a huge mistake. piece was meant to invoke the joy of the jazz age and introduce jazz as a serious art. the choice of many to make it more symphonic negates what gershwin meant to do.
Don't know how true this is, but seen elsewhere: Fun fact: the clarinet solo at the very beginning of the track was basically the musician (virtuoso Ross Gorman) doing an "improvised joke" at a rehearsal of the first concert ever in which this song would be played. Much to his surprise, instead of laughs or discontent from Gershwin, Gorman was met with his immediate approval. Actually, even though it was a "jokeful" and "improvised" addition to his original composition, Mr. Gershwin loved it so much he chose to modify the clarinet part so it would always be played that way.
@@msphoenix269 except in most concerts, the laughing clarinet is smoothed out. i wish they would perform the piece the way it was originally recorded....there is so much life to it. it represents the excitement of the jazz age
The soul reminds me of the memories of my mom and dad at 84 years old and counting I love George Gershwin and rhapsody and blue it reminds me of yesterday and when I was a little girl with my mom and dad Rest in peace beautiful soul man George Gershwin
@@dreemeagle in a way... Way better than the desinfected garbage performances you see today in most orchestras. At least the strippers have soul. It's Jazz, what else to say.
I have heard many versions, but NOTHING will ever match the original! A darn good recording considering the technology back then. This puts me in an "old movie" frame of mind. Thanks for posting!
This was on the Discoveries 100, regarded as one of the most important recordings of the 20th century, see as superior to the electrical re-recording. George was on the list again for "Swanee", Al Jolson's best known recording as well.
I first experienced Rhapsody in Blue played on a Victrola, this very recording, around 1963, when I was 12 years old. The moment the clarinet started its glissando is unforgettable to me, issuing from that old, distinguished, 100% mechanical device (which I later completely disassembled, solely for my own edification). No electricity was involved in playing the almost-40-year-old 78 rpm record on that day, and it seems that none could have been used in recording the performance either, difficult as that is to imagine today.* In 1924 an orchestra would have played directly into a massive mechanical device which was at that very moment cutting a long spiral groove directly into a master wax platter. ------- *from Wikipedia: "The first electrical recording was made by the Victor Talking Machine Company in April 1925. The recording featured the Philadelphia Orchestra performing "Danse macabre" by Camille Saint-Saens."
I love the quirky, raw energy that comes off in this recording, something that subsequent performances don't capture quite as well. It's in the playing style of the orchestra. Gershwin composed "Rhapsody in Blue" specifically for Paul Whiteman's players, plus Gershwin himself is at the piano -- that alone cinches it for me. It seems it was thought necessary to 'polish up' this piece as recording techniques improved, but in the process losing some of what Gershwin intended.
Had no idea Paul Whiteman comission George Gershwin to write this for him. My uncle was a member of Paul Whiteman's band. He played saxophone. Don't remember what year..
Happy centennial Rhapsody In Blue! Listening to this original gives me images of Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Marion Davies and the Gold Diggers of Broadway.
Somehow the primitive sound of this recording, though excellent for 1924, enhances the music for me. You get the sense of experiencing the Rhapsody in Blue at its inception.
@@jimthompson606 HI JIM, THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY. OF COURSE, OUR VIEWPOINTS ARE SUBJECTIVE AND SHOULD BE MUTUALLY RESPECTED. ARE YOU AWARE OF THE BRUNSWICK VERSION? OSCAR LEVANT (A MEMBER OF THE 'GERSHWIN CIRCLE' ) WAS THE PIANIST IN THAT RECORDING. IN ONE OF HIS TWO BIOGRAPHIES, HE DENIGRATES IT. IT'S MUCH MORE RARE THAN THE TWO 1920s VICTORS. DO YOU KNOW THAT TECHNICOLOR PORTIONS OF THE UNIVERSAL 1930 "KING OF JAZZ" WERE, BY AN INGENIOUS METHOD RESTORED A 'FEW' YEARS AGO? THE RESULTS ARE VISUALLY AND AUDIBLY STRIKING. A PORTION OF 'THE RHAPSODY' IS INCLUDED. QUIZZICALLY (TO ME) IN A RE-RELEASE A FEW YEARS LATER (1936?), NONE OF THE COLOR SEGMENTS WERE PRESENT. I DON'T KNOW WHY. PERHAPS SOMEONE FOLLOWING THIS 'STRING' KNOWS AND WOULD CARE TO POST THE EXPLANATION. BEST REGARDS, 'SHIFFY',
@@artshifrin3053 Well - probably because it was cheap. The film didn't do well at the box office (coming out when that initial spate of musicals with color had pretty much run its course), so Universal hoped to make up some of that by striking some cheaper black-and-white prints, cutting about 40 minutes off the original runtime, and sending them out as a re-release in 1933. But gotta mention the soloist in the film - Whiteman's pianist Roy Bargy, also soloist on first recording of Gershwin's Concerto in F with Whiteman a couple years earlier. ("Rhapsody In Blue" arranged by Ferde Grofe from Gershwin's two-piano original, then later re-arranged by Gershwin for full orchestra. "Concerto In F" originally arranged for full orchestra by Gershwin, then later re-arranged by Grofe for the Whiteman recording.)
God Bless the individual who posted this. For me who adored and loved Ferde Grofe' this is my Holy Grail. This truly tells the world how George Gershwin intended this magnificent piece to be played. Plus, any debate about Tempe or orchestration...Mr. Paul Whiteman's orchestration settles any issue. Glorious!!
Magnificent! "Rhapsody In Blue" is the first thing beyond the realm of '60's-early '70's pop that I took notice of as a tot. Though linked with the term _jazz_ , the piece actually includes no space for improvisation, which of course is jazz's defining element -- and yet, in its modernity, instrumentation and distinctly urban quality it suggests jazz. Gershwin, surely the most skilled pianist among all the great songwriters of his day, actually liked jazz, unlike most of his contemporaries in his field. Too, though the opening clarinet gliss was written, Gershwin was open to Ross Gorman's individual idea of how to play it. We lost a giant in '37. We may wonder to what still greater heights Gershwin would have risen but, too, we're grateful for what he left us.
