I have been on the Santa Barbara cylinder website for quite a while to-day, only because I've been digging through the new amazing things they've added within the past few weeks in their brown cylinders. Some of the things they added are just amazing! There's even some interesting pieces of early Rag-Time in the mix! The first thing that I need to share is this great rarity by Will F. Denny:
and of course Fred Hylands from 1898:
The last 15 seconds! Oh my god! That's some hot improvised Rag Mr. Hylands! (the left hand still makes me think about Hylands possibly being left-handed...)
The piano in general on this was recorded extremely well for its time, as you can actually hear all of those deep octaves and the high notes just as well as you can hear the singer. Even if Hylands only plays a "Rag" in the last moments of the cylinder, the whole record makes up for that by being a very funny song with great lyrics. The beginning is also a crack-up. This came from a 5 inch diameter brown wax concert cylinder.
The next one that I found that was fascinating(which is also Rag-Time with Hylands) is this popular one by Len Spencer from 1899:
How Spencer is drunk! But it's still really fun, and at the end when Spencer whistles you can tell that Hylands wasn't really with him for a moment there... Anyhow, it's still Ragged and hot just like it would be expected from Hylands and Spencer. It shows off all of the things that Hylands did in his accompaniments, from the trills, to the broken octaves, it's all great.
This next one isn't Rag-Time at all, but it's a really fun one by Dan Quinn:
We all love old Dan Quinn. Especially when he sings those weird funny ditties on Columbia brown wax records(with Hylands of course!). So this net one is also a very well recorded one where you can really hear the low notes on the piano just as it should be. Well, here you go, a selection from "The Geish-er"(as Quinn calls it)
The broadway success "The Geisha" was slightly like Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado" only in American form. It was a very big and successful show of 1896, and all of its song hits were recorded within the next four years after the premiere back in '96. Quinn himself recorded three of the show's hits in 1897 and 1898.
This next one features the Edison concert band in 1899(with Frank P. Banta on the piano) playing an early piece of Rag-Time:
Hear that announcement by Arthur Collins! This is a fun Rag-Time piece that I know I have seen the sheet music for it somewhere. If you listen close, you can really hear the piano(by Frank Banta) reasonably well.
Now to close off, here's a very weird one by George P. Watson:
not even sung in English! It's one of Watson singing his yodel specialties, but sung in German! Here you go(with Fran P. Banta on piano) from 1898:
So queer! Well done Mr. Watson!
I hope you enjoyed this
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