FW04175.pdf

6HISTORY OF THE BERLIN PHONOGRAMM-ARCHIVCarl Stumpf, the famed Professor ofPsychology at the University of Berlin, hadshown an interest in ethnomusicologicalquestions in works published from 1886 to theturn of the century.l When the Siamese courtorchestra performed in Berlin in 1900, he tookadvantage of this occasion to make his fir stphonograph recordings. Z In so doing he laidthe foundation of the Berlin Phonogramm­Archiv, although this official name did notcome into use until later. Stumpf's twoassistants, Otto Abraham and Erich Moritzvon Hornbostel, adopted these new methodsand concentrated more and more in workingin this new field of research, comparativemusicology.Carl Stumpf (1848-1936)In the same year, 1900, Abraham recordedSouth African music in Berlin andduring the next few years the Archive wasthe recipient of recordings of music of Japanand India. 3 Felix von Luschan, Director ofthe Ethnological Museum of Berlin, had recognizedas early as 1878 the importance ofthe phonograph in ethnology. Around 1885he had undertaken various recording experiments,but without very encouraging results.Given new incentive by the work of the twoyoung scholar s, he decided to utilize theEdison apparatus in his expedition to Turkeyin 1901-1902. To his cylinder recordingsdeposited in the Psychological Institute therewere soon added further collections, mostof which were made at the instigation of vonLuschan, Stumpf, Abraham, or von Hornbostel.e.g., Jonker/Timor '(1902), Bogoras/NorthAsia (1902). Meinhof/East Africa (1903), andTraeger/Albania and Tunisia (1903).To these field recordings, and to therecordings made in Berlin by the staff of theArchive, were added recordings sent byother institutions for transcription and analysisand for exchange. 4 The growth in theholdings of recordings was so rapid that itwas necessary to provide the Archive withan official administration. Before an administratorcould be appointed, however,the Archive had to be officially established.Toward this goal Stumpf bent all his efforts. SHe was able to appoint E. M. von HornbostelChairman of the "Phonogramm-Archiv," asit was now officially named, in 1905. However,he did not succeed in establishing anindependent institution. In actuality, theArchive remained a poorly endowed annexof the Psychological Institute,The Archive was dependent to a greatextent upon private support from organizationssuch as the Vir chow Foundation and theAcademy of Science. Finally, the Archivewas kept alive by unselfish support from vonHornbostel's private fortune. Stumpf madea public appeal for fi.nancial support in ascientific journal in 1908. 6 This address,which dwelt upon the significance and thesuccess of scientific research in this field,was also reprinted in part or reviewed innumerous daily papers. Nevertheless, thefinancial position of the Archive remainedrelatively unchanged.Close ties were maintained with theEthnological Museum whose Director, vonLuschan, continued to manifest a stronginterest in ethnomusicological studies. Withouthis assistance the development of theyoung science would have been much moredifficult. It was due to his great influencethat "no German explorer left on an expeditionwithout taking with him phonographequipment and without having received instructionsfrom the Psychological Instituteon utilizing the apparatus in scientific work ... 7Another important contribution made byvon Luschan to the propagation of the newmethods was the chapter, .. Musik, .. in hisAnleitung fur ethnographische Beobachtungund Sammlungen in Afrika und Ozeanien(Introduction to Ethnographic Observationsand Collecting Techniques in Africa and~ania) [5th ed., 1908] published by theBerlin Ethnographical Museum. This chaptercontains technical inforrna tion concerning the