If you wish to see the predecessor to today’s widely used media player Winamp, then find out what the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has found gathering dust in its archive. It is a (now) crumbling computer responsible for the oldest known recording of computer-generated music. As per an article posted on the BBC website recently, those working for Beep have found musical recordings that can be traced back to 1951, featuring a Ferranti Mark 1.

It is reported that this musical recordings were made by the BBC during an autumn visit to Manchester University in 1951. The program or software, on which Ferranti has performed this musical magic, has been written by Christopher Strachey, then a maths master at Harrow. There is a mild contention brewing over the intention of the program. For instance as per Chris Burton of the Computer Conservation Society, this program was in reality a draughts stimulator which played God Save the King when a game was finished.

The musical recording is presently available on the BBC website and signals how far the human race has advanced technologically in such a short time. Just about 60 years ago, the Ferranti Mark 1 had just 128 bytes and required ample space to house the bulky device. Nowadays even a mobile has comparatively much more storage space, offers better sound reproductions and are ultra-portable.