Archiving 2010

As the SABC Radio Archives Sport Archivist in Johannesburg I have the responsibility to look after all English and Afrikaans radio sport programming after the fact.

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup happening and Radio 2000, SAFM and RSG broadcasting all the matches live, as it happened, it brought a few challenges.

1. Recordings of all the matches had to be made;
2. it had to be available almost immediately after each match and so,
3. real time recordings were not an option.

For the recordings we used a program called Netlog, which log the entire broadcast of a Radio Service for 24 hours. To isolate each soccer match we used a scheduling function. So, immediately after a match the audio, according to a predetermined schedule, was downloaded onto a hard drive. All journalists and producers who needed it, was given 'read only' access to these audio files through mapping to their PC's to a 'shared folder' on the SABC U drive. Strict access control applied.

This meant that any sport journalist, commentator or producer could have access to the entire match within minutes of the final whistle.

All audio files were saved with clear and accessible file names to avoid any confusion.

Most of the matches ended 'after' normal working hours and having an archivist on duty 24-7 was not an option. Using the above approach all commentary was available on-line almost without any human intervention at the time of the match.

Up to this time a match was just available on a file name. Proper metadata still needed to be added to ensure maximum accessibility.

This happened first thing every morning. Each match was catalogued in full onto NDM 'Natural Document Management,' the Radio Archives Database.

A duplicate double CD (1st and 2nd half) copy of each match was also burned, both in English and Afrikaans.

Using this method all matches, in two languages, was available on the Radio Archives database, on CD and on a shared drive shortly after the end of each broadcast.

This assisted largely with the editing of highlights and the production of special programming during and shortly after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

No backlog from the World Cup exists and the focus immediately could be shifted onto the other national and international sports in and around South Africa and its sports teams and individuals e.g. the Springbok rugby team playing in the 2010 Vodacom Tri-Nations and Louis Oosthuizen winning the 2010 British Open Golf Tournament at St. Andrews.

A few interesting figures:

In total 113 broadcasts was catalogued with an average of 1:45:00 per match.

- Johann Greyling, Archivist: Sport, SABC Radio Archives

Audio Restoration prepared a recording of Nikola Petrovic, “My heart is a Violin”

Nikola Petrovic was born in 1918 in Osijek, Yugoslavia. He gave his first public concert at the age of seven. After studying on a state bursary, he pursued a career which has included posts as leader of the Belgrade Opera Orchestra, The Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra, The Suisse Romande and The National Symphony Orchestra of the SABC. A superb soloist, he has pursued a parallel career in light music, performing in the music halls of Copenhagen as a Star soloist, and as a featured artists in the famous “Champs-Elysees” spectacular. Here a selection of his favourite “Lollipops” is accompanied (variously) by Francois du Toit and Melanie Horne (Piano).

"My heart is a violin" was appropriately placed as the first item in this selection of favourite violin music. In such hands the violin is assuredly close to the heart. Delicate and wistful, a slight tendency to treat the theme rhythmically, followed closely by dialogue between violin and piano brings the main tune back to a satisfying close.

"Danube Waves", known to countless budding pianists of yesteryear under its German title “Donauwellen”, by Ivanovici came to light in the early fifties as a vocal number “The Anniversary Song”. It’s a poignant tune contrasting with a more animated section before returning to a close.

In "Sleepy Shores" the melodic lines in the violin part are carried over a firm backing by the accompanying piano part.

In "Dark Eyes", the G string,  from the lower range of the violin, is made to sing out this somber tune full of pathos and yearning. A short pizzicato section presents itself before violin and piano plunge into a lively two four section of the real gipsy stuff.

"Memory" (from CATS) has a lovely, warm melody. Nikola handles it with exquisite good taste. The well-controlled emotional style does ample justice to the excellent tune.

"Nocturne (op. 9 No. 2)" from the standard repertoire of any pianist worthy of the name, this transcription for violin and piano loses nothing and presents the piece in an entirely new guise. The violin cadenza which brings the piece to a close is of special interest.

In "Sole Mio", often heard in its vocal version, the violin opens in true Grapelli style.  Completely divorced from the regular beat,  Nikola drifts casually into tango rhythm.  For the reprise the piano takes the lead, with violin responding in lightly articulated fashion.

"Schön Rosmarin" is possibly the most loved of Fritz Kreisler’s pieces for the medium, his “Liebesfreud” and “Liebesleid” notwithstanding. It sparkles like champagne and Nikola gives it a well controlled, conventional rendering.

