Today, April 12, 1861 was the beginning of the American Civil War. Here at the Recorded Sound Archives as a bit of music history we wanted to share a piano roll of a song from that time period “Just before the Battle, Mother” which was a popular song during the American Civil War, particularly among troops in the Union Army. It was originally written and published by George F. Root in 1863.

Enjoy the video below of Ben Roth, Sound Archivist for the Recorded Sound Archives as he plays a piano roll featuring this song. Read More About This…

Did you know that FAU Libraries has a sound archive which you can access and listen to recordings for research from the comforts of your own home?

Last year, the Recorded Sound Archives digitized 473 albums along with 3,912 songs for those to access reaching over 128 countries, and receiving 168,085 hits from all over the world.
 
As a New Year’s gift and a welcome to the FAU community we wanted to share a few staff favorites from 2021.
 

Discover Staff Favorites from 2021

1. Bolero by Larry Adler
2. There’s a Lull in My Life by Ella Fitzgerald
3. Baby, You’ve Got What It Takes by Belford Hendricks’s Orchestra; Dinah Washington
4. Berceuse by Ruby Helder
5. The Wedding Samba by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians; Kenny Gardner
6. Out O’ Breath by Gloria De Haven; Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians; The Lombardo Trio
7. Kiss of Fire by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians; Kenny Gardner
8. Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight by The Lombardo trio; Kenny Gardner; Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
9. Ricochet (Rick-O-Shay) by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians; The Lombardo Trio; Kenny Gardner
10. Tales of the Olympian Gods by Ronald Colman

 

 

And let us know in the comments, some of your favorite vintage artists, albums and songs.

Please note, due to copyright some items may only be available as a 45 second snippet.

If you are a Researcher or Educator in need of full access to these recordings, click here.

FAU Students, Faculty and Staff can listen to recordings unrestricted by logging into the Research Station using their FAU NET ID.

Martin Bookspan had life-long friendships with two great classical music geniuses, Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.

As the voice of the PBS television series Live from Lincoln Center from 1976 to 2006, Martin Bookspan riveted audiences with his eloquently distinctive voice and extensive knowledge of classical music. The N.Y. Times (May 24, 2006) described Bookspan as  “One half erudite informer, the other half grandfatherly guide, [who kept audiences] tuned in during intermissions with easy-to-digest program notes and anecdotes.”

A generous supporter of the Judaica Sound Archives now the Recorded Sound Archives at Florida Atlantic University Libraries, Bookspan spoke before a sold-out audience at FAU Libraries’ 2013 Kultur Festival in March.

Today Martin Bookspan would have been turning 95, he passed away earlier this year in April at his home in Aventura, FL. In celebration of his life, we wanted to share these video clips taken during a lecture he gave in 2013 at FAU Libraries.

 My Friends: Leonard Bernstein & Aaron Copland Lecture

Presented by Martin Bookspan at FAU’s Wimberly Library on March 5, 2013

 
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You can also listen to Martin Bookspan narrating Copland: A Lincoln Portrait on the Recorded Sound Archives website by =&5=&.

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If you are a Researcher or Educator in need of full access to these recordings, please visit the Recorded Sound Archives website to apply for Research Station Access by =&7=&.

Discover Staff Favorites from 2020!

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Recorded Sound Archives is exploring music through portraits.  This week discover and learn more about Mexican Singer and Composer Chucho Martinez Gil in the video below.

If you enjoyed learning about you can listen to one of his recordings in the Recorded Sound Archives: https://rsa.fau.edu/artist/5077.

Please feel free to download a coloring page we created of Chucho Martinez Gil that you can color and hang up in celebration of Hispanic heritage month and join us this week to find out which Latino musician we end up exploring next.

DOWNLOAD – Free Chucho Martinez Gil coloring page