TheCollectorJuliusH.

BlocksRareClassicalMusic
RecordingsfromLate19thCenturyRussiatoBeReleased
Swarthmore,Pa.
FORdecades,hintstantalizedrecordbuffsandanyoneinterestedinhowclassicalmusicwasperformed
throughthecenturies.
Somewhereoutthere,justpossibly,wasthelargestcacheofclassicalmusicfromthedawnoftherecordedage
knowntoexist:hundredsofcylindersincisedonanEdisonphonographfromthe1890sbyamusicloving
businessman,JuliusH.Block.
Referencespoppedupinhisprivatelypublishedmemoirsinthe1960s.Therewerelettersbetweenhimand
ThomasEdisonandachanceconversationin1971betweenresearchersandaschoolmateofthegreatviolinist
JaschaHeifetz.Afewcylinderscametolightatauctioninthe1990s.
Iffound,therecordingswouldfurnishadeepandfascinatingglimpseintothewaymusicwasplayedinthetime
ofTchaikovskyandBrahms,asonictoetouchintoadistantepoch.Buttherewaslittlehope.Thecollection,
mostbelieved,wasdestroyedinWorldWarII.
Instead,itsurvived.
Thankstootherchanceencounters,asharedpassionforviolinhistorybyafatherandson,andabitof
detectivework,some200cylinderswererediscoveredseveralyearsagoinanarchiveinRussia,whereonlya
handfulofmusicologistsappeartohaveknownaboutthem.
ThreeCDsofexcerptsaretobereleasedlatenextmonthbytheMarstonlabel(marstonrecords.com),whichis
basedhereandspecializesintheearlyrecordedage.
Photo

Credit
CourtesyofVivienneChristineBlock

AccordingtoMarston,thecylinderscontaintheearliestexistingrecordingsofworksbyBach,Wagner,Verdi,
Chopin,Schumannandothers.Theperformersincludeseveralnotedcomposerpianists:SergeiTaneyev,a
pupilofTchaikovskyswhoplayedthepremiereofhisSecondConcertoAntonArensky,playinghismuchloved
PianoTrioNo.1inDminorjustmonthsafteritwaswrittenandPaulPabst,aLisztpupilanddedicateeof
piecesbyTchaikovskyandRachmaninoff.TheyalsoincludethelegendarypianistJosefHofmanninhisfirst
knownrecordingsandsingerswhoperformedinthepremieresofoperasbyTchaikovskyandRimskyKorsakov.
Some22oftheartists,wellknownintheirday,havenotbeenrepresentedonrecordingsuntilnow,including
Taneyev.
Witheachcylinderabletorecordforonlytwotofourminutes,thereleasewillbelimitedtosnippets:90ofmusic
and4withjustspokenwords.ThoseincludeTolstoyreadingfromhisworkandwhatmaybethevoiceand
whistlingofTchaikovsky.Themusicalrecordingsinthereleaserunfrom1890to1923.
Therecordingsarenotlikelytoappealtocasualmusiclovers,aseventheengineer,WardMarstonofMarston
Records,concedes.Thesurfacenoiseisheavy,themusicsometimesbarelyaudible.Itsnotwhatyoucall
pleasanttolistento,saidMr.Marston,whoisconsideredoneoftheleadingaudioconservationengineers.
Still,thecylindershaveobviousmusicalvalue,atleastforspecialistlisteners.Runs,singingmelodies,
expressiverhythmicquirkscanbepickedoutlikegemstonesfromgravel.Ghostscomealive,andthelistener
mingleswiththem.
Therecordingsarealsofascinatinghistoricaldocuments.Theyweremostlymadeinlivingrooms,atinformal
socialoccasions.Listenersapplaudandyellbravo!Themusiciansoftenintroducethemselves,asan11year
oldHeifetzdoesinahighpitchedvoice.

ConsideringwhentheyweredoneandthepeoplethatBlockcontacted,theyareextremelyexciting,said
RaymondR.Wile,aretiredQueensCollegelibrarianwhohaswrittenextensivelyabouttheearlyphonograph
industry,includingtheBlockcylinders.Ineverthoughttheywouldsurface.
Edisoninventedthephonographin1877andbegandevelopingitaboutadecadelater,consideringthe
machinemainlyadeviceforbusiness.Itgenerallyworkedlikethis:aspeakingtubewouldtransmitthesoundto
avibratingmembrane,whichwouldguideaneedleasitincisedgroovesonafourinchwaxcylinder.
Photo

