Indian Recordings

Like the majority of Felix Exner’s collection (published as Series 15/1 in 2016), the Phonogramme made by Hilko Wiardo Schomerus were recorded in Madras (Chennai), although some 25 years later and presumably in another location. Since then, they have been preserved in the Phonogrammarchiv, but unlike Exner’s Phonogramme, which were studied by Kirste (1908) and Felber and Geiger (1912), they have not been described in the scholarly literature or edited before. The CD publication features 30 sound recordings from 1929, chiefly recitations of classical Tamil poetry. Today, these recordings are of great historical interest, as can be read in the detailed introduction. Alongside Schomerus’ professional career, his commitment to Tamil culture and his interests, which repeatedly took him to that part of the world, the documents unearthed also allow insights into his contact with the Phonogrammarchiv, his itinerary and his research methods. Thanks to the meticulous study of the texts, numerous references to contemporary issues and Schomerus’ painstaking method of working came to light. The texts also explain the project of the Complete Historical Collections and its editorial guidelines as well as the techniques of re-recording and signal processing. The transcriptions are linked to mp3 files, which makes simultaneous reading and listening easy and comfortable. Further information concerns the biographical data of those reciting. The original protocols have been included as digital image files. Since Schomerus’ handwriting is not easy to decipher, transcriptions of the German translations have also been provided, even though the publication is in English. In this publication, the sources (i.e., the sound recordings and the original protocols) are presented alongside the commentaries, which contain references to similar research projects of the time and subsequent decades, as well as reflections on the value of sound recordings for modern research.