[78-L] Fun while mastering

[Michael Biel]

Herbert is probably Herbert Berliner.

It obviously was dubbed from a 33 safety or from a broadcast or concert
recording.  What is the matrix number including any take designation? 
The Compo ledgers are in the Canadian National Library and might answer
what the source was or at least who provided it.  I do know that the
ledgers showed no technical info about the source of the Woodrow Wilson
Armistace Day broadcast of 1923 transferred in 1940.  

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com 


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [78-L] Fun while mastering
From: DAVID BURNHAM <burnhamd at rogers.com>
Date: Thu, January 28, 2010 9:18 pm
To: 78-L at 78online.com

I'm just in the process of copying a fairly rare set of records over to
CD.  I came across a point where the record skipped, repeating a
revolution a couple of times.  I took it off and cleaned it as well as I
could, didn't help.  I tried every different size stylus, adjusted the
anti-skate, adjusted the weight, blew on the side of the arm, nothing
worked.  Then I noticed two curiosities: first, that it always skipped
twice and then carried on and second, (this is where I slap the side of
my head and say "duh"), that it was skipping at a rate corresponding to
a 33 1/3, even though it was a 78!  Actually it was skipping at a rate
considerably faster than an LP but certainly not a 78.  That's when I
checked the pitch and found out that the work was not in the proper key,
(knowing from my vast store of knowledge that Grieg never wrote a
Concerto in B minor.  When I corrected the pitch, (sorry Michael), the
period of record skip was exactly that of
 an LP.  So this record was "issued", (I don't think it actually ever
was), with the skips included.

For anyone who's not bored yet and is still reading this posting there
is an interesting story attached to this recording, (which, by the way,
is Grieg's Concerto in A minor performed by Rex Battle with Erno Rapee
conducting the Toronto Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, recorded
September 30th, 1943).  The opening piano entry and several other points
of the recording are full of almost comical mistakes.  I was once
describing this recording to a local violinist, Eugene Kash, who
exclaimed that he was the concert master at this performance.  When it
came to the end of the concert, it was his duty to congratulate the
soloist on the performance but knew it was pretty bad.  He walked up to
RB and said "Well, Mr. Battle, that was...." and Rex Battle cut him off
saying, "Don't say a word.  I learned something tonight - I discovered
that you can't play the piano wearing French cuffs."  Apparently these
were a fairly new invention in 1943 and every so
 often, the cufflinks would get attached to each other and he couldn't
separate them.

Another couple of anomolies about these records - it's a three record
set but every record is numbered 10300.  Also there is no company's name
on the label.  They were "Processed and pressed by Compo Co. limited,
Lachine, Que" but that's all it says.  I know Rex Battle made other
recordings on the Apex label and these labels look like Apex labels ,
(Canadian Decca blue), but without the name.

There's also an interesting, barely readable, note written on the 6th
side label in ink the same colour as the label:

"To Herbert - a guy that knows something about music..  With my very
best to you.  Rex Battle 1943"

There's also writing on side 1 in the same ink which just says "Herbert
(something)".  It's very unclear - looks like he was writing it while
the record was playing.

db