Dia le c tic a l Ma te ria litie s: Pe nnSo und, E a rly Po e try Re c o rding s, a nd Disc -to -Disk T ra nsla tio ns Chris Musta zza Dig ita l Dia lo g ue Ma ryla nd I nstitute fo r T e c hno lo g y in the Huma nitie s April 3, 2018
http:/ / writing .upe nn.e du/ pe nnso und Wo rld’ s la rg e st a rc hive o f re c o rding s o f po e ts re a ding the ir wo rk, fo unde d b y Pro fe sso rs Cha rle s Be rnste in a nd Al F ilre is in 2003. Re c o rding s ra ng e fro m 1913 thro ug h the c urre nt mo nth. Na tha nie l Ma c ke y Apo llina ire
Pe nnSo und b y the numb e rs 2,500,000 do wnlo a ds pe r ye a r 1,000,000 uniq ue visito rs pe r ye a r 55,000 mp3 file s Always downloadable . 1,000 vide o file s Ne ve r just s- ~6,000 ho urs o f a udio T R E A M I N G
Global distr ibution of Pe nnSound use r s 27 April 2016 - 15 April 2017
Ac c e ssib le Po e try I nte rfa c e (API ): Pe nnSo und & the Arc ha e o -Pla tfo rm
I . Arc hive
Me ta -Arc hive : Pho no te xtua l Bib lio g ra phy Re c o nstruc ting e a rlie r a tte mpts to re c o rd po e try & po e try a udio a rc hive s Who we re the a rc hivists o f the e a rlie r a rc hive s, a nd wha t we re the ir po litic s & po e tic s? Wha t we re the po litic s a nd po e tic s, b o th o f the a rc hiva l c o nta ine rs, a s we ll a s the physic a l me dia ? Ho w c a n we (re )p re se nt the se a rc hive s within Pe nnSo und with re spe c t fo r the ir prio r ma te rila itie s ?
1913: “Mo de rnism me e ts the pho no g ra ph” E zra Po und tra ve le d to the spe e c h la b o f Je a n Pie rre Ro usse lo t to b e “re c o rd e d ” using Ro usse lo t’ s pho no sc o pe . Ric ha rd Sie b urth: “T he a rd e nt ve rs lib riste s we re pre suma b ly e a g e r to find o ut whe the r Ro usse lo t’ s mo d e rn re c o rd ing d e vic e s (whic h pro d uc e d wha t lo o k like intric a te se ismo g ra phs o f vo we ls, c o nso na nts, pitc h, a nd te mpo ) c o uld pro vid e sc ie ntific pro o f tha t fre e ve rse wa s, in its o wn wa y, just a s ‘ re g ula r’ o r ‘ fo rma l’ (in te rms o f the pa tte rning s o f a c c e nts o r q ua ntitie s) a s, sa y, the tra d itio na l a le xa nd rine .”
I ma g e s fro m Ric ha rd Sie b urth’ s “T he So und o f Po und: A L iste ne r’ s Guide ”
1913: “L a pa ro le a u timb re juste ” T he ling uist F e rdina nd Bruno t pa rtne rs with Disq ue Pa thé , the la rg e st re c o rd la b e l in F ra nc e , to re le a se re c o rding s o f Apo llina ire a nd o the r po e ts. http:/ / writing .upe nn.e d u/ pe nnso und/ x/ Apo llina ire .php
Spe e c h L ab Re c o rding s Re c o rding in 1931 a t Co lumb ia Unive rsity b y ling uists, W. Ca b e ll Gre e t & Ge o rg e W. Hib b itt. Re c o rde d in a la b me a nt fo r the study o f Ame ric a n dia le c ts One o f the first c o mpo se d po e try a udio a rc hive s in the US
I n 1931, the po e t Va c he l L indsa y a ppro a c he d Ba rna rd Pro fe sso r o f Spe e c h W. Ca b e ll Gre e t a nd re q ue ste d tha t Gre e t re c o rd L indsa y re a ding his po e try
Gre e t re c o rds five ho urs o f L indsa y’ s po e try L indsa y die s la te r tha t ye a r, b e fo re he c o uld fulfill his pla ns to ma ke “b ra nd ne w tune s.”
T he Spe e c h L ab Re c o rding s Vachel Lindsay T he se rie s runs Harriet Monroe thro ug h the 1930s James Weldon a nd ’ 40s, a va ila b le to Johnson sc ho o ls o n a T.S. Eliot sub sc riptio n b a sis. Robert Frost Gertrude Stein William Carlos Williams Edna St. Vincent Millay
Gre e t’ s Oppo sitio na l Po e tic s “[Creating recordings of poets] is finally accomplished through the energy and vision of an ‘impractical’ poet, and the inexpensive research apparatus of a professor of English - without the perfection of machinery which is at the service of every ephemeral movie, without benefit of the technical experience of recording engineers.” –Willia m Ca b e ll Gre e t, writing in T he E le me ntary E ng lish Re vie w , Ma y 1932
CF P: Ca ll fo r Po e ts (to re c o rd) W. Ca b e ll Gre e t, writing in Ame ric an Spe e c h , 1934
Oppo sitio na l me dia : a luminum re c o rds
T o b e pla ye d with c a c tus ne e dle s (!)
“Ma ke Yo ur Own Re c o rding s” T his te c hno lo g y wa s ma rke te d fo r ho me use a nd o ne -time re c o rding s. Also use d b y se rvic e s tha t re c o rde d a ds fro m the ra dio fo r la te r e xa mina tio n b y a d a g e nc ie s.
Cutting Wa x Pro fe ssio na l re c o rd c o mpa nie s wo uld c ut the ir re c o rding s into wa x b e c a use its so ftne ss a llo ws fo r g re a te r fre q ue nc y re spo nse . L a te r, a me ta l ma ste r ma trix is g ro wn o ve r the wa x
Aluminum Re c o rds Are c ut dire c tly b y the ma c hine . Ve ry dura b le So und fide lity is wo rse due to the me ta l’ s ha rdne ss. Distinc tive so und F e w e xta nt, a s mo st we re me lte d do wn fo r WWI I munitio ns
Wo w, the se do wnlo a ds a re fa st… Co ming so o n… A ne w c o lle c tio n o f T .S. E lio t re c o rding s, pre se nte d fo r the first time to g e the r a nd with histo ric a l c o nte xt
Pla tfo rm
Pe nnSo und a s Da ta se t Ab ility to do wnlo a d a ll o f Pe nnSo und e n ma sse fo r dista nt liste ning re se a rc h (c f T a nya Cle me nt) Ne xt ste ps to wa rd a c c e ssib ility, o n a la rg e sc a le
Ma c hine -Aide d Clo se L iste ning T o o l to a lig n 3 dime nsio ns: te xt (visua l a rra ng e me nt), a udio , a nd visua liza tion o f a udio . Aid in ma king e mpiric a l c la ims a b o ut the inte rpla y o f so nic a nd visua l fo rms with c o nte nt
Po e try Audio L a b : Pe da g o g y
a c c e ss fa c ilita te s a c c e ss
Co nta c t Chris Musta zza Unive rsity o f Pe nnsylva nia musta zza @ sa s.upe nn.e du @ musta zza http:/ / writing .upe nn.e du/ pe nnso und
Recommend
More recommend
