Eduard Jedlička: Americký sen zlatníka z Moravy

In the collections of the earliest phonograph cylinders held by American memory institutions, a remarkable set of recordings with Czech content can be found under the title of Jedlička Records, derived from the name of Eduard Jedlička (1867–1944), a Czech immigrant to the US. The authors of the study present for the first time the story of the Moravian native who left his homeland in 1895 to pursue his American dream. Jedlička Records represent a valuable example of Czech (mostly traditional folk) songs popular among the Czech minority in the early 20th century. They also represent a significant contribution to the sound cultural heritage of the Czech community in the US and to the history of the recording and distribution industry.