This project is now complete! All audio files can be found on our catalog page: http://librivox.org/the-history-of-king-lear-by-nahum-tate/
The History of King Lear is an adaptation by Nahum Tate of William Shakespeare's King Lear. It first appeared in 1681, some seventy-five years after Shakespeare's version, and is believed to have replaced Shakespeare's version on the English stage in whole or in part until 1838.
Unlike Shakespeare's tragedy, Tate's play has a happy ending, with Lear regaining his throne, Cordelia marrying Edgar, and Edgar joyfully declaring that "truth and virtue shall at last succeed." Regarded as a tragicomedy, the play has five acts, as does Shakespeare's, although the number of scenes is different, and the text is about eight hundred lines shorter than Shakespeare's. Many of Shakespeare's original lines are retained, or modified only slightly, but a significant portion of the text is entirely new, and much is omitted. The character of the Fool, for example, is absent.
Although many critics — including Joseph Addison, August Wilhelm Schlegel, Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and Anna Jameson — condemned Tate's adaptation for what they saw as its cheap sentimentality, it was popular with theatregoers, and was approved by Samuel Johnson, who regarded Cordelia's death in Shakespeare's play as unbearable. Shakespeare's version continued to appear in printed editions of his works, but, according to numerous scholars, including A.C. Bradley and Stanley Wells, did not appear on the English stage for over a hundred and fifty years from the date of the first performance of Tate's play Actors such as Thomas Betterton, David Garrick, and John Philip Kemble, who were famous for the role of Lear, were portraying Tate's Lear, not Shakespeare's. (Summary by Wikipedia)
- Is there a deadline?
We ask that you submit your recorded sections within 1-2 months of placing your claim (or by the target completion date, whatever is sooner). Please note that to be fair to the readers who have completed their sections in a timely way, if you haven't submitted your recording(s) after two months, your sections will automatically be re-opened for other readers to claim, unless you post in this thread to request an extension. Extensions will be granted at the discretion of the Book Coordinator. If you cannot do your section, for whatever reason, just let me know and it’ll go back to the pool. There’s no shame in this; we’re all volunteers and things happen. The target completion date for this project is 31 August 2012. - How to claim a part, and 'how it all works' here
To find a role to record, simply look at point 5. below at the sections. All the ones without names beside them are “up for grabs.” Click "Post reply" at the top left of the screen and tell us which role you’d like to read. Read points 6. to 8. below for what to do before, during and after your recording. - New to recording?
Please read our Newbie Guide to Recording! - Where do I find the text? Source text (please only read from this text!): http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/The_History_of_King_Lear
For the convenience of readers the following spreadsheet has been prepared, with individual links to each scene:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApUXtkw--7xIdDJYTGRQc05ZOEdoS1Z4WExjd3kzdmc - Please claim roles (the numbers in the first column below)! Please note: All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. When you submit your recording, you will be placing your recording in the public domain as well.
If this is your first recording, please let me know under which name or pseudonym you'd like to appear in the LibriVox catalogue. We can also link to a personal website/blog.
==========================================Magic Window:
BC Admin
=========================================== - BEFORE recording: Please check the Recording Notes: http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6427#6430
Set your recording software to:
Channels: 1 (Mono)
Bit Rate: 128 kbps
Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz
Submit one file per act. - Make sure you add this to the beginning of your recording:
[Role], read by [your name].
If you are reading stage directions, please include for each file:
At the beginning: Act [#] of The History of King Lear by Nahum Tate. This is a Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit Librivox dot org.
At the end: End of Act [#]. At the end of the play, add End of The History of King Lear by Nahum Tate.
Please remember to check this thread frequently for updates! - AFTER recording:
Save files as 128 kbps MP3 historyofkinglear_[role]_[#].mp3 (all lower-case), where # is the act number.
ID3 V2 tags: Not needed for individual parts.
Transfer of files (completed recordings)
Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file.
Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader:
http://upload.librivox.org
(If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin) - You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: ek - gloriana
- When your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread
- If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.
- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader:
