This week’s post comes from Steve Cleary, Lead Curator, Literary and Creative Recordings. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as Mahatma (‘Great-souled’) Gandhi, led India’s campaign to rid itself of British rule. In October 1931, during his fifth and final visit to London, Gandhi was invited by the Columbia Gramophone Company…

This week’s post comes from Giulia Baldorilli, Sound and Vision Reference Specialist. The following post is inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s famous work, The Rite of Spring. The audio featured below is an excerpt from a 12” 78 rpm disc from our archive, released on Columbia Records in 1929. Stravinksy himself…

This week’s post comes from Sarah Kirk-Browne, Cataloguer, Digital Multimedia Collections. One of the most exciting things about exploring the sound archive is all the unexpected things you stumble across. While researching the Nottinghamshire dialect, I listened to this recording of Mr Arthur Sharpe (British Library reference: C707/190). Arthur Sharpe…

This week’s post comes from Jonathan Summers, Curator of Classical Music Recordings. Above: The Bohemian Quartet in 1895. Left to right: Karel Hoffmann (1st violinist); Hanuš Wihan (violoncellist); Oskar Nedbal (violist); and Josef Suk (2nd violinist). Photographer unknown. A name rarely heard today, Oskar Nedbal was a talented musician who…

This week’s selection comes from Greg Green, Audio Project Cataloguer for Unlocking Our Sound Heritage. Above: Charles and Heather Myers, used with permission from the Wildlife Sound Recording Society. Photographer unknown. Charles and Heather Myers were a husband-and-wife recording duo. They met through their shared love of nature and sound…