Gershwin wrote this so quickly that he did not have time to write out the piano parts so he actually improvised. And improvised every time he performed it
and Nipper sits at the top of the label, "listening" in to the gramophone!!! lived with his master in Park Row, Bristol, UK; must be the most famous record image in history
Nipper is sitting on a coffin in the original ad. Therefore, through the magic of recording, even though he is dead, Nipper can still hear "his master's voice."
This is a wonderful recording to have that sets the pace of this remarkable piece. The 1924 written manuscripts have been organized and scored in a new critical edition by Dr. Ryan Banagale, through the University of Michigan Gershwin Initiative. The first recording of this edition has been released on August 27, 2021. It brings together the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Bruce Kiesling and yours truly. I have studied the many recordings, the printed scores, the Alicia Zizzo 'Annotated Rhapsody in Blue' for solo piano, and Dr. Banagale's new edition. Hope readers will find the new recording enjoyable!
The is the all time favorite song of Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson. The clarinet at the beginning was reworked in their recording of The Old Master Painter.
@@scotnick59 Not certain, some pretty far out compositions floating around during the early 1900s , mostly eastern european, merged into american city culture, this though was the break out taking elements under it of african , yiddish, north african other jazz themes from 1916ish and pushing them out.
@@smalin I'm no expert, but I listened to quite a lot of music from 1890-1924 and no other piece stands out as much as Rhapsody in Blue. Not even close. I believe it introduced a whole new quality to music.
Gershwin’s original score contained a scale, and it was Ross Gorman, the clarinetist of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, who, during a rehearsal invented the glissando, perhaps as a joke.
I realized to me this version sounds faster to me than the later Bernstein and Mitch Miller versions I've heard. I wonder if this is intentional to fit it on 2 sides of a 78.
Be careful! Those old 78s were made of [edit] -Bakelite- shellac rather than vinyl. That stuff can shatter if you look at it crosseyed. I accidentally dropped a pristine copy of _Slumber Song,_ it fell on an *upholstered* chair and cracked. :(
@@Poisson4147 78's were actually made of a mixture of shellac and clay, and it was difficult to get the proportions right. Too much shellac and the record was ultra-delicate and easily broken; too much clay and the surface noise was really nasty.
Unfortunately the Victor policy was against "albums" even classical symphonies butchered to double sided 12"78. The only exceptions a few like Beethoven 5 for school market. ( Listed in "educational" catalog & special order from stores.) Columbia & European companies did full length operas and symphonies as well as show albums as early as 1908 1912 period - Albert Benajam.
Is it me, or do they play it slower now, and the flutes don't go as high. Like one or two octaves. This original puts everything in such a different perspective, and I understand the storytelling more. Thank you for sharing from Belgium. I still don't understand why they don't play it at the Queen Elizabeth competition for Piano. Maybe too popular? But this is EPIC MUSIC.
Isn't the opening clarinet supposed to be reminiscent of klezmer sounds? And, the traffic and noise of New York was the foundational inspiration for the entire piece. Whiteman's "touch" is the speeded up rhythm, I think. Also, most 78 recordings sound "speeded up' no matter what the music is. I have an album of George playing music for music rolls for the player piano that includes this and it's speeded up a bit.
Nipper is/was the symbol of the Victor Talking Machine Company, later RCA Victor. Their slogan was "His Master's Voice", implying that their machines could reproduce sound so well that a dog would listen to his master speaking.
NOTHING FROM THIS PERFORMANCE IS MISSING. IT'S ALL THAT WAS RECORDED. IT IS NOT THE DURATION OF THE DEBUT VERSION HEARD BY THE AUDIENCE AT ITS DEBUT. THE ARRANGEMENT WAS TRUNCATED TO COMPLY WITH VICTOR'S 'NO SETS' POLICY. IS IT KNOWN (LATER INTERVIEWS, DIARIES, etc.) WHETHER OR NOT GERSHWIN & WHITEMAN OBJECTED TO THE CUT? WOULD THE DECISION MAKERS @ VICTOR HAVE EVEN CARED? THINK OF THIS HAVING BEEN A 3 SIDED SET! THE FOURTH COULD'VE BEEN THE VERY IMPRESSIVE EMBOSSING (I'VE SEEN THEM ON RED SEALS) OF THE NIPPER LOGO ON SIDE 4. