1906 MARIA GALVANY Queen of the NIGHT ARIA FIRST TAKE MIlAN G&T 78

$

40

WEEK 2 of two weeks of great auctions ending May 11.

I will send you a bill after close of auctions May 11. Due to the high volume of records, pls allow 2 - 3 days for packing and invoicing

IF you are a non-US buyer or if buy multiple records, pls do not use EBAY check out.
Send me an invoice request (click on MORE ACTIONS to the right of the item), I can probably get you better shipping rate.

****

I am currently selling a series of great Richard Wagner and classic European 78 rpm orchestral recordings on all the great European labels:

The GLory of Spain:

The infamous recording of MARIA Galvany destroying the Mozart QUEEN Of the NIGHT aria with an absurd tempo, interpolated notes, and even a free cadenza. It gives you an idea of the liberites the Divas took with the music, but even at the time this recording was judged bad taste.

This is the 1906 G&T recording, I believe that the Victor record is a later take.

10" 78 rpm records.

Condition: VERY GOOD needs cleaning, greying, few light scratches.

Plays VG+ w light surface noise, light distortion throughout

In the first half of the 20th century there were considerably different vocal schools depending on whether a singer studied in Italy, Spain, Germany, Russia or France. The following Spanish sopranos are illustrative for their creative and imaginative singing. This becomes, in my opinion, especially important today with the complete loss of the national schools of singing and the resulting homogenization of international vocalism.

Today we have the opportunity to refer to older recordings in order to learn from the various embellishments chosen to ornament an aria, whether one agrees with those or not. When listening to the art of ornamentation of the following singers, one should not judge too harshly but rather look into the stylistic proprieties of that particular era.

SPANISH SOPRANOS:

 María Galvany  (1878 - 1944)

Biographical notes:

Born in Granada, she studied at the Madrid Conservatory with the renowned singing teacher Lázaro María Puig and Napoleone Verger. She made her debut as Lucia at Cartagena in 1897. Specializing in coloratura roles, she sang with great success in Spain and Italy, gaining her greatest popularity in South America. She also toured with a company that performed throughout Europe, including Russia (where she was a favorite singer), visiting London 1909, where she appeared at Drury Lane as Amina, Rosina and in the title role of Meyerbeer’s Dinorah. In Lisbon she sang uninterruptedly for 15 years at the Coliseu. She gained great success in Parma, Venice, and Genoa. It seems rather strange, however, that she never managed to appear at La Scala, the Met, the Teatro Cólon or at Covent Garden. She retired to Brazil and died there in poverty.

Comment:

Vocally, María Galvany represents an extreme case. Her virtuosity, the limpidity of her trills, roulades, and above all, her staccati lead us to think, more of an instrument than of a voice. One might get the impression to listen to a canary. Nevertheless, some of her recordings are remarkable for the sweetness of her voice. Listen to the duets she made opposite Tita Ruffo.  You will hear a singer capable to adapt the musicality of her great baritone colleague. In the following title she “invented” a breathtaking cadenza.

 Josefina Huguet  (1871 - 1951)

Biographical notes:

She studied with the same teacher like Maria Barrientos in Barcelona, where she made her debut as Lakmé at the Teatro Liceo in 1888, a theater with which she soon established a long relationship. She toured Spain, South America and Italy, appearing first at La Scala in 1896 as Ophélie in Thomas’ Hamlet. She was very popular in Russia, where she sang several times opposite Mattia Battistini. Often compared with the famous coloraturas Sigrid Arnoldson and Regina Pacini, she appeared at the New York Academy of Music in 1898. Her repertory was centred on coloratura roles such as Rosina, Elvira and Amina, but she also sang Mimì, and her recordings even include excerpts from Lohengrin. Her recordings range from the Queen of Night to Desdemona and Nedda.

Sweet, firm and musical, her voice and style give more pleasure than do those of several of her more celebrated contemporaries. J.M. de Sagarmínaga spoke of a “chameleonic voice.” She recorded mainly for HMV and she was in the cast of the first ever produced complete opera recording of Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci.

 O beau pays de la Touraine in Italian (Marguerite in Les Huguenots / Meyerbeer / G&T 1906)

*   *   *

 Quick NOTE ON GRADING AND SHIPPING:

As you can see from my feedback, I try hard to earn your POSITIVE FEEDBACK and FIVE STAR RATINGS.

If for any reason your transaction was NOT SATISFACTORY, pls contact me and I will work something out with you. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A REASON TO GIVE ME A NEGATIVE RATING or a LOW STAR RATING.

Quick note on grading:

The Grade (Excellent to Fair, I don't give Mint) refers to the WEAR of the record. Any other defects, like cracks, chips and scratches, are stated separately

When I listen to a record, I may also make a SUBJECTIVE judgment of the pressing quality for hiss and surface noise.
"SUPERQUIET" is basically noiseless, like a vinyl pressing.
"VERY QUIET" is an exceptionally quiet record for a given pressing.
"Quiet" is a record that is a great example without undue noise for a given pressing.

These judgments are SUBJECTIVE and will depend one the styli, phonograph etc. you use on your own equipment.

Pls check my other auctions for more great records and phonograph items:

http://stores.ebay.com/carstensf

http://stores.ebay.com/carstensf 

====

Multiple item shipping: I am happy to combine items for shipment in one parcel.

If you win multiple items, pls send me an INVOICE REQUEST to calculate the correct postage. Ebay check out will not give you the multiple item discount!

Records will be packed safely between corrugated cardboard in a sturdy box with plenty of padding for safe shipment.

Shipment is usually Media Mail, unless another service is requested. Shipping is at your risk.

If you are in the San Francisco area, I encourage pick-up in person.

US Domestic Shipping:

Here is a guideline for US Media Mail Shipping:

Prices below are for regular 78 rpm records. Up to about 5 records, I will ship Edison Discs for the same rates. Albums from Album Sets count as 1 record. Above that and for international shipments, it will be actual weight plus a small packing charge (1-3$ depending on size of shipment)

1 record: 4.50$

2 records: 5.50$

5 records: 7.50$

10 records: 9.50$

MANY MORE RECORDS: Don't worry. I safely ship 40 - 50 pounds of records double boxed in moving boxes, and even then Media Mail will probably not exceed 30$.

Please send me a message if you would like to lower your shipping rates!

International Buyers:

All'attenzione degli acquirenti italiani:

ATTENTION TO ITALIAN BUYERS:

Due to rare problems with delivery in ITALY, I will NOT GUARANTEE delivery of parcels sent by US Postal Service First Class and Priority Mail. If you prefer secure delivery, I will be happy to quote you either Registered Mail or shipment by FEDEX

I am very happy to ship records worldwide.

The US POSTAL SERVICE has increased international shipping rates in 2013.

A single record ships for around 25$ worldwide, depending on the weight.
There are some great options available for shipping multiple records at excellent rates.

Pls contact me if you plan to buy multiple records, and I will be happy to give you an estimate for best rates on USPS or Fedex. Pls let me know your country, home town and postal code for an estimate

=====

As always, I would appreciate any suggestions and corrections from you, pls contact me with any question.

Thank you very much, and good luck bidding !!!