Gramophone and phonograph recordings, 1890 to 1960
Previously known as the “Virtual Gramophone,” this collection provides a snapshot of the Canadian music scene from 1894 to 1960, the era of cylinder and 78 rpm recordings. Also included are some foreign recordings that feature Canadian artists or composers. Search descriptions of the recordings, listen to some digitized songs and see scans of some labels.
On this page
Search tips
- To do a quick search, enter keywords such as title, name or genre in one of the top boxes. You can refine your search by searching these terms more specifically below.
- Optional:
- For Title, enter one or more words you know are in the title.
- For Name enter given name, family name, stage name or name of the person or group who wrote or performed the song.
- For Genre, select from the drop-down list.
- Narrow your results to items with digitized content by clicking either or both of the “Audio file” or “Label image” options.
- Keep in mind the more boxes you tick, the fewer results you will get.
- For Language, select from the drop-down list. Not all descriptions include the language. For the most complete results, select “All.”
- For more advanced options, click “Search specific record info”
- For Release year, enter a specific year or a range of years.
- Only about 30% of the descriptions have complete dates, since the year often wasn’t printed on the label.
- For Label, enter one or more words from the name of the record label that released the recording.
- For Issue number, enter the exact number, including hyphens if present.
- For OCLC number, enter the exact number.
- For Province/Country, select from the drop-down list
- For Release year, enter a specific year or a range of years.
About the recordings
Each description in this collection lists the title, performer, and relevant dates. Other details, like composer or record label, are included when available.
About 7,300 recordings have been digitized and 11,400 labels have been scanned. See “Access the recordings” below.
Other places to look
This collection is a small part of the music recordings we have in our published collection. If you would like to search for others, use the Aurora advanced search:
- Enter keywords, author or title in the boxes at the top of the screen
- Under “Filter by: Format” select “Music”
- Click on “Search” at the bottom of the page
We also have a large collection of sheet music. Search for pieces from the late 1700s to the present with the collection code ot=coll17. See How to search by collection code in Aurora for more help.
For help with searching Aurora generally, see How to do library research or ask us a reference question.
Access the recordings
For recordings that are digitized
Use Collection search to access the digitized recordings:
- Click on the “Check online availability” link in the results list
- Click on “View” to have the item appear on the screen or “Download” to save a copy to your computer. You can then look at it or play it from wherever you saved it.
For recordings that are not digitized
If there is no “Check online availability” link, nothing is available online. The physical recordings can’t be consulted by clients because they are very fragile. If the item you’re looking for isn’t digitized, you have two options:
- If you are able to visit us in Ottawa, you can request a free consultation copy:
- Sign up for a user card if you don’t already have one
- Fill out the Material Retrieval Form
- In the “Type” drop-down, choose “Archival—Special Collections”
This will take about six to eight weeks.
- If you can’t visit in person, you can order a copy for a fee.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask a reference question.
Related links
- The Virtual Gramophone: Early Canadian sound recordings (podcast)
- Playlists: The Virtual Gramophone (online recordings)