Diskografia - A History of Slovak Sound Recordings: 1900–1946

Robert Bucek

Hardback, 6” x 9", 237 pp w/full color illustrations

Note that this book is written in Slovak, though this is much less of an issue now that there are apps that can instantly translate text using your smart phone.

This volume is the first comprehensive study devoted to shellac gramophone records from Slovakia. It provides insight into the history of sound recording in the world and in Slovakia, maps the development of the gramophone industry in our country during the Austro-Hungarian Empire and after the establishment of Czechoslovakia, and presents, in a richly illustrated chronological overview, all gramophone brands and their labels on which Slovak repertoire appeared during this period. The book also provides an insight into the history of recording sound recordings in the world and in Slovakia, maps the development of the gramophone industry in our country during the Austro-Hungarian Empire and after the establishment of Czechoslovakia, and presents all gramophone brands and their labels on which Slovak repertoire appeared during this period in a richly illustrated chronological overview.

Despite the misleading title, the book itself contains just a history and detailed label directory of Slovak recordings. The discographical portion (listing all known Slovak gramophone recordings recorded between 1900 and 1946) must be downloaded as a separate electronic file. 

Bob Bucek is an educator and music journalist. It can be said that he is the only one in Slovakia who systematically devotes himself to the history of sound recording and their protection, preservation and making it accessible to the public. He graduated from the Technical University in Košice and the Faculty of Education at the University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra. He worked as a teacher at primary and secondary schools in Spišská Nová, Rožňava and Hrabušice. He has been engaged in music journalism since the age of seventeen. In 2021, he published his book debut From Čardáš to Rock and Roll. For the last twelve years, he has been engaged in research in the field of sound recording history and cataloguing Slovak historical sound recordings. He is a member of the international institutions IASA (International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives) and ARSC (Association for Sound Recording Collections). Since 2013, he has been leading the virtual initiative Museum of Slovak Historical Sound Recordings.