Etching the Voice: Emile Berliner and the First Commercial Gramophone Discs, 1889-1895
Various Artists

Etching the Voice
July 12, 2019 hennessey
Various Artists: Etching the Voice: Emile Berliner and the First Commercial Gramophone Discs, 1889-1895

2021 Grammy Nominee in Two Categories: Best Historical Album & Best Album Notes
The recordings on these two CDs were made between 1889 and the mid-1890s at the launch of Emile Berliner's disc gramophone in Europe. They are the first and scarcest manufactured sound recordings in the world-the archetypes of the 78, the 45, the EP, and the LP. Gathered together, all surviving discs could be carried in a hatbox. And as such, they are the holiest of grails among collectors of early recorded sound. Yet much of what collectors believe about these discs is wrong. Historians Stephan Puille and David Giovannoni and the GRAMMY-winning Archeophone team set the record straight about the discs' composition (it's not celluloid), their size (it's not five inches), the speed at which they were recorded (it's not what you think), their content (it's rarely Emile Berliner), and their purpose (it wasn't to capture timeless performances). They explain how the first gramophones, after initial positive response, came to be misunderstood as toys, when in fact they embodied cutting-edge technology that initially outyelled, eventually outsold, and ultimately outlived Edison's cylinder phonograph. With 100 discs (plus two bonuses) restored here, this compilation holds the largest audio library of these pioneer recordings ever assembled. And it presents them with a sound quality unavailable to anyone at any time. Quite literally, these recordings could not be heard this clearly when new. These 19th-century recordings document a key moment in entertainment and technological histories. They are the first performances that people could command at will in their own homes. We bring them into your 21st-century home accompanied by a comprehensive and enjoyable 80-page booklet of essays, track notes, transcribed lyrics, and illustrations.  List price: $32.99

OVERVIEW

  • Catalogue number: ARCH 3006
  • UPC: 860003210055
  • Original release date: September 28, 2021
  • Running length: 87:30 / 100 tracks / 2 CD set
  • Notes & packaging: Digipak with an 80-page full-color booklet
  • Tracks recorded: 1889-1895
  • In Archeophone’s Labels & Innovations series
  • Awards: 64th GRAMMY Nominee, Best Historical Album; 64th GRAMMY Nominee, Best Album Notes
Tracks and Sound SamplesAdditional PhotosHonors & Awards
Tracklist: CD 1
1. Die Wacht am Rhein Anonymous 1889-90
2. Post Anonymous 1889-90
3. Gasparone Anonymous 1889-90
4. Loreley [choir] Anonymous 1889-90
5. Der Kampf mit dem Drachen Anonymous 1889-90
6. Handschuh Anonymous 1889-90
7. Bier Walzer Anonymous 1889-90
8. Loreley [tenor] Anonymous 1889-90
9. Vater unser Anonymous 1889-90
10. Bürgschaft Anonymous 1889-90
11. Thou Knowst My Pretty Damsel Anonymous 1889-90
12. Variationen Anonymous 1889-90
13. Loreley [instrumental quintet] Anonymous 1889-90
14. Lord’s Prayer Anonymous 1889-90
15. Numbers, Days of the Week Anonymous 1889-90
16. We Don’t Want to Fight Anonymous 1889-90
17. For You Anonymous 1889-90
18. Heil Dir (God Save the Queen) Anonymous 1889-90
19. Des Deutschen Vaterland Anonymous 1889-90
20. Crambambuli Anonymous 1889-90
21. Soldatenlied Anonymous 1889-90
22. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Anonymous 1889-90
23. Mary Had a Little Lamb / Humpty Dumpty Anonymous 1889-90
24. Alfred Jones Anonymous 1889-90
25. Der alte Dessauer Anonymous 1889-90
26. Boccaccio Anonymous 1889-90
27. Freischütz Anonymous 1889-90
28. Glocke Anonymous 1889-90
29. Glocke II Anonymous 1889-90
30. Thierstimmen Anonymous 1889-90
31. Gaudeamus igitur Anonymous 1889-90
32. Österreichische Kaiserhymne Anonymous 1889-90
33. Ach, wie ist’s möglich dann? Anonymous 1889-90
34. Posaune Anonymous 1889-90
35. Jack and Jill / Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son Anonymous 1889-90
36. Simple Simon Anonymous 1889-90
37. Old Uncle Ned Anonymous 1889-90
38. Grandfather’s Clock Anonymous 1889-90
39. Gigerl Marsch Anonymous 1889-90
40. Hohenfriedberger Anonymous 1889-90
41. Trommel Anonymous 1889-90
42. Prophet Anonymous 1889-90
43. So wie du Anonymous 1889-90
44. Je regardais en l’air, from “Les Cloches de Corneville” Anonymous 1889-90
45. Morning Hymn Anonymous 1889-90
46. Lobe den Herren Anonymous 1889-90
47. Thierstimmen Anonymous 1889-90
48. Signal Anonymous 1889-90
49. Deutschland Anonymous 1889-90
50. Stille Nacht (Silent Night) Anonymous 1889-90

