Sound

The technology necessary to record sound was invented at the turn of the 20^th century. Prior to this, sound was ephemeral and tied to the moment, but now it could be conserved and played back at will from various places. The capability to record and play back sound meant that museums now started collecting sounds and acoustic impressions as historical documents. This innovation also radically changed the public’s music consumption, among other things.

The sound documents in the Schaudepot provide you with a representative insight into our collection: it includes political speeches and interviews with famous historical figures as well as music recordings or a systematic recording of all Styrian church bells from the 1960s—which can be heard via the central installation in the room.