Marie Tapscott Slocombe (1912–1995) founded the
BBC Sound Archive
The BBC Sound Archive is a collection of audio recordings maintained by the BBC and founded in 1936. Its recordings date back to the late 19th century and include many rare items, including contemporary speeches by public and political figures, fo ...
in 1936. Her keen interest in audio recordings and
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
have made her legacy important in the history of
recorded sound
Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording ...
.
Early life and career
Born in 1912, Slocombe studied at
Lady Margaret Hall,
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, where she gained a
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
in
French.
As a secretary in the
Foreign Office she undertook temporary work at the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 1936, and as part of this work was tasked to sort out and dispose of "a pile of dusty broadcast discs."
On discovering that these included speeches and readings by contemporary figures such as
and others, instead of disposing of them, she realised their historical significance and resolved to preserve them.
In these early days, the BBC had only one sound recording machine, a
for retention was expensive; this led to "indifference, even opposition" from BBC management.