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE '27 VERSION WAS RELEASED ON A SINGLE SIDE OF ONE OF THEIR EARLY 30s 10" DIAMETER 33.33 RPM "PROGRAM TRANSCRIPTIONS". IT WAS AMONGST OTHER DUBS OF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED (ELECTRICALLY RECORDED) 78s. THIS 'PRE-LP' UNDERTAKING WAS A CALAMITY FOR VICTOR. EXCEPT, FOR THE FUNERAL PARLOR MARKET. I AM NOT KIDDING. THEY'RE LISTED AS SUCH IN THEIR LATER CATALOGS: CONTAINING OF COURSE, SOMBER MUSIC. VICTOR'S EARLY 30s "PROGRAM TRANSCRIPTION" UNDERTAKING IT WAS THE REVERSE INSPIRATION FOR COLUMBIA, WHICH DID IT CORRECTLY WITH LP FORMAT: DEBUTED WHEN I WAS, IN 1948. SOME OF YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS 'RHAPSODIC SCREW UP' OF A SUBSEQUENT PRESSING RUN OF THE 1927 VERSION. SOMEONE AT THE FACTORY 'GRABBED' 2 NON-MATCHING METAL PARTS: ONE FROM '24 & THE OTHER FROM '27. ON A HIGHER FIDELITY (EVEN NON - ELECTRIC ORTHOPHONIC ONES) PHONOGRAPH THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SOUND QUALITY HAD TO, EXCEPT FOR A LISTENER WITH IMPAIRED HEARING* BE INTRIGUING, ANNOYING, ETC. OF COURSE, THEY WERE WITHDRAWN. THEY ARE COLLECTIBLE. THIS FARCE WAS A RESULT OF THE COMPANY'S (COLUMBIA TOO) MASTERS DESIGNATION PRACTICE. EXAMPLE: THEN THE MASTER # OF A PLANNED CATALOGUED RELEASE** (NOT THE SAME #) WOULD BE NUMERICAL. THEN, FOLLOWED BY A HYPHEN, THE TAKE #. IF, TO GET IT "RIGHT", MULTIPLE TAKES MIGHT BE DONE ON SUCCESSIVE DAYS, EVEN WEEKS. THE MASTER #s WERE RETAINED. THE TAKE DESIGNATIONS WERE TYPICALLY INCREMENTED NUMERICALLY & OR ALPHABETICALLY. THE CRITERIA FOR DOING ALTERNATES WERE AESTHETICS, PERFORMANCE ERRORS, EQUIPMENT FAILURE & OR DAMAGE TO THE METAL ***PARTS. THUSLY THE HYBRID PRESSING OCCURRED. WAS THE MISMATCH INTENTIONAL? BY A DISGRUNTLED, INEBRIATED, SLEEP DEPRIVED, ILL OR NEOPHYTE EMPLOYEE? THAT'D BE AN INTERESTING VICTOR MEMO. SOME COMPANY'S MASTER #s OFTEN INCLUDED ABBREVIATIONS INDICATING IN WHICH STUDIOS INCLUDING WHERE THE RECORDINGS WERE MADE. VARIATIONS OF THESE PRACTICES OCCURRED ON OUR "THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN". * HEARING IMPAIRED: I AM NOT MOCKING THIS DISORDER, MY RIGHT EAR HAS BEEN DEAF SINCE I WAS ABOUT 6...I'VE NEVER HEARD STEREO... BUT I CAN SEE IT ON AN OSCILLOSCOPE **MASTERING AND MAKING "78s" AND OTHER SPECIAL PURPOSE DISKS: EXCEPT FOR THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF THE INDUSTRY, MASTER & CATALOG #S WERE IDENTICAL. FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS A "PRE-MATRIX" DISK & I SUPPOSE, CYLINDERS INDICATES ONLY ONE #. WHEN STAMPERS & MOULDS WORE OUT & SALES REQUIRED IT, THEN PERFORMERS HAD TO MAKE NEW REPEAT RECORDINGS THAT MIGHT HAVE HAD THE SAME TITLES, BUT WITH. VARIATIONS OF CONTENT: SACRED, DANCE, VERBAL RECITATION. THEY COULD BE DONE IN THE SAME STUDIO ON THE SAME DAY, BUT COMPRISE DIFFERENT CATALOG SECTIONS. ***NOT INCLUDING THE PIONEERING DISKS OF EMIL BERLINER, THESE STEPS COMPRISED THE TYPICAL MANUFACTURING PROCESS: 1)ORIGINAL --- ERRONEOUSLY STILL CALLED "WAX", THE STUFF'S A FORM OF SOAP - IT'S STILL USED AS A VERB (WAX & WAXING). UNTIL A SPECIAL PURPOSE LIGHT TRACKING ARM & PICKUP (DESIGNED BY BELL LABS IN THE 1920s BECAME AVAILABLE, ) THE "WAX" WAS HEATED TO MAKE IT MORE MALLEABLE, THUS LESS PRONE TO CHIPPING & DISTORTION THAT WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE OCCURRED. THE MATERIAL WAS TYPICALLY, SUBSEQUENTLY MELTED FOR REUSE. --- HAD POSITIVE GROOVES --- 2) AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' --- (HAD INVERTED GROOVES) WOULD BE MADE FROM (1) 3) AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' 'FROM (2) --- HAD POSITIVE GROOVES AS WITH (1) , WARRANTED CAREFUL HANDING AND PLAYING : DERIVED FROM (2) 4a) . AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' 'FROM (3) HAD NEGATIVE GROOVES --- USED TO STAMP THE FINAL PRODUCT: PLAYABLE DISKS. MULTIPLE CLONES OF 4 COULD LIKELY ENSURE THAT A SIGNIFICANT QUANTITY THE PRACTICAL ADVANTAGE OF THIS STRATEGY WAS TO VERY LIKELY NOT DEPLETE THE SUPPLY OF STAMPERS, ESPECIALLY OF A 'BIG HIT'. 1 ENABLED 2, 2 ENABLED 3, 3 ENABLED 4, 4 ENABLED PROFIT AND COPIES THAT WE CAN STUDY AND ENJOY NOW, IN 2021 AND HOPEFULLY HEREAFTER FINAL NOTES. HOORAY !!! EXCEPTING ANALOG WIRE AND TAPE --- 4b FOR MASTERING: IN GERMANY, TRI-ERGON RECORDED ITS ORIGINALS, OBVIOUSLY IN REAL TIME, ON OPTICAL FILM. IT WASN'T PLAYED DIRECTLY TO THE DISK CUTTERS. THE FILMS PLAYED BACK SLOWER THAN REAL TIME. THEIR TRANSPORTS, VIA STEP-UP GEARS RAN THE TURNTABLES AT REQUIRED RPMs FOR DIFFERENT WORLD - WIDE MARKETS. ALSO, THE FILM MASTERS COULD BE EDITED WITHOUT DUBBING AND CONSEQUENT LOSSES OF AUDIO QUALITY. 4c BY 1939, LACQUER (NOT ACETATE!) COATED DISKS WERE USED TO CUT MASTERS @ 33.33 RPM. A 16" DIAMETER DISK HAD A NOMINAL MAXIMUM DURATION OF 16 MINUTES. FIVE TAKES OF TYPICAL 10" CONSUMER PRESSINGS COULD BE ACCOMODATED. COMPARING ALTERNATE TAKES WAS THEREFORE LOGISTICALLY STREAMLINED. AS A RESULT OF PHYSICS & ELECTRONICS, THE DUBS FROM THE LACQUERS COULD HAVE RESULTS SUPERIOR THAN WHAT HAD RESULTED FROM THE PREVIOUS METHOD. SIMULTANEOUSLY MASTERING MORE THAN ONE LACQUER PROTECTED THE ORIGINALS FROM WHICH THE 78 RPM MASTERS WOULD BE DUBBED. WHEN 17" LACQUERS BECAME AVAILABLE, THEN OBVIOUSLY, THE DURATIONS WERE INCREASED. ALSO, AT THE OUTER - MOST GROOVES, THE HIGH FREQUENCIES RECORDED & PLAYED BACK BETTER THAN ON THE SMALLER DIAMETERS (PHYSICS). I'M BUZZED OUT FROM COMPOSING AND PROOF READING THIS I REGRET WHATEVER ERRORS ARE WITHIN.
