Winter 2000 National Sound Archive
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THE BULLETIN OF THE NATIONAL SOUND ARCHIVE ‘playback’ PLAYBACK is the bulletin of the British Library National Sound Archive (NSA). It is published free of charge three times a year, with information on the NSA’s current and future activities, and news from the world of sound archives and audio PLAYBACK: Editor Alan Ward, manager Production PLAYBACK:Alan Editor Richard Fairman preservation. Comments are welcome and should be addressed to the editor at the NSA. We have a special mailing list for PLAYBACK. Please write, phone, fax or e-mail us, or complete and send in the tear-off slip at the end of this issue (if you have not done so already) if you wish to receive future issues through the post. The National Sound Archive is one of the largest sound archives in the world and is based at the British Library’s main building at St Pancras. For further information contact The British Library National Sound Archive ISSN 0952-2360 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB WINTER 2000 Tel:020 7412 7440. Fax: 020 7412 7441 E-mail [email protected] www.bl.uk/collections/sound-archive Front cover photograph: Notting Hill Carnival. Photo:Timothy N. Holt. www.matrixsr.demon.co.uk 25 NATIONAL SOUND ARCHIVE which will incorporate elements gathered from these events, what’s happening archival recordings and live performances.This will be recorded for subsequent radio broadcast. ■ NSA publications activity is currently breaking all records. The first CDs in a new series from the International Music ■ On the death of Mr Ray Batt, his collection of approximately section, produced in collaboration with Topic Records, have just 7000 jazz recordings, together with books and periodicals, hit the streets and are described in more detail on page 7.The was transferred to the NSA as a bequest. Knowledge of the Wildlife section has reissued its highly successful British Bird collection and the terms of Mr Batt’s will have influenced jazz Sounds on CD (see page 3) with a newly-designed cover and y 2000 selection policy for many years. The collection is of the ar booklet and at a tempting lower price.The jazz section also has highest quality and interest and will much enhance our two CDs in preparation with Topic Records, while the initial holdings of earlier jazz material. ston Libr pressing of 5000 copies of The Century in Sound CD other © Br has sold out and a further 2500 are now in stock. ■ The Wildlife Sound curator Richard Ranft designed and Left: Levi Bakakhanov, produced texts and extracts of nature sounds world-wide court musician to the ■ The Edison Fellowships, based in the Western Emir of Bukhara, 1911 for ‘Cries of the Wild’, a new outdoor audio installation in Above: Ari Bakakhanov, Art Music section and supported by the Saga Regent’s Park, which opened fully in August. It featured 43 grandson of Levi, and prominent musician, Bukhara, 2000. Trust, have been inaugurated and the first batch of induction loops hidden underground in the gardens; the Fellows announced. The Fellowships are designed to sounds could be heard by the public over cordless headsets. encourage scholarship devoted to the history of recordings of The installation is due to reopen for another season in 2001. classical music and music in performance. Among topics being ■ Will Prentice writes: Following on from my studied are recordings of Bartók’s string quartets and of the earlier article (“The Gramophone Goes East”, classical saxophone; the role and effect of recordings on the Playback 23), I was awarded a Winston Churchill early music movement; and the influence of recordings on Travel Fellowship to continue research into musical culture in England and France from 1890 to 1950.The commercial recordings made in the Caucasus and new season of Saga Trust-supported Saul Seminars has also Central Asia, prior to the Russian Revolution. been announced (see Events section in this issue). Speakers Between June and August I spent two weeks each include Sir John Drummond and Sir Charles Mackerras. in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, researching historical recording and performance ■ The NSA is currently hosting the Ken Stanton Archive as contexts. I also made some recordings of my own on artists in residence. Throughout September they have been the way, which will be made available via the NSA conducting a series of public recordings in the British Library Listening & Viewing Service. The trip also provided featuring performers as diverse as ‘Mr Ray’ (a jazz bass player an opportunity to make contact with the various from Philadelphia) and Sir Colin St John Wilson, the architect of national and regional sound archives, many of which Janet Caddock the building. The residency will culminate in a performance in were previously unknown to the NSA. 2 Cries of the Wild the piazza at the British Library on Saturday 25 November Photos: birds sing