Harry Macdonough
Encyclopedia
John Scantlebury Macdonald (May 30, 1871–September 26, 1931) was a Canadian singer and recording executive. Under the pseudonym
Harry Macdonough, he was one of the most prolific and popular tenor
s during the formative years of recorded music.
Macdonald was born in Hamilton
, Ontario
, Canada
. His earliest recorded performances were for the Michigan Electric Company in Detroit, which made phonograph cylinder
s for penny arcades. He caught the attention of Edison Records
with a demo recording he made in October 1898, and began recording for Edison in The Haydn Quartet
. From 1899 until his retirement in 1920, he recorded hundreds of songs both as a soloist and in ensembles.
During the 1900s Macdonald took a job with the Victor Talking Machine Company
, becoming assistant manager and later manager of its New York
studio. As studio manager he oversaw the studio schedule, as well as negotiating contracts with artists and music publishers. Macdonald rose rapidly at Victor, becoming its national sales manager in 1920 and manager of artists and repertoire in 1923. He moved to Columbia Records
in 1925 and oversaw the technical development of its studios until his death.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Harry Macdonough, he was one of the most prolific and popular tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
s during the formative years of recorded music.
Macdonald was born in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. His earliest recorded performances were for the Michigan Electric Company in Detroit, which made phonograph cylinder
Phonograph cylinder
Phonograph cylinders were the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their era of greatest popularity , these cylinder shaped objects had an audio recording engraved on the outside surface which could be reproduced when the cylinder was...
s for penny arcades. He caught the attention of Edison Records
Edison Records
Edison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...
with a demo recording he made in October 1898, and began recording for Edison in The Haydn Quartet
The Haydn Quartet
The Haydn Quartet was one of the most popular recording close harmony quartets in the early twentieth century.Originally Samuel Holland Rous formed a vocal quartet in 1896 to record for Edison’s studios...
. From 1899 until his retirement in 1920, he recorded hundreds of songs both as a soloist and in ensembles.
During the 1900s Macdonald took a job with the Victor Talking Machine Company
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
, becoming assistant manager and later manager of its New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
studio. As studio manager he oversaw the studio schedule, as well as negotiating contracts with artists and music publishers. Macdonald rose rapidly at Victor, becoming its national sales manager in 1920 and manager of artists and repertoire in 1923. He moved to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1925 and oversaw the technical development of its studios until his death.
External links
- Discography of Harry Macdonough on Victor RecordsRCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR)