Disco Grammofono Vs. La Voce Del Padrone

[Zkeener323]

I don’t have much experience with labels outside of the United States so I apologize if this is common knowledge. I was curious what the difference was- as they both are Italian labels utilizing the Nipper logo of HMV/Victor. Is one an HMV product while the other is a result of severed ties from WWI as is the case for the DGG?

[Inigo]

I don't know in Italy. In Spain, records from the 1900s to 1915 were labeled Gramophone, later Gramófono, with no mention of the LA VOZ DE SU AMO brand until 1925. From 1925 to 1935 branded Gramófono, with LA VOZ DE SU AMO in small typos at the bottom right corner of nipper image. After 1935 the Gramófono brand disappears from the top part of the label, substituted by LA VOZ DE SU AMO as principal on the label.

[Marco Gilardetti]

To the best of my knowledge, they're the same company. "Disco Grammofono" records are older, "La Voce Del Padrone" are more recent. At the beginning the name was more faithful to the real name of the company (The Gramophone Co. ltd.); later, at a point in time, when the painting and its title became more recognised than the company itself I suppose, they switched to "La Voce Del Padrone", which is an awful and incorrect traslation of "His Master's Voice" that lead to infinite misunderstandings.

As far as I know, the motto "His Master's Voice" was widely used by The Gramophone Company, but never actually became the real name of the company.

It would be interesting to know if Germany, France, Spain and Italy converged to the respective translations of "His Master's Voice" with some coordination more or less around the same years, but honestly I don't know.

[Inigo]

The Spanish company was born as a subsidiary of the French Cie. Francaise du Gramophone, named Compañía Francesa del Gramophone (sic) established in Spain c. 1903 (to be confirmed). Records produced were imported from France, Germany (Hanover) or England, and labeled as usual then, Monarch, Concert, etc with the brand Gramophone, the recording Angel and no trace of Nipper and the His Master's Voice brand, which appeared later. All to be confirmed.
Likely c. 1908, the Spanish market seemed healthy enough to establish a pressing factory in Barcelona, yet managed by the French. Things continued the same.
Records were named Disco Gramophone. Nipper in full color started to appear on the labels, but still no mention of the HMV phrase.
Seems likely that some Spanish financial partners were incorporated at a later date, and an autonomous Spanish branch, Compañía del Gramófono S. A. E. was founded, now under Spanish directors, in 1915. Now records were labeled Disco Gramófono, with nipper image, still no trace of the HMV slogan.
With the general redesign of labels in 1925, when the famous golden lines forming the corners, etc, appeared, the slogan began to appear in small golden letters at the bottom right corner of the Nipper picture. In Spanish it was La Voz De Su Amo. Yet the record were still named Disco Gramófono. Succesive changes in label sizes, golden lining, etc, follows, with the same characteristics cited.
C. 1933, the fusion of Gramófono and Odeon was the Spanish result of the EMI amalgamation. Records continued the same, but the company name changed to Compañía Del Gramófono - Odeon, S. A. E. Label sizes seems then to have been finally standardized to a small size. Nipper still continued in full color, over the general background color of the label (green, red, blue, black, etc).
Towards 1935, major changes in labels occurred, now labeled LA VOZ DE SU AMO as capital title instead of the former Disco Gramófono. Now Nipper was only golden lined over the general color label (red, black, green, blue, etc).
This situation continued until c. 1944, when all labels became white paper and black ink, yet the original (price driven) color of the label was only mentioned by a written notice ETIQUETA ROJA, AZUL, Etc. Indeed price was a mixture of the label color and the series. Towards 1946, these color notices also disappeared. Labels continued all white and black.
Near middle 1947, the colors stated again, now only three basic colors were used (dark blue, brilliant green and red) and nipper started to appear in color, a mono color in sepia tones. And later things continued this way until the demise of 78s.
The reasons for the EMI conglomerate appearing in different ways in diverse countries are normally local, as it was in Spain. Our Columbia branch wasn't owned by UK Columbia, but it was a Spanish enterprise since the beginning, in 1923. The leader, Juan Inurrieta, founded the Spanish company with Spanish financial backup. He licensed the brand from UK and from USA at the same time, by means of two different contracts with each of them, then independent. The EMI formation led to UK Columbia closing the contract with Inurrieta, but the American contract was still in force, so Inurrieta continued using the Columbia name for Spain. So EMI acquired the european Columbia businesses, which in Spain owned also the Odeon label, but not the Inurrieta independent company. Thus EMI Spanish branch became Compañía del Gramófono - Odeon, and their Columbia related products were labeled Regal instead. The independent Spanish Columbia had being using the Regal brand since the beginning, and now, from 1935 on, they switched to the Columbia brand. It was the fierce competition of Gramófono of Barcelona, the EMI branch. Herein the confusion about the history of the Regal brand in Spain : from 1923 to 1935, it was a label owned by Spanish Columbia of Inurrieta, and after that, it was used by Gramofono of Barcelona.
This story is fed by authentic data, but still there are many facts and dates that need confirmation. Gradually, let's hope, historical facts will increase, substituting or confirming what is, by now, a story built around a few facts and dates well known, the rest being only logical assumptions and hypotheses....

