Adelina Patti Cylinder at EMI Archives....

[OrthoSean]

There are a couple of G&T issues of his that bring $200+ on Larry Holdridge's auctions every time they're listed, though.

I just happen to have an old (1997) Holdridge auction list sitting nearby, and leafing through finds a Victor pressing of a Moreschi side, Oremus Pro Pontefice listed at a 50 dollar minimum bid.

I'd assume a Victor pressing, or is it a G&T? I know in his last list there was a G&T at a $200 minimum (I can check exactly what is was when I get home) that sold for over $700 to a collector in Japan from what I was told by an underbidder, it's apparently the scarcest of all his records.

Sean

[Wolfe]

I'd assume a Victor pressing, or is it a G&T? I know in his last list there was a G&T at a $200 minimum (I can check exactly what is was when I get home) that sold for over $700 to a collector in Japan from what I was told by an underbidder, it's apparently the scarcest of all his records.

Sean

VLA (Victrola) 71015 (this is 13 years ago.)

[OrthoSean]

Ah, ok....yes, that's apparently the most common of them all. That's the disc I was gifted.

It's funny if you look at some of Larry's older catalogs that some prices have come down from years ago on certain things. The oldest catalog I have of Larry's is from 1979 (I was 6 and not collecting 78s then, but I had 45s). I got a bunch of his older catalogs with a collection I bought a few years ago. Fun reading!

I've said this elsewhere too, but it's always worth repeating, Larry is by far the finest dealer in classical 78s anywhere. An absolute gentleman and I consider him to be a good friend.

Sean

[Starkton]

According to Dr. Annibale Longo of the University of Padua, Alessandro Moreschi was not a surgical castrato but a born eunuch.

While Moreschi was the only castrato/eunuch soloist to record, other historical important castrati were recorded as members of the Cappella Sistina: Giovanni Cesari (1843-1904) and Domenico Salvatori (1855 – 1909). On the record below several male soprano voices can be distinguished, despite the popular opinion that these are only faintly heard.

This is an early pressing (stamper II) of late 1902 or early 1903. The commonly found black and richly decorated label appeared only from 1905.

[phonogfp]

According to Dr. Annibale Longo of the University of Padua, Alessandro Moreschi was not a surgical castrato but a born eunuch.

You know, there are too many snarks to be made...so I'll simply say that I didn't know that! In that event, would Moreschi properly be called a castrato?

George P.

[Starkton]

would Moreschi properly be called a castrato?

George P.

If Dr. Longo is right (surgical) castrato is the wrong designation. Moreschi should then properly be called congenital eunuch.

[Lenoirstreetguy]

The congenital eunuch story sounds like another in the long list of excuses for the existence of castrati at all. The practice was was frowned upon by the church and was made illegal in Italy in 1861. The fact that the Vatican needed castrati for the choir placed the Church in an odd positition indeed. Consequently the gentlemen they used always had some sort of story about how they came to be accidentally "unsexed", to quote Lady Macbeth. It was an accident, they had fallen,or they were attacked by everything from a wild dog to a goose and so on and so forth. One suspects that Moreschi's tale falls into this camp, because being born a eunuch is very rare indeed. Intersexed, yes; a eunuch, no.

JRT

[transformingArt]

Back with the scans. The second is the inscribed photo that Patti gave Landon Ronald. The first is the fly leaf of the book, Variations on a Personal Theme inscribed by the man himself. When I got this book I got a note from the dealer indicating that it was an inscribed copy. I was pleased.It says To dear old Phil from Lan Sept/22

Jim

@Lenoirstreetguy

Here's the same photo of Patti which was recently sold on a Musical Memorabilia Auction website for considerable amount of dollars. It was autographed to Patti's close friends, The Eissler sisters, Marianna (violinist) and Clara (harpist). The inscription reads,

"To dear Marianna & Clara, from her affectionate friend Adelina Patti, Cedeström, 1905"

[Lenoirstreetguy]

I love seeing inscribed photos! Thanks for this. She liked that photograph obviously. I think there was a bit or retouching in order to give her a wasp waist too! But I think a prima donna has the right to manage her public image .

Jim