Early Mandolin Recordings

Discussions on Records, Recording, & Artists
Post Reply
ngladd
Victor Jr
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2021 10:32 pm

Early Mandolin Recordings

Post by ngladd »

Since I'm new here, I thought I should introduce myself: I am a classical mandolinist/composer, and began collecting early mandolin recordings some 30 years ago to hear the greats on my instrument, since so few of their recordings have been reissued. I worked down in the record stacks at the Library of Congress for 7 years in the 90s, and since then for the Copyright Office, but am retiring in a few months, and am looking forward to spending all of my time on music, again.

The focus of my collection is not country and stringband music, but mandolin soloists and orchestras. For the major American soloists, I already have the complete (known) recordings by Valentine Abt and William Place, Jr., a LOT of recordings by Samuel Siegel and MOST of the recordings by Bernardo de Pace, including a Vitaphone disc! Most of the recordings I'm buying now are from overseas, as there are so many i still need. There is no record price guide for mandolin soloists, but when I worked in the LC collection, I would check auction lists against the Riggler and Deutch index on my lunch hour. If LC had 10 copies, I knew it was a common record and put in a low bid. If NO ONE had it, I bid more. As a result, my collection dovetails the LC collection, and I have a few hundred mandolin recordings that they do not have. Apart from wanting the records to hear them, I also wanted the information for my mandolin discography, and when the Copyright law changes next year, I want to start reissuing them. And eventually, I will leave my collection to the Library of Congress, so that they will be available to other researchers. Over the last few years, I have found a number of records for sale that I never knew to exist at all. Some were soloists that I knew by name, who were not known to have recorded, showing up on obscure labels, or soloists that I had never heard of at all. I will post photos or some of my rarer records, just to show the kind of stuff I am finding.

ngladd
Victor Jr
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2021 10:32 pm

Re: Early Mandolin Recordings

Post by ngladd »

Zarvah Art 1.jpg
IMG_5592.jpg
Calace.jpg
Aerophone.jpg
Attachments
IMG_5479.jpg

User avatar
drh
Victor IV
Posts: 1211
Joined: Tue May 27, 2014 12:24 pm
Personal Text: A Pathé record...with care will live to speak to your grandchildren when they are as old as you are
Location: Silver Spring, MD

Re: Early Mandolin Recordings

Post by drh »

Welcome! Do you collect cylinders? A couple of brown wax mandolin cylinders are up on eBay right now (from France, with all the frightening implications for price that go with that):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174747238091?h ... SwFU9ghtjg

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174747425893?h ... SwqclghwvS

Maybe others, but those two popped up when I was looking for something else a few minutes ago.

User avatar
Inigo
Victor VI
Posts: 3753
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2017 1:51 am
Personal Text: Keep'em well oiled
Location: Madrid, Spain
Contact:

Re: Early Mandolin Recordings

Post by Inigo »

I have but one rare record of mandolin quartette from 1908, derived from Favorite recording in Stockholm, but labeled DISCO AGUILA, data from my database herein

CTO MANDOLINAS — españa (waldteufel) — fav 1 84007 aguila (4030 25cm e) — Mx. 2283 0 = 1 84007 — Rec. estocolmo
— karlesdrommar — fav 1 84007 aguila (4030 25cm e) — Mx. 2286 0 = 1 84010 — Rec. estocolmo

If you're interested PM me. ;)

Ps. I also have some much later 78s (from 1930 or so) by a big Spanish orchestra of plectrum instruments, which I believe are laúdes (and Spanish bandurrias) , guitars and mandolines. They are electrical recordings with a very good sound. And others by smaller groups including plectrum instrument, but maybe they are bandurrias, I cannot distinguish between them... If you're interstellar I can unearth them and share transcriptions for you to examine...
Inigo

ngladd
Victor Jr
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2021 10:32 pm

Re: Early Mandolin Recordings

Post by ngladd »

drh wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 2:13 am Welcome! Do you collect cylinders? A couple of brown wax mandolin cylinders are up on eBay right now (from France, with all the frightening implications for price that go with that):

I do have about 30 mandolin cylinders, but the only player I have is for Blue Amberols. A machine for 2 and 4 minute wax is on my want list, but not in my budget. And "thanks" for listing those. :-) I've had to pay that much for a number of my 78s, but I would REALLY worry about a wax cylinder being sent from France. Maybe if they're still there when I get paid next week...

ngladd
Victor Jr
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2021 10:32 pm

Re: Early Mandolin Recordings

Post by ngladd »

Inigo wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 2:37 am I have but one rare record of mandolin quartette from 1908, derived from Favorite recording in Stockholm, but labeled DISCO AGUILA, data from my database herein

CTO MANDOLINAS — españa (waldteufel) — fav 1 84007 aguila (4030 25cm e) — Mx. 2283 0 = 1 84007 — Rec. estocolmo
— karlesdrommar — fav 1 84007 aguila (4030 25cm e) — Mx. 2286 0 = 1 84010 — Rec. estocolmo
I have 3 of their recordings on Favorite, and 2 are with Russian Labels. Thanks for all the label and matrix information!
Favorite.jpg

User avatar
Governor Flyball
Victor II
Posts: 251
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2015 8:59 pm
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Re: Early Mandolin Recordings

Post by Governor Flyball »

I have cylinders by Demetrius Dounis. The UCSB Edison website include a few like this selection https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/sear ... linder0380

ngladd
Victor Jr
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2021 10:32 pm

Re: Early Mandolin Recordings

Post by ngladd »

Thanks, Governor! I have the Dounis cylinders and an electrical recording on Odeon:

Ziguenerweisen (Sarasate) w/ Pno mxVe 3003 [78] Odeon A-161 071
Nocturne, Op. 9, Nr.2 (Chopin-Sarasate) w/Pno mxVe 3004 [78] Odeon A 161 072

Has anyone done an Odeon labelography? I've seen a few of the old catalogs, but I occasionally run across a random mandolin record on Odeon that was not in the catalogs I've seen, so I know there are more out there.

The cylinders I would most like to find, but NEVER expect to see are by Guido Volpe. He recorded 5 sides for Gramophone in 1902, and I have two of those, but the bulk of his recordings were on Bettini cylinders and discs (per reprints of their catalogs). 28 cylinders and 5 7" discs.

Post Reply