International Library of African Music

The Hugh Tracey Archive preserves the pioneering work of Hugh Tracey (1903–1977), a British-born ethnomusicologist whose lifelong dedication to documenting and understanding African music helped transform global perceptions of the continent’s cultural heritage.

Tracey’s engagement with African music began in 1921, when he left Devonshire, England, to join his brother Leonard on a tobacco farm in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Working alongside Karanga farm workers, he learned their language, songs, and traditions, developing a profound appreciation for the social and spiritual role of music in their daily lives. His early experiences revealed the richness and sophistication of African musical expression—an understanding that stood in stark contrast to the dismissive attitudes of many colonial educators, missionaries, and officials of the time.

Convinced of the intrinsic value of African music, Tracey committed himself to its preservation and study. In 1929, he made his first recordings with the Columbia Recording Company (London), travelling to Johannesburg with fourteen Karanga musicians to capture what would become the first published recordings of indigenous Rhodesian music. These recordings gained international attention; several were later presented by John Hammond of CBS at Carnegie Hall in New York during a landmark concert showcasing African and African American musical traditions.

Over the following decades, Tracey undertook extensive field recording expeditions across sub-Saharan Africa, amassing one of the most comprehensive and influential collections of traditional African music ever compiled. His landmark publication, the Sound of Africa series— comprising 210 long-playing records— was accompanied by detailed ethnographic notes, linguistic data, and contextual analysis, reflecting his commitment to both the scientific study and cultural celebration of African musical heritage.

As Tracey himself reflected in 1973:

“The history of this collection of authentic African music, songs, legends and stories is in many ways a personal one. It dates back to the early 1920s when I first sang and wrote down the words of African songs I heard in the tobacco fields of Southern Rhodesia.”

Today, the Hugh Tracey Archive stands as a vital resource for researchers, musicians, and cultural historians. It not only safeguards the sonic memory of countless African communities but also honours Tracey's vision of music as a universal language- one capable of bridging histories, identities, and generations.

Statement on Bias in Archival Development and Description

We recognise that historical contexts were not necessarily favourable or inclusive to all people, and the materials within this archive may reflect those past societal biases. Rhodes University does not condone these historical biases. The Digital Archive is committed to presenting a complete and nuanced history, acknowledging that archives are living documents.