Mark Bailey, director of the Yale Collection of Historical Sound Recordings, will present a variety of vocal and instrumental examples that convey the extent to which performance practice has changed since the era of early recordings. The majority of these are from the classical repertoire, but Mark will also include some examples of jazz.

off, and even John Philip Sousa and Duke Ellington, embraced this new technology with fervor and provided memorable and stirring renditions of a variety of repertoire.

Those same early recordings still exist to re-enliven the musical artistry of the past with great interest and appreciation. They serve as inspirational teachers of the performance practice of the time, providing numerous poignant examples of how music was composed and performed during such a rich era of creativity.

Together we will listen to and discuss a variety of historical recordings by singers and instrumentalists spanning several musical styles. In doing so we will seek to uncover some of the most treasured musical moments they shared with us for posterity. We will also acknowledge what many of these recordings reveal about the evolution of performance practice and the impact they can have performers today.

If you missed this presentation, or would like to watch it again, here is the video recording: