Music and games have been interconnected for centuries, from traditional parlor games with musical  aspects to current virtual worlds. It is through video game soundtracks, rhythm-based games,  or  historical objects that combined music with play that this connection can be seen. This relationship is heavily  embedded in culture and history, and the connection between these two forms of entertainment runs deep.

One interesting  example of this link is a set of unusual 18th-century musical playing cards from the collection of  Paul Hirsch (1881–1951) now in the British Museum. These hand engraved and  hand coloured cards were not only for playing games, but for domestic music and amusement as well. There  is a complete set of 52 cards, and each one is a different love song for voice and  flute accompaniment, thus transforming a deck of cards into a small collection of music. These cards provide a small  insight into how in the 18th century, leisure time, music and social interaction were combined,  not very different from the current gaming experiences that incorporate sound and performance.

 (A set of 18th century musical playing cards from the Paul Hirsch collection, now at the British Museum. Each card has a different love song for voice and flute accompaniment)

18th Century Musical Playing Cards

 The 18th century was a period when music was greatly appreciated and played widely in social gatherings  particularly among the upper and middle classes. Most houses had their music libraries and the main form of entertainment  was to play music. Things were very different from the present where people can get any song they want  at the touch of a button, musicians and amateurs used to rely on printed sheet music.

The musical  playing cards in the British Museum’s collection are a testament to this tradition, which provided a fun and  easy way to enjoy music. These 52 cards had engraved sheet music on them and players could draw  a card and perform the song written on it.

🎶 You can just picture your friends and  neighbours gathered around in a beautifully furnished drawing room, everyone pulling out a card and taking a go at  the pieces, just as you would hand over a controller in a multiplayer game.

The music being for  voice and flute primarily suggests that these cards were used in more intimate settings, perhaps in salons or  parlors, with friends and guests entertaining one another with live music. This practice was not just about  performance but also about social bonding, just as how multiplayer rhythm games do it now.

(A closer look at engraved music written on music sheets  for use in actual performance in small settings.)

Moreover, these cards served as an educational tool that helped people memorize and learn songs and at the same time introduced an element of chance to the process. In the same way that modern rhythm games like Guitar Hero or Beat Saber include elements of interaction with music, these 18th-century playing cards made music performance more lively and exciting.

The Evolution: From Musical Playing Cards to Today’s Music Games.

While musical playing cards offered an early form of interactive music gaming, today’s video games have taken this concept to an entirely new level.

1. Video Game Soundtracks as Storytelling Tools 🎵

Games like The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and The Elder Scrolls use music to build atmosphere and emotion. As with the 18th-century musical cards, these soundtracks help to create the right atmosphere and the right emotional tone of the game world for the players.

2. Rhythm Games: The New Kind of The Interactive Music Game 🎮

 There are dancing and playing games like Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, Beat Saber, and Rock Band which are based on the concept of making music as the central part of the game. This is the same way as with musical playing cards when the participants were not only the onlookers but the participants of the performance.

( Video Game Festival, Paris, 2008) 

3. Music as a Competitive and Social Element 🏆

In the same way as 18th-century salon performances were a source of amusement and friendly rivalry, contemporary games like Fuser or Trombone Champ give players a way to make and share music. Multiplayer music games are a way to have fun with friends, as drawing a musical playing card was a way to invite everyone to perform something on the spot in historical settings.

Bringing Classic Music to the Digital World with A2D2 Stream

Although such objects as video game soundtracks and musical playing cards can be attributed to different periods of music and gaming, current technologies still preserve the connection between the primary focus on historic music and digital gaming. One such innovation is the A2D2 Stream, a high-fidelity analogue-to-digital converter that enables you to wirelessly play music from your vinyl records, tapes or CDs to any modern speaker.

HowA2D2 Stream Improves Music and Gaming

🎧 Wireless Audio – A2D2 Stream converts analogue sound to high-resolution Wi-Fi and Bluetooth audio, so you can play vinyl records while playing a game.

🎶 Multi-Room Listening – In the same way as with the musical playing cards, the music could be easily shared among people, A2D2 Stream enables the user to cast the music to different rooms using Sonos, Denon HEOS, AirPlay or Chromecast.

📻 Compatible with Both Traditional and High-Tech Audio Systems – Whether you own a vintage phonograph or a high-tech digital system, A2D2 Stream can be connected to turntables, tape decks and CD players to help you combine the best of the past and present.

🎮 Ideal for Gaming Sets – Want to listen to your favourite game soundtracks on vinyl? It means that you can connect your vinyl records to your gaming speakers with the help of A2D2 Stream and create a perfect blend of classic and modern.

(A2D2 Stream allows you to wirelessly play your vinyl records on modern speakers and thus connect the past and the present in the world of audio.)

In any of these cases, whether you are learning about the historic musical playing cards, getting into a game’s soundtrack, or using A2D2 Stream to play your vinyl records, the connection between music and gaming has never been dead.

From 18th-century musical playing cards to modern video game soundtracks and rhythm games, the combination of music and gaming has always been about the interaction, the creation, and the connection. Whether it is by singing a love song after drawing a card in the 1700s, playing along to digital tracks on a virtual guitar, or streaming vinyl records on A2D2 Stream, music has and will continue to be a significant element of play.

(A complete view of the 18th-century musical playing cards, a history of both music and gaming.)

With technology like A2D2 Stream , we can continue to explore how music and gaming evolve together, so that for generations to come, historic and modern sound experiences can remain connected.

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