[ARSCLIST] ARSC memember in Netherlands makes wax cylinder recording of Male Choral Group

[Steve Ramm <Stevramm@xxxxxxx>]

ARSC member Frans Jansen (from the Netherlands) sent me an  interesting 
online video last week of him recording a group of men on a  cylinder. Of course it 
was all in Dutch, so I asked Frans for an  explanation.  Frans replied with 
the message below. He allowed me to share  with ARSC List, Phonolist,78-L and 
Phono-L.
 
Below his explanation, I will provide the link to the video so you  can see 
it.
 
Enjoy!
 
Steve Ramm
 
 
Some background information. 
 
In the south of The Netherlands in the city of Maastricht there is a male  
choir with the name: "Mastrichter Staar" (Star of Maastricht we would  say) that 
celebrates in 125th year of being active. They have made   some 78 rpm 
records starting in 1922 with the German label VOX . But they  became famous on LP 
records in the 1960ies, 70ies and later productions. There  is no wax cylinder 
record and now the publicity manager thought it a good thing  that the 
complete choir (125 male voices) would record a Beatle song before the  horn of a 
cylinder phonograph as it would be done 125 years ago.
 
Great was the disppointment when I told that the cylinder would record only  
2 minutes and that it would be impossible to record the complete choir  of 125 
men. They would not fit into the horn.
 
I suggested that they would pick 2 quartets of men with loud voices  and 
learned by heart a short song, less than 2 minutes. When I arrived with an  Edison 
Home phonograph and a Columbia phonograph both with appropriate cutters  and 
10 new blanks from Paul Morris in England, I was pleasantly surprised to see  
(and hear) 8 men supervised by an American lady, Louise Deal who is a  
professional singing tutor, who had studied a short song with the men that was  on 
the repertoire before 1900.
 
During nearly all the morning they rehearsed and I made test  recordings on 
the Edison Home machine. In the end there were two cylinders that  we thought 
to be very good.
With me I had a German Edison Gold Guss Walze (Gould Moulded Cylinder)  15555 
with a Christmasquartet with brass music and harmonium that sounded  horrible 
although the cylinder looked very nice. I played that before the  men and 
told them that was commercial quality. This cylinder was louder than my  
recording but mine sounded better.
 
The cylinders that are good will be played at the opening of an exhibition  
devoted to the 125 anniversary of The Mastreechter Staar.
 
I send some photographs as an addendum.
 
If you send the story further, please send me a copy as well.
 
Best wishes,        Frans Jansen
 
And here is the link for the video:  _http://tinyurl.com/5ebqdb_ 
(http://tinyurl.com/5ebqdb) 
 
 






**************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family 
favorites at AOL Food.      
(http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)