Sound of History Podcast

A quick look at escapism, and how it has shaped fashion and culture throughout history.

Uncovering the hidden history of country music.   Donate to the podcast here:   https://ko-fi.com/soundofhistory

An art history episode about the women who painted through visions, spirits, and energy: Hildegard of Bingen, Georgiana Houghton, Hilma af Klint and Emma Kunz. Donate to the podcast here: https://ko-fi.com/soundofhistory

Haunting hits for a strange season: Songs from 1898 to 1913. Dark, weird & catchy songs for eerie nights..   Track list: Pete Zabriskie - Who´s there? Collins; Cullen - Eli Green´s Cake Walk Premier Quartet- Washington Waddle Standard Male Quartette - Everybody´s Doing It Now  Joyce Archibald and His Orchestra - I´ll Gance Till De Sun Breaks Through Belle Davis - Just Because She Made Dem Goo-Goo Eyes  Mr Frank S. Mazziolli - Long Long Ago Trinity Choir - There Is A Fountain Fill´d With Blood Peerless Quartet - At The Devils Ball Polk Miller And His Old South Quartette - What A Time The Leeds Choral Union - Very Boastful Was I-A-Goo Gilmore´s Band - At A Georgia Camp Meeting George W. Johnson - Laughing Song George P. Watson - Roll On Silver Moon Unknown - Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight

Tracing how "world music" was first captured, collected, and commercialized.

Listen to the story of the Con Queen of the Belle Époque, Therese Humbert. But what does her story have to do with Henri Matisse and the birth of modern art? In this episode, we explore a tale of scandal, ambition, and artistic revolution.

Exploring the origins of the synthesizer and the birth of electronic music.

This episode explores the birth of the commercial music industry and the creation of pop music, while also uncovering the world’s first indie hit song.

A special holiday episode featuring a summertime playlist of songs from 1899 to 1906. Track list: 1. Marie De Reszke - Au Rossignol 2. Edison Symphony Orchestra - Birds of Spring 3. Unknown - I'm Just Barely Living Dat's All 4. Unknown - Oh, Didn't He Ramble 5. Harry A. Yerkes - Happy Heinie 6. Dinwiddie Colored Quartet - Gabriel's Trumpet 7. Haydn Quartet - In the Sweet Bye and Bye 8. Fredrick W. Hager - Ragtime Violin 9. Unknown - Nearer My God to Thee 10. Anna Hellström - I Villande Skogen Jag Vallar 11. Edward F. Rubsam - Marriage Bells 12. Unknown - Lead Kindly Light 13. Standard Quartette - When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder 14. Mendelssohn Mixed Quartette - Home, Sweet Home

A story about the short-lived and tragic friendship between Richard Gerstl, a visionary painter ahead of his time, and Arnold Schoenberg, a radical composer who helped bring atonality into modern music - and how their relationship may have shaped and inspired each other's work.

We dive into the Cakewalk dance craze popularized by Dora Dean, celebrate the first all-Black Broadway show starring Bert Williams, and uncover the story of Pete Hampton, a pioneering black performer who made over 150 recordings in Europe.

Listen to the stories and work of remarkable Black women like Arabella Fields and Belle Davis, who lived and performed in Europe over a century ago. Their voices, their talent, and their determination deserve so much more recognition than history has given them.  Check out The Ambientscape Project website

Composer, muse, and magnetic force in early 20th-century Europe, Alma Mahler was far more than a beautiful face. She captivated (and inspired) some of the greatest artists of her time, including Gustav Mahler, whose towering musical legacy was shaped in part by their intense and complicated relationship.

This episode explores the life and mind of Alexander Scriabin, a mystic pianist who believed music could unlock unseen forces, saw color in sound, and dreamed of a symphony so powerful it might end the world (or start a new one). Discover how his bold ideas and hypnotic music reshaped the boundaries of classical composition, and why his legacy still sparks fascination today.

This episode is about three very different opera singers - the world's most famous superstar from 100 years ago, an eerie relic from the past (⚠️trigger warning) and lastly an opera diva with delusions of grandeur who has one of the worst singing voices in history.

In the bohemian circles of 1890s Paris, Claude Debussy and Erik Satie formed an unlikely friendship that evolved into a complex artistic rivalry. Polar opposites in style and personality, they reshaped classical music forever.  

A musical journey through the evolution of ragtime, from its first published pieces in the 1800s to its transformation into early jazz by the 1920s. We also delve into the ragtime revival of the 1970s and the story of a World War I hero, along with other fascinating discoveries.

In this episode, we delve into an important piece of music history, exploring some of the very first African American groups ever recorded. Along the way, I uncovered some incredible songs that deserve to be heard. And what better time to share them than during Black History Month.

In this episode we go back to the basics, exploring the origins of sound recording. Delving into the groundbreaking work of early pioneers like Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, who captured sound waves with his phonautograph in the 1850s, years before Thomas Edison’s phonograph. We also listen to an early commercial recording of Emile Berliner, and revisit one of the songs played as the Titanic sank, among other things.    

In the very first episode of Sound of History, I talk about Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, the events that led up to World War I, the aftermath of WWI and how America became the country that dominated western pop culture influence.