Spring Break
The Daily OrangeVintage vinyl
200,000 records donated to SU
By Melissa Daniels
Posted: 8/28/08, 12:51 AM EST Section: News
Of the many labels attached to Syracuse University, being an artistic epicenter might not be too high on the list. But the addition of more creative hallmarks is pushing SU toward becoming synonymous with arts and culture studies.
In early July, SU received the generous gift of 200,000 78 rpm records from the collection of Morton "Morty" J. Savada, owner of the renowned Records Revisited store in New York City, as announced by local and national media outlets.
The monetary worth of the collection totals about $1 million, but the value it brings to SU is immeasurable, said Dean of Libraries Suzanne Thorin.
"These aren't just for music people," Thorin said. "You can see in political science or history or in arts and science where you would want to look at music and poetry. It really resonates with a lot of the departments in the university."
The records, currently stored downtown at The Warehouse Gallery, will be part of the Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive, a division of SU devoted to the study of recorded sound. Belfer is now home to the second largest collection of 78s, surpassed only by the Library of Congress.
The Savada collection catalogs a wide variety of early 20th century music - mostly jazz and big band. A variety of blues, broadcast, comedy, country, folk, gospel, Hawaiian, Latin, musical theater, polka and spoken word recordings make up the entire collection. Popular artists included in the collection include legends like Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman.
But Savada's specialty was finding rarities, making the collection a field of hidden treasures for those studying music and society during the early 20th century.
Recording dates range from 1895 to the 1950s.
Melinda Dermody, head of the arts and humanities department in the library, said Savada's collection is an asset because of not only its size but also the unique variety of material.
"He had a very good time collecting in the heart of New York City," she said. "The opportunities that came to him with his reputation, with the location of the store, allowed him to get a lot of wonderful recordings."
In early July, SU received the generous gift of 200,000 78 rpm records from the collection of Morton "Morty" J. Savada, owner of the renowned Records Revisited store in New York City, as announced by local and national media outlets.
The monetary worth of the collection totals about $1 million, but the value it brings to SU is immeasurable, said Dean of Libraries Suzanne Thorin.
"These aren't just for music people," Thorin said. "You can see in political science or history or in arts and science where you would want to look at music and poetry. It really resonates with a lot of the departments in the university."
The records, currently stored downtown at The Warehouse Gallery, will be part of the Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive, a division of SU devoted to the study of recorded sound. Belfer is now home to the second largest collection of 78s, surpassed only by the Library of Congress.
The Savada collection catalogs a wide variety of early 20th century music - mostly jazz and big band. A variety of blues, broadcast, comedy, country, folk, gospel, Hawaiian, Latin, musical theater, polka and spoken word recordings make up the entire collection. Popular artists included in the collection include legends like Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman.
But Savada's specialty was finding rarities, making the collection a field of hidden treasures for those studying music and society during the early 20th century.
Recording dates range from 1895 to the 1950s.
Melinda Dermody, head of the arts and humanities department in the library, said Savada's collection is an asset because of not only its size but also the unique variety of material.
"He had a very good time collecting in the heart of New York City," she said. "The opportunities that came to him with his reputation, with the location of the store, allowed him to get a lot of wonderful recordings."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jerzy Marchwinski
posted 9/22/08 @ 2:10 PM EST
Moving and beautiful. Jerzy
Post a Comment