[78-L] Rex Battle

[David Lennick]

I'll add the same information I remember posting last year..a couple of Max 
Boag (Harry Glenn) sides are known to have been recorded by Compo on September 
23, 1943 and matrix numbers are around 10293. So this recording falls into 
place and you've given the date of Sept. 30/43..do we know that the concert was 
on that date or could this be the date of the transfer from original lacquers? 
EMC says that Battle performed with the Proms in 1941. I like Mr. Carli's 
suggestion about looking for reviews of this concert.

I wonder if the 1924 Compo disc I mentioned elsewhere is one of the earliest 
known airchecks in Canada? As I recall, it sounded as if a microphone was 
placed in front of the speaker or horn, not as if taken by direct feed.

dl

On 3/10/2011 3:50 PM, DAVID BURNHAM wrote:
> Could have been done as a favour for Battle. He made some legitimate recordings
> for the Compo label and also allowed his name to appear on Apex as leader of
> dance band records which were actually Joseph Samuels, Eddie Peabody, Adrian
> Schubert, Bar Harbor Society Orchestra etc.
>
> Now if only Percy Grainger's broadcast of the Grieg with Reginald Stewart
> conducting that same orchestra would turn up!
>
> dl
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> I doubt very much that Rex Battle would have wanted this recording to get around
> for reasons noted below.  By the way, in the previous posting I said it was a
> four record set, it was actually three records.  In Jan of 2010, I wrote of my
> experiences with this recording with the following posting:
>
> 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
> _______________________________________________
> 78-L mailing list
> 78-L at klickitat.78online.com
> http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
>
>