[78-L] test pressing query

[Robert M. Bratcher Jr.]

At 04:16 PM 10/19/2008, you wrote:
>Donna Halper wrote:
> > This is not my area of expertise, so perhaps somebody on the list can
> > advise.  A friend of mine found a big album of 78s at a flea market--
> > he didn't know what they were (I mean, he knew what 78s are, but as
> > you will see, this confused us both) and was curious about several things.
> >
> > First, the album contains about 18 records, all of which say "TEST
> > PRESSING, Columbia Recording Corporation."  Some have greenish-blue
> > labels, some have white labels.  None identifies the artists, but all
> > say "Budapest" on the label.  A couple of the matrix numbers:  XLP
> > 8021-16, and the label reads "Beethoven Q'tet, Budapest." Another
> > reads XLP 9774-!E, and another reads XLP 8020-16.  Some have the
> > words "Op. 18" on them (I assume that's Opus).  Later in the
> > collection of test pressings, it sames "Brahms" rather than Beethoven
> > but still says "Budapest" and "q'tet" on all of them.
> >
> > When might these have been recorded and by whom?  And typically, who
> > would have received this heavy album of 18 test pressings--
> > reviewers?  Concert promoters?  I doubt they would have been sold to
> > the general public with no name of the group, would they have?
>
>Beethoven's Op. 18 is some 27 minutes long; the first Budapest Quartet
>interpretation was issued by Columbia as a 78 set (MM4444) as well as on
>LP. I don't have much more information, so would guess the year as 1950.
>Note that the Budapest Quartet was Hungarian originally, later
>Russian/Romanian, and in 1938 moved its base of operations permanently
>to the U.S. - all under the same name and always among the greatest
>chamber ensembles in the world.
>
>Someone else will have to advise on who would have received test
>records; in the LP era, they were frequently sent to reviewers with such
>identification and marked "Not for resale".
>
>Mike

Well I hope they are in good condition for listening. I know I'd play them!!