Course Details
951: *CANCELLED* Sound Revolutions—A Brief History of Recorded Sound
February 14-18
1:45 PM -
3:15 PM
In-Person
The course will comprise four sessions that review the history of commercial recording to the present, with emphasis on music recorded on 78-RPM discs. Among the specific topics to be explored: the birth of commercial recording, arguably, centered in Washington; the acoustic (pre-electrical) era to 1925; what was heard on early recordings, and why; copyright; format battles; new musical genres; microphones and loudspeakers; radio; crooners; the impact of movies and the Great Depression; regional sources and sounds; jazz, blues, and ethnic music; the musicians union; "independent" record labels; and pop revolutions. The fifth session will be devoted to playing and discussion of recordings contributed by class members.
View Syllabus
Class Type: Lecture and Discussion
Class Format: Online
Hours of Reading: No reading
Study Group Leader(s):
Samuel BrylawskiSam Brylawski is the retired head of the Library of Congress Recorded Sound Section. He is the founding editor of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Discography of American Historical Recordings (https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/).