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A couple HMV recordings of popular Czech folk songs on the Victor III, sung by the great Destinnova and Dinh Gilly around 1914. The first one later became the Czech national anthem. Love their strong voices.

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F53LVyBHwVg[/youtubehd]
[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9dle7d13TY[/youtubehd]

Nice post. Thanks!

Americas know Destinova better as Emmy Destin who was an Opera star both in Europe and in New York at the Metropolitan Opera. She sang the role of Minnie with Caruso in the world premiere of La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West) by Puccini in 1910.

And, she was highly appreciated in her time for her voice, which produced an impressive column of sound, and for her dramatic intensity, sensuality, and stage presence. Unfortunately, acoustic recording was often unkind to her voice, as it was with most sopranos---but even so, I find several of her recordings highly impressive--especially the searing intensity of the closing scene of Butterfly.

A great artist, certainly.

Steven

Viva-voce wrote:And, she was highly appreciated in her time for her voice, which produced an impressive column of sound, and for her dramatic intensity, sensuality, and stage presence. Unfortunately, acoustic recording was often unkind to her voice, as it was with most sopranos---but even so, I find several of her recordings highly impressive--especially the searing intensity of the closing scene of Butterfly.

A great artist, certainly.

Steven

Here's Destinn singing Un Bel Di Vedremo, the best known aria from Butterfly. (This is not the final scene mentioned above, but still quite impressive, especially for 1912-ish!)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b668M4YYJkw[/youtube]

I agree about her voice. It is certainly powerful!

52089, thanks for posting the Edison disc. I have the same 1912 Edison recording and others. I think this is the best of her early Edison recordings. Certainly impressive for 1912. Yours seems to be a clearer copy than mine btw.

She remains very popular here as one might guess. There's at least one monument in Prague in front of an apartment where she once lived and you can tour her chateau outside of Prague. She's also featured on the 2000kc bank note, about $100.

Interestingly, instead of dead presidents or kings, the Czechs tend to put artists, poets and writers on their bank notes.

Here she is in a 1916 recording of the Song to the Moon from Rusalka by Dvořák. Interestingly in German instead of the original Czech.

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jNXez4de_E[/youtubehd]
https://youtu.be/3jNXez4de_E

Nice Dan!

It does seem a little odd she's singing a Czech composition in German but then again not really either.

German was the official language of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Speaking Czech at the beginning of the 20th century was considered lower class.