Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records?

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Uncle Vanya
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by Uncle Vanya »

epigramophone wrote:The most famous acoustic recording of the Queen of the Night aria was made by Frieda Hempel for HMV/Victor, although I prefer Maria Ivogun on Odeon. Hempel also recorded for Edison, notably on Royal Purple cylinders, but unfortunately she did not include that aria.

There are a few operatic gems among the Blue Amberols and Royal Purples, but the majority of the top singers were already under exclusive contract to HMV and Victor. Even Columbia struggled to compete until they did a deal with Fonotipia, enabling them to issue some of their superb recordings.
Maria Galvany recorded an "interesting" interpretation of the aria for Victor. Her Edison and Pathé
versions are somewhat less manic.

The Victor version is relatively easy to find. The Edison waxing turns up on 28000 Blue Amberol, and can be had with little trouble, though perhaps a bit of expense.

https://youtu.be/oroFigVz1zc

HisMastersVoice
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by HisMastersVoice »

Uncle Vanya wrote:Maria Galvany recorded an "interesting" interpretation of the aria
Not quite as "interesting" as Florence Foster Jenkins, however.

bigshot
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by bigshot »

EdisonWizard wrote:One thing that has always kept me from getting more into 78rpm is the availability of quality machines locally, and the confusion I seem to have between what records are good to play on what machines.
There are basically three types of machines. The early ones designed to play acoustic recordings, the 20s models designed to play early electricals, and later electronic turntables for 40s and 50s. I have a Brunswick Cortez and it does a great job on all kinds of records. It's the Swiss army knife of phonographs. My VV 2-65 suitcase phono is like that too.

VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Amen on the Vic 2-65--not only do they sound awesome but they can be had for very little. Mine came for $38.88 with a broken spring but considering how it sounds, who cares about the $50 repair cost--not to mention it's much lighter on late recordings.

bigshot
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by bigshot »

My mom lived in an old folks home and she insisted that I come every Sunday for lunch and to play either my guitar or my phonograph for all her friends in the great room. That 2-65 served me very well, but one day its mainspring let go in the middle of a phono concert. Not long after that, my mom's mainspring gave out. If it only costs $50 to fix, I should fix it and spin a few records in honor of my mom. She especially liked cowboy songs.

VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

bigshot wrote:My mom lived in an old folks home and she insisted that I come every Sunday for lunch and to play either my guitar or my phonograph for all her friends in the great room. That 2-65 served me very well, but one day its mainspring let go in the middle of a phono concert. Not long after that, my mom's mainspring gave out. If it only costs $50 to fix, I should fix it and spin a few records in honor of my mom. She especially liked cowboy songs.
That's neat! The motors are kind of annoying though: they use the old "Riveted" spring barrel which must be drilled out to open. The mainsprings are conventional Victrola spring, and I replaced mine with one from Wyatt's Musical Americana. It took $10 extra to bend the end into a correct shape, and when I got it the thing still needed bending for actually hooking up to that crazy arbor. Then I had to take six bolts & put the thing back together--a lot of work but actually a lot of fun, too.

epigramophone
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by epigramophone »

bigshot wrote:My mom lived in an old folks home and she insisted that I come every Sunday for lunch and to play either my guitar or my phonograph for all her friends in the great room. That 2-65 served me very well, but one day its mainspring let go in the middle of a phono concert. Not long after that, my mom's mainspring gave out. If it only costs $50 to fix, I should fix it and spin a few records in honor of my mom. She especially liked cowboy songs.
I gave a few gramophone concerts in the care home where my mother (1919-2016) spent her last years. They especially liked songs from the two world wars and would often sing along to them.

When during my first concert I moved on from acoustic to electric records the oldest resident, a lady aged over 100, suddenly looked up and said "that's an electrical recording!". She had worked in a gramophone shop before WW2 and we had an interesting conversation afterwards.

Our hobby has an important part to play in aiding reminiscence among the elderly.

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phonogfp
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by phonogfp »

When I first started giving presentations in museums, historical societies, and nursing homes in the late 1970s, the audiences responded to songs from the first two decades of the 20th century. Now, it's the 1930s-1940s that receives the interest. It's a bit chilling to realize that the gap between my audiences and me is narrowing...! :D

George P.

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VintageTechnologies
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by VintageTechnologies »

EdisonWizard wrote:George, I had someone tell me this earlier in the year but I wasn't sure about the timeframe so I been checking the site. Good to know!! Can't wait to see it. I'll definitely use it and give y'all feedback on how it goes if y'all like.

Larry- I recently have gotten into operas myself!! Haven't found any cylinders but I don't know of many, just Magic Flute and Marriage of Figaro...basically because of the famous arias..but it opened the door for me. Wish I could find a cylinder of the queen of night aria! Not sure if the reproducer could handle the F lol.

But honestly, I have found the same to be true. Only person that has cemented interest after seeing mine is my cousin/Godfather, who now owns a nice ICS machine, with an original cygnet I sold him.
You should listen to opera on an Opera! One of my favorites is Blanche Arral singing. Polonaise. Mignon [Mignon. Je suis Titania].

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=1s&v=VodsZ1CMhF0

She sings like a canary and the big Opera horn really projects the sound.

Menophanes
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Re: Waning interest in cylinder or disc machines and records

Post by Menophanes »

epigramophone wrote:When during my first concert I moved on from acoustic to electric records the oldest resident, a lady aged over 100, suddenly looked up and said "that's an electrical recording!". She had worked in a gramophone shop before WW2 and we had an interesting conversation afterwards.

Our hobby has an important part to play in aiding reminiscence among the elderly.
At the other end of the anno-Domini range: – In 2016 I had an opportunity to present a short programme of early recordings before the participants in a composition course at the annual Dartington (Devonshire, U.K.) International Summer School. On my H.M.V. 101 portable I played three discs which I think would generally be reckoned as of only marginal interest even among informed collectors, namely

Salut d'Amour (Elgar) – Leopold Jacobs (violin) (1901)
Egmont Overture (Beethoven) – London Symphony Orchestra/Arthur Nikisch (1912)
Quartet in C minor, op. 18 no. 4: Finale (Beethoven) – Rosé Quartet (1928).

These were very well received, and the youngest person present, a composer and wind-player aged 14, told me that the orchestral disc had given her a sense of being in the actual presence of the artists concerned which she had never experienced through any other recording. I would have expected this record, with its low dynamic level, narrow frequency-range and lack of reverberation, to be especially difficult for a non-specialist listener.

Oliver Mundy.

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