C. H. H. Booth
"Freddy " Hylands
The earliest Victor records made have wonderful and powerful accompaniments on them, but which one of the two above is on what record? Many of these accompaniments are reminiscent of Fred Hylands, and some are a little like berliner's earliest disc records of 1896 and 1897(those were C.H.H. Booth). Many enthusiasts of the early and very collectable early Victor monarchs hear that piano, but they don't stop to really think about it for a minute. Some of the accompaniments sound similar to those on Columbia cylinders of the late-1890's(hmm, suspicious...). Not many collectors would think about this though, only because the pianist was never credited on the labels of the records, they assume that's the best they could do.
If they really gave a rap, they would dig through old record magazines to find their closest thing to the answer to the "uncredited pianist" problem.
I know, all the "piano trolls" on youtube(those record people who say who they think the pianist is on every old record video they can find) say that C.H.H. Booth HAS to be the pianist on Victors because he was Berliner's pianist. But that is not always the case, I tell you! I hear all of those licks from Hylands all over the place on several Victors.
here is one fantastic example with Billy Golden from 1901:
here's another with the great Silas Leachman, also from 1901:
(Listen! at around 2:13-2:14 for that quick octave pattern!)
Now, this one really gets me! All of those quick broken octaves! and the VERY strong and messy patterns(the second take listed here really gets all of these factors):
This fascinating Victor by Arthur Collins has always got me wondering, this one was recorded a little bit later in 1903:
SO many bad and missed notes! The pedal is held for too long a couple of times! ARRGH!
Booth or Hylands, how wasted could you be damn it!
Pretty convincing! I know that they alternated the piano chair from here and there, so Victor did not really have a so-called "House pianist" in its earliest years. So if all of you record collectors out there think you know who Victor's pianist is, you've got to take your best guess and use your logic of piano styles. that is how you make an educated guess in this situation.
So, I have something to say to all early record collectors, which applies to every record label with piano accompaniment. How about listening to that damn piano player a little bit, huh? Because the house pianists of the 1890's and 1900's worked twice as much as the singers we all hear so often. They worked eight or more hours every day the studios were open, and they had to deal with every one who worked there, whether they liked it or not. Take some time to really focus your ears on the pianist, and really try to hear every note caught on the record, hear the expression in their playing, and hear their mood when they play(Hylands was a wonderful example of moody playing...). What they improvised(oftentimes) was what they wanted to be preserved on the records for however long they were to survive, whether it be 1 year or 100 years. One who hasn't taken this into consideration will really be opened at what they hear, and what they can learn from these forgotten musicians. They were forgotten in the shadows of the singers they accompanied. Which is unfortunate, because the pianists truly gave different views of the music that the singers sang on the records, even the frail and classical Frank P. Banta could improvise those Rags and create a whole new idea of syncopation. Take a listen collectors. The old house pianists deserve it.
*this post is dedicated to my dear friend Cliff Kennedy, and his curiosity of early recorded house pianists*
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