The above recording was done by Clive Gaunt and Des Scheepers, and it was Recorded at P1,  Cape Town in 1987. The Producer was Dave Williams.

- Maryna Barnard, SABC Audio Restoration

Workshop: “Music in Digital Libraries and Archives”: Stuttgart Media University, 3-8 May 2010

My visit to Germany to attend the workshop “Music in Digital Libraries and Archives” was made possible by Bibliothek & Information International (BII) which is the standing committee of Bibliothek & Information Deutschland. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to them as well as the following people who organised the workshop and attended to our every need while in Stuttgart: Professor Ingeborg Simon, course manager of the M.A. Course Library and Information Management and Ms Katrin Sauermann, Coordinator of International Affairs, Department of Library and Information Management, both from the Stuttgart Hochschule der Medien. I am also grateful to my employer, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, and my manager, Ms Ilse Assmann for giving me the chance to attend this workshop.

My expectations for this course were mainly to gather information about the latest programs and working methods in safeguarding and digitally preserving sheet music for the future. The SABC Music Library where I work is a fairly small library which was started as supporting library for the National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa. We house approximately 24 000 different music scores which include orchestral scores and vocal scores as well as choral music and chamber music. At present we have no permanent orchestra at the SABC and the scores and orchestral instruments are hired out to professional orchestras and musicians.

Some of these unique and valuable scores are becoming very old and worn and the ideal would be to digitally scan and preserve them for the future. A digitisation development program is in progress at the SABC and I felt sure that I would obtain some valuable information regarding the subject at this course.

On the first day of the workshop I met some of the university personnel, the two teachers, Jürgen Diet from the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and Silke Sewing from the Deutsches Musikarchiv of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and my fellow students. We were 9 course attendants from 9 different countries – Canada, Dominican Republic, Poland, Estonia, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Kenya and South Africa. Because the workshop was presented in English, language didn’t present a problem and we got along easily from the start. With all of us coming from music, library or information science backgrounds, it was soon apparent that we had similar interests, problems and questions regarding the digitising of print and sound collections.

Within the first couple of days’ classes I came to realize that, even in today’s technological environment, the safest way to preserve information is probably to have a properly published and preserved hard copy or book which is stored in ideal conditions. Similarly, vinyl or shellac discs or records in a pristine state and kept under ideal conditions still seem to be the best way to preserve sound recordings. The current problem is similar in all mediums - software incompatibility and the speed with which computer and other technology is developing are becoming their own enemy, as equipment and media become obsolete or unusable. Jürgen Diet quoted the following tongue-in-the-cheek saying from the digital library environment: “Digital documents last for five years or forever, whichever comes first.”

Herr Diet presented the first few days’ classes. Because he comes from a computer science background and is a musician himself, he was well qualified to introduce us to MusicXML, Parsons code, SharpEye software (making use of OMR – Optical Mark Recognition) and composition and notation programs such as Finale and Sibelius. He dealt with digital music formats including uncompressed audio formats such as AIFF, WAV and BWF, and compressed audio formats such as mp3, AAC and WMA as well as image formats for sheet music and music manuscripts. Entity-relationship modelling, FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) and digital projects such as Probado and Variations2 and Variations3 were discussed in detail.

We were given practical exercises for every chapter of work finished, which meant that we could immediately obtain experience in working with some of the concepts and programs introduced. He also presented lectures on the Bavarian State Library, the audio material in Europeana, ViFaMusik and mentioned the plans to integrate RISM (Repertoire International des Sources Musicales) and Probado with ViFaMusik, and the Nestor competence (Network of Expertise in long-term STOrage of digital Resources).

After Wednesday morning’s classes, we strolled through the Schlossgarten and down the ‘Culture Mile’ of Stuttgart, past the Opera House to the impressive and modern State University of Music and Performing Arts where we enjoyed a hearty lunch before tackling the Stadtbücherei Stuttgart.

Shelves in the Stuttgart City Library

What I found interesting at the City Library is the fact that music scores, books and cd’s are not separated, but actually kept right next to each other, as can be seen from the photograph above. This makes it easier to find for example a music score together with sound recordings of the same work, as well as books about the same work or composer. Their on-line catalogue is supported by Bond Library systems and software. Members can take out up to fifty items at a time for a very reasonable annual membership fee. Their collection is at present already too big for the current accommodation but a new library is being built (close to the Stuttgart Media University) and should be completed by 2011. The library personnel members are excited and very involved in planning the layout of the new library.