I don’t believe that Gershwin wrote the opening clarinet glissando, or originally intended it. The clarinetist was just warning up his instrument prior to the recording (directly onto wax), and Gershwin asked him to open the page with it. That was probably during rehearsals ahead of the recording. Was it showed up to fit the record? Perhaps it was played faster, but there was no technology to achieve that without increasing the pitch: and the instruments do not sound altered in that way. Such manipulation is common and way with modern digital processes. Not 100 years ago. Not even 25 years ago.
@@vidimur1977 Gershwin wrote this pieces for two pianos and we know what pace he intended because he created a piano roll of himself playing with a tempo that is decidedly slower and varied: th-cam.com/video/GbJede-o6gM/w-d-xo.html When Grofe arranged the orchestration with other instruments, he had to cut out elements and speed up the tempo so that it would fit on a 78 RPM, 2-sided 12-inch record. It's true that in the 1920's recorded music was generally recorded at a quicker tempo but that was because of the space constraints of the recording medium of 78 RPM, but thankfully, since Gershwin also recorded it as a piano roll for player pianos, we know the tempo he intended and that was slower than this recording.
What a wonderful transfer of this iconic record. I have two copies but neither are good enough to warrant a transfer. Thanks for posting this!
My pleasure, Daniel.
Your icons look classic 😊
I'm a fan of classics, too!
Happy 100th Anniversary Of Rhapsody in Blue.
February - 12 - 1924.
100 Years.
Thank You George Gershwin.
Thank you, indeed! You left us way too early.
@@martinbryan3716 You're Welcome.
I hear America in this recording. Genius. Thank you George Gershwin.
love the chuckling clarinet in the beginning, after the intro lick. Lost in most later recordings.
a huge mistake. piece was meant to invoke the joy of the jazz age and introduce jazz as a serious art. the choice of many to make it more symphonic negates what gershwin meant to do.
Don't know how true this is, but seen elsewhere: Fun fact: the clarinet solo at the very beginning of the track was basically the musician (virtuoso Ross Gorman) doing an "improvised joke" at a rehearsal of the first concert ever in which this song would be played. Much to his surprise, instead of laughs or discontent from Gershwin, Gorman was met with his immediate approval.
Actually, even though it was a "jokeful" and "improvised" addition to his original composition, Mr. Gershwin loved it so much he chose to modify the clarinet part so it would always be played that way.
@@msphoenix269 except in most concerts, the laughing clarinet is smoothed out. i wish they would perform the piece the way it was originally recorded....there is so much life to it. it represents the excitement of the jazz age
@@thewkovacs316 what the market of professional concert music has done to Gershwin's music borders on antisemitism
Orchestra bad jazz band good ?@@thewkovacs316
Recorded 100 years ago! Incredible! To me it's still one of the best recordings ever, and the masterpiece of both George Gershwin and Paul Whiteman.
Happy 100 years Of "Rhapsody In Blue"!
The soul reminds me of the memories of my mom and dad at 84 years old and counting I love George Gershwin and rhapsody and blue it reminds me of yesterday and when I was a little girl with my mom and dad Rest in peace beautiful soul man George Gershwin
"The classic of the century!!!"
clarinet is BOSS in the intro! never heard such a playful version
clarinet sounds like he’s playing for a stripper;
Only if he were trying to make the crowd laugh.@@dreemeagle
apparently he succeeded;
@@dreemeagle in a way... Way better than the desinfected garbage performances you see today in most orchestras. At least the strippers have soul. It's Jazz, what else to say.
Never sounded so good, this version. And that clarinet, never played better.
its hard to find such gold in the internet. I cannot thank you enough.
Seconded!
I have heard many versions, but NOTHING will ever match the original! A darn good recording considering the technology back then. This puts me in an "old movie" frame of mind. Thanks for posting!
This was on the Discoveries 100, regarded as one of the most important recordings of the 20th century, see as superior to the electrical re-recording. George was on the list again for "Swanee", Al Jolson's best known recording as well.
I first experienced Rhapsody in Blue played on a Victrola, this very recording, around 1963, when I was 12 years old.
The moment the clarinet started its glissando is unforgettable to me, issuing from that old, distinguished, 100% mechanical device (which I later completely disassembled, solely for my own edification).
No electricity was involved in playing the almost-40-year-old 78 rpm record on that day, and it seems that none could have been used in recording the performance either, difficult as that is to imagine today.* In 1924 an orchestra would have played directly into a massive mechanical device which was at that very moment cutting a long spiral groove directly into a master wax platter.
-------
*from Wikipedia: "The first electrical recording was made by the Victor Talking Machine Company in April 1925. The recording featured the Philadelphia Orchestra performing "Danse macabre" by Camille Saint-Saens."
I love the quirky, raw energy that comes off in this recording, something that subsequent performances don't capture quite as well. It's in the playing style of the orchestra. Gershwin composed "Rhapsody in Blue" specifically for Paul Whiteman's players, plus Gershwin himself is at the piano -- that alone cinches it for me. It seems it was thought necessary to 'polish up' this piece as recording techniques improved, but in the process losing some of what Gershwin intended.
It was jazz in its day. The classical world claimed it and sanitized it.
Yup think you are right.
Had no idea Paul Whiteman comission George Gershwin to write this for him. My uncle was a member of Paul Whiteman's band. He played saxophone. Don't remember what year..
How old are you?!
what was your uncle's name?
98 years!!!
Love how this classical song is also jazz and blues!
It’s 100 now.
TH-cam can take down the licensing information now. This song now belongs to us.
Public Domain
Exactly.
