British Library Sounds
- Access British Library Sounds
- Brief description Sound Recordings from the British Library's Archive
- Resource type Audio
- Accessibility Statement
Full Details
- Recordings of music, spoken word, and human and natural environments.
- 400 popular music tracks (mostly British bands from the 1930s to 1990s).
- African Writers' Club (250 hours on art, literature, music and politics).
- Art and design interviews (e.g. Denys Lasdun, Eduardo Paolozzi, Paula Rego).
- Beethoven String Quartets (750 recordings from the last 100 years).
- David Rycroft Africa recordings (music and poetry, mainly from Southern Africa).
- Klaus Wachsmann Uganda recordings (1,500 recordings from 26 culture groups).
- Oral history of jazz in Britain (with musicians, promoters and label-owners).
- Records and record players (developments in recording technology).
- Sony Radio Awards - drama (every short-listed play 1986-1997).
- Soundscapes (evocative environmental sounds from Great Britain and Canada).
- St Mary-le-Bow public debates (e.g. John Betjeman, Jonathan Miller, Diana Rigg).
Access
If required, login using your university email address and password
Date Range
Includes some music recordings from 100 years ago.
Size
When complete there will be access to over 12,000 recordings (3,900 hours).
Features
It is possible to compare different recordings of the same piece of music; cultural differences in song and speech from various African cultural groups. You can also listen to artists and musicians speaking about their own lives and work.