History of Recorded Sound

Strange to think that it was but a century or so ago that you could only hear something once, a sound was heard for a moment and then gone forever. Discover the journey from momentary sound to the technological leaps of the Victorians through to the Digital era.

British Library Sound Archive:

First, rare and only sound recordings from the British Library’s collections

From the first melody produced by a computer, to the only recording of Florence Nightingale’s voice, and the last call of a Kauai O’o A’a. Harriet Roden explores the first, rare and only sound recordings housed by the British Library.

History of the British Library’s Sound Archive

What is the sound archive, how did it start and why is it part of the British Library? Timothy Day explores the answers to these questions.

140 Years of Recorded Sound:

The race to record sound

Over 140 years ago, inventors across the globe busied themselves with trying to create a machine to capture soundwaves. Harriet Roden delves into the stories of the key players in the race to record sound.

From Phonautographs to Mp3s: A history of recording formats

How do you capture a sound, a thing that is unseen and immaterial? Over 150 years ago, long before people began streaming music on their phones without a second thought, a number of bright thinkers set out to unlock the secret to this question. What they discovered was the audio format, a magical object that could contained sound. Like a message in a bottle, with the correct equipment, these formats could capture, transport and play back sounds that would have otherwise been gone in an instant.

Sound Recording and Music:

From Tin-foil to Tango: Sound Recording and the Making of Popular Music

Dr Flora Willson explores the societal impacts of early music recording.

Taste, place and colonialism in the global music industry

What type of music do you hear most on the radio? What genres are the most streamed on Spotify? Ammar Kalia explores the links between colonialism and the global music industry.