Recordings on MP3 players and other portable devices 'Written in March' (Microphone Showdown)

William Wordsworth, born in 1770 and died in 1850, was one of the leading English Romantic poets. With Samuel Taylor Coleridge he published Lyrical Ballads in 1798, and he spent much of his life in the Lake District, where nature and ordinary life provided the subjects of his poetry. He became Poet Laureate in 1843. Written in March is one of his shorter pieces, published in 1807, and it describes the cheerful sights of an early spring day with simplicity and warmth.

The project behind this recording was a technical one. Volunteers at LibriVox often record at home with modest equipment, and the question of what kind of device gives good results is important to them. For this test, each participant used a different recorder or player and read the same poem, so that listeners could compare the quality. Notes about the devices are given in the section titles.

There are twenty-six sections here, and the total running time is about half an hour. It is read by a large group of volunteers, each with their own voice. If you are curious about audio technology or about the way volunteer recordings are made, this is a fascinating collection. If you simply enjoy Wordsworth, it is also an agreeable way to hear a cheerful spring poem many times over, from many different voices.

The result is an unusual blend of poetry and curiosity. The poem itself never changes, yet the sound of each version does, and by the end you will probably have your own favourite. It is a collection that invites repeated listening, and it also pays tribute to the many volunteers who make recordings in their own homes.