In 1907, a "musical time capsule" was interred in a basement room in the Palais Garnier, Paris' opera house. Exhumed in 1987 and scheduled to be examined this month, the two urns contain gramophone recordings of some of the greatest singers of the early 20th century. Here is a list of the songs and artists included on the discs, which the EMI music company will compile for release on CD, at long last, to be heard by the public for the first time in 100 years.
First urn
Marguerite Mérentié, Ariane, by Jules Massenet
Berthe Auguez de Montalant, La Procession, by César Franck
Julie Lindsay, valse de Roméo et Juliette, by Charles Gounod
Agustarello Affre, Ballade du Trouvère, by Guiseppe Verdi
Maurice Renaud, Hamlet, by Ambroise Thomas
Jean Noté, La Favorite, by Gaetano Donizetti
Léon Beyle, Si j'étais Roi, by Adolphe-Charles Adam
Hector Dufranne, Le Châlet, by Adam
Raoul Pugno, pianist, La Sérénade à la Lune, by Pugno
Trio à cordes, Oratorio de Noël, by Camille Saint-Saëns
Selma Kurz, Villanelle, by Del Acqua
Lucette Korsoff, The Barber of Seville, by Gioachino Rossini
Second urn
Francesco Tamagno, La Mort d'Otello, by Verdi
Enrico Caruso and Antonio Scotti, La Force du Destin, by Verdi
Pol-Henri Plançon, Sérénade de Faust, by Gounod
Ettore Battistini and the chorus of La Scala, Ernani (scene), by Verdi
Fernando de Lucia and Josefina Huguet, Pêcheurs de Perles, by Georges Bizet
Adelina Patti, Don Giovanni, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Nelli Melba, "Caro nome" from Rigoletto, by Verdi
Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Samson et Dalila, by Saint-Saëns
Celestina Boninsegna, and the chorus of La Scala, La Force du Destin (scene), by Verdi
Emma Calvé, "Habanera" from Carmen, by Bizet
Orchestra, Marche du Prophète, by Giacomo Meyerbeer
Jan Kubelik, violinist, La Ronde des lutins, by Antonio Bazzini
This is a great story. As the assistant archivist of Stanford's Archive of Recorded Sound in 1989, I remember learning about the urns when they were transferred to the Bibliothèque Nationale. But it is hard to understand the fuss about the recordings themselves. The urns seem to contain only commercial recordings issued by The Gramophone Company and these have been available for 100 years. The list of what these men thought worth preserving is more revealing, and the singer selection seems to have mostly been confirmed over time. Beyond this is the method technicians developed at the beginning of the 20th century to "protect" the records. Did the glass plates and cubes work? Did the asbestos? And what happened to one of the 1912 urns that it was damaged, after all the protective measures that were taken? I've heard that the Bibliothèque and EMI are planning a similar ceremonial project to preserve representative recordings of current music and performances for the next 100 years. Here is the real challenge. The 1907 and 1912 discs were analog, and we can still play them today--relatively simple technology, simple retrieval. But now recordings are digital. How will EMI assure that such a time capsule will contain retrievable sound? Entomb a CD player with the discs? And what measures will the engineers of our time come up with to prevent CD deterioration: the equivalent to wrapping the discs in asbestos-treated cloth?
Posted by Ryszard Koprowski on February 27,2008 | 10:28AM
If you would like an inside view of the events that took place in Paris in 1907, you may read about it in a publication I made in May, 2007: "150 Years of Time-Base in Acoustic Measurement and 100 Years of Audio's Best Publicity Stunt - 2007 as a Commemorative Year", Audio Engineering Society Convention Preprint No. 7007. I have translated important documents and give Alfred Clark's personal reports to his head office, the Gramophone Company in London. Yours sincerely, George Brock-Nannestad Denmark
Posted by George Brock-Nannestad on March 2,2008 | 09:39AM
I found the first list, 1907, and have many of the 2nd group. Where is the list of 1912 records? Dean Howe
Posted by on March 2,2008 | 12:19PM
In second urn, the 4th name down, should be "Mattia" not "Ettore". Mattia Battistini was a famous baritone of this period while Ettore Bastianini was a baritone of the 1950's & 60's. As to an earlier comment, these records should still play quite easily and be transferred as many others of this period have done, barring contamination that affected the grooves.
Posted by William Russell on March 3,2008 | 04:42AM
In second urn, the 4th name down, should be "Mattia" not "Ettore". Mattia Battistini was a famous baritone of this period while Ettore Bastianini was a baritone of the 1950's & 60's. As to an earlier comment, these records should still play quite easily and be transferred as many others of this period have done, barring contamination that affected the grooves.
Posted by William Russell on March 3,2008 | 04:42AM
This is an amazing article. I have an upright Victrola absolutely filled with 78's in volumes which include Enrico Caruso and many others I haven't even explored. I have played some of the albums on it. This is one of those finds that was in my grandfathers garage covered in an old shipping blanket so no sunlight or water got to it. I would like to talk to someone who could advise me as to its worth. Is there anyone you could refer me to? Thank you very much in advance for any assistance. Best Regards, Debi Gillis dg224@aol.com California
Posted by Debi Gillis on March 4,2008 | 09:38AM
When exactly is this cd supposed to be coming out? Is there a date set?
Posted by alexis kent on March 5,2008 | 09:35AM