JISC Digitisation Programme

The four thousand 18th and 19th century ballads that make up the Welsh Ballads Digitisation project at Cardiff University have gone live on a new website.

The project has made around 15,000 pages of rare Welsh ballads available online.  The collection also includes some of the ballads sung and available digitally.

The ballads give an unparalleled glimpse into Welsh society during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Cardiff University’s Dr Wyn James stated that the ballads:

“were the daily newspapers for the poor throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and were sold cheaply and widely at markets, fairs, and villages.  They communicated news on local matters and overseas events of the day”.

The ballads launch has also attracted some interest nationally, with BBC Wales reporting on the story online.  To find out more you can visit the Ballads webpages at the National Library of Wales.

Over 2000 recordings by British and Irish Muscians have been digitised and made available online in a project by Kings College, London.

The Musicains of Britain and Ireland 1900-1950 project is allowing listeners and researchers to rediscover leading musicians who were once household names.

Most of the recordings are making their first public appearance since they came out on shellac over 60 years ago and are linked to a range of research resources about the history of recording to help people make the most of the collection.

The discs were selected specifically to highlight world-class British and Irish performers recorded between 1900 and 1950, especially artists neglected by the newly-formed EMI after the merger of the Gramophone Co and Columbia in 1931.

For more information about this project and to listen to some samples,visit the JISC webpages

All the tracks and many more are all available on the CHARM website.