Credit
DavidWalterBanksforTheNewYorkTimes

Commercialrecordingdidnotbeginuntilroughly1889,butEdisonsagentsandothersrecordedhundredsof
cylindersbeforethen.Onlyahandfulofclassicalmusicrecordingsfromthephonographsfirstdecadessurvive.
TheearliestexampleisbelievedtobefromJuly5,1888:excerptsofHandelsIsraelinEgyptincisedat
LondonsCrystalPalace.OthersincludebarelyaudiblerecordingsofBrahmsplayingandspeakingin1889,and
ofaDanishbass,PeterSchram,possiblyfromthesameyear.AmusicbuffinNewYork,GianniBettini,made
cylinderrecordingsofsingersinthelate1890s,butonlyseveraldozensurvive,Mr.Marstonsaid.
TheclosestrivalinimportancetotheBlockcylindersisthepreciousbatchofliverecordingsmadebyLionel
Mapleson,thelibrarianoftheMetropolitanOpera,ontheMetstagefrom1900to1904.Blockwasbornin1858,
inBritishterritoryinSouthAfrica.Hismothertookhimasaninfanttorejoinherhusband,whowasinbusiness
inRussia.EducatedinLondonandNewYork,Blockreturnedtotakeoverthefamilyfirm,whichmainlyinvolved
introducingandimportinggoodslikethetypewriterandthebicycletoRussia.Fascinatedbythenew
phonograph,hewangledameetingwithEdisonandevenmanagedtoprocureaphonographtotakeback.
Block,afinepianist,hadbiggerideasthansellingadictationmachine.Fromthefirstthephonographappeared
tomeaninventionofuntoldvalueforthemusicalandscientificworld,hewroteinhismemoirs.
AsoutlinedinthememoirsandlettersexchangedwithEdison,Blockembarkedonamusicalrecordingspreein
Russia,fillinghundredsofwaxcylinders.Heevenmanagedtoobtainanaudiencewiththeczarandarranged
topresenthimwithaphonograph.
Blockkeptleatherboundvolumes,whichstillexist,torecordreactions.Thephonographiscertainlythemost
surprising,themostbeautifulandthemostinterestingamongallinventionsthatcircumscribethe19thcentury,

TchaikovskywroteonOct.26,1889.HonortothegreatinventorEdison!
BlockmovedtoBerlinin1899andcontinuedmakingrecordings.Hediedin1934,andhiscylinderswere
dividedbetweenarchivesinBerlinandWarsaw.AlibraryinBern,Switzerland,receivedmostlyscoresand
manuscripts.Inanintroductiontothememoirs,WalterE.Block,hisson,saidthepaperssurvived,butthe
cylindersweredestroyedinthewar.
Thestoryshiftsto1971,whentheviolinistJohnMalteseandJohnA.Maltese,his11yearoldson,visitedEddy
Brown.Mr.BrownwasaclassmateofHeifetzsinthelegendarySt.PetersburgConservatoryclassofLeopold
Auer.Mr.MaltesewasamajorHeifetzfan.DuringthatvisitMr.Brownmentionedthathehadmadecylinder
recordingsin1914ataprivatehomeinBerlin.SohadHeifetz.
Photo

Credit
JohnAnthonyMaltese

Fatherandsonneverforgotthestory.Overtheyears,astheygrewtoshareapassionforHeifetzandall
mattersviolinistic,theysearchedforthecylinders,tonoavail.TheywentontowritethebookletnotesforThe
JaschaHeifetzCollection,a65CDseriesfromBMGClassics,andtoworktogetheronotherhistoricrecording
projects.
Separately,Mr.Wile,thephonographexpertatQueensCollege,dugupabatchofcorrespondencebetween
BlockandEdisonattheEdisonarchivesinWestOrange,N.J.HaroldC.Schonberg,thenthechiefmusiccritic
ofTheNewYorkTimes,wroteaboutthefindin1979,describingBlockseffortstomakerecordings.Mr.
Schonbergspeculatedaboutthejuicypossibilitiesofwhatcouldbeonthem.Noneofithassurvived,he
wrote.
In1992abouttwodozenotherBlockcylinderssurfacedataLondonauction.TheywereboughtbyaNewYork
collector,AllenKoenigsberg.Littleofthemusicwasidentified.
Thetrailgrewhotin2001.TheMaltesesprovidedmaterialforaHeifetzexhibitioninLosAngeles.Atthe
opening,membersoftheHeifetzfamilymentionedthataRussianscholar,GalinaKopytova,waswritingabook
aboutHeifetzsyearsinRussia.TheyoungerMr.Maltese,apoliticalscientistattheUniversityofGeorgia,
exchangedemailmessageswithMs.Kopytova.Attheendofone,hecasuallymentionedBrownsstoryabout
makingthecylinders.

