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Historical Record Collection

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Charles Rousselière – Ariane

♫ Massenet – French operatic recording from 1907 ♫

An early French single-sided acoustic record featuring tenor Charles Rousselière of the Paris Opéra, with a remarkable ornate embossed reverse.

◆ Details

Artist: Charles Rousselière

Title: Ariane

Composer: Jules Massenet

Company: Société d'Édition de Disques Artistiques – Paris

Catalogue number: 611

Dead wax: Paris 611 A 6611

Format: Shellac, 27 cm / 11", single-sided, acoustic recording

Country: France

Released: 1907

Genre: Classical, Opera

Style: French opera, tenor, historical acoustic recording

♫ Tracklist

• Ariane (Massenet) — chanté par Rousselière de l'Opéra — No. 611

An early acoustic document of French operatic singing, preserving the voice of Charles Rousselière during the period in which Massenet's operas formed part of the living contemporary repertory.

◆ Personnel

• Charles Rousselière – Tenor

Charles Rousselière — a French tenor of the early recorded era

Charles Rousselière (1875–1950) was a French tenor whose career bridged the great operatic tradition of the late 19th century and the earliest decades of recorded sound. An artist of the Paris Opéra, he also pursued an international career that included appearances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Rousselière had a particularly interesting connection with Massenet's Ariane: in 1908 he sang Thésée in a production of the opera in Buenos Aires. This exceptionally early disc therefore preserves the voice of a tenor who performed the work during Massenet's lifetime and belonged directly to the operatic world of the period.

Recorded at the dawn of the commercial disc era, this single-sided acoustic record offers collectors a direct document of French operatic vocal style at the beginning of the 20th century.

◇ Technical details

Recording process: Acoustic

Record size: 27 cm / 11"

Configuration: Single-sided

Catalogue number: 611

Dead wax: Paris 611 A 6611

Company: Société d'Édition de Disques Artistiques – Paris

Released: France, 1907

Ornate embossed reverse

The unrecorded reverse features an elaborate embossed design bearing the inscription “SOCIÉTÉ D'ÉDITION DE DISQUES ARTISTIQUES – PARIS”, decorative ornamentation and the initials AW. This striking moulded reverse is an integral part of the historical presentation of this early single-sided record.

◆ Condition

Record condition: VG++ — slight surface marks.

Visually graded. 

◆ Buy with confidence

• Carefully inspected and handled by an experienced record dealer
• Early French single-sided acoustic shellac record from 1907
• Remarkable ornate embossed reverse preserved in excellent visual detail
• Historical recording by a tenor of the Paris Opéra and the early commercial recording era
• Securely packed with particular attention to the requirements of fragile early shellac records

◇ Shipping

• Secure and robust packaging specifically suitable for fragile shellac records.
• Combined shipping available for multiple purchases.
• Airmail priority, insured, and tracking number provided.

Records Audiophile

Historical Record Collection

We carefully select collectible records for music lovers, historical recording specialists, 78 rpm collectors, analog collectors and audiophiles. Particular attention is given to originality, condition and the historical significance of early recordings.

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◇ Keywords

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