Library of Congress: Windows 95 startup sound "worth preserving for all time"
Every year, the Library of Congress adds 25 sound documents to a list of the most important recordings. This year, Windows 95 and Minecraft are honored.
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The US Library of Congress has added the startup sound of Windows 95 and a Minecraft soundtrack album to its list of audio documents “worthy of preservation for all time”. This was announced by the Research Library of the US Parliament, once again recognizing IT history. Two years ago, the music from the very first “Super Mario” was added to the National Recording Registry. With the latest update, this directory now includes 675 sound documents, and the library holds a total of almost four million sound documents.
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As those responsible explain, the inclusion of Brian Eno's “Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime” is intended to reflect the beginning of the ubiquitous use of PCs in the 1990s. This development gained considerable momentum with Windows 95. With the startup sound, Microsoft wanted to clarify that the operating system was also intended for a non-specialist audience and commissioned music producer Brian Eno with the composition. He supplied 84 sound elements and Microsoft ultimately decided on one that was twice as long as desired. This conveyed a “feeling of welcome, hope, and progress”.
The library justifies the inclusion of the album “Minecraft: Volume Alpha” by the German Daniel Rosenfeld (aka “C418”) with the fact that the music was a decisive factor in the early success of the computer game. This is one of the reasons why it has developed into the cultural phenomenon it is today. Just last week, the Minecraft film was released in cinemas. Rosenfeld's music “fits perfectly with the open design and sandbox environment of the game, which invites players to interact, explore and build free from any narrative constraints,” the statement reads. In addition, the so-called “lo-fi hip-hop” can be traced back to the music of C418.
In addition to the two audio documents of computer (game) history, the library has included albums by Elton John, Chicago, Mary J. Blige and Amy Winehouse as well as songs by Céline Dion and the Steve Miller Band from more than 2,600 nominations in the prestigious list. The album of the first Broadway performances of the hit musical Hamilton is now also part of the list. Two years ago, the library already included the music from “Super Mario” and explained that the central melody of the game from 1985 is one of the pieces of music from gaming history that most people would immediately recognize.
(mho)
