FRIEDA HEMPEL -- coloratura soprano -- "Proch's Theme & Variations -- Royal Purple cylinder -- gmmix

PROCH'S THEME and VARIATIONS--by Heinrich Proch--was released to the public in December 1919. While it is true there is an Edison Diamond Disc
(# 82134) of this selection, the disc from which this cylinder was dubbed is slightly DIFFERENT FROM the Diamond Disc release. I own both versions and compared them. Between 1917 and 1921, Edison issued 77 cylinders in the ROYAL PURPLE 29000 series of famous operatic and concert artists. All except the first five---29001 to 29005, of tenor Alessandro Bonci---were dubbed (copied) from a Diamond Disc take. FRIEDA HEMPEL (26 June 1885 to 7 Oct. 1955) was a celebrated German soprano of operatic and concert fare who had an international career in Europe and the United States. She was born in Leipzig, Germany, and studied at Leipzig and Berlin. Her earliest appearances were in Breslau, singing Violetta, Queen of the Night and Rosina. She made a debut in Schwerin in 1905, and was engaged there for the next two years, singing also Gilda, Leonora and Woglinde. She made such a success that the Kaiser Wilhelm II requested the Schwerin authorities to release her to sing also in Berlin. She made a debut there in 1905 as Frau Fluth (in Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor). She sang at the Royal Court Opera, Berlin, from 1907 to 1912, where she was also admired as Lucia, Marguerite de Valois and Marie. In 1912 she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House as Marguerite de Valois. She sang regularly in New York thereafter into the 1920s. She was the first to sing the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier in New York (for Gatti-Casazza, December 9, 1913). After 1919 she devoted herself to concert recitals, and left the Metropolitan Opera House somewhat abruptly, making way for the career of Amelita Galli-Curci. However she then made a second career on the concert platform, excelling in the performance of lieder of Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Hugo Wolf, in Mozart concert arias, and the like. Most of Hempel's recordings were made in the acoustical era. THE RARE EDISON AMBEROLA III was produced between 1912 and 1914. Its dimensions are 44 by 20.5 by 20.5 inches. The open portion at the bottom was designed to hold 3 cylinder-record albums, each holding 30 cylinders. Selling price of this phonograph when introduced in Aug. 1912 was $125....or $2,740 in today's money. NOTE: The superlative sound emanating from this unit is attributable to the skill of Wyatt Markus of Au Sable Forks, NY, who just rebuilt its reproducer---in Jan. 2011. The Edison Amberola III phonograph contains the Edison Opera mechanism, the finest Edison created to play a cylinder record. Notice that the diamond-stylus reproducer remains stationary; it's the mandral that moves---horizontally---right to left. The large cabinet houses a metal horn larger than those used in the later Amberol phonographs.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• gmmix
• Heinrich
• Proch
• Edison
• Royal
• Purple
• Amberola
• III
• Wyatt
• Markus
• Oley
• Line

[transformingArt]

Fantastic- I always hated dubbed Blue Amberols (No wonder people called them 'Damberols'!) But anyway, this recording is pretty impressive! Thanks for posting this.

[gmmix]

@transformingArt I, too, have misgivings about dubbed Amberols but decided to post this recording because of the fact is differs from the Diamond Disc version. Thanks for your comment.

[merrihew]

Impressive sound indeed. Are you using a separate mike or the one in your camera?

[gmmix]

@merrihew Two months ago I bought a really small 14-mega-pixel Panasonic Lumix camera for still pictures... but was pleasantly surprised at its ability to record sound videos quite well. It's model DMC-FH20 for which I paid about $160. The camera's mike is one pin-hole-sized opening in the top of the camera. Amazing!

[MrGer2295]

FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE!!! Thank you my friend for sharing this with us!

[MrGer2295]

FRIEDA HEMPEL (26 June 1885 – 7 October 1955) was a German soprano singer in operatic and concert work who had an international career in Europe and the United States.

[Bivolari]

The sound is amazing. But I must question the speed. The piece is written in Db. According to this cylinder, Hempel is singing it in Eb. A whole tone up. Mabuo16 has a post of the disc which is in the correct key of Db. Both the tempo and Hempel's voice sound much more natural on that disc and key. If Hempel did indeed sing this piece in Eb, she would be one of the great masochistic singers of the century. lol

[AulicExclusiva]

A very clear impression of Hempel's gorgeous tone. The staccato variation is quite stunning!!

[jurek46pink]

Thank you, Geo, for your nice comments on my both Ada Sari postings

that in the meantime appeared.

[jurek46pink]

Great voice and singing skills, perfect sound reproduction(!)

and that alluring purple shade of the carrier...- THANKS !