Next on our list was the Württembergische Landesbibliothek or State Library Stuttgart, also on Konrad Adenauerstrasse. This is a legal deposit library which means that by law, the library must receive two copies of every work that is published or released in Baden-Württemburg. Legal deposit libraries therefore receive a large amount of material every week which needs to be classified and catalogued.

In this library we were not only impressed by the sheer size of the collection, but also fascinated by the impressive apparatus used to make digital copies of the books. The first consists of a machine designed by Hensel StudioTechnik which allows the pages to be perfectly photographed by a normal camera while the book is not completely opened. This prevents damage to the spine of the book, which would be a risk when using a normal flatbed scanner. Physical handling is kept to a minimum. The photographs are then edited and stored on computer. The program used for this storage is called Goobi digital library modules. Goobi stands for Göttingen online-objects binaries.

 

The pages are photographed …

and saved to computer.


Another fascinating machine is the line scanner below, called a “Grazer Kameratisch", which automatically turns the pages of the book once they have been scanned, thus also minimising physical handling and the risk of damage to old and delicate books.

Scanner at the State Library

We also visited the music library section in the State Library, where the personnel went out of their way to show us some valuable original scores from their collection, ranging from works by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach to an opera score by Paul Hindemith.

Conductor’s score of a Paul Hindemith opera with remarks handwritten by the composer

Silke Sewing started with her presentations on Thursday. She dealt with the difficulties in digitising and preserving sound, discussing Edison cylinders, Berliner discs, shellac and vinyl discs and the problematic cd-family (including DVD-Audio and Blu-ray discs). A part of the work program consisted of studying and discussing the IASA guidelines. Other subjects presented by Ms Sewing included long-term preservation, metadata and persistent identifiers, PREMIS and Dublin Core, the Theseus-Projects Contentus and Alexandria as well as a license model from Denmark. Also the XML Schema METS (Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard)

An interesting aspect for me was the project being developed in Switzerland called VisualAudio whereby audio discs can be photographed by a special camera. The films/photos can then be stored as digitised images which could be transformed back into sound.

Shellac discs can also be played with a laser beam, but the playback equipment is very expensive and the sound is very bad, as the laser picks up dust and every little imperfection.

Ms Sewing also gave two of our colleagues a chance to tell us something about their work and projects – Tiina Tollonen from the Oulu University of Applied Sciences in Finland talked about the university’s digital score library “Notelibrary” and “eConcerthouse”, and Polina Proutskova who is completing her doctorate in ethnomusicology in England spoke about her field research into rural Russian folk-music.

On Thursday evening I was privileged to attend an amazing Meisterkonzert in the Beethoven-Saal of the Liederhalle, Stuttgart. The Dresden Staatskapelle conducted by the Estonian maestro Neeme Järvi performed a stunning Richard Strauss programme, opening with “Walzerfolge Nr 1” from “Der Rosenkavalier”, followed by five songs – Rosenband op.36 nr 1, Ständchen op.17 nr. 2, Waldseligkeit op.49 nr.1, Morgen op.27 nr.4 and Allerseelen op.10 nr.8, all beautifully sung by soprano Christiane Oelze. After the interval the orchestra performed “Also sprach Zarathustra” Op. 30 and both at the end of Ms Oelze’s lieder and the end of the concert the audience were on their feet demanding encores. It was definitely one of the highlights of my week in Germany!

The workshop was not all work and no play, however. Amongst other memorable occasions we went out to a Schwäbische restaurant in Stuttgart to have typical Maultaschen, Rostbraten and Käsespätzle. We also met at a lovely small Greek restaurant to enjoy some superb Greek food and good company. This gave us time to get to know each other, to share some experiences and for some lively discussions!

The best outing was on the Friday night –we were invited by Professor Simon to a cheese and wine farewell party at her house, and we went up the mountain by zahnrad (an electric rack railway). This railway, which is affectionately called Zacke by Stuttgart residents, runs from the Marienplatz in town up to Degerloch, along the Alte Weinsteige. It climbs a height of 205 m and afforded us a lovely view of Stuttgart by night.

There was also just enough time to visit the Frühlingsfest at Cannstadt and for a quick walk and lunch in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. My visit to Germany was complete with a visit to the nearby university town of Tübingen with its little shops and the lovely Neckar river.

When I arrived at Stuttgart airport to return to South Africa, my flight to Paris had been cancelled because of the Eyjafjallajokul volcano in Iceland! I therefore had an extra night in Stuttgart and was fortunate to fly back to South Africa via Schiphol and landed in Johannesburg only 12 hours later than originally planned. I was totally overwhelmed by all I experienced but very grateful for the chance to have been in Stuttgart

to attend this workshop.

