The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Here is a fascinating BBC Four video (58.46 minutes) presented by Joan Washington---accent specialist and teacher---recounting the story behind newly discovered recordings of worldwide regional accents made by the Germans during WW1 in POW camps. Much of the footage is very moving, especially when played back to the descendants of the prisoners in the camps.

Additionally, of particular note is the use of a tuning fork to establish the exact disc speed, measured against a note of corresponding frequency (A = 440 cps) especially inset in separate grooves at the end of the recording. A brilliant idea---unique ? (starting 11.10).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywg03b574oQ

Two brief, but historically important, clips are included of suffragette Dame Christabel Pankhurst (starting 51.57) and heroic polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (starting 53.18).

Two or three years ago BBC Radio 4 broadcast a 30 minute programme entitled "Barbed Wire Ballads". This also featured recordings of Allied POW's in Germany during WW1.

Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1909 recording "The dash for the South Pole", in which he talks about the expedition which he led to the Antarctic in 1907/1909, is included as a bonus track on the EMI 2 CD set "Scott's Music Box". This is a collection of recordings played on Captain Scott's ill fated last expedition to the South Pole in 1910/1913, and the number is G6449492.

epigramophone wrote:Two or three years ago BBC Radio 4 broadcast a 30 minute programme entitled "Barbed Wire Ballads". This also featured recordings of Allied POW's in Germany during WW1.

Apparently the original BBC radio 4 programme was first broadcast in 2005 and then again in 2013. Unfortunately it is not currently available from the BBC but this Soundcloud podcast from Miles Kington tells the story :

http://www.mileskington.com/Miles_on_Ai ... llads.html

Wonderful Scott photo Roger and many thanks for the leads to the recordings.

One thing which mystifies me is that The Gramophone Company lent the Scott expedition TWO Monarch Senior machines. One was kept at the Cape Evans base camp and the other at the Northern party's Cape Adare camp. One machine is preserved in the EMI Archive, but what became of the other one?

It's probably still there. There's a camp, I think from that expedition, still buried partially under the ice in northern Antarctica.

My question is whether shellac records would spontaneously shatter like a wax Amberol in these kinds of temperatures though...

epigramophone wrote:One thing which mystifies me is that The Gramophone Company lent the Scott expedition TWO Monarch Senior machines. One was kept at the Cape Evans base camp and the other at the Northern party's Cape Adare camp. One machine is preserved in the EMI Archive, but what became of the other one?

Perhaps the penguins pecked the other one to death! http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-pengui ... 57811.html (click on the picture to enlarge).

Many thanks for the link Graham. I was amazed, enchanted and deeply moved.

Very good documentary, thanks for posting!

Here is another thought-provoking historical photographic insight:

http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-music- ... d0%26lb%3d

Orchorsol wrote: Perhaps the penguins pecked the other one to death!

The title of that wonderful photograph is :

The penguins enjoying a novel experience. They had not previously heard "Waltz me around again Willie".

Here is the song : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDCgWXLfA4o