Selection Marquis (I), (II) flute / Frank Goede (1889)
On May 24, 1889, Edison recording engineer A. Theo E. Wangemann made several recordings in Berlin. The title "Selection Marquis" recorded on one of the recordings is not the name of a specific piece; rather, as the word "selection" used in recording books of the time suggests, it refers to short passages selected from operas or light music (Welch & Rogers 1994, Feaster 2007). In the late 19th century, it was common for military bands and salon bands to arrange portions of operas or stage music and perform them as "selections." While no famous operas or pieces have been identified with the title "Marquis" by itself, the French word "Marquis" refers to a nobleman, and in light music of the time it was often used as the title of marches, dance pieces, or short march-like suites featuring aristocratic themes. The recording book does not include the name of the composer, and no detailed score has survived, but it is highly likely that performer Frank Goede played the wind band part, including the piccolo solo, and it is assumed to have been a short march or part of an opera overture.
Why was the same song recorded twice?
The recording book includes two consecutive recordings, "Selection Marquis (I)" and "(II)," indicating that the same piece was played twice consecutively and recorded onto separate wax cylinders. This was a common technique in recording experiments at the time, where multiple recordings of the same piece were conducted to compare subtle differences in the condition of the recording needle, the material of the wax cylinder, and recording conditions (Feaster 2007, ARSC Journal). Because the sound quality of phonographs at the time varied significantly depending on the performer's proximity to the microphone and the pressure of the needle, it was important to leave multiple takes as recording demos. Wangemann received instructions from Edison to "demonstrate the best recording performance in Europe." High-pitched instruments and marches, in particular, are easily imprinted on recording media, so he had the same piece played multiple times as both an experiment and a demo. For this reason, "Marquis (I)" and "(II)" were kept separate in the recording book, allowing for the best sounding take to be selected for later playback as a demonstration.
Significance in the history of early recordings and their current value
"Selection Marquis" played an important role at the time as a demonstration repertoire showcasing both the high virtuosity of performer Frank Goede and Wangemann's recording techniques. Unfortunately, the wax cylinders used for these experimental recordings were extremely fragile and unsuitable for long-term preservation. Therefore, very few of the cylinders remain, and the audio of "Selection Marquis" itself is believed to be lost (Welch & Rogers 1994). However, the title "Selection Marquis" remains in the recording catalog and is frequently cited in music and recording history studies as a concrete example of a recording test selection from the late 19th century. Furthermore, these short selections served as a model for later commercial cylinder catalogs, and the technique of capturing excerpts of marches on a single wax cylinder was widely adopted in Edison's commercial recording catalogs around 1900. In other words, "Selection Marquis (I)" and "(II)" were not simply technical tests but also important experiments in preparation for the transition to commercial recording. These surviving notes are still considered important historical documents today, providing clues to how recording studios at the time conducted repeated experiments to try to maximize sound quality with limited equipment.
