As stated in the book's introduction, the aim of this volume is ‘… to promote an understanding of the ways in which recording has both reflected and shaped music throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first …’ (p. 1). In addition to exploring the relationship between sound recording and music, the book also examines cultures of music production and consumption. In the afterword Born notes that the book appears near the end of a decade in which digitisation has impacted on the commercial viability of music recordings as physical objects, an interesting period of transition ‘in music's relations with cultural and economic life’ (p. 287). Consequently, the collection of material in the Companion offers a well timed overview of the impact of recording at a point of significant cultural shift. A notable strength of the Companion is the wide range of material included. This integrates writing from both classical and popular traditions, and includes a variety of methodological approaches.
The Companion is divided into 11 main chapters aimed at developing an understanding of recording and recordings. Most of the chapters include some shorter essays as counterpoint to the main body of the chapter. The inclusion of contributions from practitioners as well as academics helps to provide a diverse range of viewpoints and insights. The first chapter is concerned with studio performance, and explores the different attitudes to studio technology, and the contrasting performance practices, of classical and popular performers. The dichotomy within classical music recording between a documentary approach and a studio-based musical construction also has its parallels in discussions of authenticity in popular music.
Chapter two explores the role of the record producer in a range of musical contexts. This is an important point as the role and approach of a producer varies considerably according to the type of music being recorded. The next chapter is concerned with sound engineering; two short essays augment Zak's discussion of ‘sonic representation’, teamwork and ‘analytic listening’. Martyn Ware (ex Human League) muses on the creative benefits of working with a limited sonic palette, and Witts offers an analysis of Manchester post-punk recording practices, contrasting these with those of other northern cities. While many of the shorter essays in the Companion initially appear to be at a tangent to the preceding longer essay, they provide remarkably concise and interesting insights into aspects of sound recording practices that would not be found in a more linear approach.
Chapter four includes a case study of the internal politics of the recording studio, in this instance exploring recording sessions in South African studios, mostly in the early 1990s. Meintjes unpacks the power dynamic of the recording studio, which is complicated by race and class issues, a microcosm of South African society. The book then shifts focus in the next chapter into an exploration of new ways of listening, and provides a brief historical overview of listening practices in the West. The first five chapters are linked by an underlying theme of listening, whether as performer, producer, engineer or consumer; Chapter five shifts the book's focus from production to consumption.
The following chapters take a more historical approach and trace the development and impact of recording from a number of different viewpoints. Chapter six includes a concise overview of the historical development of the record industry from Edison to the present day. The historical development of recording technology is succinctly explored in Chapter seven. Both of these summaries are ideal for students new to the subject area. Chapter eight moves on to a study of discography and illustrates the problems faced by musicologists when treating a recording as a ‘document of cultural practice’ (p. 6). Interpreting a recording is a complex process, with a particular set of problems that Trevise discusses in some detail. In Chapter nine Cook examines a range of approaches used to analyse recordings. After discussing computer-assisted close listening, Cook explores a range of computer-based approaches that can help to visualise music. These software tools can enable precise analysis of tempo and dynamic interpretation, expanding the range of tools available to the musicologist.
Chapter ten is concerned with the development of performance style in classical music. After discussing the development and shaping of performance style in the pre-gramophone era, Leech-Wilkinson explores the impact of recordings as they contribute to patterns of change in performance style. Since the 1920s, by which time gramophone ownership had become fairly widespread, recordings have acted as a disseminator of stylistic variants. Recordings also allow us to hear changes in performance style as they occur over time, which was impossible in the pre-audio era. Finally, in Chapter eleven Frith documents the rise of the record critic. This essay explains the different approaches to writing about recordings that have been adopted over the years. Four overlapping discourses are discussed, the record as a performance or event, the record as a collectable artefact, the record as an acoustic device, with a focus on its sonic qualities, and the record as a work of art, a stance that developed from rock criticism. Frith also unpacks the relationship between the critic and the consumer. In the afterword Born summarises the Companion and discusses the book within the framework of the Frankfurt school theorists Adorno and Benjamin, notably Benjamin's approach to mechanical reproduction. Born observes the belated interest in recording within Western musicology, and suggests that the Companion ‘… marks a critical shift from the widespread notion of recording as reproduction or copy to a conception of recording as representation’ (p. 300).
This collection of essays offers many useful insights for both musicologists studying Western art music and scholars working within Popular Music Studies. The book covers a wide range of topics within the remit of an exploration of recorded music, an area of study that has seen some noteworthy publications in the last decade. It could be criticised for attempting to cover too much ground, but succeeds due to the quality and diversity of material it includes. The Companion complements the body of published work on sound recording, and adds some interesting perspectives, which have not been addressed in previous academic writing on this topic.
