Fonotipia

Fonotipia, also known as Dischi Fonotipia, was an Italian record label founded in Milan in 1904 as the Società Italiana di Fonotipia. It was established by the Anglo-French composer and patron Baron Frederic d'Erlanger with a focused artistic charter: to record celebrated opera singers and other distinguished performers, especially violinists. Rather than functioning primarily as a mass-market popular-music label, Fonotipia built a catalogue around artists whose reputations were connected with the major European opera houses and concert stages of the early twentieth century. The company worked during the acoustic recording period, using lateral needle-cut discs generally played at or near 78 revolutions per minute. Its catalogue employed several disc sizes and numerical series. The initial 27-centimetre series, numbered from 39000 to 39999, was completed by 1907. A later 27-centimetre series numbered 62000 operated alongside the 92000 series, which used orchestral accompaniment. Fonotipia also experimented with a 35-centimetre format in the 69000 series, but that large format attracted limited consumer interest and was discontinued after only a small number of titles. The series is nevertheless historically important because it included two recordings associated with the Polish tenor Jean de Reszke, although those records were apparently never commercially issued and no confirmed surviving copy is known. The same large-format series also included recordings by violinist Jan Kubelík. Other catalogue divisions included the 30-centimetre 74000 series, which contained band music as well as performances by violinists such as Kubelík and Franz von Vecsey. The 92000 orchestral series was completed in 1914. Fonotipia's activity was interrupted by the First World War, after which the company resumed operations and broadened its corporate relationship with Odeon. By 1922 it had become an Odeon partner, and a conventional 10-inch 152000 series was introduced. Some later releases were less distinguished artistically than the label's celebrated early opera recordings. Fonotipia continued into the transition from acoustic to electrical recording. Electrical recording began in Italy in 1926, and the first issues using the new process appeared in the 1928 Odeon catalogue. The last catalogue believed to have been issued under the Fonotipia name was dated 1925, although many titles remained available under catalogues combining Fonotipia and Odeon material. Some Fonotipia matrices were reused for Odeon pressings, and aspects of the label's recording and groove-cutting practices appear to have carried over into the Odeon operation. The label's surviving records are valued by collectors, historians, and musicologists for a combination of technical quality and artistic importance. Its sessions captured voices including those of Aino Ackté, Pasquale Amato, Alessandro Bonci, Giuseppe Borgatti, Maria Barrientos, Emmy Destinn, Giuseppe De Luca, Fernando De Lucia, Maria Jeritza, Solomiya Krushelnytska, Victor Maurel, Rosina Storchio, Richard Tauber, Conchita Supervia, Ninon Vallin, and Giovanni Zenatello. The catalogue also includes important violinists such as Jan Kubelík, Franz von Vecsey, Jacques Thibaud, Bronisław Huberman, and Váša Příhoda, as well as at least one spoken-word recording by playwright Victorien Sardou. Because company records were dispersed and many original catalogues were difficult to consult, the Fonotipia catalogue was reconstructed in stages. J. R. Bennett and James Dennis published a limited reconstruction in 1953 based largely on surviving discs held by collectors. The rediscovery of key company documents at EMI's Milan studios later enabled a more exact reconstruction. Historic Masters, working with EMI, issued a complete discography in 2003 using original recording ledgers and recording-session data. Michael Henstock's 2004 reference work further consolidated information from ledgers, recording sheets, catalogues, company documents, archives, and surviving pressings. Hundreds of recordings have also been digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de France and made accessible through Gallica. Fonotipia is a historical label rather than an active commercial brand and should not be confused with the contemporaneous Phonotype label.

