"Gems" Records: Some of Them are Jewels
by John E. Rutherford
Anybody
who sorts through piles
of
recordings
comes
across
some
"Gems"
records
-
"Gems
from
San
Toy",
"Gems
from It
Happened
in
Nordland"
(Victor
Herbert's first
stage
hit),
"Gems
from
Listen,
Lester",
"Gems
from
No,
No,
Nanette", etc., etc.
Although some
of
the
music
may
be
forgettable,
these
records
are
often
the
only
way
of hearing
what
was presented
on the stages
of
Broadway,
London
and Toronto in the early years of
this century and before.
A good example is "Robin Hood",
written as an opera by the American
composer
Reginald
de
Koven,
but
seldom
performed
now.
But
from
1890
one
company,
known
as
the
Bostonians,
performed
it
4000
times.
That's
a run of
11 years!
By
1926,
the
opera
had
been
presented
8000 times,
making it the
most performed American work.
Some
of
the
music
is
quite
charming,
including
the
wedding
song
"O,
Promise
Me",
which
has
been
recorded
many times
over the years
(Paul
Robeson,
Jan
Peerce,
Louise
Homer,
etc.)
and
a
drinking
song
called
"Brown,
October
Ale"
(recorded
by Reinald Werrenrath and
Graham
Marr,
a
much
under-rated
baritone).
Victor
recorded
"Gems
from
Robin
Hood" at least three times -
a single sided
12" record in
1909,
a
double
sided
in
1914,
and
an
early electric in the fall of 1926.
Another
popular
"Gems"
record
was
"The Bohemian Girl"
by Michael
Balfe.
It, too,
was classed as an
opera,
and ran for
100 consecutive
performances at
Drury
Lane
Theatre
in
London,
a record at that time.
It
has
since
been
performed
more
times
in
Toronto
than
any
other
stage
work
and
a
concert
version
was presented in Toronto only last
year.
Its hit tune
"Then you'll
remember me" has been recorded by a
host
of
tenors
including
John
McCormack.
Again,
there
are
at
least
three
Victor
"Gems"
records
of "The
Bohemian Girl".
A
casual
listening
of
"Gems"
electrical
records
of
the
1920's
will produce
many vocal surprises.
Even
though
his
name
does
not
appear
on
the
label,
Richard
Crookes,
one
of
the
greatest
American tenors,
can be
recognized
in
"The
Desert
Song"
(High
C
and all),
"Rose-Marie",
and
the
electric "Robin Hood".
The 1930's produced a new batch
of
Victor
"Gems",
mostly
on
Red
Seal.
Some good singers were used,
but
sparingly.
Rise
Stevens
was
given
a 2-line solo in
"Gems
from
Blossom
Time"
in
1935.
Jan Peerce
appeared
in
"Naughty
Marietta",
"Sweethearts"
and
"The
Red Mill",
but he too
was used sparingly.
In
"Naughty Marietta" he gets a 3-line
solo
(lasting
33
seconds)
while
Anne Jamison sings
for just short
of
3
minutes.
Jan Peerce
was, at
that time,
at the
beginning
of
a
brilliant
career
which
would
eventually
make
him
an
international
favourite.
And
who
was
Anne Jamison?
Well,
she grew
up
in
Toronto,
attended
Loretto
Abbey,
and
studied
under
Arthur
Blight,
Toronto
baritone,
whose
granddaughter
was a guest at one of
our meetings last year.
"Gems" records take
me back to
an
age
when
music
was
tuneful
and
for all people.
New York was then
the North
American capital of
show
business
and I
would like to
have
been there in
1917
when
"Chu
Chin
Chow"
opened starring
Tyrone
Power
(the film star's father).
I would
like
to
have
seen
Christie
MacDonald
(a
Canadian)
knock
them
cold in
"Sweethearts"
of
1913.
I
would
like
to
have
attended,
in
1908,
the
opening
night
of
"The
Waltz
Dream" by Oscar Strauss which
launched
the
career
of
Canada's
pride,
Edward
Johnson.
It
would
have been interesting to see a 1910
failure,
"The Girl and the Kaiser".
What
on earth
could it
have
been
about?
So until
the
time
machine
is
invented,
my dreams and
"Gems" will
have to be
my gateway to the past.
|