Archive of Recorded Sound
Archive news
Unique items found in the Howe Collection of Musical Instrument Literature
The Howe Collection of Musical Instrument Literature has now been processed and is available for research. The collection was created by Richard J. Howe, an oil company executive and mechanical engineer as well as a collector of mechanical musical instruments and associated literature. The Howe Collection of Musical Instrument Literature, one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of its kind, documents the development of the music industry and the manufacture of pianos, organs, and mechanical musical instruments. The materials in the collection include catalogs, books, magazines, correspondence, photographs, broadsides, advertisements, and price lists. The Howe collection was originally donated to the Institute of Piano Music at the University of Maryland and later transferred to Stanford to support the Player Piano Project.
Archive of Recorded Sound: Open House
Listening to music has become a passion in our current, busy lives. With the development of digital formats and downloading, digital music devices abound in the marketplace, our homes, and our offices—but the listening experience hasn’t always been this way. Just a century ago, before the advent of “digital,” or stereo, or even electric recording, people enjoyed recorded music through such formats as 78 rpm records, cylinders, music boxes, and player piano rolls.
Recent acquisitions by the Chuck Black Endowment for Early Jazz and Blues
The Chuck Black Endowment for Early Jazz and Blues promotes the study of early and traditional jazz, blues, and similar musical styles as they emerged and evolved from 1900-1950. In 2016-17 the Endowment acquired twenty-four rare blues recordings.