Historic Masters
Encyclopedia
Historic Masters is a historical reissue record label
, based in Takeley
, Hertfordshire, England, dedicated to making available quality pressings on vinyl of rare 78 rpm recordings of opera singers. Historic Masters Ltd claims to be, to its knowledge, "the only company in the world issuing 78 rpm discs of historic vocal and operatic material on a regular basis".
), Historic Masters was the brainchild of the actor, record collector and connoisseur of singers, Richard Bebb
. The initial Historic Masters release was planned as a subscriber-only series of twenty reissues, pressed on high quality vinyl using original metal parts from the EMI archive. The British Institute of Recorded Sound directed the project under the supervision of Bebb with an advisory committee chaired by George Lascelles
(Lord Harewood) and including the influential figure of Desmond Shawe-Taylor
. After various organisational delays, this first release was eventually despatched to subscribers in 1973. Despite making a profit, the British Institute of Recorded Sound lost interest in the project. To fill the gap, Historic Masters Ltd, was set up as an independent company. It was able to release its first reissue in 1983: a set of five records produced in a similar manner as before and again distributed on a subscriber-only basis, thereby avoiding excess production. Many more releases followed along similar lines, including some records which had never previously been released in any format. As of 2011, Historic Masters has released over two hundred discs by historic singers, including larger collections of recordings by Fernando De Lucia
, Nellie Melba
, Adelina Patti
and Francesco Tamagno
.
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, based in Takeley
Takeley
Takeley is a small village in Essex near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England.When Takeley was first registered by the Normans in 1086-87 its boundaries were approximately 8 miles in length, with a total area of 3,000 acres . However, since the development of Stansted Airport, it has lost...
, Hertfordshire, England, dedicated to making available quality pressings on vinyl of rare 78 rpm recordings of opera singers. Historic Masters Ltd claims to be, to its knowledge, "the only company in the world issuing 78 rpm discs of historic vocal and operatic material on a regular basis".
Origins and production history
Originally an offshoot of the British Institute of Recorded Sound (now the British Library Sound ArchiveBritish Library Sound Archive
The British Library Sound Archive in London, England is one of the largest collections of recorded sound in the world, including music, spoken word and ambient recordings....
), Historic Masters was the brainchild of the actor, record collector and connoisseur of singers, Richard Bebb
Richard Bebb
Richard Bebb was an English actor of stage, screen and radio.Born Richard Bebb Williams in London, he changed his name to his mother's surname, Bebb, when he took up acting as there was already a British actor called Richard Williams...
. The initial Historic Masters release was planned as a subscriber-only series of twenty reissues, pressed on high quality vinyl using original metal parts from the EMI archive. The British Institute of Recorded Sound directed the project under the supervision of Bebb with an advisory committee chaired by George Lascelles
George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE AM , styled The Hon. George Lascelles before 1929 and Viscount Lascelles between 1929 and 1947, was the elder son of the 6th Earl of Harewood , and Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and...
(Lord Harewood) and including the influential figure of Desmond Shawe-Taylor
Desmond Shawe-Taylor (music critic)
Desmond Christopher Shawe Taylor, , was a British writer, co-author of The Record Guide, music critic of The New Statesman, The New Yorker and The Sunday Times and a regular and long-standing contributor to The Gramophone.-Biography:Shawe-Taylor was born in Dublin, the elder of two sons of...
. After various organisational delays, this first release was eventually despatched to subscribers in 1973. Despite making a profit, the British Institute of Recorded Sound lost interest in the project. To fill the gap, Historic Masters Ltd, was set up as an independent company. It was able to release its first reissue in 1983: a set of five records produced in a similar manner as before and again distributed on a subscriber-only basis, thereby avoiding excess production. Many more releases followed along similar lines, including some records which had never previously been released in any format. As of 2011, Historic Masters has released over two hundred discs by historic singers, including larger collections of recordings by Fernando De Lucia
Fernando De Lucia
Fernando De Lucia was an Italian opera tenor and singing teacher who enjoyed an international career....
, Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century...
, Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti was a highly acclaimed 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851 and gave her last performance before an audience in 1914...
and Francesco Tamagno
Francesco Tamagno
Francesco Tamagno was an operatic tenor from Italy who sang with enormous success throughout Europe and America. On 5 February 1887, he cemented his place in musical history by creating the role of Otello in Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece of the same name...
.