Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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The Historical Collections
(1889–1955) of St Petersburg
Phonogram Archives
Inscribed 2001
What is it
The Historical Collections of the Phonogram Archive
of the Institute of Russian Literature, a corpus
of over 35,000 historical recordings in the field
of ethnomusicology, ethnolinguistics and philology.
Dating from 1889 to 1955, the collections amount to
over 500 hours of recorded sound material.
Why was it inscribed
Many of the recordings are the oldest of their kind
and some are unique. As a whole, they represent orally
transmitted cultures, languages and rites which have
since undergone substantial changes or have even been
lost altogether.
Where is it
Institute of Russian Literature, St Petersburg, Russia
The Historical Collections of the St Petersburg Phonogram
Archive were gathered in many regions of Europe and Asia
and represent many of the people and ethnic groupings
of the Tsarist Russian empire and later, the USSR
(Soviet Union). An encyclopedia of Russian ethnology,
the recordings also exemplify beyond a regional and
national context, the many types of traditional culture
386 The Historical Collections (1889–1955) of St Petersburg Phonogram Archives
which have been changed irrevocably by the developments
of the 20th century.
Most of the recordings made before 1930 are the
earliest of their kind, so allowing a deeper insight into
the history of their respective cultures, languages and
musical styles. A high proportion of the items date
from before 1910, the earliest period of recording with
a phonograph in the field. The 20th century wrought
fundamental changes in the traditional rituals and form
of folklore singing, so that contemporary recordings
are simplified modern equivalents of the originals.
Many nationalities were recorded for the collection
whose significance therefore goes beyond a single culture.
Recordings were made not only in Russia, but also its
zones of influence and neighbouring regions; the source
area spanned from Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia on the
shores of the Adriatic to the Aleutian Islands in the Bering
Sea, taking in Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Siberia.
� Storing the wax cylinders The recording equipment in use �