is categorized by the following series:

A.  Composers

Information about the composers published by Smith Publications and Sonic Arts Editions.

B.  Manuscripts/Scores

Published scores and original manuscripts of each work published by Smith Publications.

C.  Smith Publications Activities

Correspondance, publicity and articles about Smith Publications.

D.  Recordings: Audiotapes/LPs/CDs/Videotapes

Audio recordings of works by many of the composers published by Smith Publications.

E.  Books/articles by/about composers of New Music

Books and articles written by or about many of the composers published by Smith Publications.

F.  The Noble Snare

Correspondance, recordings and manuscripts regarding the Noble Snare: a four volume collection of solo virtuostic snare drum compositions.

G.  Exhibit Items: Scribing Sound Notation Exhibit

This exhibit features contemporary works examplifying non traditional music notation. Many of these scores are works of visual art in their own right.

H.  Stuart S. Smith

An extensive resource for information about the noted composer/editor/poet Stuart Saunders Smith.