The 1920 HMV Pirates

Cast Major-General Stanley George Baker Pirate King Robert Radford Samuel Edward Halland Frederic Derek Oldham Sergeant of Police Peter Dawson Mabel Violet Essex Edith Bessie Jones Kate Nellie Walker Ruth Edna Thornton Conductor: George. W. Byng Chorus: Walter Glynne, Ernest Pike, Harold Wilde, Sarah Jones, & The Soloists Recorded in London, July 2-October 1, 1920

Sounds on CD VGS 211 (Cover art by Matt Bland)

HMV Album Cover

In the early history of the gramophone, little attempt was made to ensure that the same role was played by the same singer throughout an entire set. If a number called for a tenor and a soprano, it seemed that any tenor and any soprano would do. This recording, although it is of comparatively little interest today, was the first in which each singer played only one role, and no role was taken by multiple singers.

Derek Oldham would sing Frederic again on the 1929 Pirates. That recording, and not this one, is the historical Pirates of choice, although this set is certainly a worthwhile document of several important early gramophone singers. It has been re-issued on CD on Chris Webster's Sounds on CD label.

Photograph made at one of the recording sessions. The conductor, George W. Byng, is standing. The singers, reading from left to right, were: Seated: Bessie Jones, Violet Essex, Sarah Jones, Harold WIlde, Robert Radford; Standing: Derek Oldham, Walter Glynne, Ernest Pike, Edna Thornton, Peter Dawson, Edward Halland, George Baker, Nellie Walker.

Issue History

1. Substantial excerpts from this recording were included on Pearl GEM 125, a Derek Oldham retrospective disc.

2. Side 14 ("When the foeman bares his steel") was included on Arabesque's LP reissue of the 1931 Ruddigore.

The tables below provide details of the sides in continuity order and in the order recorded. The information is derived from the the researches of Michael Walters, Chris Webster, Brian Rust, and John Francis, for which I am most grateful.

Recording Details

Notes:

1. On all records of this period, there was a single extra groove to "guard" the needle from running into the center of the disc. On side 7, in this groove, Violet Essex (or, possibly, another woman) can be heard saying, with some indignation, "I just told him!" On the reverse side of the record, she is apparently saying "I know you did," although it could also be "I know you didn't."

2. Francis gives the recording dates of the overture as 14 July 1920. The date of 13 July (from Walters/Rust) seems more likely.

3. The record label for side 10 is captioned "I am the very pattern of a modern Major-General" (consistent with early vocal scores), but Baker sings "model".

4. Similarly, the record label for side 18 is captioned "Yes, I am brave" (as it was given in early vocal scores), but Violet Essex sings "No, I am brave."

Recording Sessions

Notes:

1. The table above shows the order in which the selections were recorded. The table shows "unknown" takes to highlight gaps in matrix numbers (which were normally assigned sequentially).

2. During this period, HMV would record a selection no more than twice on a given day. If this failed to produce a usable take, then the item would be rescheduled for another day. Where this happened, the first attempt is labeled "Rejected" in the table.

3. Where the matrix number of an issued side is suffixed "-2", it means that the first take was rejected, but the second was accepted. Where a matrix number has no suffix, it means that the first take was accepted.