Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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The historical collections
(1899–1950) of the Vienna
Phonogrammarchiv
Inscribed 1999
What is it
A multi-disciplinary sound archive that records, promotes
recording and collects acoustical primary source material
for research purposes.
Why was it inscribed
The Vienna Phonogrammarchiv was the first sound
archive in the world and the worldwide coverage of the
recordings reflects stages of orally transmitted cultures
before the impact of Western civilization, some of which
have become extinct since the time of recording, or have
at least substantially changed.
Where is it
Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
406 The historical collections (1899–1950) of the Vienna Phonogrammarchiv
The Vienna Phonogrammarchiv was founded in 1899
by members of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
It was deliberately founded as an archive with the
aim of exploiting the newly available technologies for
the systematic recording and safeguarding of acoustic
sources without disciplinary or regional restrictions.
This foundation marked the beginning of the first
sound archive (also the first audiovisual archive) in
the world with a unique repository of historical and
cultural recordings.
During more than 100 years of existence, the
Phonogrammarchiv’s collections have grown to more
than 50,000 recorded items, amounting to approximately
7000 hours of material. The Phonogrammarchiv is a
collection with a varied and broad scope, which safeguards
a considerable part of the worldwide heritage of orally
transmitted cultures.
When the Vienna Phonogrammarchiv was founded
sound recording in anthropological fieldwork was
complicated and technically demanding and would