Recording wind instruments before 1925: technology and performance practice in large ensembles

Abstract

This paper examines how acoustic recording technologies shaped wind-instrument performance before the microphone. Treating the recording horn as both sound receiver and acoustic filter, it considers adaptations in projection, articulation, ensemble balance, and spatial arrangement. Case studies of large American ensembles, including Sousa’s and Gilmore’s, and French Pathé wind recordings demonstrate how mechanical limitations affected performance practice and recorded sound. The study argues that acoustic recordings preserve not only repertory but also evidence of historically specific performance conditions and strategies.