Early Recordings of Aboriginal Music
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To Mr Lawton, Department of Music, University of Adelaide, 09/10/57
Shows the beginnings of Alice’s project to make microgroove disc copies of the cylinder recordings made by W. Baldwin Spencer and Frank Gillen in 1901 and 1912.
(MS3510/1/3/30)
To T.G.H. Strehlow, University of Adelaide, 16/03/61
Thanks Strehlow for his work, especially for transcribing the texts of E.Harold.Davies’ recordings of songs made with Arrernte people and others in the late 1920s.
(MS3501/1/7/22)
To Norman B. Tindale, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, 12/09/72
Shows some of the breadth of Alice’s research, both for the content of recordings and for their preservation. Here she discusses Terry M. Crowley's transcription of song words as sung by the granddaughters of Fanny Cochrane Smith. This letter can be linked to 1/126/16, where she puts forth a plan for the preservation of Tindale’s recordings.
(MS3501/1/64/28)
To W.E.H. Stanner, Department of Anthropology, Australian National University, 29/03/61
Describes her past studies and tells of her hopes to produce a number of disc recordings of early Australian Aboriginal music.
(MS3501/1/7/26a)
To C.W. Brazenor, Director, National Museum of Victoria, 29/11/61
Shows Alice’s excitement about the copyright being granted for publication of a disc of the W. Baldwin Spencer recordings. She voices her hopes that it will be listed in the Unesco International Catalogue of Recorded Folk Music.
(MS3501/1/9/49)
To Arthur Capell, Department of Anthropology, The University of Sydney, 07/06/66
Sends some examples of song texts Alice had located in early sources from New South Wales. The references are to Bennelong and Yammowey on their visit to England (early 1800's), women of the Menero/Monaro people of the Cooma region, and Narrinyeri people (1860 and 1893). Arthur Capell was one of the pioneers in the field of Australian Aboriginal linguistics.
(MS3501/1/22/11)
To Murray Barrett, Dental School, University of Adelaide, 29/11/67
Asks for copies of the W. Baldwin Spencer wax cylinder recordings held at the University of Adelaide and offers some advice for repair.
(MS3501/1/32/46)
To C.P. Mountford, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, 04/08/72
Ensures that the transfer to tape of Mountford’s audio recordings from his expeditions to Aboriginal communities throughout Australia will be handled most competently.
(MS3501/1/63/30)