Sound Library
The Sound Library forms the core of the Musical Folklore Archives. It comprises unique audio material systematically collected from 1930 to the present, effectively constituting a “musical map” of the Hellenic world.
The initial corpus consists of the 1930–1931 recordings on 222 gramophone records produced by the French firm Pathé, which formed the basis for the Archives’ establishment.
The introduction of reel-to-reel tape technology in the 1950s enabled extensive field recordings. The Archives currently hold 371 magnetic tapes dating from approximately 1950 to 1970.
Cassette technology later facilitated further expansion of the collection, both through field recordings and through donations from researchers, collectors, and music enthusiasts. The MFA holds approximately 2,000 cassettes covering the period from 1970 to 2010.
The transition to digital formats began in the early 2000s with the use of DAT tapes.
Today, a substantial portion of the Sound Library has been digitized, and efforts to complete the process are ongoing. Digitization follows specialized documentation and digital preservation protocols due to the rarity and fragility of the material.
Search for audio material
This is the existing search engine, which will remain in use throughout the creation
of the new digital Repository of the Musical Folklore Archive.
