17.3 Vocal A-G Only. Pp 27-87
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VOCAL 78 rpm Discs Minimum bid as indicated per item. Listings “Just about 1-2” should be considered as mint and “Cons. 2” with just slight marks. For collectors searching top copies, you’ve come to the right place! The further we get from the era of production (in many cases now 100 years or more), the more difficult it is to find such excellent extant pressings. Some are actually from mint dealer stocks acquired years ago and others the result of having improved copies in my own collection via dozens of collections purchased over the past fifty years. * * * For those looking for the best sound via modern reproduction, those items marked “late” are usually of high quality shellac, pressed in the 1950-55 period. A number of items in this catalogue are excellent pressings from that era. Also featured are many “Z” shellac Victors, their best quality surface material (produced in the later 1930s) and PW (Pre-War) Victor, almost as good surface material as “Z”. Likewise laminated PW Columbia pressings (1923- 1940) offer similarly fine sound. * * * Please keep in mind that the minimum bids are in U.S. Dollars, a benefit to many collectors. These figures do not indicate the “value” of the records but rather the lowest minimum bid I can accept. Some will sell for much more, although bids at any figure from the minimum on up are welcomed and appreciated. To avoid possible tie winning bids (which would otherwise be assigned to the earlier received bid), I’d suggest adding a cents amount to your bid. * * * “Text label on verso.” For a brief period (1912-1914), Victor pressed silver-on-black labels on the reverse sides of some of their single-faced recordings, usually featuring translations of the text or related comments. VERTICALLY CUT RECORDS. There were basically two systems: the “needle-cut” method employed by Edison, which was also used by Aeolian-Vocalion and Lyric and the “sapphire ball” system of Pathé, also used by Rex. and vertical Okeh. While the grooving is similar (up and down or “hill and dale”), an Edison reproducer and its diamond point would ruin any other needle-cut vertical record. Emerson used the needle cut system early on but cut on a 45 degree angle, supposedly thereby playable either as a vertical or a lateral record. VINYL PRESSINGS. There are a number of vinyl pressings from various sources in this catalogue, mostly produced originally in extremely limited quantities (estimated from one to twenty). Red vinyl pressings were pressed as tests for the Victor Heritage Series in the late 1940s in quantities of three. The sound quality of vinyls is usually superior to any shellac issues. Those marked 10” (on 12”) are of 10” records (or other smaller sizes) pressed on 12” format (likely because 10” record presses weren’t available). Some collectors will prefer the clean sound of most vinyl pressings, while others are attracted by the lure of original shellac pressings, which of course also provide excellent sound via clean copies. LINA ABARBANELL [s]. Berlin, 1879 (or 1880)-Monte- fiore Hospital, Bronx, NY, 1963. Abarbanell had first appeared on the stage at the age of six. While she had considerable experience in opera (including dozens of performances as Adele in Die Fledermaus with the Berlin Court Opera and the role of Hänsel in the 1905 Metropolitan Opera premiere of Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel), much of her career was in operetta. In 1900, she married political writer Eduard Goldbeck and in 1933 their only daughter, Eva, married American composer Marc Blitzstein. Lina’s husband died the next year and Abarbanell then concluded her performing career. Her daughter died only three years later but Abarbanell continued in various theatrical capacities, including as a chorus director and even as a casting consultant for the 1954 film Carmen Jones. She also continued to be close to Marc Blitzstein after the 1936 death of her daughter (his wife). In 1949 she was the casting director for Blitzstein’s opera Regina and the same for LINA ABARBANELL his 1959 musical Juno. 1958. 10” BLK. Wien G&T 43421 [791z-Lo-2z]. MAMSELL NITOUCHE: Babet und Cadet (Hervé). Excellent copy, small (harmless) PB near start. Bright lbl. 2. $200.00. - 27 - VOCAL 78 rpm Discs BESSIE ABOTT [s]. 3721. 12” Red ’06 GP “A” plate Victor 88050. RIGOLETTO: Caro nome (Verdi). 2. $8.00. 3025. 12” PW Silver Victor IRCC 79 [C-3237-1/C-4991-2]. MIGNON: Io son Titania (Tho- mas) / RIGOLETTO: Tutte le feste (Verdi). Side two with MARIO ANCONA [b]. From orig. 1908/1909 Victor masters. Just about 1-2. $20.00. LUIGI ABRATE [t] 3905. 