The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I bought a collection of Edison records that were is exceptional condition. I appreciate classical music, but historic opera records like this should be in the hands of an opera lover.
Here is a link to my video. Be sure to turn on closed captioning, (cc).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIjxJotme-c
If you enjoyed the video, please check out this posting. http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 14&t=33165

I don't think Fidelio or extracts from it were often recorded in those days. That record could surely be of interest to someone.

I also just got an Edison record with an excerpt from Fidelio on a green Amberol 4 min. wax cylinder. It could have been in the Grand Opera series, but it is serial no. 15034, which is the German series. The title is Arie des Florestan aus der Oper "Fidelio" (L. von Beethoven) B. Haberl. It is the same aria, "Gott, welch Dunkel hier" (God what darkness here), as on your DD, but sung by one B. Haberl.

Could we get that video on a format that actually works???

Bill

Lucius1958 wrote:Could we get that video on a format that actually works???

Bill

My mistake. It's here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIjxJotme-c

The Dutch tenor Jacques Urlus was a highly admired interpreter of the German operatic repertoire, and this seems to be a noble account of Florestan's opening aria – sometimes regarded by people who do not care for opera as a prime specimen of the absurdity of the form, since Florestan (who is supposed to be in a dungeon) generally has to sing 'God, what darkness here!' in the full glare of the spotlights.

Was it usual for Edison operatic records to include spoken 'programme notes' on the back? The only other recording company I know of that did this was Aeolian-Vocalion in the early 1920s.

Oliver Mundy.

Menophanes wrote: Was it usual for Edison operatic records to include spoken 'programme notes' on the back? The only other recording company I know of that did this was Aeolian-Vocalion in the early 1920s.

Oliver Mundy.

There are some DD's that have a talk on the opposite side. I don't know the whole backstory on how many, if it's confined to a time period, etc. I own just one DD like that and I can't remember the aria offhand, IIRC, it's something common.

Wolfe wrote:

Menophanes wrote: Was it usual for Edison operatic records to include spoken 'programme notes' on the back? The only other recording company I know of that did this was Aeolian-Vocalion in the early 1920s.

Oliver Mundy.

There are some DD's that have a talk on the opposite side. I don't know the whole backstory on how many, if it's confined to a time period, etc. I own just one DD like that and I can't remember the aria offhand, IIRC, it's something common.

The very early Edison Operatics, 82000, 82500 and 83000 series were initially blank on one side. Slightly later pressings of the same matrix nos added a narrative about the selection and the artist on the backside. Usually, possibly always the narrator was Harry Humphrey. Some of them are quite interesting.

I looked up Harry Humphrey on the Library of Congress web site and found several recordings confirming that it is his voice on the back of Fidelio. Here is one of his more fun recordings for Edison I enjoyed. https://www.loc.gov/item/00694071/ Here is an interesting bio I found. Turns out he was an actor too. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0401918/bio? ... _ov_bio_sm

At any rate Mr. Humphrey manages better than Vocalion's announcer on the one specimen of the kind which I have ('Voi lo sapete' from Cavalleria Rusticana, sung by Kathleen Destournel). This gentleman discourses on the 'remockably verrile [virile] and millodious' quality of Mascagni's music and renders the name Turiddu as something between 'Torridyou' and 'Toreador'.

Oliver Mundy.