Actually, no, sadly. This is Grofé's arrangement; he died in 1972, so US copyright doesn't expire until 2042.
@@smalin hehehe. Music is
for those who know it, appreciate it and listen to it.
@@smalinIsn't that Blade Runner?
Happy centennial Rhapsody In Blue! Listening to this original gives me images of Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Marion Davies and the Gold Diggers of Broadway.
Somehow the primitive sound of this recording, though excellent for 1924, enhances the music for me. You get the sense of experiencing the Rhapsody in Blue at its inception.
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE EXPRESSED HERE. DO YOU THINK THAT AT ITS DEBUT AT AEOLEAN HALL IT HAD THIS PATHETIC SONIC QUALITY?
@@artshifrin3053 Certainly not Art. I was only expressing a personal quirk of liking that sound which I can understand seems crazy to you.
@@jimthompson606 HI JIM, THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY. OF COURSE, OUR VIEWPOINTS ARE SUBJECTIVE AND SHOULD BE MUTUALLY RESPECTED.
ARE YOU AWARE OF THE BRUNSWICK VERSION? OSCAR LEVANT (A MEMBER OF THE 'GERSHWIN CIRCLE' ) WAS THE PIANIST IN THAT
RECORDING. IN ONE OF HIS TWO BIOGRAPHIES, HE DENIGRATES
IT. IT'S MUCH MORE RARE THAN THE TWO 1920s VICTORS. DO YOU KNOW THAT TECHNICOLOR PORTIONS OF THE UNIVERSAL 1930 "KING OF JAZZ" WERE, BY AN INGENIOUS METHOD RESTORED A 'FEW' YEARS AGO? THE RESULTS ARE VISUALLY AND AUDIBLY STRIKING. A PORTION OF 'THE RHAPSODY' IS INCLUDED. QUIZZICALLY (TO ME) IN A RE-RELEASE A FEW YEARS LATER (1936?), NONE OF THE COLOR SEGMENTS WERE PRESENT. I DON'T KNOW WHY. PERHAPS SOMEONE FOLLOWING THIS 'STRING' KNOWS AND WOULD CARE TO POST THE EXPLANATION. BEST REGARDS, 'SHIFFY',
That's exactly what I love about this recording.
@@artshifrin3053 Well - probably because it was cheap. The film didn't do well at the box office (coming out when that initial spate of musicals with color had pretty much run its course), so Universal hoped to make up some of that by striking some cheaper black-and-white prints, cutting about 40 minutes off the original runtime, and sending them out as a re-release in 1933. But gotta mention the soloist in the film - Whiteman's pianist Roy Bargy, also soloist on first recording of Gershwin's Concerto in F with Whiteman a couple years earlier. ("Rhapsody In Blue" arranged by Ferde Grofe from Gershwin's two-piano original, then later re-arranged by Gershwin for full orchestra. "Concerto In F" originally arranged for full orchestra by Gershwin, then later re-arranged by Grofe for the Whiteman recording.)
Recording quality, though laughably lofi by 2022 standards, is actually very good for the era (1924).
This song stirs my soul. Long live George Gershwin.
God Bless the individual who posted this. For me who adored and loved Ferde Grofe' this is my Holy Grail. This truly tells the world how George Gershwin intended this magnificent piece to be played. Plus, any debate about Tempe or orchestration...Mr. Paul Whiteman's orchestration settles any issue. Glorious!!
Magnificent! "Rhapsody In Blue" is the first thing beyond the realm of '60's-early '70's pop that I took notice of as a tot. Though linked with the term _jazz_ , the piece actually includes no space for improvisation, which of course is jazz's defining element -- and yet, in its modernity, instrumentation and distinctly urban quality it suggests jazz. Gershwin, surely the most skilled pianist among all the great songwriters of his day, actually liked jazz, unlike most of his contemporaries in his field. Too, though the opening clarinet gliss was written, Gershwin was open to Ross Gorman's individual idea of how to play it. We lost a giant in '37. We may wonder to what still greater heights Gershwin would have risen but, too, we're grateful for what he left us.
Sounded like SOME improvisation there!😃
@@leechjim8023 I'm saying that the Gershwin piece as written does not allot space for improvisation.
Gershwin wrote this so quickly that he did not have time to write out the piano parts so he actually improvised. And improvised every time he performed it
Yes!
Not so actually
and Nipper sits at the top of the label, "listening" in to the gramophone!!! lived with his master in Park Row, Bristol, UK; must be the most famous record image in history
Nipper is sitting on a coffin in the original ad. Therefore, through the magic of recording, even though he is dead, Nipper can still hear "his master's voice."
Super enregistrement! Quel beau document. Bravo.
It's thrilling every time I hear it.
This is a wonderful recording to have that sets the pace of this remarkable piece. The 1924 written manuscripts have been organized and scored in a new critical edition by Dr. Ryan Banagale, through the University of Michigan Gershwin Initiative. The first recording of this edition has been released on August 27, 2021. It brings together the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Bruce Kiesling and yours truly. I have studied the many recordings, the printed scores, the Alicia Zizzo 'Annotated Rhapsody in Blue' for solo piano, and Dr. Banagale's new edition. Hope readers will find the new recording enjoyable!
Im really glad I have found this version on Facebook. Its different than many of the later recordings.
I didn't realize that acoustic recordings could be so listenable!
I believe this exact recording is in the National Recording Registry.
Because It's the original record.
LOC
Incredible transfer and sonics!! Thank you!!!
Glad you like them!
98 years later. . .WOW!!!!!
100 years now!
The is the all time favorite song of Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson. The clarinet at the beginning was reworked in their recording of The Old Master Painter.
He must have gotten into it when he lost his mind by dropping LSD daily. He's very lucky his mind came back to him....sort of.
I wonder if he owned a copy of it... Rather, I wonder what was in his record collection!
I am not sure if people in 1924 had ever heard anything like this. Must have been a real far out experience back then.
I would think so, too
@@scotnick59 Not certain, some pretty far out compositions floating around during the early 1900s , mostly eastern european, merged into american city culture, this though was the break out taking elements under it of african , yiddish, north african other jazz themes from 1916ish and pushing them out.
