Re: arsclist Re: Elgar and Menuhin

["George Brock-Nannestad" <pattac@xxxxxxxx>]

Date sent:      	Thu, 30 Aug 2001 17:32:25 +0100
Subject:        	Re: arsclist Re: Elgar and Menuhin
From:           	Simon Squire <cjlocate@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To:             	<ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Send reply to:  	ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This is a comment on a query from Simon Squire:

>  But this
> does raise the question, what was the Victor recording system?  One
> assumes that it refers to the acoustical process devised by Berliner.

Well, it is quite certain that it was not the acoustical process. 
Berliner really invented two things: photo-etching of cylinders and 
discs and the etching of a groove where a stylus had scratched 
bare the surface of a metal disc. That was replaced by the wax 
cutting process where the groove was cut directly, without the 
detour of etching. Eldridge R. Johnson who was the owner of the 
Victor Talking Machine Company for many years invented 
processes used by Victor. 

As to markings relating to Victor and the Gramophone Co.: the 
matrix exchange agreement between them stipulated that Victor 
should mark the European matrices with a crown near the place of 
the original matrix no., and the Gramophone Co. were to mark the 
American matrices with a capital A. This A continued for much 
longer than the crown. After World War I various national re-issue 
series were launched by the Gramophone Co., and in some cases 
of wartime recording they had to resort to using the Victor matrices 
that had been used in Victor foreign series but recorded in Europe. 
Hence you will find Gramophone Co. records recorded in Europe 
but having a crown anyway. The cases I have found all relate to the 
groove profile being unsuitable for reproduction of the original 
European masters, whereas Victor had dealt with that problem 
when they received the original material from Europe for their 
foreign series. The reason the groove profile was unsuitable was 
that the recordings were made by a hired, independent recording 
engineer using his own cutting stylii.

Kind regards to everybody concerned!


George Brock-Nannestad
Preservation Tactics