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Sound Recordings

 Series — Multiple Containers

Scope and Contents

The musical recordings from the William G. Lockwood Collection of Romani Ethnology and Gypsy Stereotypes date from 1912 to 1998. The collection follows a loose set of rules in which anything Romani related was added. If a song title or album name had the word "gypsy" in it, or any translation of the word such as "tzigane," "gitan," "cigány," “Zigeuner,” it would have been fair game for this collection. The artists are most often Romani themselves but they could also be singing about Romanies, playing music in the style of Romanies or just inspired by Romanies. A wide variety of countries are represented in this collection which is indicative of the distribution of the Romani diaspora. Included are several Hungarian Romani musicians who escaped the Hungarian revolt of 1956 and made the trek to the United States to earn their living playing csárdás and other folk tunes at American night clubs and restaurants with a "gypsy" theme. Many of the Hungarian violinists such as Sándor Lakatos and Imre Magyari, referred to as prímás, led “Gypsy Orchestras” that performed throughout the United States. The "Gypsy Jazz" of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt and his followers from France is found here. The Spanish Romanies, who invented flamenco music, are included here with guitarists such as Carlos Montoya and Manitas De Plata, and dancers like Carmen Amaya, among others. There is a selection of Balkan Romani music by Esma Redžepova and Stevo Teodosievski, and their friends. There are Greek, Scottish and Bulgarian recordings. Russian Romanies are included in albums by theater groups, operatic singers and cimbalom virtuosos. Composers who used Romani themes such as Bizet and Liszt, are interpreted. Some of the more outlandish records of this collection include an avant garde, free jazz performance by a Russian “fortune teller” who calls herself Valentina Ponomareva, a flamenco-prog rock band named Carmen, jazz funk and fusion albums with a “gypsy” theme, Hungarian Romani comedy records, the haunting countertenor voice of Alfred Deller, and a 78 rpm recording from 1913 of a woman named Ruby Helder who had been dubbed “the girl tenor” due to her unusually low voice. Musical instruments such as the violin, cimbalom, tárogató, guitar, tamburitza and the percussive elements of flamenco dancing are showcased with virtuosity in this collection. There are 1159 items of various formats including 10 and 12-inch shellac 78's, 10 and 12-inch vinyl LPs, a few 7-inch 45's, and two Edison diamond discs.

Dates

  • Creation: 1899 - 1998

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

The material is stored off site. Please request 3 working days in advance if you wish to use it.

Extent

From the Collection: approximately 79 Linear Feet (79 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

LPs: MSS 477-0001-MSS 477-0033 in Box 19 MSS 477-0034-MSS 477-0058 in Box 20 MSS 477-0059-MSS 477-0082 in Box 21 MSS 477-0083-MSS 477-0104 in Box 22 MSS 477-0105-MSS 477-0130 in Box 23 MSS 477-0131-MSS 477-0159 in Box 24 MSS 477-0160-MSS 477-0184 in Box 25 MSS 477-0185-MSS 477-0215 in Box 26 MSS 477-0216-MSS 477-0241 in Box 27 MSS 477-0242-MSS 471-0270 in Box 28 MSS 477-0271-MSS 477-0296 in Box 29 MSS 477-0298-MSS 477-0325 in Box 30 MSS 477-0326-MSS 477-0352 in Box 31 MSS 477-0353-MSS 477-0381 in Box 32 MSS 477-0382-MSS 477-0411 in Box 33 MSS 477-0412-MSS 477-0441 in Box 34 MSS 477-0442-MSS 477-0472 in Box 35 MSS 477-0473-MSS 477-0500 in Box 36 MSS 477-0501-MSS 477-0525 in Box 37 MSS 477-0526-MSS 477-0544 in Box 38 MSS 477-0545-MSS 477-0570 in Box 39 MSS 477-0571-MSS 477-0597 in Box 40 MSS 477-0598-MSS 477-0625 in Box 41 MSS 477-0626-MSS 477-0655 in Box 42 MSS 477-0656-MSS 477-0688 in Box 43 MSS 477-0689-MSS 477-0712 in Box 44 MSS 477-0713-MSS 477-0742 in Box 45 MSS 477-0743-MSS 477-0774 in Box 46 MSS 477-0775-MSS 477-0805 in Box 47 MSS 477-0806-MSS 477-0838 in Box 48 MSS 477-0839-MSS 477-0871 in Box 49 MSS 477-0872-MSS 477-0898 in Box 50 MSS 477-0899-MSS 477-0928 in Box 51 MSS 477-1397-MSS 477-1407 and c. 2s for 0107, 0265, 0279, 0283, 0306, 0310, 0329, 0412, 0439, 0497, 0506, 0508, 0570, 0818, 1162, 1177 in Box 81 MSS 477-1411-MSS 477-1418 and c. 2s for 0129, 0218, 0585, 0607, 0633, 0635, 0641, 0651, 0660, 9686, 0701, 0704, 0718, 0786, 0787, 0829, 0832, 0839, 0852, 0854, 0874, 0895 in Box 82 MSS 477-1506-1548, c.2's: 1507, 1512 in Box 125 7" vinyl discs MSS 477-0929 - MSS 477-0932 in Small MSS shared Box 12

Shellac discs: MSS 477-0933-MSS 477-0961 in Box 53 MSS 477-0962-MSS 477-0983 in Box 54 MSS 477-0114-MSS 477-1017 in Box 57 MSS 477-1018-MSS 477-1023 in Box 58 MSS 477-1024-MSS 477-1027 in Box 59

Audiocassettes: MSS 477-1066-MSS 477-1115 in Box 68 MSS 477-1116-MSS 477-1160 in Box 69 MSS 477-1061-MSS 477-1205 in Box 70 MSS 477-1206-MSS 477-1244 in Box 71 MSS 477-1245-MSS 477-1281 in Box 72 MSS 477-1283-MSS 477-1329 in Box 73

CDs: MSS 477-1442-MSS 477-1468, c. 2 MSS 477-1464 in Box 122 MSS 477-1428-MSS 477-1441, MSS 477-1549-MSS 477-1554, and c. 2 1431 in Box 123

Repository Details

Part of the Stephen O. Murray and Keelung Hong Special Collections Repository

Contact:
MSU Libraries
366 W. Circle Drive
East Lansing MI 48823 USA