Sheansweredandsaidtheywereinanarchivedownthestreet,Mr.Maltesesaid.Ifelloffmychair.She
followeduptoconfirmthataslewofothercylinderswereinthearchive,theInstituteofRussianLiterature,also
knownasPushkinHouse.
Mr.MaltesetrackeddowntheBlockmanuscript.ItcorroboratedthecontentsoftheSt.Petersburgcylinders.He
tracedtheirprovenance.TheyweretakenfromthePhonogrammArchivinBerlintoSilesiaforsafekeepingin
1944.Afterthewar,theyweretakentoSt.Petersburg.AcatalogfromtheBerlinarchivematchedthecontents
ofthecylindersinSt.Petersburg,Mr.Maltesesaid.
Theprojectsbackersandotherexpertsareconvincedofthecylindersauthenticity.Theresnochancethatthis
isabogusthing,saidGregorBenko,afounderoftheInternationalPianoArchivesandacoordinator,withthe
MarstonpartnerScottKessler,oftherelease.
Photo

Credit
RyanDonnellforTheNewYorkTimes

RichardWarren,curatoroftheHistoricalSoundRecordingsCollectionatYaleUniversityandapanelistonan
archivistscommitteethatawardedMarstonagrantfortheproject,saiditwouldtakeanincredibleamountof
worktofakethecylinders,forlittlechanceoffinancialgain.
AftercontactingMr.Marston,Mr.MaltesetraveledtoSt.Petersburgin2003,examinedthecylindersand
listenedtotapesofthem.HeandMr.Marstonreturnedtwoyearslater.Mr.Marstonoversawthetransferto
computerfilesbyRussianengineers.TheMaltesesarecoproducersoftheCDissue.
Whenweputthefirstcylinderon,Mr.Marstonsaid,myhairstoodonend.
Sincethen,Mr.Marstonhasbeenworkingpainstakinglytorestoretherecordingsbutonlyminimallyreducing
thesurfacenoisetokeepasenseofauthenticity.Thespokenwordshadtobetranscribedandtranslated.The
properplaybackspeedhadtobedeterminedMr.Marston,examiningscores,estimatedthepitchtobe435
cyclesforthetuningnoteA,whichisslightlylowerthantypicalcurrentpractice.Thepropertemposflowedfrom
thatdetermination.
Sowhataboutthemusic?
Mr.Marston,inhissecondfloorstudio,playedexcerpts.Blindsincebirth,hesenthisfingersflutteringoverthe
consoles,punchinginnumbersandadjustingknobs.UpcameadreamyandnimblepianosolobyPabst,a
paraphraseofathemefromTchaikovskysSleepingBeauty.

TaneyevplaysMozartsCminorFantasytautlyanddramaticallyonan1895recording.Hofmannplaysthe
MagicFireMusicfromWagnersWalkre.AforgottensopranoknownasMademoiselleNikita,famousinher
day,singsQuando,rapitoinestasifromDonizettisLuciadiLammermoor.Sheladlesontheembellishment,
turningsimpleintervalsintointricateruns,inthestyleoftheday.
MostintriguingistheArenskytrio,whichthecomposerplayswithJanHrimaly,violinist,andAnatolyBrandukov,
cellist.Thecylinderscontainbitsofonlythefirstthreemovements,notthefourth.Theperformanceisfast
paced,free,almostoverthetop,andmusthearingforanyperformerofthispiece.
AnothercylinderhasspeakerslistedasTchaikovsky,thecomposerpianistAntonRubinsteinandother
musicians,butMr.Marstonacknowledgesthattheidentificationsofthevoicesarenotironclad.Thecylinder
waspreviouslyextractedfora1998releaseontheKochSchwannlabel.
Andtheonewhostarteditall,a19yearoldEddyBrown,isthereinaseriesofviolinbonbons,accompaniedby
Blockhimself.
Correction:November2,2008
AnarticlelastSundayaboutthediscoveryofwaxcylinderrecordingsdatingfrom1890to1927misstatedthe
yearthatcommercialrecordingbegan.Itwasroughly1889itwasnot1899,theyearthatclassicalcommercial
recordingsbegan.
Aversionofthisarticleappearsinprinton,onpageAR1oftheNewYorkeditionwiththeheadline:Classical
Ghosts,AudibleOnceAgain.OrderReprints|Today'sPaper|Subscribe