Begin forwarded message:

> From: Thornton Hagert <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: June 17, 2009 12:01:21 PM EDT
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Cc: Annie Stanfield-Hagert <[log in to unmask]>, Lawrence Gushee
> <[log in to unmask]>, David Sager <[log in to unmask]>
> 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.