Merrill Leroy Ellis (9 December 1916 Cleburne, Texas – 12 July 1981 Denton, Texas) was an American composer, performer, and experimental music researcher. He is most known for his work with electronic (analog) and intermedia compositions, new compositional techniques, development of new instruments, and exploration of new notation techniques for scoring and performance.
Education 1939 – Bachelor of Music, University of Oklahoma 1940 – Master of Music Education, University of Oklahoma Graduate studies, University of Missouri
Ellis studied privately with Roy Harris, Spencer Norton (1909–1978), and Charles Garland (University of Missouri) and Darius Milhaud (1957)
Personal life Ellis was married to Willa Naomi Ellis (née Wiggins), who held a BFA in Music Education and taught piano from their home. Together they raised five children, teaching each one to play two instruments.
In 1974 Ellis travelled by train across the southwest from Texas to California with his wife, children and grandchildren while filming footage for his intermedia composition "Trains - Used to Run Late."
Career Merrill Ellis taught band, orchestra, music theory, and composition in Texas and Missouri at the high school (Hickman High School and Lefors Independent School District), junior college (Joplin Junior College (now Missouri Southern State University and Moberly Junior College)and college level (Christian College now Columbia College (Missouri) from 1943 until 1962.
In 1962, Ellis founded the electronic music program at the University of North Texas College of Music shortly after he began teaching there. North Texas acquired its first Moog Machine for use in Merrill Ellis' studio, late 1965. Ellis was a pioneer in composing and performing live multimedia music on Moogs from the mid to late 1960s. He worked with Robert Moog to design the second Moog synthesizer ever made to be portable for him and his doctoral students to use during performances. Robert Moog gave a nod to Ellis by naming this second model the E-II. It was Moog's second synthesizer and Ellis' second Moog. In March 1970, a Tucson newspaper (Tucson Daily Citizen) mentioned that he had brought a Moog (smaller than the North Texas studio model) for a live performance of "Kaleidoscope."
The electronic music center at North Texas was one of the few in the southwest in the early 1960s. According to Ellis in a 1970 interview, Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (in New York City) was the largest and oldest. Yale University, University of Toronto, and University of Illinois had prolific computer music labs, too.
The Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia (CEMI) at North Texas is an outgrowth of his accomplishments. When the College of Music designed and erected a new music complex in the late 1970s, a "new music" theater was designed and named "The Merrill Ellis Intermedia Theater" or "MEIT."
Selected compositions Instrumental works
"And Ruth Said," sacred songs (medium voice) with piano (Aug. 15, 1947); "Brass Quartet," for 2 trumpets, tenor trombone, bass trombone (manuscript dated 1951) "Bridge Game," for string quartet; "Cape "G" Melody," for oboe, viola, cello, with optional part for double bass (manuscript dated 1951) "Classical Combo," a septet + one; Dizzy Kate Piano Suite, (Sept. 19, 1947); "Introducing Kate" "Kate Was Very Modal" "She Sas Long and Slim and Loved to Dance" "Kate Lived at the Corner of 4th and 5th" "My, My, Dizzy Kate" "A Dream Fantasy," an intermedia piece; may use dancers if desired; for clarinet (some passages may be performed on saxophone), percussion, tape, and 2 reels of 16 mm. film; 35 mm. slides optional, C. Fischer (1976); "Duets," for flute & piano (1969) "Ecce homo," for cello & piano (1970); "Einyah [Festival]," for piano, trumpet, and percussion; Etudes for Piano, ("to Sis, Jan 5, 1951"); Etude I:"Dorian" Etude II:"Phrygian" Etude III:"Lydian" "Fantasy for Organ" (1969); "Five Plus One," for woodwind quintet – flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon, with optional double bass (1969) "General William Booth Enters Into Heaven," for SATB chorus with instrumental ensemble, text by V. Lindsay (1954) "Incantations," for