[78-L] Gershwin Porgy rehearsal recording

Sat Nov 21 21:22:50 PST 2009

In going thru what is on the MusicMasters (which I have on Musical
Heratage Society) I did note that the 2nd Rhapsody did fit the limit of
one 16 side and that this might be the white labeled disc.  And the LC
listing did say it was a white labeled disc but did not give the matrix
number.  Of course it would not be in the ARSC Journal listing because
that was only for Program Transcription GROOVING on 10, 12, or 14.  The
M in MRC indicates it is a 16-inch with RC recording system by RCA.  A
preceding L would have indicated Program Transcription grooving, such as
LCRC for a 12-inch Prog Trans.  

But damn, what is that P&B rehearsal disc or discs?   I saw that or
those too.  That bio you led me to says that part of it was played on
Gershwin's program, but I don't think he had a program then -- he would
have dropped it when going down South to write P&B.  But there is
another voice introducing Gershwin at the start.  Now I've got to go
thru my LC file, and I remember that when I went thru the Gershwin discs
it was at the end of the day and there was no one there to play them for
me, I was there with Gibson or Jim Smart or maybe even Sam B.  Then the
next time I was there they were already in dead storage after dubbing
those damn tapes which didn't include BOTH sets of Feenamint dubs from
the floppies.  The only way they could get The Man I Love correctly was
by going back and dubbing both sets, because the skips from the floppies
were different on the two sets of dubs to lacquer.  The cataloger called
the two sets "takes".  In that they were two different dubs, yes, but
they were from the same master of a live broadcast.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [78-L] Gershwin Porgy rehearsal recording
From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
Date: Sat, November 21, 2009 10:28 pm
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

We're not confusing this with the Second Rhapsody, are we? That does
have a 
matrix number and Victor's file copy is missing but Ira had one (and I
still 
don't know if it was 12" or 16" but I notice that it isn't in the 33RPM
matrix 
listing in ARSC Journal). MRC 69986-1, June 26/31, line from WEAF,
"Special 
Record of NBC". Don't ask me where I got that info..it's on a typed
piece of 
paper I keep in VMB2.

As for the rehearsal, I found this:
"One rehearsal was recorded in the CBS studios on July 19, 1935"
from William Hyland's biography.
http://books.google.ca/books?id=EoKvjKEsf0MC&pg=PA168&lpg=PA168&dq=%22porgy+and+bess%22+%22rehearsal%22+%221935%22&source=bl&ots=lHP8914JXP&sig=6McmNOqEQnp4N3cL9gnPZQuTz6s&hl=en&ei=M68IS5DREcn-nAfi_8jDCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CCUQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=%22porgy%20and%20bess%22%20%22rehearsal%22%20%221935%22&f=false

dl

Michael Biel wrote:
> Drat! I've held several copies of the original pressing, which I am
> sure is a 16-inch white label RCA. I've seen it in the NBC collection
> and in Ira's collection at LC, yet all that LC lists is the damn tape
> they made in 1981 calling it a CBS BROADCAST!!!!! It was a closed,
> secret, private rehearsal, not a BROADCAST for heavens sake! That is
> what they list as the physical item, the damn tape, not the disc the
> tape was made from. BLAST THEM. I don't give a diddly damn about their
> crappy tape (that probably has sticky shed), only the ORIGINAL DISC. 
> They've got the disc, at least two copies of it. Why in the world
> doesn't their cataloging system include listing the physical description
> of the ORIGINAL item, not their damn dub. Even the two Feenamint shows
> are listed only by the tape number, not even listing the network/station
> or the air time. SHEESH. 
> 
> Mike (pissed off right now) Biel mbiel at mbiel.com 
> 
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Gershwin Porgy rehearsal recording
> From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
> Date: Sat, November 21, 2009 7:31 pm
> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> 
> Michael Biel wrote:
>> If Lennick is on line he can probably find the info quickly, but anybody
>> else who has it, chime in.
>>
>>
>> I quickly need the Matrix number and label info of the Porgy and Bess
>> rehearsal recording from July 19. 1935. I have all the info in my
>> files, but my files are not where I am. Any info on what studio it was
>> recorded in -- from the labels of the original 16-inch pressing, not
>> from CD issues.
>>
>>
> 
> I'm here but I think you have more info than I do..there certainly
> wasn't any 
> on the Mark 56 LP. Was there any on the MusicMasters CD (which I have,
> if I can 
> just remember where)?
> 
> dl
> 
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