With over 300,000 recordings on tape, disc, cylinder, and piano roll, the Historical Music Recordings Collection is both the depository for University of Texas at Austin recordings and those of select orchestras, radio stations, national and international arts organizations. Named collections within the HMRC include: Irving Feld Radio Dramas; UT Radio House Transcription Discs; Mary Henrietta Chase Collection of Bing Crosby Lacquer Discs; KUT open-reel tape; Longhorn Radio Network open-reel tape; KMFA "20th century Romantics"; Austin Symphony Orchestra; Houston Symphony Orchestra; HMRC-CDs; 16-inch transcription discs (general collection).
Content types:
Performed music, Sounds (Other than music & language), and Spoken word
Formats:
Pressed LP disc, Pressed 78rpm disc, Pressed 45rpm disc, Lacquer disc, Optical disc (including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), Metal disc, LaserDisc, Cylinder, Analog audiocassette, Digital compact cassette, Digital Audio Tape (DAT), Polyester open reel tape, Acetate open reel tape, Motion picture film, VHS (including SVHS and VHS-C), Betamax, U-matic (including U-matic S), Text document, and Piano rolls
Extent:
300,000 items
Repository/Collector:
The University of Texas at Austin, Fine Arts Library
Over 250 16-inch broadcast transcriptions dated from July of 1941 through February of 1950, divided more or less evenly between news material (principally from the NBC "Blue" network) and "classical" music: largely orchestral music, with some opera selections.
Reel-to-reel and cassette tapes, with performances by numerous Swing-Era bands including Artie Shaw, Count Basie, and many others. The principal focus of the collection, however, is Benny Goodman, with live performances, airchecks, and electrical transcriptions.
Content types:
Performed music
Formats:
Analog audiocassette, Polyester open reel tape, and Acetate open reel tape
Printed music and some manuscripts from Dallas-Fort Worth area radio stations WFAA and WBAP, accumulated through the decades in which they employed live radio orchestras.
A very large amount of sheet music, both popular and classical, including a significant segment of choral and sacred works from when WOR employed an in-house radio orchestra.
Memorabilia from a classical music radio station in New York City, WNCN 104.3, and includes items reflecting efforts by its Listeners Guild to keep the station on the air in a classical format.
Papers, recordings of radio interviews, and other sound recordings, mostly in connection with Tater's career as host of jazz radio shows, principally at KJZY (Sonoma County, CA), and KETR (Commerce, TX).
Content types:
Performed music, Spoken word, Still image, and Text
Formats:
Optical disc (including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), Analog audiocassette, Photographic print, and Text document
Produced by the Longhorn Radio Network and the Center for Mexican American Studies for KUT, the "Mexican American Experience" (and its brief successor, "A esta hora conversamos") archive contains interviews, music, and informational programs related to the Mexican American community and their concerns. Topics covered on these programs include political activities of Mexican Americans, Mexican American folklore and folk medicine, corridos, Tejano music, Mexican American musicians, voting rights, education, health, farm workers' unions and working conditions, and some Mexican and Central American topics. "The Mexican American Experience" was first produced by Alejandro Saenz; writers include Andres Tijerina and Santos Reyes. Subsequent moderators and producers include Armando Gutierrez and Linda Fregoso. Linda Fregoso was also the producer and interviewer for "A esta hora conversamos."
Content types:
Performed music, Spoken word, and Sounds (Other than music & language)
Formats:
Open reel tape (unknown material) and Optical disc (including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD)
Created by the Institute of Latin American Studies and KUT, the "Latin American Review" radio program was broadcast as part of the Longhorn Radio Network. Covering all of Latin America and the Caribbean, the program aired from 1973 to 1984. The program was primarily divided into two segments, a news segment, dealing with reports from different parts of Latin America, and an interview segment, in which an individual or small group was interviewed. A diverse number of topics were covered including human rights abuses, economic conditions, music, popular culture, and the history and politics of the region. Originally airing as the "Latin American Press Review" the program had its title changed in 1976 to "Latin American Review."
Content types:
Performed music, Spoken word, and Sounds (Other than music & language)
Formats:
Open reel tape (unknown material), Optical disc (including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), and Text document
Extent:
472 Reel-to-reel audio tapes (+253 duplicates), 91 compact audio cassettes, and scripts-3.5 linear feet.