@@highpath4776 I've read that at its premiere (at a concert of new music), it stole the show.
@@smalin I'm no expert, but I listened to quite a lot of music from 1890-1924 and no other piece stands out as much as Rhapsody in Blue. Not even close. I believe it introduced a whole new quality to music.
I've always loved this song... First heard it on an old airline commercial... TWA, or Pan Am... and the first few notes did it for me..
United
Gershwin’s original score contained a scale, and it was Ross Gorman, the clarinetist of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, who, during a rehearsal invented the glissando, perhaps as a joke.
Old but gold.
Love you George!
I realized to me this version sounds faster to me than the later Bernstein and Mitch Miller versions I've heard. I wonder if this is intentional to fit it on 2 sides of a 78.
THANK YOU !!!! Fantastic....
Had this actual recording from a jumble sale years ago. Been hooked ever since. This seems a cleaner sound tho.
1924 - 2024 Raphsody in Blue 100 years aniversary !!
ホワイトマンに無理矢理作らされた曲。慌てて汽車で移動中に作ったら永遠の曲に。もはや奇跡的。
Yes this is absolute peak I love this so gosh darn much I want to kiss this vinyl please
Be careful! Those old 78s were made of [edit] -Bakelite- shellac rather than vinyl. That stuff can shatter if you look at it crosseyed. I accidentally dropped a pristine copy of _Slumber Song,_ it fell on an *upholstered* chair and cracked. :(
@@Poisson4147 78's were actually made of a mixture of shellac and clay, and it was difficult to get the proportions right. Too much shellac and the record was ultra-delicate and easily broken; too much clay and the surface noise was really nasty.
@@mgconlanI stand VERY corrected!! I've been collecting for decades and had fallen into the common trap of conflating the two.
This is one of Brian Wilson's favorite songs, beach boys!
awesome issue as usual!
Happy 100th years old
I believe the composer is on the piano.
That’s right.
Crazy how Gershwin was 25 in this recording
He's there.
I didn’t think an acoustic recording could sound this good.
In some ways they were better than electric. You can Google "why"
I’m listening on June 26 2024 the 100th anniversary of the the first recording onto 78 cool.
Unfortunately the Victor policy was against "albums" even classical symphonies butchered to double sided 12"78. The only exceptions a few like Beethoven 5 for school market. ( Listed in "educational" catalog & special order from stores.)
Columbia & European companies did full length operas and symphonies as well as show albums as early as 1908 1912 period - Albert Benajam.
Amazing considering that this was recorded acoustically!
It was recorded electrically
No, i do not think so.. 1st electric recordings in 1925
Acoustical is better.
This is how its supposed to be played? My life has been a lie.
Wonderful, no matter who plays it.
This song AND recording are 97 years-old and still get claimed by TH-cam! Insane…
Well because this recording was belong to Public Domain now.
Animated graphical score: th-cam.com/video/bK98TmMoDEk/w-d-xo.html
Klezmer influences in the clarinet solo
klezmer clarinet..different than any other performance i heard
Sorry for breaking the 200 comments
Anyway if rhapsody in blue is 100 years old, how old is George Gershwin?
Yipes! That 1924 orchestra sounds a little harsh by today's standards, but with Gershwin himself at the piano I guess I shouldn't complain too much...
Whiteman was, is and will ALWAYS be the KING of NORTH AMERICAN concert bands!!!
Masterpiece
NO, IT ISN’T
@@dreemeagle ok buddy compose something better
The Anthem of the American Century. 🇺🇸
Wow!
Is it me, or do they play it slower now, and the flutes don't go as high. Like one or two octaves. This original puts everything in such a different perspective, and I understand the storytelling more. Thank you for sharing from Belgium. I still don't understand why they don't play it at the Queen Elizabeth competition for Piano. Maybe too popular? But this is EPIC MUSIC.
“The excellent is always new”… Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Beautiful theme begins at 5:35. Still a masterpiece.
Blame Victor TM Co for failing to devote more than a single 12" disc to this
We all wish we could have a full length recordings.
minute 5:25
"All is silent cartoon film"
-Harrycatz4339
❤❤❤❤❤❤
2:48
Isn't the opening clarinet supposed to be reminiscent of klezmer sounds? And, the traffic and noise of New York was the foundational inspiration for the entire piece. Whiteman's "touch" is the speeded up rhythm, I think. Also, most 78 recordings sound "speeded up' no matter what the music is. I have an album of George playing music for music rolls for the player piano that includes this and it's speeded up a bit.
Not klezmer. Jazz.
the most replayed part heard like Mazurek Dabroski
Superlative
If there are mansions in heaven can I please go where the musicians hang out
big mistake most orchestras and recordings make is smoothing over the laughing clarinet at the start
you’d like to dream so, just like Whiteman did;
Is there a part 2?
This video is the complete Parts 1 & 2 (see the label image flip over at the 4:25 mark).
Oh I see thanks, I was just confused because the version I guess is most commonly played today is 17 minutes
@@aqueous3051 I read that several minutes of the score had to be cut in order to fit it on a single 30 cm 78 rpm disk.
Correct
Should I make a synth version of this?
Abridged to fit on two sides of a 78
public domain!
United Airlines
Couldn't get a less ducky clarinet. I have a feeling that's why people didn't favor it as much.
Amazing, but what's with the dog?
His name is nipper
Nipper is/was the symbol of the Victor Talking Machine Company, later RCA Victor. Their slogan was "His Master's Voice", implying that their machines could reproduce sound so well that a dog would listen to his master speaking.
Wrong place for that question ask your teacher you must be in primary school 😂
Do you see why?
Well, I'll be.
it sounds like part of the recording is missing
Unfortunately, it was edited to fit the limitations of both sides of a 12" 78.
