Columbia demonstration record 1912.

This Columbia demonstation record probably dates from around 1912 It is of course an excellent example of an acoustic recording from an early period of the gramophone. The gramophone playing the record is from a much later period, a portable HMV.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Columbia
• 1912
• demonstation
• record.
• Early
• 78
• demonstration
• Columbia.

[DomAleixo]

And now, I, Bela Lugosi, will rrrreturn to my coffin and listen to my favorrrrita COLUMBIA RRRECORRRDE!!!

[vinylseat]

@DomAleixo Now that comment if very amusing! [Not much makes me laugh these days...] Nice one! J.

[trafficjam10]

wow...british people sure used to roll their R's alot back then....

[vinylseat]

@trafficjam10 I can understand why you say that but if you listen to all pre 1923 recordings you will find the pronounciation to be exaggerated. This was because recordings were made without any electrical means using a horn. No microphones or amplifiers and to hear the words on reproduction the voice had to be incredibly clear to start with. Thanks for comment. J.

[bagpuss211]

Who is it that's speaking on this disc? I ask as I'm curious, and because he sounds like the same guy who was on the demonstration recording on the Pathe Solophone: Any suggestions as to his name please and whether he's still living now?

[vinylseat]

@bagpuss211 Sorry I have no idea who the gentleman is on the record. He is not mentioned on the title label. Considering the record was recorded in 1912 and as a guess he was 25 when the record was made, he would now be 133 years old. It was a very long time ago.

Thanks for your comment.

[vinylman3345]

I have a copy of this somewhere, but never knew it was so early a recording.



[fasterthanilook]

Tune trivia... Bells: "Blue Bells of Scotland" - Violin: "Bonnie Annie Laurie" - Cornet: "I Dream of Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair" - Full Band: "King Cotton" (Sousa)

[MrXnews]

@bagpuss211 The speaker on the Pathe demo is Harry E. Humphrey, who made recordings of many speeches in the 1910s/20s.

[johnster1964]

Wow, I found this same disc in Canada about 20 years ago and snapped it up...but haven't listened to it for years !

[cubantoro]

Could you imagine if this was a Vic-torrrrrrrrrrrr record?~ Actually, in the classic movie, "Singin' in the Rain" there is a scene about diction teachers used to teach the silent stars proper dictation at the dawn of the talking picture~

[dancebandleader]

This is evidently British Columbia not American. I have an American version

of this with a different announcer and similar script. The speech is rather

formal, more like stage diction. Note the rolled "R's". As is often the

case the British version has superior sound to the American.