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Favorite Sounds; How We Remember; and Music in Marble Halls (Audio)

Dec 11, 2019
Created by Tony Schwartz (1962-1970). Introduced by Karen Werner.
For over 30 years Tony Schwartz produced weekly radio programs about sound for the NYC public radio station, WNYC. Schwartz also created records for Smithsonian folkways that feature his distinct style, described as “part anthropological study, part hometown travelogue.” Schwartz developed a portable tape recording set-up in the 195O’s which enabled him to collect sounds outside the studio – on the streets and in his home. He edits and presents the pieces in a distinct way. Plus, Tony Schwartz is very likable; a tenderness, humor, curiosity, and intimacy come through in his pieces. A poignant detail is that he was agoraphobic and rarely traveled outside his NYC neighborhood. His recordings create an expansive sonic world. The first of these three pieces by Tony Schwartz is called Favorite Sounds and was recorded at the Jewish Guild for the Blind in New York City in 1963. The second features the voices of New York City teenagers, and is called How We Remember and is from 1970. And the third piece in this selection is about the pleasures of sound called Music in Marble Halls, created in 1962. The first two pieces are from the Library of Congress Tony Schwartz collection: https://www.loc.gov/rr/record/schwartzrecordings.html. The third piece is from Schwartz’s Folkways album, You're Stepping on My Shadow, Sound Stories of NYC. Introduced by Wave Farm Radio Artist Fellow 2019/2020, Karen Werner.