Indian Gramophone Records
Indian Gramophone Records
The first 100 years
The first voice of an Indian person was recorded by the Gramophone Company in 1899 in London. In 1902, first gramophone disc was cut at Calcutta. [Kinnear, 1994] While celebrating centenary of these historical events from 1999-2002, it will be interesting as well as instructive to review the achievements. During this long period, many record manufacturing companies have recorded Indian music. Although HMV - His Master’s Voice - continues to enjoy their monopoly in this field, about half million gramophone records have been manufactured and marketed in India under variety of banners and labels. Large number of artists have recorded various musical forms and styles from different regions of Indian subcontinent. Of course, a major portion of these recordings belong to Indian film songs. However other forms like classical, light classical, folk, religious music etc. have been recorded extensively. Due to the advancement in science, new technologies have emerged in the last hundred years. This has led to variety of formats of sound recording and reproduction ranging from cylinders to compact discs and from talking machines to laser disc players. Of these formats, gramophone records have stayed for almost eighty years and have played a significant role in preserving the musical heritage of India. Although Indian musical culture is inscribed in the microgrooves of these records, very little attention is paid in preserving it for posterity. This paper attempts to present an overview of gramophone records in India with special emphasis on 78 rpm and EP/LP records. Some aspects of collection, promotion, preservation and research of gramophone records are discussed. Efforts towards documentation and archiving have been noted.