They must have done the same for the movie as well
NOTHING FROM THIS PERFORMANCE IS MISSING. IT'S ALL THAT WAS
RECORDED. IT IS NOT THE DURATION OF THE DEBUT VERSION HEARD
BY THE AUDIENCE AT ITS DEBUT. THE ARRANGEMENT WAS TRUNCATED TO COMPLY WITH VICTOR'S 'NO SETS' POLICY. IS IT KNOWN (LATER INTERVIEWS, DIARIES, etc.) WHETHER OR NOT GERSHWIN & WHITEMAN OBJECTED TO THE CUT? WOULD THE DECISION MAKERS @ VICTOR HAVE EVEN CARED?
THINK OF THIS HAVING BEEN A 3 SIDED SET! THE FOURTH COULD'VE
BEEN THE VERY IMPRESSIVE EMBOSSING (I'VE SEEN THEM ON RED SEALS) OF THE NIPPER LOGO ON SIDE 4.
SUBSEQUENTLY, THE '27 VERSION WAS RELEASED ON A SINGLE SIDE
OF ONE OF THEIR EARLY 30s 10" DIAMETER 33.33 RPM "PROGRAM TRANSCRIPTIONS". IT WAS AMONGST OTHER DUBS OF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED (ELECTRICALLY RECORDED) 78s. THIS 'PRE-LP' UNDERTAKING WAS A CALAMITY FOR VICTOR. EXCEPT, FOR THE FUNERAL PARLOR MARKET.
I AM NOT KIDDING. THEY'RE LISTED AS SUCH IN THEIR LATER CATALOGS:
CONTAINING OF COURSE, SOMBER MUSIC. VICTOR'S EARLY 30s "PROGRAM
TRANSCRIPTION" UNDERTAKING IT WAS THE REVERSE INSPIRATION FOR COLUMBIA, WHICH DID IT CORRECTLY WITH LP FORMAT: DEBUTED WHEN I
WAS, IN 1948.
SOME OF YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS 'RHAPSODIC SCREW UP' OF A SUBSEQUENT PRESSING RUN OF THE 1927 VERSION. SOMEONE AT THE FACTORY 'GRABBED' 2 NON-MATCHING METAL PARTS: ONE FROM '24 & THE OTHER FROM '27. ON A HIGHER FIDELITY (EVEN NON - ELECTRIC ORTHOPHONIC ONES) PHONOGRAPH THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SOUND QUALITY HAD TO, EXCEPT FOR A LISTENER WITH IMPAIRED HEARING* BE INTRIGUING, ANNOYING, ETC. OF COURSE, THEY WERE WITHDRAWN. THEY ARE COLLECTIBLE.
THIS FARCE WAS A RESULT OF THE COMPANY'S (COLUMBIA TOO) MASTERS DESIGNATION PRACTICE. EXAMPLE: THEN THE MASTER # OF A PLANNED CATALOGUED RELEASE** (NOT THE SAME #) WOULD BE NUMERICAL. THEN, FOLLOWED BY A HYPHEN, THE TAKE #. IF, TO GET IT "RIGHT", MULTIPLE TAKES MIGHT BE DONE ON SUCCESSIVE DAYS, EVEN WEEKS. THE MASTER #s WERE RETAINED. THE TAKE DESIGNATIONS WERE TYPICALLY INCREMENTED NUMERICALLY & OR ALPHABETICALLY. THE CRITERIA FOR DOING ALTERNATES WERE AESTHETICS, PERFORMANCE ERRORS, EQUIPMENT FAILURE & OR DAMAGE TO THE METAL ***PARTS. THUSLY THE HYBRID PRESSING
OCCURRED.
WAS THE MISMATCH INTENTIONAL? BY A DISGRUNTLED, INEBRIATED, SLEEP DEPRIVED, ILL OR NEOPHYTE EMPLOYEE? THAT'D BE AN INTERESTING VICTOR MEMO.
SOME COMPANY'S MASTER #s OFTEN INCLUDED ABBREVIATIONS INDICATING
IN WHICH STUDIOS INCLUDING WHERE THE RECORDINGS WERE MADE.
VARIATIONS OF THESE PRACTICES OCCURRED ON OUR "THIRD ROCK
FROM THE SUN".
* HEARING IMPAIRED: I AM NOT MOCKING THIS DISORDER, MY RIGHT EAR
HAS BEEN DEAF SINCE I WAS ABOUT 6...I'VE NEVER HEARD STEREO...
BUT I CAN SEE IT ON AN OSCILLOSCOPE
**MASTERING AND MAKING "78s" AND OTHER SPECIAL PURPOSE DISKS:
EXCEPT FOR THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF THE INDUSTRY, MASTER & CATALOG
#S WERE IDENTICAL. FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS A "PRE-MATRIX" DISK & I SUPPOSE, CYLINDERS INDICATES ONLY ONE #. WHEN STAMPERS & MOULDS WORE OUT & SALES REQUIRED IT, THEN PERFORMERS HAD TO MAKE NEW REPEAT RECORDINGS THAT MIGHT HAVE HAD THE SAME TITLES, BUT WITH. VARIATIONS OF CONTENT: SACRED, DANCE, VERBAL RECITATION. THEY COULD BE DONE IN THE SAME STUDIO ON THE SAME DAY, BUT COMPRISE DIFFERENT CATALOG SECTIONS.
***NOT INCLUDING THE PIONEERING DISKS OF EMIL BERLINER, THESE
STEPS COMPRISED THE TYPICAL MANUFACTURING PROCESS:
1)ORIGINAL --- ERRONEOUSLY STILL CALLED "WAX", THE STUFF'S A FORM OF SOAP - IT'S STILL USED AS A VERB (WAX & WAXING). UNTIL A SPECIAL PURPOSE LIGHT TRACKING ARM & PICKUP (DESIGNED BY BELL LABS IN THE 1920s BECAME AVAILABLE, ) THE "WAX" WAS HEATED TO MAKE IT MORE MALLEABLE, THUS LESS PRONE TO CHIPPING & DISTORTION THAT WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE OCCURRED. THE MATERIAL WAS TYPICALLY, SUBSEQUENTLY MELTED FOR REUSE. --- HAD POSITIVE GROOVES ---
2) AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' --- (HAD INVERTED GROOVES) WOULD BE MADE FROM (1)
3) AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' 'FROM (2) --- HAD POSITIVE GROOVES
AS WITH (1) , WARRANTED CAREFUL HANDING AND PLAYING : DERIVED
FROM (2)
4a) . AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' 'FROM (3) HAD NEGATIVE GROOVES ---
USED TO STAMP THE FINAL PRODUCT: PLAYABLE DISKS. MULTIPLE
CLONES OF 4 COULD LIKELY ENSURE THAT A SIGNIFICANT QUANTITY
THE PRACTICAL ADVANTAGE OF THIS STRATEGY WAS TO VERY LIKELY
NOT DEPLETE THE SUPPLY OF STAMPERS, ESPECIALLY OF A 'BIG HIT'. 1 ENABLED 2, 2 ENABLED 3, 3 ENABLED 4, 4 ENABLED PROFIT AND COPIES
THAT WE CAN STUDY AND ENJOY NOW, IN 2021 AND HOPEFULLY HEREAFTER
FINAL NOTES. HOORAY !!!