Fonotipia Records was created in Milan in 1904 as the Società Italiana di Fonotipia. Its founder, Baron Frederic d'Erlanger, was an Anglo-French composer who established the label with the aim of preserving performances by celebrated opera singers and other high-profile musicians. The company therefore occupied a specialist and prestige position in the early recording industry, concentrating on artistic documentation rather than an undifferentiated popular catalogue. The label's records were acoustic, lateral-cut discs designed for playback at approximately 78 rpm. Fonotipia issued several formats and numerical sequences. Its first major 27-centimetre sequence ran from 39000 to 39999 and was completed by 1907. A further 27-centimetre 62000 series followed, while the 92000 series supplied recordings with orchestral accompaniment. In 1905, the company tested a 35-centimetre 69000 format. Only a small number of titles were produced because the size was not commercially attractive, but the series acquired exceptional historical interest through recordings associated with Jean de Reszke and Jan Kubelík. The de Reszke titles were apparently not officially released and no authenticated surviving copy is known. Fonotipia also used a 30-centimetre 74000 series. Early entries included band music and performances by violinists, including Kubelík and Franz von Vecsey, while later entries used orchestral accompaniment. The 92000 series was completed in 1914, and Fonotipia's operations were affected by the First World War. The label resumed activity after the war and developed a closer corporate relationship with Odeon. In 1922 it became an Odeon partner and introduced the 152000 series, a conventional 10-inch format that included a broader and, in some assessments, less consistently distinguished range of material. Fonotipia's importance rests heavily on the artists it recorded. Its vocal catalogue includes many major opera figures of the period, among them Aino Ackté, Pasquale Amato, Alessandro Bonci, Giuseppe Borgatti, Maria Barrientos, Emmy Destinn, Giuseppe De Luca, Fernando De Lucia, Maria Jeritza, Solomiya Krushelnytska, Victor Maurel, Rosina Storchio, Richard Tauber, Conchita Supervia, Ninon Vallin, and Giovanni Zenatello. Its instrumental catalogue includes Jan Kubelík, Franz von Vecsey, Jacques Thibaud, Bronisław Huberman, and Váša Příhoda. The company also preserved at least one recitation by playwright Victorien Sardou. The label survived into the period when electrical recording was replacing acoustic methods. Fonotipia's 1925 catalogue is generally considered its last catalogue under its own name. Electrical recording began in Italy in 1926, and the first related issues appeared in the 1928 Odeon catalogue. Fonotipia matrices were sometimes reused on Odeon pressings, indicating that the label's recorded assets and possibly elements of its technical infrastructure were absorbed into the Odeon operation. A distinctive groove-cutting feature found on some Fonotipia records may also have persisted in later Odeon use. After the commercial label disappeared, its catalogue became an archival field. J. R. Bennett and James Dennis produced a limited catalogue reconstruction in 1953 by comparing surviving discs held by collectors. Decades later, the discovery of important company papers at EMI's Milan studios made it possible to establish more precise session information. Historic Masters, in association with EMI, issued a complete discography in 2003, documenting more than 10,000 sides from Fonotipia and related companies. Michael Henstock's 2004 volume expanded the reference base further, drawing on original ledgers, recording sheets, catalogues, company documentation, archival holdings, and surviving pressings. Around 700 recordings have also been digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de France for access through Gallica. Fonotipia is consequently remembered as a defunct Italian label of unusual importance to opera and early-recording scholarship.

• 2004

  Henstock publishes a comprehensive Fonotipia study

  [1]Fonotipia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Michael Henstock publishes a 707-page reference work documenting Fonotipia matrices, issues, artists, sessions, and related-company recordings.

• 2003

  A complete discography is released

  [1]Fonotipia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Historic Masters and EMI publish a database-format discography based on rediscovered original ledgers and other records.

• 1925

  The last known Fonotipia catalogue is issued

  [1]Fonotipia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The final catalogue under the Fonotipia name is believed to appear, after which titles are increasingly represented through Odeon catalogues.

• 1922

  Fonotipia partners with Odeon

  [1]Fonotipia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The company enters an Odeon partnership and begins a new conventional 10-inch series numbered 152000.

• 1914

  The 92000 orchestral series is completed

  [1]Fonotipia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Fonotipia completes the 27-centimetre orchestral-accompaniment series before wartime disruption affects the company's activity.

• 1907

  The original 39000 series is completed

  [1]Fonotipia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label completes its first 27-centimetre sequence and develops additional catalogue series with piano and orchestral accompaniment.

• 1905

  The 69000 large-format series is introduced

  [1]Fonotipia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Fonotipia experiments with 35-centimetre discs, producing a short series that includes historically important material associated with Jean de Reszke and Jan Kubelík.

• 1904

  Fonotipia is founded in Milan

  [1]Fonotipia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The Società Italiana di Fonotipia is established by Baron Frederic d'Erlanger to record leading opera singers and other celebrity musicians.

A prestige-oriented historical label specializing in documenting leading opera singers and elite classical instrumentalists, with a catalogue now valued primarily for archival, artistic, and musicological significance.

• 27-centimetre acoustic gramophone records · 1904

  39000 series

  Fonotipia's original principal series, issued in a 27-centimetre format and numbered from 39000 to 39999. It primarily presented opera singers and other notable performers, generally with piano accompaniment. The series was completed by 1907 and represents the label's earliest systematic effort to document prominent European vocal artists.

• 27-centimetre acoustic gramophone records · 1907

  62000 series

  A later 27-centimetre Fonotipia series that followed the completion of the original 39000 sequence. It continued the label's emphasis on distinguished vocal and instrumental performers and initially used piano accompaniment. The series formed part of Fonotipia's expansion of its catalogue during the first decade of operation.

• 27-centimetre orchestral-accompaniment records · 1907

  92000 series

  The 92000 series used orchestral accompaniment and ran alongside the 62000 series from the late 1900s. It broadened the sonic presentation of Fonotipia's opera and classical repertoire beyond the piano-backed recordings that dominated earlier issues. The series was completed in 1914.

• Large-format acoustic gramophone records · 1905

  69000 series

  Fonotipia's experimental 35-centimetre series was introduced in 1905 and ended after only a small number of titles because the format was unpopular with buyers. Its rarity and association with Jean de Reszke and Jan Kubelík have made it one of the most discussed parts of the catalogue. Later uses of the 69000 number range employed a smaller format.

• 30-centimetre acoustic gramophone records · 1905

  74000 series

  The 74000 series consisted of 30-centimetre records containing opera, band music, and performances by leading violinists. Early entries were particularly associated with band repertoire and artists such as Jan Kubelík and Franz von Vecsey. A later continuation, numbered 74100, used orchestral accompaniment. Production ended around the transition to electrical recording.

• 10-inch gramophone records · 1922

  152000 series

  Introduced after Fonotipia became an Odeon partner in 1922, the 152000 series used a more conventional 10-inch format. It included Fonotipia material from the label's later period, although the artistic quality of the contents was considered less consistent than that of many of the celebrated early issues.

• 1926

  Transition from acoustic to electrical recordingGeneration change

  Background

  Electrical recording was introduced in Italy as the industry adopted new microphone-based recording technology.

  Action taken

  Recording activity moved into the Odeon system, with electrical issues appearing in the 1928 catalogue and some earlier Fonotipia matrices continuing in circulation.

  Aftermath

  The transition marked the end of Fonotipia as a distinct active label, while portions of its repertoire and technical legacy continued under Odeon.

  Source

• 1922

  Partnership with Odeon RecordsM&A

  Background

  After wartime disruption and changes in the European recording business, Fonotipia sought a closer relationship with a larger established record organization.

  Action taken

  Fonotipia became an Odeon partner and issued a new 10-inch catalogue series under the 152000 numbering.

  Aftermath

  Fonotipia's identity gradually became integrated with Odeon's cataloguing and distribution. Later Fonotipia matrices were reused on Odeon pressings, and the Fonotipia name eventually ceased to be used for new catalogues.

  Source

• 1905

  Experiment with the 35-centimetre 69000 formatProduct launch

  Background

  Fonotipia sought to offer a larger disc format that could accommodate a substantial recording presentation, during a period when record manufacturers were testing different sizes.

  Action taken

  The company introduced the 69000 series in a 35-centimetre format and recorded a small number of titles.

  Aftermath

  The format was withdrawn after only 22 titles because it was unpopular with consumers, although the surviving catalogue entries became highly significant to collectors and historians.

  Source

1. 1Fonotipia Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Fonotipia Records discography and historical referenceshistoricmasters.org
3. 3Gallica digital librarygallica.bnf.fr