two pianos (1969); "Mutations," a multi-media composition for brass quintet, prepared electronic tape, 16mm film projection and 35mm slide projections, Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, Shawnee Press (1972); for 2 trumpets, horn, bass trombone and tuba "Pastoral," for harp (1970); "Pastoral," for & piano (1970) "Piece," for trumpet & piano (1950); "Celebration," for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, percussion, tape, lasers, and visual events (commissioned by Baylor University, Richard Shanley & Society for Commissioning New Music) American Music Center, New York (1980); "Dream of the Rode," for tape and 16 mm film; Premiered Nov 6, 1973, Montevallo University, Alabama; Marsue Burns, PhD (1935–2007), libretto; Carroll Young Rich, PhD (1933– ), Anglo-Saxon translation for the spoken parts (Marsue and Carroll were members of the UNT English faculty) "Feedback Fantasy" "The Great Gift" "Kaleidoscope;" "Mutations," Shawnee Press, Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania (1972); "Nostalgia," for orchestra, film & theatrical events; "Oboe Quintet" "Organ Fantasy" "Scintillation," solo piano; General Words and Music Co., Park Ridge, Illinois (1976); "Tomorrow Texas," North Texas Composer's Archive, Denton (1965)
Opera
"The Sorcerer," for solo baritone, tape, film, slides, and chorus (with optional live band); Shawnee Press, Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania (1973);
Film and television
"The Choice is Ours," intermedia work for 2 films, slides, tape & audience participation
Awards & honors 1962 — Harvey Gaul Prize, Friends of Harvey Gaul, Inc., and the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Department of Music, for the composition, Organ Fantasy, performed in Carnegie Hall 1964 — Texas Federation of Music Clubs Competition, First Prize for "The Great Gift" 1965 — Texas Federation of Music Clubs Competition, First Prize for "Oboe Quintet" 1965 — Texas Federation of Music Clubs Competition, Second Prize for "Tomorrow Texas"
Ellis became a member of ASCAP in 1966.
ASCAP Award for contributions in serious music; 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
Other publications Electronic Music Composition Manual, Merrill Ellis, Robert Cannon Ehle (born 1939), and Robert A. Moog, North Texas State University (196-?); [latest date in bibliography is 1967]
Merrill Ellis Memorial Composition Scholarship recipients
1990–92 — Kurt Kuniyasu 1990–91 — Gregory Alan Schneider 1991–92 — Rick D. Chatham 1991–92 — Michael Anthony McBride 1994–95 — Steven Bryant 1994–95 — Hideko Kawamoto 1994–96 — Man-Mei Wu 1996–97 — Lucio Edilberto Cuellar, DMA 2002 1998–99 — J.T. Rinker 1999–00 — Henry Vega 2000–01 — Kayli House 2002–03 — James Worlton 2005–07 — Stephen Lucas 2007–08 — Camilo Salazar 2009–10 — Nicholas Kanozik 2011–12 — Ryan Pivovar 2012–13 — Jonathan Jackson 2013–15 — Dan Tramte
Selected discography Louisville Orchestra – Jorge Mester, conductor Merrill Ellis, "Kaleidoscope," for Orchestra, Synthesizer, and Soprano – Joan Wall, soprano George Crumb, Echos of Time and the River † originally released 1974 (LP), Louisville Orchestra First Edition Recordings LS711; ,
Unconventional Trumpet, music by University of North Texas (CD), composers Ellis, Beasley, McTee, Mailman, Austin, Latham, and Tull Crystal Records (2004);
Facets 2, John Holt, Trumpet Natalia Bolshakova (piano) Crystal Records CD764 (Dec 1, 2004); Track 10 – Ellis: Trumpet Piece
† Crumb, who shares the album with Ellis, won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize in Music for this composition
Videos "CEMI: 50 years of experimental music and intermedia at UNT" "Mutations" "Kaleidoscope", The Louisville Orchestra, Joan Wall, mezzo-soparano, Jorge Mester, conductor (1974)
References General references
Contemporary American Composers, A biographical Dictionary (1st ed.), compiled by E. Ruth Anderson (born 1928), Boston: G.K. Hall & Co. (1976);
Inline citations
External links UNT College of Music Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia (CEMI) UNT College of Music Division of Composition Studies Merrill Ellis collection in the UNT Music Library