Music recorded in December 1918

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Music recorded in December 1918

December 1918 was a month in which the reorganization of the order immediately following the armistice of World War I came to the surface all at once. On December 1, the Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia resolved to integrate Transylvania into Romania, and on the same day, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was established. Furthermore, with the enactment of the Danish-Icelandic Act of Union, Iceland became a sovereign state with the Danish monarch as its common head of state. On December 13, Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) arrived in Paris to prepare for the Paris Peace Conference, and on December 14, in the 1918 United Kingdom general election, women who met certain criteria were able to vote for the first time, with Constance Markievicz (1868–1927) becoming the first female elected. Culturally, on December 17, Leevi Madetoja's Symphony No. 2 premiered in Helsinki, and at the end of the month in Germany, on December 30, the Communist Party of Germany (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands) was formed.

Confirmed recordings this month: 0

Summary of information regarding recordings from December 1918

Recording-related materials from December 1918 clearly show the increased sales activity at the end of the year, influenced by the atmosphere immediately following the armistice. The December 15, 1918 issue of "The Talking Machine World" featured new releases and promotional articles from Victor Talking Machine Co., General Phonograph Corp.'s Okeh Records, and The Aeolian Company's Vocalion, while newspaper advertisements from Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. and Sonora Phonograph Co. featured strong sales pitches. Thomas A. Edison, Inc. promoted the new Edison as a high-end regenerator through "The Final Test," featuring Anna Case (1888–1984).

Victor

The December 15, 1918 issue of *The Talking Machine World* featured "RECORD BULLETINS FOR JANUARY, 1919" by Victor Talking Machine Co. As of December 1918, the company was treating the holiday season and the start of the new year as a continuous cycle, promoting new releases in anticipation of increased household demand after the armistice.

Columbia

Columbia Graphophone Co. compiled its monthly guide for December 1918, and the November 15th issue of "The Talking Machine World" featured "RECORD BULLETINS FOR DECEMBER, 1918." This included "Memories of Christmas," indicating that the company clearly linked its December sales to Christmas demand. Furthermore, the existence of a monthly booklet titled "Columbia Records For December 1918" can also be confirmed.

Edison

Thomas A. Edison, Inc. placed a full-page advertisement titled "The Final Test" featuring Anna Case (1888–1984) in the December 1918 issue of McClure's Magazine. The advertisement used the mad scene from Lucia di Lammermoor as its theme to demonstrate how close the new Edison could come to a live performance, showing that the company was emphasizing "sound demonstration comparisons" in its December promotions.

Aeolian Vocalion

The December 15, 1918 issue of "The Talking Machine World" contains a short report on The Aeolian Company's Vocalion, stating that "the Vocalion record is meeting with an enthusiastic reception." In December, industry publications indicated that the company had received positive feedback on sales after announcing the new release, suggesting that Vocalion was definitely making a move in the year-end market.

OK

Okeh Records, a subsidiary of General Phonograph Corp., ran a promotional ad in the December 15, 1918 issue of "The Talking Machine World" titled "VICTORY MUSIC. WILL WELCOME 'THE BOYS'," linking the welcome of returning soldiers with year-end demand. This shows that in December, immediately after the armistice, the company was already translating wartime patriotic vocabulary into a business opportunity in peacetime.

Brunswick

In newspaper advertisements on December 14th and 20th, 1918, Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. promoted its Brunswick phonograph with slogans such as "Discords Old Standards" and "A REVOLUTION has taken place in the phonograph world." Throughout December, the company repeatedly ran aggressive advertisements, dismissing older models as the standard of the past and positioning its own machines as the new standard.

Sonora

In newspaper advertisements on December 4th, 9th, and 11th, 1918, Sonora Phonograph Co. promoted its machines as "the highest class talking machine in the world" and claimed they "plays ALL makes of records better." In December, the company aimed to attract a wide range of record buyers during the holiday shopping season by showcasing both sound quality ratings and compatibility with other record brands.

November 1918
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January 1919
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