The John Levy Archive
The John Levy Archive is a primary ethnomusicological resource of international importance, consisting of nearly 700 original field recordings of music from various parts of the world, several thousand photographs, and about 20 cine films.
There is also Levy's personal collection of approximately 400 commercial LP discs (including some he produced himself), books, papers and miscellaneous artefacts, plus some copies of other fieldworkers' recordings.
Levy's field recordings, which are generally of excellent quality, were made on a Nagra-S tape recorder between 1958-1972 in India (223 spools), Sri Lanka (55), Bhutan (48), Taiwan (101), China (81), South Korea (34), Iceland (35) and the UK (107).
The scope of the recordings is wide, and features the religious musics of these Asian cultures (and related communities in Britain, including Sufi and Sephardic), as well as court musical traditions and indigenous folk musics.
These recordings are unique sound documents, musically, culturally and historically. John Levy (1910-1976) was a skilled, sensitive and pioneering recordist who was also well-advised by leading scholars of his day. His recordings were mostly of complete performances in natural situations.
The musicians he recorded were among the very best at the time, and for reasons of privileged access and/or historical circumstance, several recordings are the sole extant documents of musical genres or styles which have disappeared or been radically transformed. John Levy's commitment to sharing his insights through LP publication and BBC broadcasts in collaboration with experts, particularly in his later years, is widely acknowledged. Many of his published recordings are now commercially available on CD, issued by Lyrichord, Smithsonian Folkways, Topic Records, and others (see overleaf).
History of the collection
Following John Levy's early, tragic death his collection (and the copyright on all original materials) was bequeathed to the School of Scottish Studies at a time when it was developing its ethnomusicological work alongside the Faculty of Music. Being left by its collector in a state of disarray, the School's priority has been to sort, house and maintain the collection, including its accompanying documentation.
With the help of students and visiting scholars, most of the material has been tagged and indexed. A chronological register of recordings, and a card index (including copies of John Levy's field notes) have also been prepared. Proposed future work includes the development of the resource, and further research and publication programmes.
Bibliography and discography
Items marked with * are available as custom-copy cassette or CD from Smithsonian Folkways.
- John Levy, Immediate Knowledge and Happiness (London 1951)
- John Levy, The Nature of Man According to the Vedanta (Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1956 and 1970)
- Classical Music of India. Recordings and notes by John Levy.Nonesuch H 2014 [Warner]
- Music from South India: Kerala. Recordings and notes by John Levy. Additional notes by Peter Crossley-Holland. Folkways FR 4365 [Folkways F 04365*]
- Music from the Shrines of Ajmer and Mundra. Recordings and notes by John Levy. Tangent TGM 105 [CD: Topic Records TSCD911]
- Review (1973) by Reis W. Flora, Ethnomusicology 17(3):558-60.
- The Music of India, Vol 4: Karnatik Music. UNESCO Musical Anthology of the Orient. Recordings and notes by John Levy. Bärenreiter BM 30L2021 [Rounder Records]
- Review (1970) by Walter Kaufmann, Ethnomusicology 14(1):184-88.
- The Four Vedas. Recordings and notes by John Levy and J.F. Staal. Asch Mankind AHM 4126 (2 LPs) [Smithsonian Folkways F 04126]*
- Review (1972) by Bonnie Wade, Ethnomusicology 16(1):157-58. Review (1974) by Peter Crossley-Holland, Ethnomusicology 18(3):463-67. Review (1975) by Mireille Helffer, Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council 7:180-82. Islamic Liturgy: Song and Dance at a Meeting of Dervishes. Recordings by John Levy. Notes by Martin Lings. Folkways FR 8943 [Folkways F 08943*] Music of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue. Recordings and notes by John Levy. Folkways FR 8961 [Folkways F 08961*] *available as custom-copy cassette or CD from Smithsonian Folkways.
- A Panorama of North Indian Music: Hindustani Recordings and notes by John Levy. CBS / BBC Record Enterprises 63519 [Sony]
- A Panorama of South Indian Music: Karnatic Recordings and notes by John Levy. CBS / BBC Record Enterprises 63257 [Sony]
- Musique Bouddhique de Corée Recordings and notes by John Levy. Vogue LVL 253. [Newly edited CD reissue by Prof. Byongwong Lee in preparation]
- Review (1972) by Barbara B. Smith, Ethnomusicology 16(3):560-63.
- Korean Court Music Recordings and notes by John Levy. Lyrichord LL 7206. [CD reissue Lyrichord 7206]
- Korean Social and Folk Music Recordings and notes by John Levy. Lyrichord LLST 7223 [Cassette reissue Lyrichord 7223]
- Review (1973) by Robert Garfias, Ethnomusicology 17(2):368-72.
- Chinese Buddhist Music Recordings and notes by John Levy. Lyrichord LLST 7222 [Cassette reissue Lyrichord 7222]
- Review (1973) by Dale A. Craig, Ethnomusicology 17(3):570-73.
- Chinese Taoist Music Recordings and notes by John Levy. Lyrichord LLST 7223 [Cassette reissue Lyrichord 7223]
- Chinese Classical Music Recordings and notes by John Levy. BBC Record Enterprises REGL 1.
- Tibetan Buddhist Rites from the Monasteries of Bhutan 3 LPs. Recordings and notes by John Levy. Lyrichord LLST 7255-7 [CD reissue Lyrichord 7255-7]
- Review (1974) by Peter Crossley-Holland, Ethnomusicology 18(3):463-67.
- Review (1975) by Mireille Helffer, Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council 7:180-82.
- Tibetan and Bhutanese Instrumental and Folk Music Recordings and notes by John Levy. Lyrichord LLST 7258 [CD reissue Lyrichord 7258]
- Review (1974) by Peter Crossley-Holland, Ethnomusicology 18(3):463-67.
- Review (1975) by Mireille Helffer, Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council 7:180-82.
- Islamic Liturgy: Song and Dance at a Meeting of Dervishes. Recordings by John Levy. Notes by Martin Lings. Folkways FR 8943 [Folkways F 08943*]
- Music of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue. Recordings and notes by John Levy. Folkways FR 8961 [Folkways F 08961*]
This article was published on Nov 16, 2011