Every year, the US Library of Congress chooses 25 audio pieces to be add to the National Recording Registry, aimed at preserving recordings which are “culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States”.
“This year’s National Recording Registry list is an honor roll of superb American popular music from the wide-ranging repertoire of our great nation,” Robbin Ahrold, chair of the National Recording Preservation Board, said in a statement. “[F]rom Hawaii to Nashville, from iconic jazz tracks to smash Broadway musicals, from Latin superstars to global pop sensations – a parade of indelible recordings spanning more than a century.”
This year, along with hits from US singer Tracy Chapman, Canadian singer Celine Dion, and several tracks from British artists, the recordings include the Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime and the Minecraft soundtrack. While many of these tracks – including the whole Back to Black album by British singer Amy Winehouse – come from non-American creators, the tracks are deemed important or culturally significant to American life.
Joining such recordings as Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech this year is “Minecraft: Volume Alpha” by German electronic musician Daniel Rosenfeld under the alias C418, and the Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime, composed by English musician Brian Eno.
“The 1990s witnessed the beginning of ubiquitous use of personal computing that is a familiar aspect of the world today. This revolution gained significant momentum in August 1995 with the release by Microsoft of the Windows 95 operating system,” the Library of Congress explains of the decision. For the new operating system, Microsoft wanted to include a start-up sound, and selected Eno to compose it.
“Eno delivered 84 sound elements to the Microsoft designers, who ultimately selected a sound almost twice as long as requested but which they felt conveyed the sense of welcome, hopefulness, and progress that they envisioned.”
The Minecraft soundtrack, while selected partially due to its undeniable impact on US culture, was also chosen for its influence.
“Inspired by pioneers of intelligent dance music such as Aphex Twin and the ambient music of Brian Eno, Rosenfeld’s original soundtrack to the game, compiled on the 2011 release ‘Minecraft: Volume Alpha,’ provides a soothing and inviting backdrop to the video game’s open-world environment, creating instant nostalgia in the process,” the Library of Congress explains.
“The influence of C418’s music can be traced through the proliferation of ambient scores appearing in video games since Minecraft’s initial release, as well as the cultural phenomenon of ‘lo-fi hip-hop,’ which grew in popularity during the late 2010s and shares many of the same calming and nostalgic musical aesthetics as those found in Minecraft’s original score.”
This is just the second time that music from video games has been preserved, with the theme from Super Mario Bros being added in 2023.
As well as these tracks, more traditional recordings were on the list, including “Fly Like an Eagle” by the Steve Miller Band, “Bitches Brew” by Miles Davis, a recording of the Hamilton musical, and a radio broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.
“These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture. The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation, including iconic music across a variety of genres, field recordings, sports history, and even the sounds of our daily lives with technology.”
Source Link: Minecraft Music And Microsoft's Windows 95 Reboot Chime Added To US "National Playlist"
