William C. Lynch Dennis Brain Collection
The William C. Lynch Dennis Brain Collection consists of both commercially released and unpublished recordings of the world renowned British horn player, Dennis Brain (1921-1957), most of which have been obtained via over the air broadcasts. Others are derived from privately recorded performances, on reel-to-reel tape, of solo and orchestral performances from the late 1930s through the late 1950s, which were later transferred onto either disc or alternative tape media.
The donated collection differs from other private Dennis Brain collections as: a) most of its contents exists in digital form, b) the collection is well documented by the donor who acquired its contents largely through exchange, on a work-for-work basis, with other collectors throughout the world, which in turn enabled the collection to grow over a period of many years, c) the proliferation of digital technology and the extent of the Internet which has enabled large numbers of Brain works to be commercially produced and stored on a single digital compact disc by the recording industry. Relational databases now facilitate the search process by providing ready access to a variety of archives including radio stations, libraries, recording studios, music societies, universities, TV broadcast stations, national archives, journals, newspapers, and critic reviews of past era performances, all of which serve to provide an extensive amount of information relating to the life and work of Dennis Brain.