It is my pleasure to introduce Abraham Tewolde, a new intern at the Archive of Recorded Sound who is taking part in Stanford University Libraries 1st-generation summer intern program this summer. During his time here Abraham will be learning how a sound archive functions and operates, including work on finding aids, digitization, inventory control, accessioning, and research skills.

Abraham will also be a guest blogger during his time here. Please enjoy below the first of a series of posts Abraham will be offering over the summer.

Enjoy our music databases this summer, whether you’re near or far!

Many Stanford folk will be away from campus this summer, but that doesn’t mean giving up the chance to listen to great music or watch streaming music videos.

Celebrating 100 years of "The Rite"

Today marks 100 years to the day since the infamous first performance of Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) at the Théâtre des Champs‐Elysées in Paris on 29 May 1913. The 31-year-old composer's two-part ballet score, coupled with 24-year-old Vaclav Nijinsky's choreography, provoked a riot on the opening night that according to most accounts rendered the music inaudible for most of the performance. The protests were so loud that Ballet Russes Director, Serge Diaghilev, was supposedly forced to shout instructions to his dancers onstage while flashing the auditorium's house lights in an attempt to quell the enraged audience.

Pagan ritual, Parisian riots, and extra-terrestrial gold

May 29, 2013 marks the centennial of one of the most storied premieres in modern history; namely, that of the ballet, Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The music was composed by Igor Stravinsky, with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, performed by Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes; the orchestra was conducted by Pierre Monteux.

Piano performances are in abundance on Medici.tv.

Spotlight on: Medici.tv

Medici.tv. provides high-definition webcasts of live classical music performances and an extensive video-on-demand catalog. Access is available to all current Stanford students, faculty, and staff.

Watch live-streamed concerts in real time or on delayed streaming. Concerts remain accessible generally for several weeks.

Page from journal created by Arthur H. Benade. Acoustical Theory - Woodwind BOIK (Book of Infinite Knowledge) misc. subjects., 1970-1986. (M1711_S3_B74_F1)

Musical Acoustics Research Library Records digitized

Many of the unpublished materials in the Musical Acoustics Research Library records have been digitized, except for personal correspondence and other miscellaneous documents. This includes materials from the four collections: the Catgut Acoustical Society, the John W. Coltman Collection, the Arthur H. Benade Collection, and the John Backus Collection. Researchers may access the digital copies through links from the description in the online finding aid.

The collection was processed in 2011 by Andrea Castillo. For more information please see Andrea's previous article.

New services at the Archive of Recorded Sound

The beginning of 2013 has seen a number of significant developments at Stanford's Archive of Recorded Sound, especially in the area of patron services, both at the Archive itself and online.

Information relating to these improved services can be found on the Archive's new website. This detailed resource also includes information on the Archive's extensive collections, guidelines for planning a research trip to the Archive, and finally recommendations for notable sound recording research tools, both online and in print.

Significant acquisitions in music

An annual compilation of significant acquisitions may be found on the Music Library’s web site. The list for 2011-2012 was recently added. Lists go back to 1999-2000.

Included are items acquired by gift or purchase during the academic year, arranged by type of material. Manuscripts, Facsimiles, Operas (librettos and scores), Periodicals, Printed Books, Printed Music, Microform, Recordings, and Miscellany are included. Many items are purchased with endowed gift funds and this is noted in the citations, e.g. Acquired through the Lucie King Harris Books for Music Fund. Citations are included for materials in both the Music Library and Department of Special Collections, Green Library.

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Archive of Recorded Sound intern Abraham Tewolde