12” Purple acous. La Cigale (Columbia) D17548 [74832/74833]. ANDREA CHEN- IER: Improvviso / ANDREA CHENIER: Come un bel dì (Giordano). Cons. 2. $20.00. ALBERTO ADAMI [t] 2134. 10” Blk. Victor 65752. LA JUIVE: Rachele, allor che Iddio (Halévy) / PEARL FISHERS: Mi par d’udir ancora (Bizet). Harmless lt. rubs, 2. $10.00. SUZANNE ADAMS [s] 1654. 10” Red Monarch 5006 [2149-wg]. HOME, SWEET HOME (Bishop). Very fine copy, bright label. Some LGTs, otherwise 2. $50.00. 4270. 10” B&S Columbia 1196 [take 2]. OBSTI- NATION (de Fontenailles). With LEO STERN [cellist]. Stern, a distinguished British cellist (1862-1904), had given the London (world) and New York premieres of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. Adams was his se- cond wife. This appears to be his only record- ing. Harmless rubs, cons. 3. $150.00. AGUSTARELLO AFFRE [t]. See also: AMELIA TALEXIS [s] 1195. 10” Blk. Paris G&T 2-32971 [2417-CS]. LA STATUE: Ah! laisse-moi te contempler (Reyer). Couple tiny pressing indentations, otherwise remarkably clean copy, just about 1-2. $60.00. 2331. 11” Brown Odeon 60308/56094 [XP3330/ XP3532]. THAMARA: Rêve de Nour-Eddin (Bourgault-Ducoudray) / LISE LANDOUZY [s], GASTON DUBOIS [t], PAOLO ANA- NIAN [b]. FAUST: Alerte (Gounod). A par- ticularly uncommon Affre disc. Nice copy. Cons. 2. $40.00. CARMELO ALABISO [t] AGUSTARELLO AFFRE in Reyer’s La Statue 2018. 10” Blue acous. Fonografia Nazionale A4597/C4598. OTELLO: Ora e per sempre addio / OTELLO: Niun mi tema (Verdi). One tiny (harmless) scr. Just about 1-2. $20.00. 1541. 10” Plum elec. PW Eng. Columbia D6048 [WB2555/WB2556]. ISABEAU: Canzone del Falco / ISABEAU: Or solo intorno (Mascagni). Just about 1-2. $20.00. 1972. 10” Plum elec. PW Eng. Columbia D11556 [WB2423/WB2557]. OTELLO: Ora e per sempre addio / OTELLO: Niun mi tema (Verdi). Few minor rubs side one, cons. 2. Side two just about 1-2. $15.00. FRANCESCO ALBANESE [t] 1226. Red Cetra-Soria TI 7018 [52229/52231]. MUSICA PROIBITA (Gastaldon) / SERE- NATA (Mascagni). Just about 1-2. $10.00. CARLO ALBANI [t] 1502. 10” Red vinyl Victor mat. B-4890. ANDREA CHENIER: Come un bel dì di Maggio (Giordano). Unpublished except for HMV AGSA 13. Just about 1-2. $15.00. 1729. 10” Mauve HMV AGSA 13 [B-4890/B-4897]. ANDREA CHENIER: Come un bel dì di Maggio (Giordano) / TOSCA: Recondita armonia (Puccini). Both sides first and only issued versions (1907 Victor matrices). Just about 1-2. $15.00. - 28 - VOCAL 78 rpm Discs 3532. 12” Red GP ’07 Victor 74095 [C-4886]. FORZA DEL DESTINO: Oh tu che segno (Verdi). Excellent copy, a few lightest mks. Cons. 2. $20.00. 3733. 12” Red vinyl Victor 74095 [C-4886]. Same as previous listing but vinyl pressing. Just about 1-2. $20.00. 3745. 12” Red vinyl Victor 74096 [C-4889]. LOLITA (Buzzi-Peccia). Just about 1-2. $20.00. EMMA ALBANI [s] 4021. 10” Red London G&T 53325 [4760L]. XERXES: Ombra mai fu (Händel). An intriguing (and extremely rare) record indicating how Händel was approached the later part of the 19th century, at least by Mme. Albani! As heard here, she breathes wherever she wants and demonstrates little phrasing sense, but still does some fascinating things, such as producing a won- derful trill at one point (which of course she holds, bending the line out of shape) and a penultimate high G which goes on and on (attractively, but not related to anything musi- cally at that point). Perhaps she believed that the music was simply a vehicle for her to do with as she pleased. It still has a magical, ghostly and EMMA ALBANI fascinating aura about it, even if all wrong by today’s outlook. Label clean. Greying at some forward points, but less so at others and occasionally none at all. 4-5. $150.00. TOMMASO [TOMÀS] ALCAIDE [t] 1941. 10” PW Green Italian Columbia GQ 7161 [WB4204/WB4210]. MANON: Il sogno / MANON: Ah, dispar, vision (Massenet). In Italian. Few lt. mks., cons. 2. $12.00. 1490. 10” PW Blue French Col. LF 111 [WB3749-1/WB4203-1]. CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA: Siciliana (Mascagni) / MARTHA: M’appari (Flotow). In Italian. Just about 1-2. $12.00. FRANCES ALDA [s] 1702. 10” LP Audiodisc Transcription. FRANCES ALDA SPEAKS ABOUT HER CAREER AND RECORDS. WQXR radio broadcast, NY, 14 Dec. 1939 / EMMA EAMES SPEAKS ABOUT HER CAREER AND RECORDS. WQXR, NY, 14 Dec. 1939. Transcriptions of the spoken parts by Alda and Eames introducing the records they chose for these broadcasts. Quite fascinating! Cons. 2. $15.00. 1519. 10” Red Vla 64625. SUCH A LI’L’ FELLOW (Dichmont). Bright copy, lightest mks., cons. 2. $6.00. 1518. 10” Red Vla 64692. RULE BRITANNIA! (Arne). Only form of issue. Just about 1-2. $8.00. 1804. 10” Mauve elec. HMV AGSA 9 [BVE-32816-6/BVE-34561-2]. LA CENA DELLE BEFFE: Sempre così / LA CENA DELLE BEFFE: Mi chiamo Lisabetta (Giordano). Just about 1-2.