Music recorded in April 1919
April 1919 was a month in which the formation of the post-World War I international order and the erupting political tensions in various places proceeded simultaneously. On April 10, Emiliano Zapata (1879–1919), a leader of the Mexican Revolution, was assassinated in Chinameca, Morelos, marking a major turning point in the revolution. On April 11, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was established in Shanghai, and the Korean independence movement under Japanese rule took the form of a government-in-exile. On April 12, Walter Gropius (1883–1969) formally established the Weimar State Bauhaus, giving a new direction to post-war art and craft education. On April 13, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in Amritsar, decisively intensifying resistance to British Indian rule. On April 28, the League of Nations Covenant was adopted at the Paris Peace Conference, and on the same day, the Army successfully conducted a free-fall parachute test jump at McCook Field, marking a new stage in both political institutions and aviation technology.
Confirmed recordings this month: 0
Summary of information regarding the April 1919 recording.
Recording-related documents from April 1919 show that established major labels continued to supply and promote new releases on a monthly basis, while new entrants also ventured into the horizontal-wave recording market. The companies whose activities can be traced through documents directly related to that month are Starr Piano Company, Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, Thomas A. Edison, Inc., Victor Talking Machine Company, Columbia Graphophone Company, and Pathé Frères Phonograph Co. Companies for which direct documentation of their April activities cannot be found have not been included here.
Star Piano
In April 1919, the Starr Piano Company began issuing the first horizontal-swinging record. The Library of Congress's timeline of recording history positions this move as a challenge to the long-standing system maintained by the Victor Talking Machine Company and the Columbia Graphophone Company. A newspaper article from April 11th also shows an advertisement for Starr phonographs claiming they could "play records from other companies," indicating that equipment sales and the expansion of the new record business were happening in parallel during this period.
- https://www.loc.gov/static/managed-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/02/recorded_sound_timeline-2013.pdf
- https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ndnp/ohi/batch_ohi_lavender_ver01/data/sn88078775/00340580746/1919041101/0553.pdf
Brunswick
In April 1919, the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company recorded a test recording dated April 7th, which is documented in the American Historical Recording Discography. Furthermore, an advertisement for "The New Brunswick" can be found in a newspaper dated April 8th, suggesting that the market launch of the new model and recording tests were taking place concurrently in early April. At least during that month, the company was not only selling phonographs but also making concrete preparations for launching its record division.
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/109644/Morse_Theodore_F?Matrix_page=11
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=NAN19190408.1.4
Edison
In April 1919, Thomas A. Edison, Inc. still has surviving diamond discs produced on April 3rd. In addition, advertisements for the "Edison Shop" appeared on April 3rd and April 25th, confirming the continued sale of new records and machines. In April, Edison seamlessly linked manufacturing in West Orange with sales promotion in urban retail stores.
- https://www.thehenryford.org/collections/explore/artifact/278136
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INN19190403-01.1.21
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INN19190425-01.1.17
Victor
In April 1919, the Victor Talking Machine Company's National Jukebox Archives at the Library of Congress record a recording of Victor 18214, "Hush-a-bye, ma baby," dated April 3rd. Sales advertisements can also be found in newspapers dated April 4th ("April Victor Records") and April 10th ("The April Victor records are now at Beckmann's"). In April, Victor's recording operations and monthly new release announcements were integrated into a single operation.
- https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-20956
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INN19190404-01.1.7
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=TSYLWWJ19190410.1.3
Columbia
According to the Library of Congress, the Columbia Graphophone Company's Columbia A2742 album by the Louisiana Five was recorded on April 1st, 1919. Sales advertisements appeared in newspapers on April 1st with the headline "Come Here for These New Records," and on April 3rd with the headline "Some Columbia Records You'll Be Glad to Own." In April, Columbia was simultaneously focusing on recording and expanding sales of new releases in urban retail stores.
- https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2024/07/dog-days-of-summer/
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INN19190401-01.1.14
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INN19190403-01.1.3
putty
In April 1919, a newspaper advertisement dated April 5th shows Pathé Frères Phonograph Co. selling various Pathé machines and records. Furthermore, a newspaper article dated April 25th emphasizes that Pathé records do not require needle replacement and are played using a round sapphire sphere. While the exact recording dates for that month cannot be confirmed from the April documents, it is clear that Pathé was promoting the machines and records as a single integrated product.
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INN19190405-01.1.4
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INN19190425-01.1.26
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INN19190402-01.1.13
