The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello everybody. Welcome to my blog - forgottenoperasingers.blogspot.com
My name is Ashot Arakelyan, I’m a private record collector. This blog is for those, who is interested in an art of forgotten old opera singers.
Regards
Ashot

Thanks very much. Your blog and YouTube channel look really neat.

Keep up the good work!

Thank you for your good words.
Regards
Ashot

Your site looks very interesting. I have collected opera records for well over 50 years now. Trouble is I tend not to keep things and so the amount I have any longer is rather small. That doesn't mean I don' t enjoy hearing them, its just a matter of not being overwhelmed with records. Not that I am not, thats part of the problem I guess. I find that Opera collectors are very hard core but a rather small part of the overall picture it would seem.

Larry

I just acquired The Victor Book of the Opera, ninth edition (1929/1936). I believe this to be the "cusp" edition bridging the period when VTMC was sold to RCA, and the dual copyright dates would seem to confirm this. In any case, the book is of interest because it includes photographs of many famous singers of that period, who also (not coincidentally!) were Victor recording artists. But among the famous (Bampton, Caruso, Chaliapin, Flagstad, Galli-Curci, Melchior, etc., etc.) were a number of (to me) less well known: Crooks, Jepson, Leider, Schorr. I also found it interesting that the book includes eleven of the thirteen G&S operettas, the reason evidently being that these eleven were recorded, in whole or in part, and available on Victor recordings. Included also are a few works rarely, if ever, heard in the opera house today: Le Cid, Fedora, Merry Mount, The King's Henchman, for example. Conversely, operas that have become more or less standard repertory items are *not* found here, such as Ariadne auf Naxos, although Salome, with its shocking (for the time) subject matter, *is* included, again no doubt because parts of it were recorded, notably the Dance of the Seven Veils. On the whole, however, this edition shows us just how little the "standard" opera repertory has changed over the last 75 years!

BTW, I bought this book at a library book sale for $2. It's in very good condition, evidently not read very much (!), and I couldn't resist the bargain. I know that it isn't rare. To me, the chief value is the clear summation of the opera plots, and within them the embedded references to Victor record numbers and sides. It also lists the selling prices!

Thank you Larry for your good words about my blog, if I can help you in something tell me to know.
Regards
Ashot

Ditto on "The Victrola Book of the Operas"...I just received the 1921 edition for about $5 through Abebooks, handy plot synopsis and recording lists. I thought if I was going to collect some of the recordings I might as well have the book with its Victor pedigree. John

I love operatic arias on early discs and cylinders, making about two thirds of my record collection. Great blog!

You have created a very informative site which I will be visiting frequently.

My latest "Forgotten Opera Singer" find is a 10 inch Black label Pre-Dog GC 2-82491 of the Swedish baritone John Forsell (1868-1941) singing the Toreador Song from Carmen, in Swedish!

Forsell's main claim to fame was as the teacher of Jussi Bjorling. As a singer in his own right, he is indeed sadly forgotten.

Thanks to all for a good words about my blog, what concern to a John Forsell, I recommend to read book of the Sergei Levik about opera singers, he wrote very interesting lines about this legendary baritone.
Regards
Ashot