Re: [ARSCLIST] Foreign language recordings: Were the artists American?

["Steven C. Barr" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "RA Friedman" <yiddishsong@xxxxxxxxx>
> Is it safe to assume that the majority of foreign language recordings that
are on the Columbia Grafonola as well Victor (Batwing and Scroll) labels
were recorded in the States by artists who were American residents?  If not,
how do you tell? Would one have to check case-by-case?
>
> I know that for most Yiddish and Hebrew recordings, the artists on these
labels were either citizens or citizens-to-be, but does this apply to
recordings produced for speakers of other languages such as Polish, Russian,
Hungarian, Lithuanian, Turkish, Greek? My surmise is that as a simple matter
of economics, and supply of talent, this is also true, but I want to be
sure.
>
With Columbia, it is fairly easy to tell. "Ethnic" records made in Columbia
studios were numbered
in a specific series (differing from the popular recordings)...there are
several published sources
that at least list the number sequences involved, though I don't think any
are web-available.
Although some few may have been made by non-US artists visiting New York,
most would have been
NY-based (or other locations of the US where large ethnic communities
provided audiences, such
as French-Canadians in New England or Scandinavians in the north central
states) who performed
regularly for their own ethnic community. Columbias using imported sides
will show their
original matrix in most cases.

Victor makes it more difficult. They don't show matrix numbers (with a few
exceptions) for
US-made recordings, and did not have a specific sequence for ethnic
recordings. However, in
most cases where a non-US recording was used (the exception being French
Canadian records
cut in Montreal and issued on Canadian HMV-Victor) it will show the original
matrix, as
all the Gramophone-Company recordings carried matrix numbers and in most
cases Victor used
stampers obtained from the overseas firms.

Also, note that there were a fair number of "independent" record firms
specializing in
ethnic records; some of these imported sides from the countries involved,
while others
arranged their own recordings in the US (usually in NYC). Also, a number of
minor US
companies (Emerson, NYRL, Gennett, etc.) issued ethnic material...most of it
recorded
in company facilities, though some used imported sides (often identified as
such
on the label).
Steven C. Barr