Victor 10-Inch Single-Sided Black-Label Records
1901-1913

Victor introduced the ten-inch disc in January 1901 and they quickly became the new standard for the next sixty years. No other recording format has yet to exceed this length of dominance on the market. The twelve-incher, launched in 1903, was also popular but still a distant second. They captured the voices of opera singers and vaudevillians that cut their teeth in the late 1800s as well as Elvis Presley and other early rock 'n' rollers starting out in the 1950s. Some were children during the American Civil War and a few even served. Some were post-WWII musical pioneers and a few are still alive today. The Ten-Inch 78 RPM Record is truly the cultural crossroads of the Twentieth Century.

Even though all of them are called 78s today for convenience, that speed would not become the standard until the mid 1920s. They were actually recorded at a variety of speeds from 60-120 RPM. During the acoustical recording age (before electric microphones in 1925), speeds varied among the companies and even within due to equipment inaccuracies and mastering preferences. Acoustic Victors were normally recorded at 76 RPM and the company was very good in maintaining that. On rare occasions the speed may vary by one or two revolutions, which still doesn't sound obvious by casual listening.

As for this section, Victor produced ten-inch single-sided Black Label records from 1901 to 1913. Double-sided records were introduced in 1908, causing that drop-off a few years later. Victor's classier single-sided Red Label (Red Seal) line lasted until 1923 when market forces required them to double-up too. The Black Label is the oldest of the colors before the musical genres were split up into red, purple, blue and so forth a few years later. Black Labels contained the popular and mainstream music of the day. They also included comedy, Vaudeville and spoken word presentations. They were more expensive than cylinders but were preferred for their longer playing time and louder volume. Most carried a patent label on the blank reverse, a consequence of the patent war that had been going on since the beginning of the industry and which would continue for some time. This was also the decade when discs overtook cylinders and transformed recorded sound from a novelty into a serious entertainment medium.

Encoded Speed: 192 Kbps

Turkey In De Straw
Billy Golden
Victor 65
Matrix# [Pre-matrix B-]65, Take M-4
May 2, 1902
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn.

Uncle Josh in Society (Blank)
Cal Stewart
Victor 661
Matrix# [Pre-matrix B-]661, Take 6
April 22, 1903
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Played at 78 RPM. Worn.

Medley of Plantation Songs (Blank)
Haydn Quartet
Victor 1416
Matrix# B-1306, Take 7
January 5, 1909
Camden, New Jersey (?)

We are Going Down the Valley (Blank)
Harry Macdonough
Victor 1712
Matrix# B-1173, Take 1
March 29, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Very worn.

My Old Kentucky Home (Blank)
Haydn Quartet
Victor 1997
Matrix# B-3389, Take 3
May 16, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Du Du - German Air (Blank)
Bohumir Kryl
Victor 2595
Matrix# (Vi cat 2595), Take 1 (?)
1903
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Down on the Brandywine (Blank)
Collins & Harlan
Victor 2754
Matrix# B-1206, Take 3
April 12, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Very worn.

Under the Double Eagle March (Blank)
Pryor's Orchestra
Victor 2759
Matrix# B-1116, Take 2
March 15, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Very worn, especially at start.

Wedding of the Winds Waltz
Arthur Pryor's Band
Victor 2773
Matrix# B-1263, Take 6
September 23, 1909
Camden, New Jersey (?)
Note: Also recorded in earlier takes on April 25, 1904.

Japanese National Air (Blank)
Arthur Pryor's Band
Victor 2786
Matrix# B-1266, Take 1
March 26, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

The Forge in the Forest (Blank)
Arthur Pryor's Band
Victor 2789
Matrix# B-1287, Take 5
November 23, 1905
New York, New York
Note: Baton before start. In-studio horn bump.

La Gitana Waltz (Blank)
Victor Dance Orchestra
Victor 2874
Matrix# B-1477, Take 1 or 2
June 23, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn, especially at start.

Dancing in the Barn (Blank)
Victor Dance Orchestra
Victor 2877
Matrix# B-1504, Take 2
June 22, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn or poorly recorded.

Die fier Kashes (Der Seder Nacht) (Blank)
Miss Lizzie Goldfinger with Goldin Quartet
Victor 2878
Matrix# B-1568, Take 1
July 8, 1904
New York, New York
Note: noted as B-1572 in EDVR

Sobre las Olas Waltz (Over the Waves Waltz)
Victor Dance Orchestra
Victor 2881
Matrix# B-6878, Take 1
March 15, 1909
Camden, New Jersey (?)
Note: Worn. Hairline crack towards end, not audible.

Wedding of the Winds Waltz (Blank)
Victor Dance Orchestra
Victor 2882
Matrix# B-1509, Take 1 or 2
June 22 or 23, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn.

Fall in Line March (Blank)
Victor Dance Orchestra
Victor 2886
Matrix# B-1520, Take 2
June 27, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Very worn. Hairline crack halfway through, not audible.

Washington Post March (Blank)
Arthur Pryor's Orchestra
Victor 2887
Matrix# B-1521, Take 2
June 27, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn.

The Norseman March (Blank)
Victor Dance Orchestra (Pryor's Orchestra)
Victor 2892
Matrix# B-1526, Take 1
June 28, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Uncle Sammy March (Blank)
Victor Dance Orchestra (Arthur Pryor's Orchestra)
Victor 2897
Matrix# B-1530, Take 2
June 28, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn. DAHR notes Take 2 was reserved for Canada.

(Reverse Label Worn Off)
Medley of Broadway Hits

Good Bye, Eliza Jane
Follow the Crowd on a Sunday
Down on the Brandywine
All Aboard for Dreamland
Blue Bell
Jovial Joe
Meet Me in St. Louis
I've Got a Feelin' for You
(Blank)
Frank Mazziotta
Victor 2905
Matrix# B-1489, Take 2
June 20, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Tingelingeling (Blank)
August Kreuder
Victor 2910
Matrix# B-1398, Take 1
June 3, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Pressing indentation at start.

Largo (Blank)
Charles D'Almaine
Victor 2925
Matrix# B-1475, Take 2
June 15, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn or poor pressing?

New Year's at Old Trinity (Blank)
Haydn Quartet
Victor 2935
Matrix# B-1563, Take 1, 2, 3, or 4
July 7, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Die fier Schnorers (from Jeshive Buchor) (Blank)
Goldin Hebrew Quartet
Victor 2949
Matrix# B-1571, Take 1
July 8, 1904
New York, New York
Note: In-studio bumps at 0:07 and 0:12.

Royal Italian March (Blank)
Arthur Pryor's Band
Victor 2961
Matrix# B-1227, Take 1 or 2
April 18, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn.

Monarch Minstrel First Part, No. 6
The Georgia Minstrels
Victor 3040
[Pre-matrix B-]3040, Take 3
April 15, 1902
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Handwritten underneath/near label is "Minstrel No. 6 Minstrel", "4-15-02", "3040", "3", and "H".

Kv�sarvalsen (Blank)
Joel Mossberg
Victor 3423
Matrix# B-3522, Take 1
July 11, 1906
New York, New York

Laughing Song
Henry Klauser
Victor 52004
Matrix# 1496e, Take 1
December 1904
Kristiania (Oslo), Norway
Note: Stressed loud passages. Talking in the background after the end of the performance. Click Here for a less-filtered version.

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