The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

]My wife attended a local auction today and came home with this book. It is in great shape, no missing pages or tears, 558 total pages. Please excuse the quality of my photos....

aren't you a lucky guy!Quite Awsome
Cheers
Dwight

Nice find! The Victor Book of the Opera was published over many years in several revisions. First issued in 1912 under the title "The Victrola Book of the Opera," it is still useful for listening to opera today; I usually have mine at hand when listening to the MET Opera's Saturday matinee radio broadcasts. A couple of years ago I acquired my copy, for less than $10, at a used book sale sponsored by a local library. It's the ninth edition, bearing two copyright dates: 1929 ©Victor Talking Machine Co., and 1936 © RCA Manufacturing Company, Inc. (Camden, New Jersy, U.S.A.). I believe it to be the first edition to have been issued after the VTMCo merged with RCA, so it has some minor historical interest on that account.

Of course, a main purpose in publishing these guides was to promote the companies' recordings of operas (in whole or, more often, in part), and many of the entries are cued to those recordings by references to specific catalog numbers and performers embedded in the plot synopses. As well, there are cast lists by character name and voice, and photographs of opera houses, stage settings, and singers both in and out of costume. Consequently, these books are of interest to historians of performance practice as well as casual fans. The "Book" is the kind of production that has quite vanished from today's music scene.

Thanks for the background Henry. Definitely an interesting find. Cheers

Since I am married to a music teacher, I've used my Book of the Opera several times. It's always helped me enjoy the opera. Jerry Blais

These are really nicely done books, and congratulations on finding a nice early one. Mine is the 17th Edition, 1924.

Clay

Not to be outdone, HMV produced a UK version entitled "Opera at Home" which first appeared in 1920. I have the 1925 Third Edition, the last to be issued before the introduction of electrical recording.

Wow, great depiction of Orpheus and Eurydice there! Quite in the style of Aubrey Beardsley. One doesn't usually see a topless Eurydice in the opera house! (No wonder he turned to look at her )

Enlargement of the image reveals the name "F.M. Ball" at the lower right. Cursory research turns up nothing under that name. Is it possibly a pseudonym?

"F.M.Ball" gets no further mention in the book, and with such a common surname information would be hard to find.

Here are some more interesting pictures :