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The Prima Voce SeriesThe Search for 78s |
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Not all pressings were created equal! Norman White, Prima Voce series consultant, travels the world to track down suitable 78s which can be added to the Prima Voce archive in preparation for transfer to CD. His trips can lead to private collections as well as those museums with which we have an association e.g. The St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music. The experience developed from years of collecting proves invaluable to Norman because he knows almost instinctively which labels and types or periods of pressing are the most important, and furthermore he is able visually to recognise these characteristic features. When one is looking at over 500 records a day there is hardly the time to play every prospective purchase!
Sometimes it will make sense to buy a particular 78 even though several copies of the same recording exist in our archive, simply because the quality of the shellac or the way in which the 78 was pressed indicates a possible improvement in sound quality. We therefore often come to a transfer session with a choice of pressings and spend some time in choosing the copy to use. It is only by making this effort that we are able to afford the people who are listening to our series the chance to forget about surface noise and enjoy the performance. As an example of the choices one has to make, here are RealAudio clips of two different pressings of Handel's Te Deum as sung by the contralto Marian Anderson. It's up to you to decide which makes the better impression! American Victor Pressing British HMV Pressing |