EXCEPTING ANALOG WIRE AND TAPE ---
4b FOR MASTERING: IN GERMANY, TRI-ERGON RECORDED
ITS ORIGINALS, OBVIOUSLY IN REAL TIME, ON OPTICAL FILM. IT WASN'T PLAYED DIRECTLY TO THE DISK CUTTERS. THE FILMS PLAYED BACK
SLOWER THAN REAL TIME. THEIR TRANSPORTS, VIA STEP-UP
GEARS RAN THE TURNTABLES AT REQUIRED RPMs FOR DIFFERENT
WORLD - WIDE MARKETS. ALSO, THE FILM MASTERS COULD BE EDITED
WITHOUT DUBBING AND CONSEQUENT LOSSES OF AUDIO QUALITY.
4c BY 1939, LACQUER (NOT ACETATE!) COATED DISKS WERE USED TO
CUT MASTERS @ 33.33 RPM. A 16" DIAMETER DISK HAD A NOMINAL
MAXIMUM DURATION OF 16 MINUTES. FIVE TAKES OF TYPICAL 10"
CONSUMER PRESSINGS COULD BE ACCOMODATED. COMPARING
ALTERNATE TAKES WAS THEREFORE LOGISTICALLY STREAMLINED.
AS A RESULT OF PHYSICS & ELECTRONICS, THE DUBS FROM THE LACQUERS
COULD HAVE RESULTS SUPERIOR THAN WHAT HAD RESULTED FROM
THE PREVIOUS METHOD. SIMULTANEOUSLY MASTERING MORE THAN
ONE LACQUER PROTECTED THE ORIGINALS FROM WHICH THE 78 RPM MASTERS WOULD BE DUBBED. WHEN 17"
LACQUERS BECAME AVAILABLE, THEN OBVIOUSLY, THE DURATIONS
WERE INCREASED. ALSO, AT THE OUTER - MOST GROOVES, THE
HIGH FREQUENCIES RECORDED & PLAYED BACK BETTER THAN ON THE
SMALLER DIAMETERS (PHYSICS).
I'M BUZZED OUT FROM COMPOSING AND PROOF READING THIS
I REGRET WHATEVER ERRORS ARE WITHIN.
It is they cut the piece to fit on two sides of a 78
am i the only one who hears Kim Petras and Sam Smith unholy at 3:15
I believe this recording is not acoustically recorded.
It is, electric recording was invented in 1925.
Wrong
Who's wrong, BlackPatti or me? I can tell for sure there were microphones involved. To heck with history books. @@nancybrenner1235
The electrically recorded version didn’t come out until I believe 1927- this is better- I have both versions.
How can an acoustical recording be better? Because of the tubes and microphones!@@connergooch4385
Great - but too bad it was not electrically recorded.
it was
Nope
Electric was not necessarily better they did very careful positioning to get the absolute best sound
There was a “orthophonic”(electric recording) made in 1927(?) This version is better!
C H A R M I N G ... (HU)
No other rendition comes close...
How does the record play it if's not spinning?
Because your head is in wrong place silly boy😅
I don’t believe that Gershwin wrote the opening clarinet glissando, or originally intended it. The clarinetist was just warning up his instrument prior to the recording (directly onto wax), and Gershwin asked him to open the page with it. That was probably during rehearsals ahead of the recording.
Was it showed up to fit the record? Perhaps it was played faster, but there was no technology to achieve that without increasing the pitch: and the instruments do not sound altered in that way. Such manipulation is common and way with modern digital processes. Not 100 years ago. Not even 25 years ago.
sorry for ruining your party, but...this is the 1929 rerecording when gershwin had his label pair it with An American in Paris.
Sounds like Benny Goodman's clarinet!😃😃😃
Benny Goodman learned from this.
why compose something better when i can just steal it?
The hip hop method.
what, Whiteman is the king of hip hop now?
anybody tell enema and vanilla lice?
It sounds like samething from the silent movies like fast and slow .
sounds burlesque compared to Bernstein;
and this guy anointed himself the king of jazz;
this version was better than bernstein's
Uh, the *public* did that. Whiteman was one of the most famous conductors of his era.
the white public did that and Whiteman did nothing to deny it;
Sounds 50% too fast
This is the pace it was originally played at. The later orchestral version was slower.
It was played fast to fit on the 78s records in use at the time. A commercial necessity.
@@jonsher7682 Wrong. That was the pace of the ancient times. Faster. Now (since 70's ) is too slower.
@@vidimur1977 Gershwin wrote this pieces for two pianos and we know what pace he intended because he created a piano roll of himself playing with a tempo that is decidedly slower and varied: th-cam.com/video/GbJede-o6gM/w-d-xo.html
When Grofe arranged the orchestration with other instruments, he had to cut out elements and speed up the tempo so that it would fit on a 78 RPM, 2-sided 12-inch record.
It's true that in the 1920's recorded music was generally recorded at a quicker tempo but that was because of the space constraints of the recording medium of 78 RPM, but thankfully, since Gershwin also recorded it as a piano roll for player pianos, we know the tempo he intended and that was slower than this recording.
Trying to be dramatic isn't better. @@Wiencourager