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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!alice!rabbit!jj
From: jj@rabbit.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Re: Reasons for old 78's clear diction
Message-ID: <3300@rabbit.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 21-Nov-84 09:58:37 EST
Article-I.D.: rabbit.3300
Posted: Wed Nov 21 09:58:37 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 22-Nov-84 06:05:37 EST
References: <102@siemens.UUCP>, <249@olivej.UUCP>
Organization: New Jersey State Farm for the Terminally Bewildered
Lines: 20


There are several reasons for the clearer vocal information on
78 RPM records.  The most important, and most effective, is that
the way that (older) 78's were made required the singers to be
within 6' of the recording device (please notice I did NOT say
microphone!).  The instruments were behind the singer(s), and
did not (in almost all cases) amount to a full orchestra,
because the full orchestra couldn't be recorded successfully.
(So, you ask, what has this to do with the price of corn
in Sri Lanka?)  The result was that there was much less
revertibrant sound in the final result, which raises the
articulation quite a bit.

As far as Operatic style, it's been my observation that enunciation
has gone down the tubes, too.
-- 
ARE TEDDY BEARS SMALL, FLIGHTLESS, AQUATIC SEABIRDS?
"If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets in the sea."

(allegra,ihnp4,ulysses)!alice!jj