again How to order ‘British Birds Sounds on CD’ is available price £15.99 (catalogue number NSA CD 1/2). Postage is free in the UK, but £2.00 for overseas deliveries. a CD reissue from the NSA Orders by post should be sent to the British Library Bookshop The British Library The NSA is reissuing its acclaimed audio 96 Euston Road guide to British birds with attractive new London NW1 2DB packaging at a lower price. Although it was and should enclose a cheque made payable originally issued in 1992, we believe that to The British Library Bookshop. ‘British Bird Sounds on CD’ is still the leader in its field.The two-CD set contains: The Bookshop also accepts telephone ■ the 175 most commonly-heard species of orders with payment by British birds Access,Visa and American Express. ■ full indexation so that species can be found immediately The telephone number for orders is: ■ spoken announcements identifying each +44 (0) 20 7412 7735. species by name Buzzard ■ a 20-page booklet giving full details of the recordings are past or present members of the The CDs also include examples of the most Wildlife Sound Recording Society, whose beautiful bird songs that can be heard in co-operation has played an important part in Britain, such as the lyrical singing of the Reed Bunting our publications. woodlark, the virtuosity of the nightingale and The total of 175 species includes all the the musical fluting of the blackbird. The aim British birds whose sounds are likely to be has been to include the most commonly encountered by the average bird-watcher. heard sounds - songs and/or calls - of each From the cuckoo and the nightjar to the song species. For anybody interested in bird- thrush and the house sparrow, all Britain’s watching, this set is the definitive audio guide favourite birds are here. Across the two discs to birds in Britain. It comes with a detailed it is possible to appreciate the great variety 20-page booklet that gives full information on of calls and songs that birds produce and every track, including the common and Latin the reasons why: the courtship calls of names of each bird, a description of its song or Woodlark the tufted ducks, a ‘piping’ party of call, and the date and place that the recording oystercatchers, the drumming of the lesser was made. This will enable any enthusiast to All the recordings have been selected from spotted woodpecker, the mimicry of the identify birds accurately, whether they are in the vast collection in the Wildlife Section marsh warbler and territorial ‘caws’ of the the garden or out in the open, in the town or 3 and, with very few exceptions, the recordists carrion crow. the countryside. a studious celebration black history month at the NSA by Andrew Simons The British Library’s main contribution to importantly, started up the Journal of Negro Black History Month, coordinated in Britain History in 1916, which of course had many this year by Channel 4, will take the form of white academic contributors too. He wrote historic sound recordings from the NSA’s important histories himself and The collections.Wide-ranging aural evidence of the Miseducation of the Negro is still a rite-of- African Diaspora in Britain will be presented passage for certain black youngsters today. via two Wurlitzer jukeboxes installed in the But whether or not African-American children foyer at the British Library throughout ever read his works, they mostly do know October. Selections can be auditioned free of his name, for many major American cities have charge using the headphones provided. In many a public library branch or a neighbourhood cases the recordings included are available for school named after him. In the 1970s Negro listening only within the Library’s building. History Week became Black History Month, Some feature early personalities or performers which is February in the States but October whose importance has only recently been in Britain. recognised, and of whom very few recordings The NSA Oral History section holds many exist. Others were recorded in old age in the recordings of black Britons, from historic course of NSA projects. Many well-known broadcasts by Sir Learie (later Lord) performers are also represented, but usually Constantine (famous cricketer) and Dr David by recordings which have not been published. (later Lord) Pitt (Chairman of the Greater Black History Month was established by London Council, first black president of the Carter G.Woodson (1875-1950), the ‘Father of British Medical Association etc.) to interviews Negro History’, back in 1926 and was known with Pauline Crabbe, who founded the then as Negro History Week. This studious National Council for One-Parent Families, celebration was observed largely by black Lionel Morrison of the Black Power Ken Johnson schools and progressive churches, and further movement, the prominent trade union leader endorsed by left-leaning American trade Bill Morris, and famous sportsmen such as with the author and critic CLR James.