Sylvia Smith Interviews Herself on the Thirtieth Year of Smith Publications and Sonic Art Editions

Q. Why did you create Smith Publications? Did the idea just pop into your mind one day?

A. Actually, that is exactly how it happened. I was relaxing in the bathtub one evening after work and the idea popped into view like a calling. Ideas pop into our minds all the time, if we are open to them. This one I acted on.

I had little money for such a venture. I bought a shelf and a file cabinet and a justifying typewriter and found a printer who would give me credit. I had to figure out every step of the way, how to do it, what was needed, for each problem that came up.

I sent out invitations to composers and the first one to respond with music was Pauline Oliveros. I still have her letter from thirty years ago. Others followed. In 1974, I opened Smith Publications with a catalog of fourteen pieces, some very far-reaching music.

Q. Your catalog now has over four hundred pieces, ranging from solos to orchestral compositions. What was your very first catalog like?

A. It was a small flyer that was folded and would fit into a regular-sized envelope. That was important because I mailed out a whole lot of them, being a new publishing company with a small budget.

The music in it was for the most part very unusual. There were two of Ben Johnston's microtonal pieces, Sonic Meditations by Pauline Oliveros, and Herbert Brün's set of three solo percussion pieces using computer graphics in the notational system. Various kinds of graphic notation were being explored during the 70s and my catalog included several kinds of unusual notation, plus a piece involving shortwave radio.

I was at that time, and still am, interested in the blending of art forms, the connections between, for example, music and poetry, music and theater, and so forth. In my first catalog in 1974, along with the usual instrumental categories, I had a category called "Flexible Instrumentation and Multi-Media" to give these kinds of pieces a sense of legitimacy and importance.

Q. Why are you interested in multimedia? Is this interest reflected in your work as a performer?

A. My life has been enriched by all the arts. As a young adult, the idea of total theater was very compelling and I was drawn to the music of Harry Partch and his concept of music-theater. At that time, too, that would be the late 60s, Marshall McLuhan's books were very popular and there was a new awareness of the paradigms implied by the presentation of information. These ideas made me more aware of the presentation of music —that there is always some aspect of theater and dance in a performance, even a strictly musical performance.

About fifteen years ago, I formed a literary group called Out Loud. We met and did performances in my living room. About fifteen or twenty people would come over—various kinds of artists—and we would have readings, then a potluck. I read mostly texts that I had written. I found myself paying attention to the musical aspects of the spoken voice as much as the narrative. There is a natural connection between the speaking voice and music.

In 1997 I founded ConText Performers Collective, a group of performers who specialize in pieces for percussion and spoken voice. That is my favorite kind of performing situation because I get to do both the things I enjoy: speaking and playing.

Q.By and large, you publish American music. Why? Are you a nationalist?

A. There are some very practical reasons why I focus on American music. English is my only language. And, not being conservatory trained, my education is largely in American music. I know American music best, and this gives Smith Publications a focus.

The other reason, I fear, has been misunderstood by those outside the United States. I will try to explain where it came from. Much of American culture is well-known in other parts of the world...