Preservation and Restoration of Magnetic Tape Recordings
Memory is an essential mechanism in the study of music, as well as an indispensable tool in the creation of new musical expressions. Musical memory enables us to create a connection between the past and the future. However, to ensure its continuity, it is imperative that processes of restoration and preservation of cultural heritage are developed in the present.
This research aims to comprehend the importance of these processes through the study of musical recordings on magnetic tape. The archives of this type of medium require a particularly treatment, which is not always followed by institutions within the GLAM sector. This deficiency may, in the future, restrain access to content, resulting in the loss of cultural heritage.
Therefore, it is essential to create mechanisms that simplify and optimize the processes of recovery, processing, and reutilization of content pertaining to these media, thereby facilitating the establishment of databases that enhance ease of access. As such, this study anchors on the digitization, documentation, and restoration of magnetic tape recordings.
This study is based on the work of recovery and preservation of the magnetic tape recordings archive of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, conducted at NOVA University of Lisbon – School of Social Sciences and Humanities (NOVA FCSH), by the company ReSTAGE – From Archives to Audiences: Empowering Cultural Institutions, in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Sociology and Musical Aesthetics (CESEM), at LaPRA (Audio Preservation and Restoration Laboratory).
This archive contains recordings made in Portugal from the 1960s to the 1990s. It includes not only recordings of live musical performances promoted by the Gulbenkian Foundation but also audio recordings from various sociocultural contexts.
This project intends to demonstrate how a comparative analysis between the media from the various periods and the current landscape of music in Portugal motivates research on certain characteristics of the Portuguese musical context. The collection’s diverse content stimulates a reflection on themes, such as the study of significant events in the history of music in Portugal, the characterization of music education in specific periods, and the changes in the curation of contemporary music.
Additionally, some recordings of live performances may represent invaluable musical and historical treasures to the history of music, including premières and national debuts of works by both Portuguese and foreign composers.
This investigation allows reflection on fundamental moments in Portugal’s cultural life during these periods, serving as a resource for the study of the sociocultural and political contexts, thanks to the preservation of musical memory.
Keywords: magnetic tape recordings, archive preservation and restoration, music memory
Biography
Pedro Almeida (1997) is a Portuguese transdisciplinary artist, drummer, percussionist, composer, and researcher at CESEM, where, in collaboration with NOVA-FCSH, works on the restoration and preservation of the musical archive of magnetic tape recordings from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Completed his bachelor’s degree in Musicology and master’s degree in Musical Arts at NOVA-FCSH. During his master’s, did an internship at the audiovisual production company TOCA, where he worked as a composer and music producer. This internship led to his thesis: “Acoustic Ecology and Sound Pollution in the Ocean: Application in Musical Composition for Audiovisual Media.”
Studied Jazz Drumming at the Luiz Villas-Boas Jazz School (Hot Club Portugal).
As a professional musician he’s a founding member of the bands Ossos D’Ouvido, Koshi Blu, and Zazu Lab, and also works with A Sul, Rossana, Joana Alegre, Clauthewitch, Dela Marmy, Eunice Barbosa, and José Rego.
CESEM, Portugal – palmeida@fcsh.unl.pt