Recording technologies, which date back to the late nineteenth century, have affected music more profoundly than any other musical change since the adoption of music notation. This course traces the development of those technologies, with particular attention to the performers, composers, and repertories that have exploited them. Many important figures and movements in twentieth and twenty-first century music are addressed: ragtime, blues, jazz, and rock; Copland, Varèse, Reich; the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Radiohead. Different recording formats - from piano rolls to mp3s - receive particular attention. Prerequisite: (MUSC 105, MUSC 111, MUSC 241, or MUSC 211 taken after Easter 2020) or (MUSC 105, MUSC 101, MUSC 141, or MUSC 151 taken before Summer 2020).