[78-L] Edison DD question

[James Tennyson]

As a piano technician who has tuned for quite a number of recording 
sessions, this is a topic dear to my heart.  The piano was an upright of 
some sort and was one of the main sources of friction between Sergei 
Rachmaninoff and Thomas A  Edison Inc.  I understand that it was the main 
reason the Rachmaninoff left for Victor: he was annoyed at having to play on 
an upright.  That and the fact that Edison issued unapproved takes of the 
Rachmaninoff material. I find it appalling that Edison would expect a 
concert pianist to perform on an upright. Victor Columbia and HMV had been 
using grands for over a decade .  But Rachmaninoff wasn't the only one so 
handicapped by the studios. I have seen a letter from Busoni grumbling about 
his sessions again on an upright.
The thing is that the Edison process of recording was good enough to let one 
hear just how much the piano sounded like  what its: an upright with a not 
outstanding bass.  And on some takes just how much the tuning had slipped.

Message: 8
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:45:12 -0500
From: "joe at salerno.com" <jsalerno at earthlink.net>
Subject: [78-L] Edison DD question
To: 78-l <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Message-ID: <4A6AFE58.1040507 at earthlink.net>
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Is there any documentation about the piano used by Rachmaninoff in his
1919 Edison Diamond discs?

It doesn't sound like such a great instrument to me, but I wonder if
there is any info on exactly what it was, make, style, etc.

joe salerno