		Dating Your 78 rpm and LP Gramophone Recordings An exclusive service at "Violin Land" Written by Cheniston K Roland The dating of gramophone records is no easy task It has taken me many years to arrive at a point where I have amassed large amounts of references, which in many cases give only an approximate result, while others are far more accurate So with this in mind let me try to date your gramophone records with the following limitations, these are the recording years which limit the service 1900 - 1955 and only violin recordings. Please bear in mind this is a one man show that can only allow limited time for the project. So, with all this behind us let us proceed with the task of, where possible, dating your gramophone recordings. Unfortunately over the years information has become corrupted in that release dates and recording dates are not altogether clear. However, as the majority of recordings were issued within a reasonable length of time, both dates in most cases will be for the same year, which is at least a basis for further research. It must be borne in mind that the foregoing has its exceptions, as does every rule. To establish the exceptions we have to take into account that research has established not all recordings were issued in numerical order. Reasons for this are manifold but in most instances it was for technical reasons. A concerto could have been recorded with days or even months between movements due to the illness of the soloist, or other engagements, in fact any reason that might cause a delay in production. So do not fall for the trap that if one catalogue number follows another it was either released or recorded in that order. Dates printed on the back of LP sleeves can lead to utter confusion of recording or release dates. If the sleeve quotes the recording was made on a certain date this is probably correct. But, if there is just a date on the sleeve, beware. You will know, I am sure, a great many recordings started life on full price labels then after some years the recordings were re-issued on budget labels, and a few years later on different labels again - each time with a different date. Only one date can be the original release date the others will be the dates of the re-issues. This can mean a considerable amount of research to establish both the original date and the original label. If this does appear to be a little obvious, let us take CDs as an example of what I mean. If today we buy a CD of an artist we know to have died in 1950 and the CD has a date in the insert of 1997 we know that this cannot be either the original recording date or the release date. The misleading information is not always so obvious. The same problems may be found on LP sleeves. ONLY REQUESTS E-MAILED FROM THIS PAGE WILL BE CONSIDERED AS THE E-MAIL SUBJECT LINE HAS BEEN SET FOR DATING REQUESTS Copyright (C) 1997 - Cheniston K Roland (Violin Historian) Return toContents Page

Dating Your 78 rpm and LP Gramophone Recordings

An exclusive service at "Violin Land"

The dating of gramophone records is no easy task It has taken me many years to arrive at a point where I have amassed large amounts of references, which in many cases give only an approximate result, while others are far more accurate

So with this in mind let me try to date your gramophone records with the following limitations, these are the recording years which limit the service 1900 - 1955 and only violin recordings. Please bear in mind this is a one man show that can only allow limited time for the project. So, with all this behind us let us proceed with the task of, where possible, dating your gramophone recordings.

Unfortunately over the years information has become corrupted in that release dates and recording dates are not altogether clear. However, as the majority of recordings were issued within a reasonable length of time, both dates in most cases will be for the same year, which is at least a basis for further research. It must be borne in mind that the foregoing has its exceptions, as does every rule.

To establish the exceptions we have to take into account that research has established not all recordings were issued in numerical order. Reasons for this are manifold but in most instances it was for technical reasons. A concerto could have been recorded with days or even months between movements due to the illness of the soloist, or other engagements, in fact any reason that might cause a delay in production. So do not fall for the trap that if one catalogue number follows another it was either released or recorded in that order.

Dates printed on the back of LP sleeves can lead to utter confusion of recording or release dates. If the sleeve quotes the recording was made on a certain date this is probably correct. But, if there is just a date on the sleeve, beware. You will know, I am sure, a great many recordings started life on full price labels then after some years the recordings were re-issued on budget labels, and a few years later on different labels again - each time with a different date. Only one date can be the original release date the others will be the dates of the re-issues. This can mean a considerable amount of research to establish both the original date and the original label. If this does appear to be a little obvious, let us take CDs as an example of what I mean. If today we buy a CD of an artist we know to have died in 1950 and the CD has a date in the insert of 1997 we know that this cannot be either the original recording date or the release date. The misleading information is not always so obvious. The same problems may be found on LP sleeves.

ONLY REQUESTS E-MAILED FROM THIS PAGE WILL BE CONSIDERED AS THE E-MAIL SUBJECT LINE HAS BEEN SET FOR DATING REQUESTS

Return toContents Page