Neckar river in Tübingen

Please find some useful links below:

Stuttgart Media University http://www.hdm-stuttgart.de/bi/startseite

Probado http://www.probado.de/en/home.do.htm

ViFaMusik http://www.vifamusik.de/

Nestor http://www.langzeitarchivierung.de/eng/

Europeana http://www.europeana.eu/portal/

Theseus http://www.theseus-programm.de/en-us/about-thesues/default.aspx

Münchener Digitalisierungszentrum http://www.digital-collections.de/index.html

VisualAudio http://visualaudio.project.eia-fr.ch/publications/IASAjourn.pdf

IASA http://www.iasa-web.org/tc04/audio-preservation

Goobi http://www.goobi.org/

Report by Suzette Lombard, Principal Music Librarian, SABC Music Library

Live concerts is the way to live!

For those of you who have never attended live concerts, let me share some of the joys of attending a live performance. Firstly, there is the wonderful experience of getting close and personal with your favourite musicians; then there is of course the pleasure of getting goose pimples when that sound of the violin, horn or guitar pierces through your skin, or when your most admirable soprano hits that very high note and you can feel it cruising through your veins.

Well, for me, I recently had an addition to my list of thrills for attending a live performance. I recently took three friends to the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance, two of whom were seeing a symphony concert for the very time. When they told me it was their first time, I remembered my first symphony concert attendance - I fell asleep about ten minutes into the programme. When I went back the second time, I managed to stay up a little bit longer, and now I’ll do anything to get a ticket! What I found amusing was the fact that people held their coughs and sniffs until the end of a movement. It turns out my friends also found this very peculiar, but now being the more informed one, I explained to them why.

Considering my first experience, I had warned my friends that sometimes the slow movements can hush one to sleep. I told them how they must dress and that they should not clap until the end, etcetera. I have to confess, I was expecting them to dose off at some point, considering the fact that we share the same background, i.e. of complete non exposure to such music. I was so curious about how they felt that I asked them if I could interview them for an article to which they agreed.

To my astonishment, both first comers, Jimmy and Nokwanda said they enjoyed the concert so much they would come back again. Jimmy, who was sitting next to me, could not stop starring at the pianist, Katya Apekisheva, who played Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Opus 37 in C minor. He was simply taken aback by her performance. Nokwanda related that she loved the performance because it was not something she was used to. For her, it was the beauty of experiencing something different. Wilson, who said it was his third symphony concert attendance, said it was the sound of the instruments that took his breath away.

When asked what it was that they didn’t like about the concert, the first thing that came up was the fact that there were very few black people, both on and off the stage, an observation which I have also made throughout the years. To this my response was that it is not because black people don’t like the music, it is because for a long time it was reserved for a few and therefore most were never exposed to it. It is only now that more young black people are starting to get involved with serious music as the subject of music is introduced into more black schools and communities.

In conclusion, just as it will take a long time for South Africa to undo the damage caused by apartheid, it will also take a long time for black people to get more involved in serious or classical music, but the journey has already begun.

By Iggy Madalane
SABC Music Library

Media Libraries CSI project

The SABC Media Libraries have embarked on a Corporate Social Investment Project since 2007. The Manger Care Centre in Benoni, specifically with Blessings and Las Vegas Creche, are the main receivers of the investment. Blessings houses unemployed men. The Las Vegas Creche is situated in Etwatwa and is run by a lady called Elizabeth who looks after 50 – 60 children aged 1 – 6.

The following has already been donated:

• Stainless steel sinks, a medical aid kit and blankets were donated;
• Fruit trees were planted;
• Stationary and a cot were donated;
• Christmas Parties were held for the kids;
• Seed and seedlings were donated, as well as bedding and curtains;
• Most recently a 200 set linen donation were received from the FIFA Organizing Committee of UJ.

The Media Library is very proud of this project, since most donations and funding come from the staff of the Media Library. Fund raising activities such as the selling of hot dogs are done twice a year. External donations came from The University of Johannesburg, Clover Danone, Starke Ayres.

On Mandela Day on 16th July the Media Libraries will visit Blessings to deliver clothing, books and other stuff. See the SABC Media Libraries website for more info and photos.

