The Department of Special Collections holds over 400,000 audio recordings in a variety of formats. Some of these recordings are unique, while many more are commercially issued 78 rpm and cylinder recordings. Commercial recordings are cataloged in UC Library Search, while unique recordings are most often indexed in collection finding guides in the Online Archive of California. This partial list highlights some of the larger collections held by the UCSB Library.
Major Collections of Commercial Sound Recordings
- Ackerman (Joel) Collection. Collection of 2,000 78rpm discs from Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East.
- Adams (Carlisle) Collection (PA Mss 23). Approximately 5,000 vocal 78 rpm sound recordings.
- African 78 rpm Recording Collection. Collection of over 1,200 commercial African 78 rpm recordings, 1920s-1960s.
- Arabic wax cylinders, ca. 1900 (PA Mss 42). Twenty-one commercial brown wax cylinder recordings, made in Damascus, Syria.
- Archive of Recorded Vocal Music (PA Mss 19). Approximately 18,000 vocal recordings from the first half of the 20th century.
- Bastin (Bruce)/Interstate Music Collection. Collection of 10,000 78 rpm recordings from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal.
- Brooks (Michael) Collection. 10,000 78rpm rpm recordings of American jazz, pop, and blues from 1920s-1950.
- Debus (Allen G.) Papers and Collection (PA Mss 121). Papers of Allen G. Debus, a researcher of pioneer recording artists as well as his collection of early historical sound recordings.
- Florey (Robert) Sound Recording Collection (PA 2001-001). Film director Robert Florey’s collection of early French 78 rpm recordings. The collection includes many French popular recordings from 1900 to 1940, including recordings by Dramen, Polin, Felix Mayol, Mistinguett, Charlus, Bérard, and Maurice Chevalier among others.
- Giangrande (Anthony) Collection. Collection of 78rpm discs focusing on Neapolitan song, Italian and Italian-American popular music, and the recordings of Gilda Mignonette.
- Häupl (Benno) Collection (PA Mss 122) Collection of early ethnomusicological sound recordings and photographic images.
- Hendrix (Mark) Collection. Collection of popular, classical, and ethnic discs.
- Hill (Donald R.) Papers and Collection (PA Mss 118). Papers of anthropologist Don Hill, focusing on his fieldwork on the Carribbean island of Carriacou, as well as his collections of LP and 78rpm ethnic recordings, primarily African, Latin American, and Carribbean, as well as ethnographic postcards.
- James (Harry and Grace) Collection (PA Mss 5). Donated by Harry and Grace James to UC-Riverside and subsequently transferred to UCSB, the James collection contains approximately 15,000 recordings, including long runs of Victor and Columbia 78rpm album sets.
- Kastner (Sid) collection (PA Mss 235). Collection of cylinders, 78s and phonographs.
- Kingsbaker/Moeller/Bang Collection (PA 2000-003). Jazz and dance orchestra 78s and LPs and a large number of trade catalogs relating to jazz and popular music.
- Kuğay (Kutay Derin) Collection. Collection of 500 Turkish and Greek 78rpm recordings.
- Levin (John) Collection. Collection of 19th-century brown wax cylinder recordings.
- Rainer Lotz Collection. Collection of ethnic 78 rpm recordings of noted German discographer.
- Lucas (Johnny) Sound Recording Collection (PA 2001-007). Collection of jazz 78s of Dixieland trumpeter Johnny Lucas (Firehouse Five), including unreleased acetate recordings.
- Moran (William R.) Collection (PA Mss 57). Collection of author and discographer William R. Moran.
- Morton (William V.) Stardust Collection. Comprehensive collection of "Stardust" recordings from collector William V. Morton.
- Nordskog Phonograph Recording Company Collection (PA Mss 101). Collection of published and unpublished recordings and research files related to early Los Angeles, California, recording company.
- O’Brien (Dr. Robert J.) Shakespeare Recording Collection (PA Mss 159). Collection of commercial recordings of Shakespear's works, from 1911 to the modern era.
- Pecourt (Edouard) Tango and Latin American Music Collection (PA Mss 78). Extensive collection of Latin American music and tango recordings and supporting manuscript and published materials, as well as early French wax cylinders.
- Reicheg (Richard) Rhythm and Blues Collection. 10,000 post-war rhythm and blues, gospel and African-American 78rpm discs.
- Rich (Blanche Browning) Collection (PA 2002-005, PA 2002-006). 1,400 Edison Blue Amberol cylinder recordings and 6,400 Edison Diamond Discs, all unplayed dealer stock.