[CarlosV]

It would be interesting to know if Germany, France, Spain and Italy converged to the respective translations of "His Master's Voice" with some coordination more or less around the same years, but honestly I don't know.

Ciao, Marco! The change in France was in the 30s, from disque Gramophone to La Voix de Son Maître. Germany is more complicated because ownerships changed at the end of WWI, and then two different companies used more or less the same trade marks, Grammophon was one path (that ended up in Deutsche Grammophon that survives up to now) and Electrola was the other, both fighting to show the dog in their labels. At some point Electrola had to remove the dog, and their labels showed only the machine.

[Marco Gilardetti]

As some years ago I did a survey of CETRA labels together with another fellow, and with reciprocal surprise we found out many many details and differences we never noted before, I did a quick survey of La Voce Del Padrone labels in my collection. Once again, looking at them with care, I noted many details about which I was unaware until few hours ago.

First of all, many records that I own that I thought were Italian, preminently the "pink" ones, were instead made in England by HMV and imported. Actually, I couldn't find in my collection any pink label that was made in Italy, which of course doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't any. However, I assume (to be confirmed) that the pressing plants in Italy begun their production a little later than in Spain, I would say around the early '20s. In general, I tend to believe that most of the variants that I will list in a minute have much in common with dates or characteristics of their English or however European counterparts.

The labels that I think should be the older Italian ones feature the super-classic green colour "Grammofono" label which is quite a faithful translation of the HMV one, again with the classic distinction between Concerto and Monarca record cathegories. There is a nice full-colour print of Nipper, but with no mention of La Voce Del Padrone motto. The bottom circular row states that the records are made in Italy by the Società Nazionale del Grammofono. Around the spindle, there's the circular Marca Depos. (= depositata) just as on British HMVs, a detail that will become more interesting to spot later.





In the latter image, it's interesting to note that, although the La Voce Del Padrone motto doesn't appear anywhere on the label, it does appear yet on the copyright stamp.

Later, I would say right before the '30s (but to be confirmed), the distinction between Concerto and Monarca records was dropped, and replaced with a colour code that will be addressed in a minute. Still, Grammofono green labels remained by far the most common. I could devise at least three main variations, which I pasted all in a row for easyness of comparison:



Under Nipper's feet now appears, humbly and barely readable in gold, as a continuation of the Marca depos. writing, the famous motto La Voce Del Padrone. The leftmost label is likely the oldest, with still the two "half squares" on the bottom encircling the musical genre and catalogue number. At the centre, a nearly identical label, in which however the two half-squares are no longer present. At right, likely the most recent variation, a bit smaller in size overall, with a definitely smaller area dedicated to the Nipper print, and with slightly changed fonts for the Grammofono writing; also, the Marca depos. writing is no longer around the spindle hole, but it's now linear, placed at the left inside Nipper's print. We will see in a minute that this is most probably a very late variation, possibly at the edge of the '40s. However, all these records are still said to be made, on the bottom row, by the Società Nazionale del Grammofono alone.

