RACHMANINOFF plays Prelude in C# Minor: 1919 Edison, 1923 Victor acoustic, 1928 Victor Electric

All three recordings of Rachmaninoff playing the C# Minor Prelude, from his first 1919 Edison record, the 1923 acoustic, and the 1928 Victor electric remake.

Recorded on the HMV 31b Orthophonic Gramophone.
I have equalized the sound recordings (with a RIAA curve) to help with bass response. Otherwise the recordings are not manipulated. The few distortions are digital artifacts due to the recording level.

The identical movie below is a straight recording from the Gramophone without equalization added.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jKg0uGQxrM

The Prelude in C Sharp Minor, The Bells of Moscow, is arguably Rachmaninoffs most (in)famous work. It had been recorded as early as 1917 by Mark Hambourg and Josef Hofmann.

When Rachmaninoff arrived in New York shortly after armistice in 1918, he had a difficult start like many Russian émigrés. To make his first recordings, he signed up with the Edison company, who claimed for themselves to have a superior recording process.
Rachmaninoff nervous and insecure with the unknown recording experience recorded a few pieces in many takes in April 1919 at the Edison New York studio.

Unfortunately, the Edison company had no track record dealing with celebrity pianists: Rachmaninoff was forced to play on an upright piano, and despite his wishes to publish only certain good takes, the Edison company also published takes containing slips or embarrassing mistakes. Thomas A. Edison himself very hard of hearing called Rachmaninoff dismissively just a pounder. Matters were not helped by the fact that Edison records of 1920 had many defects, and the high noise level drowned out much musical subtlety.

Disappointed with this first experience, Rachmaninoff signed on with Victor on April 21, 1920. After a period of rather undistinguished recording quality, Victor had improved their acoustic recording process substantially in the 1920s. Victor was happy to grant Rachmaninoff artistic control over record releases, and offered him a substantial contract.
In the beginning, Victor avoided duplicating the Edison recordings, and it was not until 1923 that the C# Minor prelude was recorded again. In 1925, the famous Wester Electric system of electric recording was introduced, and Rachmaninoff was one of the first artists to make electric piano records. Again, the Prelude was low priority, and an electric re-take was not made until 1928.


The three recordings, despite some technical shortcomings, are a fascinating document of technology and artistic interpretation: Rachmaninoff makes each recording unique with subtle changes in accents, tempo and rubato. Also, with the electric recording, he is free to employ a much greater dynamic range.
One interesting point of speculation is how the recording technology affected the sound and perhaps interpretation of the pieces.

While both acoustic recordings have somewhat wooden bass notes, they very nicely accentuate the treble lines. The electric recording, while full and dramatic, seems to be somewhat less focused, perhaps even plodding, compared to the acoustic Victor. In my mind, the acoustic Victor is the best recording, as a focused interpretation, and an even tonal range.
The Edison recording, even when ignoring the technical defects, does not seem to be quite as balanced, the treble is not quite as integrated, and there seems to be a curious tonal dip in the upper midrange. A curious fact is that much of the treble line disappears on the electric.

Lets check the bell effects in the treble line:

On the Edison, the treble line at 2:32 and 2:55 is nice and clear, but seems to be somewhat too sharp, and not integrated with the midrange.
On the Victor acoustic, at 5:55 6:06 6:25, the sparkling treble line is perfectly blended and gives the great bell sound.
On the electric at 9:34 and 9:46, the treble line all but disappears, and the bell sound is mostly lost.

Pls read my notes on the other video for more information on the physical records and the gramophone used.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jKg0uGQxrM


Some links:

a really clean transfer of the Edison -
RACHMANINOFF plays Prelude in C# Minor: 1919 Edison, http://www.nps.gov/edis/photosmultimedia/upload/EDIS-SRP-0192-13.mp3

The 1928 Victor (somewhat overfiltered)
http://www.archive.org/details/Prelude_in_C-Sharp_Minor

A 1942 documentary about how they made Victor records:
http://www.archive.org/details/CommandP1942



A mechanical Version on the Ampico Piano:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8ytY57u8_4&feature=related


Check out more great tunes and amazing vintage phonographs at My YouTube Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/sanfranphono


More about this and other machines
on my Changer Website

http://myvintagetv.com/updatepages1/changer%20videos/changer_videos.htm

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[beeteep60]

is the one recorded in 1919 ever put on cd?

[sanfranphono]

@beeteep60 Hello, if you search on the internet, there is actually a clean transfer of the edison recording. I believe there are two or three takes of it.

Cheers

[BmGeoBm]

if tesla had the monopoly and not edison, we'd be in a another world right now :D the world of wireless electricity, man-made earthquakes and teleportation devices that are used by the magicians...also, we would have flying cars and billion of dollars for every child in the world. also the game...oh, and the nazis would have used a tesla-coil-gun ...

i hope you understand all the references :)) i wasn't totally sarcastic, today's world would be better if tesla took edison's place

[sanfranphono]

@BmGeoBm I am staying OUT of that discussion.

Besides, from an outsiders perspective I think Edison's importance as an inventor may be partly hype, and the old man certainly did his part to it.

Compare him that with engineering giants like Werner von Siemens or Nikola Tesla, whose generator and motor designs are still used today.

[spadehatesscrewtube]

so i mean, by dissing both rachmaninoff and tesla, wasn't edison an all around asshole when you get down to it? not to mention quintessential corporate whore?

not to mention dealings with nazi germany? that was new to me .. granted i'm no genius. but yeah.

[sanfranphono]

@spadehatesscrewtube I would never go that far nor use this language.

One thing is for certain - Edison's death in 1931 precluded any involvements with the Third Reich.

As far as his corporate involvements go - Edison was remarkably unsuccessful in many of his business ventures, and especially on the electrification, he got quickly ousted out of corporate positions. So, no, as far as corporate involvements go, he ultimately comes across as the victim, not the controlling industrialist.

[spadehatesscrewtube]

@alternatehistories wow, i wasn't aware of that one, thank you. just rule 32 or 42 or w/e and we really don't need to go there.

[alternatehistories]

@spadehatesscrewtube Godwin's Law implies that any internet discussion...no matter what the topic will eventually degrade into a moral debate where invaribly...Hitler's name will be invoked and comparisons to the Nazis will be made.

[spadehatesscrewtube]

@alternatehistories elaborate?

[alternatehistories]

@spadehatesscrewtube Ahh...Godwin's Law strikes again...LoL

[alternatehistories]

@dbpsoccer121 Old recordings are often out of pitch because there was a wide range of variation in speeds (RPM's) used to record and playback discs. Some 78's from that era need to be played back at 74,rpm 76 rpm, or even 80 rpm depending on the speed at which the disc was cut. It's enough to make a singer or instrument go flat or sharp, though only music geeks notice it. Ever wonder why singers from the 20's have that high, nasal sound?.....because the disc is being played too fast.

[dbpsoccer121]

Why is this so out of tune?

[BaronCreel]

@sanfranphono Actually edison never invented anything, he just stole them all from inventors of that age.

[vaseintibet]

@ttslipknotrulez132 yeah ,but he wrote segei