[78-L] Music Hall. 'Speeding' Query.

[Chris Zwarg]

At 18:24 04.11.2008, you wrote:
>Hi!
>
>Actually, these Winners are from 1919, but above 78rpm? Definitely not.

OK, if you say so that's probably correct. Maybe it's just a coincidence that I happen to have several that definitely run much faster (including some classical piano pieces played by Marie Novello, the keys of which are of course known for certain so there can be no mistake in that case at least). If you could provide details of those you are talking about, I'll have a look if I might also own copies of them, or of matrices nearby, and could check your findings.

>I know all about keys. You forget that I'm a professional musician! ;-)

No I don't forget that, and I intended no offence, but I also don't forget that many non-"professional musicians" might be reading this who might hopefully find more news in this kind of info than you.

>I have found, however, that many early records (of-course, lots of 
>exceptions) seem to have been recorded at around 75rpm.

Definitely there were two "groups" in the early days once the more extreme experiments like those Italian 1903 G&Ts recorded at 68rpm had "calmed down" - one favouring 75 and the other 80 as an (unstated) target speed. 78 as a nominal standard, even if it was arrived at for other reasons (often discussed here), has always looked to me like an acceptable average among records found in the catalogues at the time it came into general use (late 1920's). "75" indeed would have been more "on the spot" for a large portion of these records (e.g. the majority of Victor and G&T/HMV products), but a record playing too slow usually sounds worse than one playing slightly too fast, so the new standard seems to have been set in a way that kept the sizeable number of 80rpm sides still in print (much of UK Columbia, many 1910-1918 HMVs, Pathé, many smaller labels) listenable if not quite correct. At 75, these sides sound impossibly tired and sluggish even to the "uneducated" casual listener.

Chris Zwarg