Concerning the colour codes, there were slight changes over the years, however by the late '20s up to the late '30s the records were preminently divided into these cathegories:

ONE-SIDED RECORDS
These were reserved for most a-la-page artists. When younger, I thought that all one-sided records were also the oldest, that is they were made before anyone came up with the idea of a double-sided record. Instead, as I suppose most of the readers of this board already know, pressing one-sided records was a way to maximise profits and minimise royalties for the records that were thought to be going to be best sellers. They were a sort of premium product, and were made well into the era of double-sided records. The most common colour variations were as follows, in order of descending price (by 1939):
WHITE (£it 50)
PINK (£it 45)
GREEN (£it 44)
RED (£it 27-15)
BLUE (price unknown)

DOUBLE SIDED RECORDS - CELEBRITIES
Most "normal" records would fit this cathegory. However, the price difference between the most exclusive and expensive ones, and the most popular, is still striking.
The most common colour variations were as follows, in order of descending price (by 1939):
WHITE DQ (£it 54)
LIGHT BLUE DO (£it 50)
LIGHT GREEN DM (£it 45)
CHAMOIS DJ DK (£it 30-40)
RED DA DB DR DS (£it 22-30)

OTHER RECORDS
Residual cathegory for more current double-sided records.
BLACK AV AW D E (price unspecified)
ORANGE AY (price unspecified) children line
GREEN R S (price unspecified)


Example of a top-price, double sided, white label record. As a matter of fact, it features a sort of "million dollar quartet", with Amelita Galli-Curci and Beniamino Gigli singing together, amongst others, one of the most famous Italian aria of all times.


This mid-to-high priced double sided record features Caruso in duet with Amato. Catalogues describe this label as "light green", although, perhaps due to age, it looks more towards a yellow-green shade today.


Low-priced double sided record, featuring a very common "intermediate" red label without the side half-squares. Caruso for the man-in-the-street.


For some obscure reason - possibly beacause no singer was involved - this remarkable double sided Toscanini's take fell into the "other" cathegory, featuring an impressively elegant black label with gold stripes.


This blue label variation on a double-sided record doesn't fit any of the above cathegory and sub-cathegory, it was possibly issued later, when the colour codes perhaps changed once again.

So far, the La Voce Del Padrone motto made its way into the records very humbly, at corners, in barely readable characters. What radically changed the scenario, in my opinion, was when S.A. Del Grammofono, Columbia and Marconi joined together, and the labels had to be reviewed anyway. Although perhaps not immediately, from that point in time onwards, La Voce Del Padrone became the most recognisable brand name in bold characters, while the real name of the company, Grammofono, was relegated in a small line below Nipper's print. Likely, the change happened progressively between the late '30s and the 40's, and then lasted until 78 RPMs were dismissed altogether. To my knowledge there are (at least) four types of this latter label variants, the first two have a red background, the other two a purple background.

The first of this final lot is the extremely common red label that features Nipper in monochrome sepia tones, while in the circular bottom line the names of the three joined companies is now specified in detail:



There is also a second, elegant monochrome variation in red-on-red tone sur tone, also extremely common, which I personally tend to like very much and prefer to the sepia type:



Finally, as anticipated, there are two other variants with purple background, still related to the Grammofono-Columbia-Marconi joined societies. In both, the Nipper painting is drawn in "silhouette" with the same ink used for the titles. In my personal opinion they are the less interesting of all, and everything say "cheap" on them. The first has a purple background / gold ink combination, and I see it used mostly for reprints of international music (although of course I can't exclude that it may have been used also for other purposes until I find an example):



The second "silhouette" type features a purple background / silver ink combination. I see it used mostly for late instrumental dance tunes of the '50s, possibly a cheap line of records:

[epigramophone]

The Collectors Guide to HMV Nipper Souvenirs (EMI 1997) includes a chronology of the Gramophone and Victor companies.
The following information is given about their Italian operations :

September 1899 : The Gramophone Company (Italy) was registered with a Capital of £50,000.
The Head Office was in London with branches in Naples and Milan.

November 1909 : The Italian branch was closed. Signor Riccia was appointed Sole Agent trading as Cia. Italiano del Grammofono.

May 1927 : A new Italian company, The Gramophone Company (Italy) Ltd was constituted.
It continued until 1958 when it went into liquidation.