- Singletary Collection (PA 1998-012). Donated by Barbara and Bart Singletary, the collection contains approximately 375 78rpm recordings, mostly of Duke Ellington and Ellington Units.
- Schwartz (Martin) Collection. Collection of 2000 Jewish and Ottoman diaspora 78rpm recordings.
- Stillwell (Arnold B.) Collection. Collection of jazz 78s with a large representation of dime store labels.
- Stokowski (Leopold) test pressings (PA 1999-011). Stokowski’s personal collection of Victor test pressings.
- Stuart Collection (PA 1999-008). 3,000 78rpm recordings, strong in popular and dance band music as well as spoken word.
- Swerilas (Ken) Collection. Collection of jazz, blues, and country 78rpm discs.
- Todd (Verne) Collection (PA Mss 1). Extensive collection of popular, classical, jazz, and other sound recordings and related ephemera.
- White (Phyllis) Collection (PA 2001-015). 3,500 78rpm recordings, primarily vocal music. White was the wife of Anthony Boucher.
- Williams (Frederick P.) Papers and Collection (PA Mss 72). Papers and collection of band historian and record collector Frederick P. Williams.
- Wolff (Ditte) Collection. Collection of folk, jazz, and blues 78rpm discs and folk revival, labor union, and protest music song books.
- Zeitgeschichte Collection. Collection of sound recordings, including historical speeches and radio broadcasts, primarily from Germany in the 1910s-1950s
Collections with Unique Sound Recordings
- Bertram (Bob) Papers (PA Mss 115). Papers of Bob Bertram, owner of Bertram International Records, an independent California record label that recorded Hawaiian, sacred, and popular music in the 1950s-1970s.
- Boucher (Anthony) Golden Voices (Radio program) (PA Mss 29). Master tapes of Boucher’s Pacifica radio program on opera.
- Clovis (Hall) Papers (PA Mss 30). Acetate recordings of singer Hall Clovis and his wife, Eleanor Steele, who performed as Clovis-Steele.
- Couper (Mildred) Papers (PA Mss 45). Unique recordings of composer Mildred Couper, including her quarter-tone piano compositions.
- Diemer (Emma Lou) Papers (PA Mss 41). Unique tape recordings of the works of composer and UCSB faculty member Emma Lou Diemer.
- Fricker (Peter Racine) Papers (PA Mss 17). The Fricker papers include recordings of many of Fricker’s early compositions.
- Heebner (Walt) Papers (PA Mss 114). Papers of RCA Victor recording director who went on to produce the series of recordings The Welte Legacy of Piano Treasures, new, high-quality recordings of Welte-Mignon reproducing player piano rolls made by important early-20th-century pianists.
- Herrmann (Bernard) Papers (PA Mss 3). Includes recordings of Herrmann’s music and an extensive series of CBS Symphony radio broadcast recordings under the direction of Herrmann.
- Hilly (John) Collection (PA 2000-017). Recordings of several radio shows guest-starring John Hilly, including one episode of Hi Jinx and seven of the show Gangbusters.
- Larsen (Milt) collection (PA Mss 108).
- Lehmann (Lotte) Collection (PA Mss 2). The Lehmann papers contain a mix of both archival material and sound recordings, including commercial recordings, master classes, and unissued recordings.
- Lucas (Johnny) Sound Recording Collection (PA 2001-007). Collection of jazz 78s of Dixieland trumpeter Johnny Lucas (Firehouse Five), including unreleased acetate recordings.
- Music Academy of the West Recordings (PA Mss 65). Recordings of Music Academy of the West concerts, 1960-2001.
- Nordskog Phonograph Recording Company Collection (PA Mss 101). Collection of published and unpublished recordings and research files related to early Los Angeles, California recording company.
- Opera Air Check Recordings Collection (PA Mss 91). Air checks of live, mostly Metropolitan and San Francisco Opera broadcasts from 1937 to 1956.
- Pedroza (Alma and Alfonso) Recordings (PA Mss 50). Acetate recordings of opera singers Alma and Alfonso Pedroza.
- Screen Guild Players Recordings, 1942-1948 (PA Mss 28). Recordings of 32 Screen Guild Players radio programs used as a fundraising effort for the Motion Picture Relief Fund, featuring many contemporary stars.
- Singher (Martial) Recordings, 1943-1980 (PA Mss 25). Recordings made by French baritone Singher, who was on the faculty of the Music Academy of the West.
