Notes for Issue 18

The sad news of the death of Desmond Shawe-Taylor only reached us after the last prospectus had gone to press. Many tributes have been paid to Desmond especially for his musical and other writings. He was a founder member of Historic Masters and made a significant contribution to our activities. He will be much missed by all of us on the Committee.

Historic Masters are pleased to announce the eighteenth issue of direct vinyl pressings produced in collaboration with Thorn EMI from 78 rpm metal masters in their archives. The complete HISTORIC MASTERS series now numbers 116 discs comprising 231 sides. Of these some 60 recordings have never previously been available in any other 78 rpm format. The complete series now includes records by no less than 97 different singers. The current eighteenth issue contains six previously unpublished records. Two of these are by Luisa Tetrazzini who was last featured in one of the earliest issues of Historic Masters. It may be particularly appropriate to include records of Tetrazzini on this occasion as a special tribute to the late Desmond Shawe-Taylor. He was a great enthusiast for the records of Tetrazzini and he described her voice as being of ‘memorable and individual beauty’.

It is thanks to the unstinting co-operation of Ruth Edge and the EMI archives and also the work of many scholars and enthusiasts that we have been able to locate and issue so many important recordings. We owe much to the superb discographical work of Alan Kelly. As far as unpublished items are concerned, Historic Masters has been able to out-perform some of our distinguished predecessor labels devoted to the re-issue of vocal 78s. In addition to the published material, we have also been able to re-issue many records which are particularly rare in their original form.

Regular readers of this newsletter will know that our records are being manufactured by EMI themselves. The latter are currently in the midst of re-locating, together with the Music Archive, to a new site. This should ensure that EMI remains involved in the manufacture of vinyl records and this will incidentally also secure the future of Historic Masters provided that we continue to receive the support of collectors.

There is usually mention in these newsletters of our on-going need for your support and this is certainly not lessening. We can only produce records if we are sure of being able to sell the bulk of each issue as soon as it is available. Please remember, we are now the only company in the world whose main purpose is the production of 78 rpm discs.

A final thought! Looking through some old issues of the Record Collector magazine, I was intrigued to come across the article in which its founding editor James Dennis hailed the announcement of the first series of Historic Masters. This was exactly 25 years ago. Obviously, in money terms we, alas, have to charge more for the new discs we are producing. However, in real terms, i.e. allowing for inflation, the price is very similar.

The current issue again consists of six records. As on previous occasions, Professor John Stratton has donated an additional record to the series. In effect, subscribers obtain six records for the price of five. We are all extremely grateful for his generosity.

Stanley Henig

CATALOGUE

Peter Stroud has up-dated his complete catalogue of Historic Masters issues down to HM 116. A copy of the new edition is available from Historic Masters, cost -£3.00 post free.

REFERENDUM ON ENGLISH SINGERS

In the last newsletter we mentioned the idea of occasionally including in our series pressings of recordings of English singers which actually only exist in very noisy shellac pressings. We drew attention to the possibility of obtaining quiet pressings of such recordings as Austral’s THE GOLDEN LEGEND and STABAT MATER, Dawson’s aria from Balfe’s THE SIEGE OF LA ROCHELLE, and Widdop’s ACIS AND GALATEA. We asked for your views on this. A majority of subscribers replied and approximately two thirds supported the idea. One third were opposed. After some discussion, the Committee decided that a possible way ahead would be the occasional inclusion of a seventh record in one of our series. We are intending to publish two issues of Historic Masters (the 19th and 20th) during 1997. We have already been told that each of these issues will include a gift record supplied by Professor Stratton. It is our intention that one of these issues will also include a further free record containing items by English singers. However, the price will be the same so in effect subscribers will receive seven records for the price of five.

Prospectus, pitching decisions, and speeds by Richard Bebb

HM 111
LUISA TETRAZZINI (1848-1929)
Somewhere a voice is calling (J.W.Tate) – Speed 80
La serenata (Leggenda valacca) (Braga) – Speed 79
Matrices Ho 548c and Ho 554c, recorded in London on 20 June 1914.Previously unpublished.

Both sides of this lovely record were previously unpublished in their original 78 form, although it is difficult to find a reason for their rejection. J. W. Tate, the composer of the hit song ‘Somewhere a voice is calling’, not only had a great career as a composer for musical comedy, but had another, and equally successful career as ‘That’, the pianist in the famous music-hall duo ‘Clarice Mayne and That’. He also happened to be Maggie Teyte’s older brother. Many of the greatest singers of the day – Frances Alda, John McCormack and Mary Garden also recorded the song.