Monica van Deventer and the CSI Committee 

Goodbye Giuseppe "Spaghetti" Valetti

A lot has been written since Wednesday night about one of the kings of Springbok Radio, Gordon Mulholland.  He could also be heard in "General Motors on Safari", "33 Half Moon Street" and a couple of dramas.  So, without saying what has been said before, here is a list of programs in the SABC Radio Archives in which his memory will live on in sound!  Rest in peace, Guiseppe!

SERVICE RADIO SOUTH AFRICA
CLASS INTERVIEW
PROGRAM KALEIDOSCOPE
TITLE GORDON MULHOLLAND
CONCEPT NOREEN ALEXANDER IN CONVERSATION WITH SA ACTOR, GORDON MULHOLLAND ABOUT HIS ACTING CAREER SPANNING 40 YEARS AND HIS VIEWS ON SA ACTING AWARDS
CATNO T 87/751
RECORDBC 19860120
DURATION 5:26

SERVICE RADIO SOUTH AFRICA
CLASS INTERVIEW
PROGRAM LIMELIGHT
TITLE GORDON MULHOLLAND
CONCEPT PATRICIA GLYN IN CONVERSATION WITH ACTOR GORDON MULHOLLAND ABOUT HIS LATEST SHOW, A ONE-MAN SHOW ENTITLED 'GORDON BLEU'
CATNO T 92/565
RECORDBC 19911217
DURATION 6.30
PRODUCER GLYN PATRICIA
CONTENTS 'GORDON BLEU' - MOTIVATIONS FOR THIS ONE-MAN SHOW - ABOUT THE SHOW ITSELF - COMPILATION OF SONG, DANCE AND CHAT - WHERE DOES HE GET ALL HIS DIALOGUE - TRAVELS ABROAD - TRAINING - HIS GREATEST STRENGHT - LONELY PART OF SHOW - ROLE MODELS - REX GARNER – PETER ELLIOT

SERVICE SPRINGBOK RADIO
CLASS SERIAL
PROGRAM GENERAL MOTORS ON SAFARI
CONCEPT A PROGRAM BRINGING THE AFRICAN BUSHVELD OF TODAY AND YESTERDAY TO YOU BY MEANS OF DRAMATISED FACT, FICTION AND TRUE LIFE DOCUMENTARY
PART OF THE FRANS ERASMUS COLLECTION
RECORDBC 1967-1968
Gordon was one of the actors
6 programs available

SERVICE RADIO SOUTH AFRICA
CLASS INTERVIEW
PROGRAM 'AT PADDY'S PLACE'
TITLE THE LAST 'AT PADDY'S PLACE'
CONCEPT THE LAST PROGRAMME OF THIS SERIES
CATNO T 85/1232
RECORDBC 19851228
DURATION 30:30
PRODUCER O'BYRNE ~ PADDY
CONTENTS PADDY O'BYRNE LOOKS BACK OVER THREE YEARS WITH EXTRACTS OF INTERVIEWS WITH CHARLES FORTUNE SUE MCGREGOR GORDON MULHOLLAND JOYCE PARKER JOHN ROBBIE (SPRINGBOK FLYHALF) AND PAMELA DEAL

SERVICE SPRINGBOK RADIO
CLASS AKTUALITEIT
PROGRAM SARIE 1985-TOEKENNINGS/SARIE 1985 AWARDS
TITLE SARIE 1985-TOEKENNINGS/SARIE 1985 AWARDS
CONCEPT SPRINGBOKRADIO SE LAASTE SARIE-TOEKENNINGS IS TYDENS 'N NOSTALGIESE GELEETHEID AAN DIE WENNERS OORHANDING. DIE AANBIEDERS WAS GORDON MULHOLLAND EN AMANDA STRYDOM. THE FINAL SARIE AWARDS OF SPRINGBOK RADIO WERE HANDED TO THE WINNERS ON A NOSTALGIC OCCASSION. THE PRESENTERS WERE GORDON MULHOLLAND AND AMANDA STRYDOM.
CATNO TM 2194(85)
RECORDBC 19851121
DURATION 50:00

Dramas in which he played:
• The Cassius Touch – 1971
• Trelawny of the Wells - 19650/09/29
• The day of Good Hope – 1958/05/28
• Dear Brutus – 1963/10/03
• Hamlet – 1969/06/28
• A Sea Change – 1990/09/19
• The Fortress – 1967/03/18
• The Flower Seller – Unknown date
• The years of the locust – 1966/09/29
• While Rome burned – 1966/11/02
• The Bachelor – 1965/04/14
• A Question of loving – 1965/04/08

-Retha Buys, Custodian: Springbok Radio, SABC Radio Archives