Machinas fallantes. A música gravada em Portugal no início do século XX

This volume aims to present the dynamics of social reception in Portugal associated with both the recording technologies and sound reproduction that emerged by the end of the 19th century. In the first years of the twentieth century the "machinas fallantes" ("talking machines" – the common name for any reproducing recorded sound apparatus) were timidly but effectively disseminated throughout shops in Portuguese major cities. However, little was known about its existence and coexistence in Portuguese society. From the embryonic years of the introduction of technology in the country to the formalization of a local industry that had the capacity to produce records in the 1950s, recorded music was symbolized in different ways. At the beginning of the century recorded music was a subordinate and marginal merchandise to the dominant classes consumption; by the early 1930s it experienced a period of broad social acceptance, taking on an aura of social distinction and luxury. Comprising a period of more than 50 years, this book offers a reflection on how these social relations dynamics associated with phonographic goods since its introduction until the mid-twentieth century describe a transformation of mentalities and conceptions of the Portuguese context.

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Machinas fallantes. A música gravada em Portugal no início do século XX