Rare Opera 78 Paul Aumonier on "Elephone" with ANNOUNCED START La Calumnia etc
£
57
$
76
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Description
Buy this 1905 operatic rarity,
and help rescue BADGERS, and other wildlife!
We'll be selling LOTS MORE lovely 78 rpm RARE operatic and classical-vocal
items soon, so keep an eye on our listings.
Don't forget!
If you buy MORE THAN ONE ITEM we will offer you
a HUGE POSTAGE DISCOUNT!
There’s an Elephone in the room.
...and this one has an ANNOUNCED START!
Here we have French bass Paul Aumonier (mis-spelled on the label as Aumonnier) who was a pioneer recording artiste, making cylinders and early 7” Berliner discs. Here he is on two sides of a vanishingly rare Elephone 10” 78, number 109 (mx 353f and 348f).
The selections are “Air De La Calomnie” from Barbier (Rossini) and “La Garde Qui Passe” which is a (patriotic?) song. Both sides have orchestral accompaniment and were recorded (probably) in Paris in 1905. The original recording was probably made by Lyrophone.
We can find very little information about this particular disc, perhaps because Elephone was only in business for about a year. ELEPHONES ARE ASTONISHINGLY RARE!
The label features an elephant with gramophone horns instead of tusks, and informs us that M Aumon(n)ier was the “Basse du Theatre de la Gaite”. It fails to mention that M Aumon(n)ier was the possessor of a remarkable moustache and looked rather like Michael Palin playing a Frenchman (have a look on-line).
On the cardboard sleeve, the previous owner has writ “different artiste on b side?” but we will leave you to sort that one out.
The record plays very well and has no nasty needle digs and no grit-in-the-sleeve-marks, but some light sleeve and handling marks, plus a couple of small rubs. It has the satin sheen of many records of this date. Using the VJM grading system (which we find to be vague and imprecise.. but heigh ho, everybody uses it) we reckon that this record is a Very Strong V+ or perhaps E-.
Please look at the photographs (taken in unflattering sideways light) to decide for yourself.
STOP PRESS: WE'VE BEEN READING ABOUT ELEPHONE RECORDS ON THE FAMOUS "78 LABELS" SITE... AND GOOD GRIEF... THEY'RE V*E*R*Y RARE!
NO OVERSEAS bidders please.
And NO OVERSEAS bidders using UK addresses please.
SORRY, NO BUYER COLLECT...but.. if you buy MORE THAN ONE RECORD we will give you a HUGE discount on POSTAGE!
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