Postswwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 24; A Christmas Carol FinaleWe've reached the last day of our advent today. We're bringing in Christmas Day with the last mini book of The Nutcracker and the last side of the 1938 phonograph recording of A Christmas Carol . I hope you've enjoyed them as much as I have, along with all the music we've played previously. Whatever you may celebrate this December, I…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 23; A Christmas Carol, Side 5By the 1970's, well after RCA had bought Victor, the Victor name began to be phased out completely, although the famous. Nipper trademark remained. Ultimately RCA was bought out by Sony, who also ended up buying Columbia as well. Decades after being arch competitors, Victor and Columbia were now sister brands under the same umbrella. The…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent Day 22; A Christmas Carol, Side 4The Victor company was ultimately sold to RCA in 1929. Victor was already producing Victrola's that had the features to include an RCA radio addon, so the pairing seemed natural. RCA continued to manufacture Victrola branded turntables well into the 60s.wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, A Christmas Carol, Side 3In 1924, after 5 years of nearly exponential growth, the Victor Talking Machine company nearly went bankrupt. The introduction of radio as a mass media coupled with "talking machine exhaustion" led to dwindling sales and warehouses nearly overflowing with gramophones. In 1924 and 1925 Victor had a very famous "half price sale" which saved the…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent, 2021; A Christmas Carol, Side 2As we continue to side 2 with A Christmas Carol we can enjoy the use of narration and a musical score to guide us through the story. What we can quickly discover, however, is that the story itself was simply not written, or scored, for 4 and a half minute chapters. Interestingly, shortly after this particular album was produced, there was a…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 19; A Christmas Carol Side 1Now that we've finished the Nutcracker Suite we're starting something new to bring us right into Christmas. This 1948 retelling of A Christmas Carol is made up of 3 records for a total of 6 sides. In this version, Ronald Colman plays the part of Scrooge and Eric Snowden voices Bob Cratchit.wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readMusic Advent 2021, Day 18; Nutcracker Suite Side 6Today is the final side in the 1938 Nutcracker album. The Victrola VX 8-4 that this was played on is called an "electrola," indicating that it was not a wind-up phonograph but that the motor was powered by electricity instead. Regardless, this particular phonograph still used analogue amplification to playback the music. Through trial, error, and…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 17; Nutcracker Side 5The dog in the famous gramophone image actually has a name: Nipper. Nipper was the name of the dog that was the model for the original image, and paraphernalia of the dog's likeness are as much collectable items as the old gramophones themselves. In fact, the Victrola museum in Dover, Delaware, has entire displays devoted to Nipper items.wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 16, Nutcracker Side 4Nearly everyone is familiar with the famous phonograph image of the dog looking quizzically into a phonograph horn. The image of that dog and phonograph was used by multiple phonograph companies around the world and is certainly one of the more famous world trademarks. Though most widely known and identified with Victor and, later, RCA after…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 15 - Nutcracker 378 rpm records were originally made from shellac. In the 1940's, however, the war effort required the use of shellac and it's use was restricted. This led to the record industry looking for new materials which, ultimately, led to the use of 'vinyl' for records which, in turn, helped bring about the advent of 33 1/3 rpm records. The "long play,"…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 14: Nutcracker Suite Side 2Today we're listening to side 2 of the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky, recorded as a Columbia Masterworks album in 1943. Even though this is part 2, or side 2, of the album of music, it was actually part of the second disk, and not on the first. This was designed to allow an automatic disc changer to automatically drop the second and…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 13; Nutcracker Suite Side 1By 1925 electric recording had begun to be used by the major studios. By the 1930's with perhaps a few exceptions, electric recording was all that was used; not only did it make recording music and voices easier, it allowed for easier mass reproduction which, in turn, made it easier to produce albums of records. Although 78 rpm records were still…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021 - Day 12 - Parade of the Wooden SoldiersToday's song is Parade of the Wooden Soldiers from 1922 recorded by the International Novely Orchestra . This is one of the latest "acoustic" Christmas songs in my collection. By 1925 acoustic recording began to be replaced by electric recording, which greatly improved volume magnification. This type of recording ushered in a new era of…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 11; Silent Night, Hallowed NightToday's song is Silent Night, Hallowed NIght , by the Hayden Quartet in 1922. This song is played on a Swanson model 2 portable suitcase phonograph. By the early 1920's the initial patents owned by Edison, Columbia, and the Victor Talking Machine company were beginning to expire. This allowed a number of competing companies, such as Swanson…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent Day 10 - Hark! The Herald Angels SingToday we get to sing with the 1912 Trinity Choir's version of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing The Victor VV-110, which this song today was played on, was not really a new Victrola. In 1921 the Victor Talking Machine Company began to change the designations of their machines to remove the roman numerals from them and replace them with arabic…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 9 - While Shepherds WatchedToday's song is While Shepherds Watched by the Victor Oratorio Chorus in 1914. Early phonograph records did not originally have a standard spin speed. Edison Discs were intended to spin at 80 rpm on an Edison phonograph. The earliest phonographs from the United States Gramophone Company spun at 70 rpm. Ultimately the industry settled at…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 8 - Silent Night, Hallowed NightToday's song is Silent Night, Hallowed Night by Elsie Baker in 1912. This is played on a Victrola VV-110 with a loud steel needle. The shellac that these records was made from was so tough that the tip of the steel needles used for the stylus would be worn from sharp to dull after just one play. The recommendation was to replace the…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 7 - Adeste FidelesToday we're listening to Adeste Fideles from John McCormack 1919. This 12 inch record is played on a Victrola the ninth with a loud steel needle stylus. Volume control on early acoustic Victrolas was performed in two methods, the first of which was to open or close the doors in front of the horn, and the second was via the choice of stylus.…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readAdvent 2021, Day 6 - It Came Upon a Midnight ClearToday we're listening to It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by the Victor Oratorio Chorus, recorded in 1914, and played on a Victrola the ninth with a bamboo stylus. In the early days of Phonographs it was not uncommon for the labels to have their own in-house chorus, instrumental bands, and orchestras, and this was one of those cases where the…wwwiebe in # christmas • 5 yr. ago • 1 min readMusic Advent, Day 5Today's song is Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Getman for "Silent Night, Holy Night," performed by Ernestine Schumann-Heink in 1908. This is one of the oldest records in my collection, and was played using a soft steel needle on a Victrola VV-IX, or Victrola the Ninth. This particular record cost $3 in 1908, which equates to about $90 today, and…
