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Re: [ARSCLIST] Fwd: Recording Speed
----- Original Message -----
From: "Thornton Hagert" <vmr@xxxxxxxx>
Begin forwarded message:
From: Thornton Hagert <vmr@xxxxxxxx>
Date: June 17, 2009 12:01:21 PM EDT
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx
Cc: Annie Stanfield-Hagert <hagert@xxxxxxxx>, Lawrence Gushee
<lgushee@xxxxxxxx>, David Sager <jassbone@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Recording Speed
In response to Dave Lewis' recent message "I Heard the Voice of the
Chipmunk" - about recording speeds, I have noticed instances of
recording companies deliberately recording at other-than-playback
speeds, for various reasons. The following examples come to mind;
if I check them more carefully, this message will never be written.
Edison 51056, Broadway Dance Orchestra "Russian Rose", plays
back in the key of F but was clearly performed in Eb and recorded
"slowly". See my notes for the Smithsonian album DMM2-0518, "An
Experiment In Modern Music" Paul Whiteman at Aeolian Hall. How
often did Edison do this ?
Okeh 40675, Cookie's Gingersnaps, "Love Found You for Me"
plays back in the key of B natural (which seems unlikely) Why the
speed-up ? I don't know. (I haven't checked the others recorded
at this session.)
Vocalion 1108, Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra,
"Forevermore" plays very slow (I forget what key); the song was
published in C, and the orchestration in Db which is the key that
Guy Lombardo recorded it. My guess is that Vocalion wanted the
recording to fill the whole record and so recorded it at a faster
speed.
I'd be interested in other such examples.
Thornton Hagert, Vernacular Music Research.
Well, as a harmonica player, I often try to play along with blues or
blues-related recordings I own! I own the original 78 issue of Fats
Waller's "Your Feets Too Big"...but in trying to play along with it, I
discovered it seems to be in something like "E flat and a half"...at
least it is audibly NOT in the key of any of the many harmonicas I
own! My guess is that it wasn't recorded at exactly 78.26 rpm...?!
Steven C. Barr