[78-L] Columbia Add-A-Part records.

[Royal Pemberton]

That's how it was released on 1st April 1941!  (ha ha)

On 1/13/09, David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca> wrote:
> There was a score provided in a pocket in the album..I presume single discs
> also came with sheet music. (Hmm, wonder if they had discs with blank
> grooves
> for things like the Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello with the cello part
> missing?)
>
> dl
>
> Royal Pemberton wrote:
>> Did they list (or did they also sell) what specific music was to be
>> used with them?
>>
>> On 1/13/09, David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca> wrote:
>>> That's what they were, an early Music Minus One series. There were enough
>>> of
>>> them to take up 5 pages in the 1945 catalog (although they were probably
>>> all
>>> from around 1940). The highest album number I see is S-60. There were
>>> "easy",
>>> "medium" and "difficult" gradings, single discs and sets, and various
>>> instruments missing..violin, first violin in a quartet, clarinet etc.
>>> Although
>>> for the life of me I can't understand their listing symphonic works like
>>> Beethoven's 5th and the Carmen and Peer Gynt Suites under "piano part
>>> missing".
>>> Did they just put out the Weingartner and Beecham recordings of these
>>> things
>>> and charge 50% extra for the missing non-existent piano parts? Wish I'd
>>> thought
>>> of that.
>>>
>>> I'd like coffee with no cream.
>>> I'm sorry, we're out of cream, you'll have to take it without milk.
>>> Ba-dum-bum.
>>>
>>> dl
>>>
>>> Royal Pemberton wrote:
>>>> What is the story behind the Add-A-Part series of records Columbia
>>>> offered?  For years I've seen them listed among the different series
>>>> or records, and the prices per disc, on a handful of sleeves or albums
>>>> from the 1940s.
>>>>
>>>> I have one of them.  Early 1940s blue (a la Masterworks) label.
>>>> Catalogue number 65116:  it's Strauss's BLUE DANUBE (in two parts)
>>>> performed by 'Members of the Rothschild Ensemble'.  The labels state
>>>> 'Piano missing/EASY', which leads me to believe the A-A-P series were
>>>> precursors of Music Minus One and such like educational products.
>>>> (There is no information on the labels as to what special piano sheet
>>>> music or instructional literature may have been designed for use with
>>>> this record.)
>>>>
>>>> Both sides have a brief outer track with a violinist playing an A
>>>> natural, which ends in a locked groove.  The music tracks include two
>>>> baton taps before the ensemble begins playing, as a cue to the
>>>> pianist.
>>>>
>>>> Matrix number for side 1, 021991; no lead in spiral.  Leadout spiral
>>>> ends in a concentric groove like some 12" Telefunken 78s I have (and
>>>> whose matrix numbers appear to be in the same series).
>>>>
>>>> Matrix number for side 2, XCO 25954 (dub).   Tuning track has lead in
>>>> groove.  Music track has no lead-in groove, and has typical machined
>>>> leadout with mechanical eccentric end typical of US Columbia records
>>>> of the 1940/1941 period.
>>>>
>>>> Any information on this record, or the series as a whole, greatly
>>>> appreciated.
>>>> _______________________________________________
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