[78-L] Unexpected findings

[Inigo Cubillo]

Yesterday at 13:00, due to circumstances, I found myself in the street,
free from work, and with a whole spare hour in front of me. I thought about
going to have a beer... but that mad idea fastly died, for I happen to be
just very near a 78 dealer in Moncloa district (Madrid, Spain) who always
stores shellac. 78s in that shop move slowly, so if you go there frequently
just you'll see the same records time after time. But it was since last
Christmas that I had not been there... so there I went.

At first sight I saw that the records had been neatly re-ordered in two big
crates, and they looked as having some new records inside. So I checked a
few of them, and I found a mixture of the old same records, with some 'new'
ones that weren't there before. I picked half a dozen of them ---early
forties' spanish dance orchestras with vocal refrain, very nice. I detected
some other interesting items requiring careful check, so I left them there
kept to come over another day with more spare time (perhaps this late
afternoon) to check them slowly. This was a record-set (individual sleeves,
no album) in the spanish HMV DA-4200 10" series, with Mendelssohn's Songs
Without Words, op.62, played by Schnabel's son Karl Ulrich. I spotted
DA-4272, 4, 5, 6, but 4273 was apparently not there.

I've investigated a bit and found this was published in the US as Victor
set M-266, and I wonder how many records the set consists of, just to be
sure I pick the complete thing. Finding such rare records once you are
missing one of them in the set is a nightmare!
Gramofono (HMV-Spain) used to publish many Victor american recordings (or
other foreigners) in their AA/AB series, and later in the DA/DB-4200
spanish series, when judged to be of interest for the spanish market,
despite not being chosen for issue by central HMV-UK in the international
HMV DA/DB series which was shared by all countries.

Anyway, to the plot. I spotted a small square old tough cardboard box, and
when I opened it... what was inside? Six marvelous old spanish and french
G&Ts, single sided... seven-inchers....! Price was 5 euros a piece, so I
took all them six. Three of them are a french band (Garde Republicaine)
selection in parts... 1&2, 3&4 and 5. They're labelled DISQUE POUR
GRAMOPHONE, made by The Gramophone & Typewriter Co. Ltd. et Societés
Filiales of France, pressed in Hannover. Up to 1915, spanish HMV was a
subsidiary of Cie Francaise du Gramophone, the french branch. They are
early 60,000s, one of them a reissue X-60,000, and the others are in the
french series 30,000. I guess by old catalogues that this 'small' records
(called so in the catalogues, as opposed to the Concert 10" and monarch
12") were still sold until 1910 or so. By the G&T and HANNOVER indications
I know they were made between 1904-1908. Matrixed were in the F-7700 series
(Scheuplein) and some 300F matrixes (1902, re-recording of 1901 matrixes).

I'll see if I can go there again this late afternoon... Bust still have to
get the info on the Mendelssohn-Schnabel set.!

​Inigo ​
Cubillo
Madrid, SPAIN