Victor Talking Machine on Film, A Research Question

[Garret]

All,

A collecting friend recently posted on his Facebook wall some film of what appeared to be the Columbia record pressing plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Spurred by that footage, I remembered seeing some older film of the great soprano Amelita Galli-Curci producing a record. This footage was featured in the BBC Omnibus documentary "Memories of a Musical Hound," which aired in 1988. The footage in question can be seen starting at about 5:46 in this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhgKsFcetyk.

I then remembered that Ms. Galli-Curci exclusively recorded for Victor Talking Machine from 1916 to 1930. Considering this, it seems that the footage in this BBC documentary showing Galli-Curci singing and pressing a record might be some of the only existing film footage of Victor Talking Machine's facilities. Does anyone know the source of this footage of Galli-Curci? Several emails to Getty, which handles some of BBC's licensing and archiving, haven't gone anywhere. I'm just wondering if this footage of Galli-Curci is only part of additional footage. It's fascinating to watch, if nothing else, and I just wish I knew the source, as there surely must be more to it!

Best,

Garret

[oldphonographsteve]

Well, it is certain that the record in the picture is a Gramophone & Typewriter Co. Record. Since the record in the film is of British origin, maybe the film is as well. I would suggest contacting some British film archives.

-Stephen

[Garret]

That's where this gets complicated. That footage with the G&T record comes from British Pathé. See: http://www.britishpathe.com/video/making-a-record. The record pressing footage was spliced in with that of Galli Curci, as the British Pathé film seems to suggest.

There's no indication that Galli-Curci ever did any recording in Europe, is there?

Garret

[OrthoFan]

Hi Garret:

There's a reference to the film clip (now, apparently owned by GAUMONT Graphic?) that states it was recorded at Hayes, Middlesex:
http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//RTV/ ... 090915/?s=*

Also, I've spotted references to Galli-Curci's visit to the "His Master's Voice" factory as part of her 1924 tour - https://books.google.com/books?id=u3QZA ... 8Q6AEIHDAA -- as noted in her biography, "Galli-Curci's life of song"

It looks to me that the portion of the film showing Galli-Curci before the recording horn is staged, judging by her smiles and gestures, and the fact that she's projecting her voice sideways, rather than directly into the horn.

HTH,
OF

[Garret]

Wow! How did you find this information? While it's somewhat disappointing to hear that this was likely recorded at Hayes instead of Camden, it's also great to see that the original film may still exist!

Best,

Garret

[OrthoFan]

Wow! How did you find this information?

Luck, I guess... That, and I noticed on the Wikipedia page that Galli-Curci visited the UK in 1924. Knowing that the Gramophone Company was headquarterd at Hayes, Middlesex, I tried a Google search for:

Galli-Curci Hayes 1924

It's the second one listed.

OF

[Viva-voce]

Yes it is true that this was a mock-up for publicity purposes.
Galli-Curci made a two-month tour of Britain beginning in October 1924, after making her final acoustic recordings that September. She did not record for HMV. All her commercial recordings were made for Victor beginning late 1916 through September 1930. She did, however, record trials for Efison early in her career before her Anerican success, but Edison, musical ignoramus that he was, rejected them, with this comment: "Too much tremolo for us. Also she drops her overtones so we cannot use." Lol

It was her recording of Madsenet's "Crepuscule" backed with Delibes' "Les Filles de Cadiz" (Victor 632) I found in an antique shop when I was 12 years old that not only got me interested in historical recordings, but inspired me to eventually become a full-time singer and musician. And I've loved that voice of hers ever since!

Steve

[Viva-voce]

Sorry for the typos--always happens when in a hurry lol

[Viva-voce]

I should clarify that it's Massenet not Madsenet--sorry! And also that although Galli-Curci did not record for HMV, most of her recordings were also issued on HMV, as we know they were Victor's affiliate in Europe. Interestingly, there were a few of her titles only pressed by HMV and not Victor, for example, her acoustical recordings of the two soprano arias from Il Trovatore on HMV D.B. 813.

Steve

[Wolfe]

Opera News recently ran an article and interview with an old Met soprano who was a pupil of Galli-Curci.

Nothing to do with the thread question, I know.