The sounds of American culture include: newsman Edward R. Murrow broadcasting from a London rooftop during an air raid, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane recording Giant Steps, comedian Jack Benny weighing his money or his life, George Gershwin playing "Fascinating Rhythm," Ethel Waters singing "Stormy Weather," Flatt and Scruggs playing "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," Public Enemy rapping "Fight the Power."
Michael Feinstein and George Gershwin's piano took center stage in the Library's Whittall Pavilion during the announcement of 50 additions to the National Recording Registry. Feinstein played and sang "Fascinating Rhythm," which George and Ira Gershwin wrote in 1924 and recorded in 1926. The Gershwin recording was added to the registry in April. - Francisco Apodaca
Without preservation, some of these historically and culturally significant recorded sounds from America's past could be lost forever as the old recording media disintegrates. But their survival is ensured because they are among 50 sound recordings added to the third annual National Recording Registry announced at an April press conference in the Library's Whittall Pavilion. (See box with list.)
Created by an act of Congress in 2000, the National Recording Registry celebrates the richness and variety of the nation's audio legacy and underscores the responsibility of the Library and other institutions to assure its long-term preservation.
Gregory Lukow, chief of the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS), played a six-minute medley of these recordings, described the Library's leadership role in establishing the registry and explained the registry selection process. With recommendations from the public and guidance from the National Recording Preservation Board (several members were present), the Librarian of Congress selects 50 recordings to be added to the registry each year.
"What the Library of Congress has done is simply extraordinary," said board member Michael Feinstein, a premier interpreter of Gershwin and other composers of the American songbook.
For the entertainment of the audience, Feinstein played George Gershwin's piano, which the Library preserves and displays, and sang "Fascinating Rhythm," written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1924 and recorded in 1926. The recording with Gershwin and Fred and Adele Astaire was added to the registry. Feinstein's interpretation included Gershwin's solo chorus of the song on the recording.
Hip-hop superstar Chuck D., whose Public Enemy album "Fear of a Black Planet" was added to the registry, also spoke briefly about the importance of sound preservation. "As a collector of music, we must trace [our recording history] all the way back to Thomas Edison in order to go forward," he said. "We will try our best to let everyone know there is no future without a past."
Deanna Marcum, associate librarian for Library Services, noted that the Library of Congress has had an audio preservation program for more than 40 years and has preserved "tens of thousands of recordings that otherwise may have been lost."
"Audio preservation is a national responsibility, and the Library is not the only institution that has made a strong commitment to this important work. There are many significant sound archives located throughout the United States that are working to preserve their collections for posterity," she said.
Archives holding rare recordings added to the 2005 registry are the Edison National Historic Site in West Orange, N.J., the National Archives and Records Administration, Middlebury College, the Archive of Traditional Music at Indiana University, the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at Cornell University and the Frontera Collection of Mexican American Music at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Marcum introduced Guillermo Hernández, who was instrumental in bringing the Frontera Collection of more than 30,000 Mexican and Mexican American vernacular music recordings on 78-rpm discs to UCLA for cataloging and digitization. The collection was compiled by Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie Records in El Cerrito, Calif.
"In many ways this is a model preservation program," Marcum said.
She also introduced the Library's Larry Appelbaum, a jazz specialist and sound recording engineer who recognized the significance of a Voice of America tape selected for preservation by the Library's Recorded Sound Section. Although an all-star jazz concert on Nov. 29, 1957, was not known to have been recorded, Appelbaum realized that the Voice of America taping for overseas broadcast had captured that Carnegie Hall performance of Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, the Zoot Sims Quartet with Chet Baker and the Thelonious Monk Quartet with tenor saxophonist John Coltrane.
2004 National Recording Registry
(in chronological order)
- "Gypsy Love Song," Eugene Cowles (1898)
- "Some of These Days," Sophie Tucker (1911)
- "The Castles in Europe One-Step"("Castle House Rag"), Europe's Society Orchestra (1914)
- "Swanee," Al Jolson (1920)
- Armistice Day broadcast by Woodrow Wilson (1923)
- "See See Rider Blues," Gertrude "Ma" Rainey (1923)
- "Charleston," Golden Gate Orchestra (1925)
- "Fascinating Rhythm" from "Lady, Be Good!" Fred and Adele Astaire; George Gershwin, piano (1926)
- NBC radio broadcast coverage of Charles A. Lindbergh's arrival and reception in Washington, D.C. (1927)
- "Stardust," Hoagy Carmichael (1927)
- "Blue Yodel (T for Texas)," Jimmie Rodgers (1927)
- "Ain't Misbehavin'" Thomas "Fats" Waller (1929)
- "The Suncook Town Tragedy," Mabel Wilson Tatro of Springfield, Vt. (July 1930)
- "Gregorio Cortez," Trovadores Regionales (1929)
- Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano; Leopold Stokowski, conductor, Philadelphia Orchestra (1929)
- Rosina Cohen oral narrative from the Lorenzo D. Turner Collection (1932)
- "Stormy Weather," Ethel Waters (1933)
- "Body and Soul," Coleman Hawkins (1939)
- Sergey Prokofiev, "Peter and the Wolf," Serge Koussevitzky, conductor; Richard Hale, narrator; Boston Symphony Orchestra (1939)
- "In the Mood," Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (1939)
- Edward R. Murrow broadcast from London (1940)
- "We Hold These Truths," radio broadcast (1941)
- Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1, op. 23, B minor, Vladimir Horowitz, piano; Arturo Toscanini; conductor; NBC Symphony Orchestra (1943)
- "Down by the Riverside," Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1944)
- "U.S. Highball (A Musical Account of a Transcontinental Hobo Trip), Harry Partch; Gate 5 Ensemble (1946)
- "Four Saints in Three Acts," Virgil Thomson, composer, with members of original 1934 cast (1947)
- "Manteca," Dizzy Gillespie Big Band with Chano Pozo (1947)
- Jack Benny radio program of March 28, 1948
- "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs (1949)
- "Lovesick Blues," Hank Williams (1949)
- "Guys and Dolls," original cast recording (1950)
- "Old Soldiers Never Die" (Farewell Address to Congress), Gen. Douglas A. MacArthur (1951)
- "Songs by Tom Lehrer" (1953)
- "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man," Muddy Waters (1954)
- "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)," The Penguins (1954)
- Tuskegee Institute Choir Sings Spirituals, directed by William L. Dawson (1955)
- "Messiah," Eugene Ormandy, conductor; Richard Condie, choir director, Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Philadephia Orchestra (1958)
- "Giant Steps," John Coltrane (1959)
- "Drums of Passion," Michael Babatunde Olatunji (1960)
- "Peace Be Still," James Cleveland (1962)
- "The Girl from Ipanema," Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto (1963)
- "Live at the Apollo," James Brown (1965)
- "Pet Sounds," The Beach Boys (1966)
- King James version of the Bible, Alexander Scourby (1966)
- Remarks from Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong's broadcast from the moon (1969)
- "The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East" (1971)
- "Star Wars" (soundtrack), John Williams (1977)
- "Fear of a Black Planet," Public Enemy (1989)
- Recordings of Asian elephants by Katharine Payne (1989)
- "Nevermind," Nirvana (1991)
