The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

A record like this is unlikely to make a convert out of someone who already isn't an opera fan. Destinn is an aquired taste, I think.
But if one aquaints oneself with the text of this piece, they might think that her approach is very appropriate and quite thrilling, even if the singing sounds a mite ungraceful and occasionally even off pitch, at least as captured by the recording equipment.

Suicidio! In questi fieri momenti, from act 4 of Ponchielli's La Gioconda, recorded in 1914.
RCA Victor Heritage Series vinyl repressing from around 1950.





PLAY

That is one powerful voice there. Thanks for sharing it. I think even if this artist is an aquired taste, there is always something thrilling about listening to such a powerful voice.

Interesting pressing too. Is this direct from the master? ie a 78rpm vinyl pressing or a dub from the master? Sounds good either way. 1950 is quite rearly for a commercial vinyl pressing? well at least for the UK, but I guess they started earlier in the US.

Interestngly vinyl (or an early version of it) was used for professional purposes from the 1930's I have a set of radio transcription disks from 1938 / 39 made fom it and the sound is superb. Like they were recorded yesterday rather than 70 years ago.

RJ

I've heard claim that some of these red Heritage Series 78's are dubs, I doubt very much this one is. The sound quality leads me to believe it's sourced from original metal parts.

Glad you found it interesting.

I won't pretend to be an opera buff but I do agree that listening to a strong or unique voice can be very pleasurable in and of itself even if this music is not always what one would otherwise choose to listen to.

Very nice, thanks for posting and for posting the pictures too.

Often with the Heritage vinyls that are from the original stampers one can see the original matrix information written in the wax or the original catalog number stamp scratched out in the dead wax. There is a distinct difference in the sound of the discs between dubs and source pressings.

I remember reading somewhere that when preparing these records, that they would sometimes scratch out or somehow obliterate the original deadwax info and leave only the new catalog number. This record only has one number present in the deadwax (15-1014.)

I think it's pressed direct from metal parts because the technology that they had 60 odd years ago resulted in pretty poor/medicore sound when doing dubs from other disc sources, and it's usually pretty apparent.

I have never seen a copy of this record, but I can tell you, if there's at least a leadout spiral ending in an eccentric groove near the label, it is most assuredly a dub.

A 1904 Victor record, or a later disc actually pressed from the true original metal part, will have the original matrix number at a '6 o'clock' position handwritten in the wax by the engineer, a handwritten take digit at the 9 o'clock position, and the original catalogue number stamped in the dead wax (raised numbers because they're stamped into the stamper) at the 12 o'clock position. And no lead-in or lead-out grooves either. Not even a concentric locked groove at the end.

Handwritten matrix numbers disappeared after May 1906.

Its interesting that on one of the HMV re-issues I have from an original stamper a lead out groove mas been added as an addition. I am sure its not a dub and the original identifying numbers are etched in that lead out area. I have to say that whilst it is the only example I have of this from an early stamper I do have examples where Brunswick master pressings have had an eccentric lead out groove added over the original one. I assume this was to accommodate the use of automatic changers with later pressings. It sure makes the lead out area look messey with basically two separate sets of lead out grooves!

RJ

I remembered where I had read about the shaving of original matrix info on these discs, here,http://www.cris.com/~oakapple/gasdisc/matrix3.htm about ¾ of the way down the page.

Interesting that the record the author uses as an example has an eccentric groove, as my Destinn does.