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

La Bonita Waltz	(Blank)
Samuel Siegel
Victor 4014
Matrix# [Pre-matrix B-]3381, Take 2
May 20, 1901
Camden, New Jersey (?)
Note: Announced. Worn, especially at start.

The Farewell Waltz	(Blank)
Miss Morgan and Mr. Stanley
Victor 4171
Matrix# B-1939, Take 1 or 3
November 16, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Engineer before start?

German Patriotic Air	(Blank)
Sousa's Band
Victor 4196
Matrix# B-2049, Take 2
December 14, 1904
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn.

The Palms	(Blank)
Emilio de Gogorza
Victor 4257
Matrix# B-2128, Take 3
January 10, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Good Bye, Sweet Marie	(Blank)
Harry Macdonough & Haydn Quartet
Victor 4435
Matrix# B-2651, Take 1
June 20, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Lorelei - Volklied	(Blank)
Emil Muench
Victor 4440
Matrix# B-2566, Take 2
May 19, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

The Dragon Fly	(Blank)
Victor Dance Orchestra
Victor 4448
Matrix# B-2692, Take 2
June 28, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Katrina's Valentine	(Blank)
Miss Jones and Mr. Spencer
Victor 4474
Matrix# B-2676, Take 3
June 27, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Everybody Works but Father	(Blank)
Billy Murray
Victor 4519
Matrix# B-2743, Take 7
December 22, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

A Barnyard Serenade	(Blank)
Spencer & Holt
Victor 4562
Matrix# B-2885, Take 1
November 14, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Extremely worn, especially at start.

A Gay Gossoon	(Blank)
Vess L. Ossman
Victor 4589
Matrix# B-2853, Take 1
November 1, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn.

So Long, Mary!	(Blank)
Miss Corinne Morgan with Haydn Quartet
Victor 4590
Matrix# B-2999, Take 2
January 12, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Why don't You Try?	(Blank)
Harry Tally
Victor 4593
Matrix# B-2930, Take 3
December 8, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

My Hindoo Man	(Blank)
Peter Lewin
Victor 4612
Matrix# B-3002, Take 2
January 15, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Serenata (Schubert's Serenade)

Señor Francisco (Emilio de Gogorza)

Victor 4643

Matrix# B-3085, Take 2

February 5, 1906

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Dance of the Song Birds	(Blank)
Victor Orchestra
Victor 4648
Matrix# B-2945, Take 2
December 13, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Mandy and Her Man	(Blank)
Miss Jones and Mr. Spencer
Victor 4670
Matrix# B-3188, Take 2
March 16, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Very worn.

The Rosary	(Blank)
Alan Turner
Victor 4676
Matrix# B-3206, Take 3
March 23, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

In the Gloaming	(Blank)
Miss Corinne Morgan
Victor 4682
Matrix# B-3148, Take 3
February 27, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Very worn. In-studio bump at 0:56.

The Whistlers - Intermezzo	(Blank)
Sousa's Band
Victor 4705
Matrix# B-3271, Take 4
April 13, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

The Dixie Rube	(Blank)
Arthur Pryor's Band
Victor 4706
Matrix# B-3216, Take 2
March 27, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Matrix and take numbers set in type, not handwritten.

The Hunter's Farewell	(Blank)
Victor Brass Quartet
Victor 4712
Matrix# B-3151, Take 2
February 28, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: marked B-3051 in wax

Azaleas	(Blank)
Arthur Pryor's Band
Victor 4743
Matrix# B-3400, Take 1
May 22, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

La Golondrina (The Swallow)	(Blank)
Se?or Francisco
Victor 4800
Matrix# B-3492, Take 2
June 27, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

I Don't Know Where I'm Goin, but I'm on My Way	(Blank)
Arthur Collins
Victor 4804
Matrix# B-3474, Take 2
June 14, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Believe Me if all Those Endearing Young Charms	(Blank)
Miss Florence Hinkle
Victor 4874
Matrix# B-3532, Take 3
July 16, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Elegie	(Blank)
Rosario Bourdon
Victor 4897
Matrix# B-3869, Take 2
October 10, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)
Note: Worn.

Experience	(Blank)
Miss Ada Jones
Victor 4905
Matrix# B-3909, Take 1
October 18, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

March Comrades	(Blank)
U. S. Marine Band
Victor 4943
Matrix# B-3892, Take 1
October 15, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Rosie and Rudolph at the Skating Rink	(Blank)
Miss Jones and Mr. Spencer
Victor 4973
Matrix# B-4090, Take 5
January 28, 1907
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

The Preacher and the Bear	(Blank)
Sousa's Band
Victor 4981
Matrix# B-3778, Take 2
September 6, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Don't You Want a Paper, Dearie?	(Blank)
Miss Jones and Haydn Quartet
Victor 4997
Matrix# B-4148, Take 1 or Unknown
December 19, 1906
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (?)

Return To Front Page