HM 112
ELENA RUSZKOWSKA (1877-1948)
BIANCA LAVIN DE CASAS (1875-      )
AIDA (Act 2) (Verdi)
Fu la sorte dell’armi – Speed 76
Matrix 1860c, recorded in Milan on 1 Nov 1909. Issued as HMV 054272
Ebben, qual nuovo fremito – Speed 76
Matrix 1861c. recorded in Milan on 1 Nov 1909. Issued as HMV 054273

See notes on HM 113

HM 113
ELENA RUSZKOWSKA (1877-1948)
BIANCA LAVIN DE CASAS (1875-      )
AIDA (Act 2) (Verdi)
Ah! pieta ti prenda – Speed 76
Matrix 1862c, recorded in Milan on 1 Nov 1909. Issued as HMV 054276
BiANCA LAViN uc CASAS (1875-      )
LE PROPHETE (Meyerbeer) Complainte de la Mendiante – Speed 78
Matrix 2727f, recorded in Milan on 21 Nov 1908. Issued as HMV 053203

Elena Ruszkowska, the great Polish soprano, has appeared in our series before, and she justifies her return with some of the most flawless singing that can ever have been heard in this opera. The duet is sung a semitone down, a transposition which seems to have been used everywhere before the First World War – perhaps due to the lack of a set of orchestral parts in the original key.

Bianca Lavin de Casas, however, is making her first appearance. In addition to her excellent performance as Amneris, she is represented by a solo side devoted to a very rarely recorded aria from Meyerbeer’s LE PROPHETE. This comes from Act IV and is known as the ‘Complainte de la Mendiante’. Her magisterial performance of this third aria for Fides makes one even sadder that very few of her matrices seem to have survived at Hayes.

HM 114
JULIUS PATZAK (1898-1974)
SCHWANENGESANG (D957) (Schubert) Ihr Bild – Speed 78
Matrix CHA 985 recorded in Vienna on 5 Dec 1947 Previously unpublished.
Das Lied im Grunen (D917) (Schubert) – Speed 78
Matrix CHA 984 recorded in Vienna on 5 Dec 1947 Previously unpublished.

Recorded in 1947 as part of that famous series devoted to the stars of the Vienna State Opera, Patzak’s four Lieder sides remained unpublished. The two Schubert songs are now issued, and, to my taste, are quite wonderful.

Not all collectors care for Patzak’s voice, but I find it difficult to imagine that anyone could be unmoved by his performance of ‘Ihr Bild’, as the husband gazes on the portrait of his dead wife. The heartache is in Patzak’s tone, and the weight of the emotion is never allowed to become obtrusive or self-indulgent. It is the work of a great and sensitive artist.

The two remaining titles are scheduled for a later issue.

HM 115
LEV SIBIRYAKOV (1869 1942)
LOHENGRIN (Act 1) (Wagner)
Mein Herr und Gott – Speed 77
Matrix 2033c, recorded in St. Petersburg on 20 Sepl 1910. Issued as HMV 022175. Sung in Russian.
ERNANI(Act1)(Vero7)
Infelice! E tu credevi - Speed 76
Matrix 2031c, recorded in St. Petersburg on 20 Sept 1910. Issued as HMV 022172. Sung in Russian

Sergei Levik’s MEMOIRS contain a wonderful portrait of Lev Sibiryakov at work in the theatre, making absolutely no attempt to involve himself in any way with the stage action – just standing and singing so fabulously well that he had the public at his feet. He was, of course, the absolute antithesis of Chaliapin, and may well have decided that he was not going to compete with him as a stage artist. There can be little doubt, though, that, as a voice pure and simple, Sibiryakov had the greater instrument, and the sheer majestic weight of his tone is a marvel.

HM 116
MIKHAIL NIKOLAYEVICH
KARAKASH (1887-1937)
EUGENE ONEGIN (Tchaikovsky) Onegins scena and arioso – Speed 74
Matrix 18028b, recorded in St. Petersburg on 25 Oct 1913. Previously unpublished.
OSCAR KAMIONSKY (1869-1917)
ZAZA (Act 4) (Leoncavallo)
Zaza, piccola zingara – Speed 74
Matrix 18366b, recorded in St. Petersburg on 26 Nov 1913. Previously unpublished. Sung in Russian.

Once again, our subscribers are indebted to Dr. John Stratton’s generosity for the discovery and publication of this unknown and unpublished record by the excellent baritone, Mikhail Karakash, who has already appeared more than once in our series. His performance of the arioso from EUGENE ONEGIN is typically elegant -almost Leiferkus class

Oscar Kamionsky is making his debut in the series with a performance of an aria from Leoncavallo’s ZAZA. Once again I refer to a superb analysis of Kamionsky’s voice and art in Sergei Levik’s MEMOIRS, which was published with the assistance of HISTORIC SINGERS TRUST, which is a by-product of HISTORIC MASTERS LIMITED. Levik pinpoints in tremendous detail all the strengths and the weaknesses of this important baritone. The acquisition of this record will enable you to judge if he is right!