[78-L] the horn image

[James Tennyson]

Did  you guys mention this movie? Two Sisters from Boston ( 1946) starring 
Laurtiz Melchior Kathryn Grayson and June Allyson. The  plot I think is a 
kind of mish mash based on  the Ponselle Sisters saga...the " from 
Vaudeville to the Opera"  thingy.  Be that as it may,  here's the recording 
studio scene which is much more authentic than  the one in The Great Caruso. 
It's  played for laughs  of course, but you will note that a couple of the 
string players have Stroh fiddles.  And the thing is, Melchior of course 
began his recording carreer in the acoustic era, so he would know whereof he 
parodied in this segment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6e9b8QHbzU

Message: 9
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:53:18 -0700
From: "Michael Biel" <mbiel at mbiel.com>
Subject: Re: [78-L] the horn image
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Message-ID:
<20090422165318.b192746a6fddb703927f95bcf5fd261f.e2173d7339.wbe at email.secureserver.net>

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From: "William A. Brent" <bbrent at pipeline.com>
> here ya go
> http://www.freeradical.co.nz/lanza/images/photos/Singing_Because_in_The_Great_Caruso.jpg

Technically it is a very inaccurate scene.  Metal horns were ALWAYS
wrapped with tape to reduce any ringing or resonances, and would not
have been directly coupled to that hanging chain.  What is an unusual
factor in Caruso specifically is the self-portrait he drew of himself
singing into a RECTANGULAR horn much like is inside Victrolas.  What is
even more surprising about that drawing is that it was done before the
introduction of internal horn Victrolas!

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com