More About the Columbia Orchestra

That's a fraction of the Columbia orchestra(and yes, I still think that pianist in the right corner is Fred Hylands).

I have been digging through some interesting cylinders by the Columbia orchestra, all of them just happen to be from the 1897-1900 period, with most of them including Fred Hylands on piano. They are a fascinating group, with most of the personnel lost to history, because of the destruction of the Columbia ledgers in the 1970's. It is sure that Tom Clark, George Schweinfest, and Fred Hylands(and possibly William Tuson) were all members of the ensemble, and there were several other popular musicians in the group. It's very unfortunate that these great old musicians have gone forgotten from the lost ledgers alone, and The Phonoscope doesn't even list them anywhere, only a few of the big stars in the group, like Hylands, Clark and Schweinfest. It would seem that at those exhibitions, and expensive gathering held by the Easton's at the Waldorf, that the Columbia orchestra was a popular group to the record buyers, and to the managers of the company themselves.It must have been how full their records sounded(even if Hylands was louder than many of the instruments), and the many attractive selections they did. They sounded very much different from the Edison orchestra, which had the mastery of Frank P. Banta and Frank Mazziotta(the piccolo player). This is why their records are distinct, and with the loud piano, it made them even more odd. 

Now to get to some of those records. this first one is one I believe I've  shared before, but it's a great example of very early recorded Rag-Time. It has a rather long title, but it's still great! Here's Len Spencer and the Columbia orchestra playing Williams and Walker's "I thought I was A Winner(or I don't know, you ain't so warm)" recorded in 1897-98. What did I say? Long title indeed. This is a wonderful example of genuine early Rag-Time, not something like "Turkey in the Straw" by Billy Golden that isn't actually meant to be played as a "rag". This song was composed as a "rag" and played as so. It's odd to note the two choruses that Spencer sings are done in such a way that they are almost drowned out by the orchestra, and that's meant to be that way, which is so interesting, because that was rarely done. I suppose they did it like so with Spencer because his voice was one to work with the "coon song" that it was, and also because he was loud enough to be heard at a distance from the horns while the orchestra played. It says that it was recorded in 1897 on the website that it came from, which is a reasonable guess, but if that were to be so, it would have been recorded in the August-December 1897 period. If it's from 1898, it would have been recorded early in that year. It's wonderful nonetheless, and a great example of 1897 Rag-Time(even if it's possibly recorded in 1898).

This next one is a debatable one. It's a record featuring George Schweinfest on piccolo, with the Columbia orchestra behind him. This is early Columbia orchestra though, so there are so many possibilities on the personnel. Here's "The Jealous Blackbird' by Schweinfest and the Columbia orchestra(announced by Len Spencer). The date is debatable, and that's the problem. It has the early "... of New York City." announcement, but the piano's power and very steady rhythm indicate Hylands. That doesn't make too much sense, because Hylands was just a substitute(or temporary?) pianist in 1897 at Columbia. He didn't begin coming in at all until at least August of 1897, or maybe I'm underestimating these dates. Maybe Hylands was obliged in coming around June or July of '97, but in the 1897 timeframe it's obvious that he wasn't regularly Columbia's pianist. This cylinder could have better tuning involved, as some of the notes that are played do not sound the best. Such as that little transition section at 1:05, it sounds a little broken up/or out of tune. Another indicator for Hylands possibly being on the piano here is that the piano is slightly out of sync with the rest of the orchestra. Who else other than Hylands would it be? Schweinfest is the one playing piccolo(that would mean that a sub pianist would play!). A good comparison to this cylinder is "Dancing in the Kitchen" by the Columbia orchestra, mid or late-1897(it's very quiet though!). The cylinder of "Dancing in the Kitchen" is certainly from mid-1897, as it not only has that "...of New York City" announcement, but it's got a sound very much like a Columbia from 1897, but the pianist in not determined. It has more of a tinge of Hylands in its sound and slightly ahead playing(similar to "The Jealous Blackbird" somewhat). It's a hard one to dissect, both of these are hard to anyhow. 

This next one is not much of a mystery. this one is a simple Schottiche( pronounced "shotish"), without any confusing date indicators. Here's "The Kentucky Jubilee Singers" by the Columbia orchestra, 1901. It's a very fun cylinder with some great melodies, and very audible piano accompaniment. I'm pretty sure that was Dan Quinn doing the announcement, which may seem odd, but him announcing it makes the date very exact, 1901. Quinn did some announcements for the Columbia orchestra and the Imperial Minstrels in 1901. This one just happened to be one of them. There's not much about this one that needs to be said, because it explains itself fully when listening to it. 

This last one is an early Rag-Time favourite. It's Monroe Rosenfeld's "Virginia Skedaddle" recorded in 1901(announcement and calls by Harry Spencer). Rosenfeld wrote this tune back in 1892 as a reaction to the gaining in popularity of the "cake walk", as it was beginning to be called rather than the old customary "Walk-Around". This piece was originally a lightly syncopated "patrol"(like "Patrol Comique"), with sections that were much to the likeness of early Cake-Walks of the mid-1890's. But of course, when you get Hylands in the Columbia orchestra, it becomes the "rag'' that it almost became back in 1892.

I hope you enjoyed this!