Early wildlife recordings

Long description:

Recordings in this collection can be played by anyone.

This collection presents an assortment of species and habitat recordings that were produced during the first half of the twentieth century when wildlife sound recording was still in its infancy. The majority of these recordings were originally released on gramophone records, presented in box sets and accompanied by illustrated literature that provided the listener with information about the animals they were hearing, possibly for the very first time.

Material from two pioneer wildlife sound recordists, Ludwig Koch and Carl Weismann, dominate this selection of sounds.

Ludwig Koch 1881 - 1974

Ludwig Koch was one of the greatest pioneers of wildlife sound recording and many of his recordings are featured in this collection. Born in Frankfurt on November 13th 1881, Koch made his first animal sound recording in 1889, at the age of 8, when his father presented him with an Edison Phonograph and box of wax cylinders. This simple gift ignited a passion for wildlife sound recording that was to last a lifetime.

In 1928, the German branch of recording company EMI offered him the chance to oversee a new cultural section of the gramophone industry. This opportunity allowed Koch to pursue his interest in wildlife sound recording on a professional level and he soon began producing sound books (combining illustrated books with gramophone records) with authors such as Berlin Zoo Director Dr Lutz Heck and famed ornithologist Dr Oskar Heinroth.

With the emergence of the Nazi Party, Koch found conditions in Germany increasingly difficult, especially as he was from a Jewish background. In 1936 Koch finally left his homeland for Britain and soon began making sound recordings of British wild birds. The Evolutionary biologist Sir Julian Huxley introduced Koch to well known publisher Harry Witherby and collaborations with ornithologist Max Nicholson resulted in several notable sound books such as ‘Songs of Wild Birds’ which was published in 1936.

During the Second World War, Huxley introduced Koch to the BBC. This was the start of a career in broadcasting that was to span more than 20 years. After initially working for the BBC European Service, Koch transferred to the Home Services department and began producing programmes such as Childrens’ Hour which he would narrate and supplement with his own wildlife sound recordings. In 1946 he worked with Desmond Hawkins on the popular ‘The Naturalist’ radio series which became the first in a long line of natural history radio and television programmes produced by the BBC. Koch’s ability to stimulate popular interest in natural history was key to the formation of the now world renowned BBC Natural History Unit.

Koch pioneered some of the earliest techniques of recording wildlife in the field, experimenting with different equipment and overcoming the various challenges that come with location recording. This knowledge and experience significantly helped develop and expand the field of bioacoustics which is now a well established biological science.

Carl Weismann 1906 - 1999

Another pioneer field recordist was the self-taught Danish ornithologist Carl Weismann. During his lifetime, Weismann recorded a wealth of material and published a number of recordings through his own record label. The recordings selected for inclusion in this compilation were taken from Weismann’s original archive discs which are now held by the British Library.

During the early 1930s, Weismann approached the recently founded Danish State Radio and enquired as to whether they possessed equipment that would be suitable for recording wildlife in the field. Wildlife sound recording was still largely unexplored at the time, but Weismann must have put forward a convincing argument as the following spring saw him setting up microphones in the Danish countryside. Microphone signals were transmitted to a radio studio via the local telephone cable system and cut into wax discs which would later be used to create permanent records of Weismann’s efforts. The Thrush Nightingale was the first species to be immortalised using this method and many more birds were to follow over the coming years.

Carl Weismann was also fascinated by the science of birdsong. Proceeds from his publications helped fund recording expeditions to Australasia where he recorded the songs of species introduced from Europe during the 19th century. This wealth of material facilitated studies on the cultural evolution of birdsong and helped further our understanding of how environment influences the development and structure of learned vocalisations.