 

Tracklist: CD 2
1. A Little Ship Was on the Sea Anonymous 1890-95
2. The North Wind Anonymous 1890-95
3. Father William Anonymous 1890-95
4. Old King Coal Anonymous 1890-95
5. By thy cold breast (Byron’s “Manfred”) Anonymous 1890-95
6. Rule, Britannia! Anonymous 1890-95
7. Blue Bells of Scotland Anonymous 1890-95
8. Auld Lang Syne Anonymous 1890-95
9. Who Killed Cock Robin? Anonymous 1890-95
10. Sing a Song of Sixpence / Oh, Carry Me Back Anonymous 1890-95
11. Old Mother Hubbard Anonymous 1890-95
12. We don’t want to fight [version 2] Anonymous 1890-95
13. Wot Cher! Anonymous 1890-95
14. Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! Anonymous 1890-95
15. Jägers Abschied Anonymous 1890-95
16. Le Corbeau et le Renard Anonymous 1890-95
17. La Marseillaise Anonymous 1890-95
18. Le Père la Victoire Anonymous 1890-95
19. La Boiteuse Anonymous 1890-95
20. Proverbs Anonymous 1890-95
21. Home! Sweet Home! Anonymous 1890-95
22. Long, Long Ago Anonymous 1890-95
23. In the Sweet By-and-By Anonymous 1890-95
24. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Anonymous 1890-95
25. Pilgrims’ Chorus, from “Tannhäuser” Anonymous 1890-95
26. Hobellied Anonymous 1890-95
27. Numeri, La Settimana, Le Mesi Anonymous 1890-95
28. Lena, la bella Lena Anonymous 1890-95
29. Fra Diavolo Anonymous 1890-95
30. I Due Ladri e l’Asino Anonymous 1890-95
31. La Rondinella Anonymous 1890-95
32. Willow Tit-Willow, “from The Mikado” Anonymous 1890-95
33. The Flowers that Bloom, from “The Mikado” Anonymous 1890-95
34. Whist! The Bogie Man Anonymous 1890-95
35. Numeros, Dias, Meses Anonymous 1890-95
36. El Credo Anonymous 1890-95
37. Versos y Canto Anonymous 1890-95
38. Me Gustan Todas / Aroro Mi Nena Anonymous 1890-95
39. God Save the Queen! Anonymous 1890-95
40. God Bless the Prince of Wales Anonymous 1890-95
41. Gramophone Anonymous 1890-95
42. Sprüche Anonymous 1889-90
43. Weißt du, wie viel Sternlein stehen Anonymous 1889-90
44. Vater unser [version 2] Anonymous 1889-90
45. Alfred Jones [version 2] Anonymous 1890-95
46. Marsch No. 1 Anonymous 1889-90
47. Gesänge Anonymous 1890-95
48. Czarenlied, from “Czar und Zimmermann” Anonymous 1890-95
49. Variante Anonymous 1889-90
50. Es ist bestimmt Anonymous 1889-90
51. BONUS: Sing a Song of Sixpence [3-in doll disc] Anonymous 1890-95
52. BONUS: Restoration focus on “Gasparone” Anonymous 1890-95

GRAMMY Awards
  • GRAMMY Nominee, Best Historical Album, 2021
  • GRAMMY Nominee, Best Album Notes, 2021
Share via
Send this to a friend