Early Sound Recordings: Academic Research and Practice

The use of historical recordings as primary sources is relatively well established in both musicology and performance studies and has demonstrated how early recording technologies transformed the ways in which musicians and audiences engaged with music. This edited volume offers a timely snapshot of a wide range of contemporary research in the area of performance practice and performance histories, inviting readers to consider the wide range of research methods that are used in this ever-expanding area of scholarship. The volume brings together a diverse team of researchers who all use early recordings as their primary source to research performance in its broadest sense in a wide range of repertoires within and on the margins of the classical canon – from the analysis of specific performing practices and parameters in certain repertoires, to broader contextual issues that call attention to the relationship between recorded performance and topics such as analysis, notation and composition. Including a range of accessible music examples, which allow readers to experience the music under discussion, this book is designed to engage with academic and non-academic readers alike, being an ideal research aid for students, scholars and performers, as well as an interesting read for early sound recording enthusiasts.

Eva Moreda Rodriguez is Reader in Musicology at the University of Glasgow and the author of three monographs, the most recent being Inventing the recording. The phonograph and national culture in Spain, 1877–1914. She has also published extensively on the political history of Spanish music under Franco and in exile.

Inja Stanović specialises in early recordings and historic performance practices. As a pianist, Inja has performed in Croatia, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Mexico, UK and USA. Her research into early recordings has been widely funded (Leverhulme, Croatian, French and Australian Governments). Inja currently lectures at City, University of London.