1906 LONDON FONOTIPIA John McCormack Killarney 78

$

103

I will be running 3 weeks of great auctions, and bill you at the end of the cycle.

IMPORTANT: I AM HAPPY COMBINE MULTIPLE SHIPMENTS.

IF YOU WIN MULTIPLE ITEMS DO NOT USE EBAY CHECK OUT.

Rare as hen's Teeth and impossible to find, John McCormack's first 1906 LONDON Odeon/ Fonotipia recordings on 10 3/8" records.

These records are remarkable in several respects: first the recording quality is vastly superior to the Victors, giving his voice a deeper resonance.

Secondly, this is BEFORE his retraining in the italian manner, so here you have a youthful McCormack, who sounds very similar in some respects to the early caruso, unfinished and somewhat clumsy, but with a voice more resonant and very different from what we usually think of his voice from the Victors.

A true Collectors Gem!

1906. Session B. London. With Orchestra:

On superb, FONOTIPIA pressed by Columbia for the US market

Condition Record: EXCELLENT no damage

John McCormack (14 June 1884 û 16 September 1945), was a world-famous Irish tenor and recording artist, celebrated for his perfomances of the operatic and popular song repertoires, and renowned for his flawless diction and superb breath control.[1]

Early life
John Francis McCormack was born in Athlone, Ireland, the fourth of eleven children of Andrew McCormack and Hannah Watson[2] on 14 June 1884, and was baptised in St. Mary's Church, Athlone on 23 June 1884. His parents were employed at the Athlone Woollen Mills.

John received his early education from the Marist Brothers in Athlone, and later attended Summerhill College, Sligo. In 1903 he won the coveted gold medal in the Dublin Feis Ceoil and it was this event which set him on his climb to success. John married Lily Foley in 1906 and the couple had two children, Cyril and Gwen.

[edit] Career
Fundraising enabled his voice to be trained under Sabbatini in Italy. In 1906 he made his operatic d?but at the Teatro Chiabrera, Savona. In 1907 John McCormack made his first important operatic appearance at Covent Garden in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, as its youngest principal tenor. In 1909 he launched his career in America. Michael Scott ("The Record of Singing" 1978) notes that at this stage of his career he should be considered a tenor of the Italian style - and he sang (and recorded) French operatic arias in the Italian language. Steane ("The Grand Tradition" 1971) stress that, for all his later devotion to the concert platform (and his Irish identity), he was for albeit a relatively brief period in essence an Italian operatic tenor.

In 1911, McCormack toured Australia after Nellie Melba engaged him, then at the height of his operatic career aged 27, as a star tenor for the Melba Grand Opera Season. He returned for concert tours in subsequent years.

By 1912 he began to turn his attention increasingly to the concert stage, where his voice quality and charisma ensured that he became the greatest lyric tenor of his day. He did not however retire from the operatic stage until 1923 in Monte Carlo (see biography below). Famous for his breath control, he could sing 64 notes on one breath in Mozart's Il Mio Tesoro.

He made numerous recordings, the first on phonograph cylinder in 1904. His most commercially successful series of records were those for the Victor Talking Machine Company in the 1910s and 1920s. He also regularly broadcast on the radio and appeared in a number of sound films.

John McCormack in the 5000 seat New York Hippodrome c.1915-1916McCormack was the first artist to record the World War I hit song It's a Long Way to Tipperary, in 1914. In addition to deeply felt sentimental airs, he presented an openly political face: his recording of The Wearing of the Green, a song about the Irish rebellion of 1798, gave encouragement to the 20th century movement for Irish Home Rule Bill and endorsed the Irish Nationalist estrangement from England. McCormack was particularly associated with the songs of Thomas Moore, notably The Harp That Once Through TaraÆs Halls, The Minstrel Boy, Believe Me If All (Those Endearing Young Charms), and The Last Rose of Summer.

In 1917 McCormack became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In June 1918 he donated $11,458 towards the USA's war effort in the First World War. By now his career was a huge financial success, earning millions in his lifetime from record sales and appearances, though he never was invited to sing at La Scala in Milan.

In 1927 McCormack moved into Moore Abbey, Monasterevan, County Kildare and lived an opulent life by Irish standards. He had central apartments in London and New York. He hoped that one of his racehorses, such as Golden Lullaby, would win the Epsom Derby, but was unlucky.

McCormack also bought Runyon Canyon in Hollywood in 1930 from Carman Runyon. McCormack fell in love with the estate while there filming Song 0' My Heart (1930)[3], an early all-talking, all-singing picture. McCormack's used his salary for this movie to purchase the estate and built a mansion he called 'San Patrizio', after Saint Patrick. McCormack and his wife lived in the mansion until they returned to England in 1938.

McCormack toured often, and in his absence the mansion was often rented out to celebrities such as Janet Gaynor and Charles Boyer. The McCormacks made many friends in Hollywood, among them Will Rogers, John Barrymore, Basil Rathbone, C. E. Toberman and the Dohenys. After his farewell tour of America in 1937, the McCormacks deeded the estate back to Carman Runyon expecting to return to the estate at a later date. World War II intervened and McCormack did not return.

McCormack ended his career at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1938. Ill with emphysema, he bought a house near the sea, "Glena" , Booterstown, Dublin.[4] He is buried in Deansgrange Cemetery.

Honours
He was much honoured and decorated for his services to the world of music. His greatest honour came in 1928, when he received the title of Papal Count from Pope Pius XI in recognition of his work for Catholic charities. His title as count was formally recognised by the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy (from 1929).

To many people the highlight of McCormack's Irish career was his singing of C?sar Franck's Panis Angelicus to the thousands who thronged Dublin's Phoenix Park for the 1932 Eucharistic Congress.

Pls check my other auctions for more great records and phonograph items:

** Note: some items may come on-line Thursday March 24 **

http://shop.ebay.com/carsten_sf/m.html

http://shop.ebay.com/carsten_sf/m.html

====

I am having three consecutive weeks of auctions.

I am happy to hold your items and bill you at the end of the auction cycle (April 10).

Pls send me a note if you would like me to hold records

Multiple item shipping: I am happy to combine items for shipment in one parcel.

If you win multiple items, pls send me an INVOICE REQUEST to calculate the correct postage. Ebay check out will not give you the multiple item discount!

Records will be packed safely between corrugated cardboard in a sturdy box with plenty of padding for safe shipment.

Shipment is usually Media Mail, unless another service is requested. Shipping is at your risk, I will be happy to insure items at your cost.

I charge actual postage plus a small fee for packing materials

As always, I guarantee your satisfaction. If you don't like the item, just return it, and I will refund the full purchase price.

If you are in the San Francisco area, I encourage pick-up in person.

US Domestic Shipping:

Here is a rough guideline for US Media Mail Shipping:

Prices below are for regular 78 rpm records. Up to about 5 records, I will ship Edison Discs for the same rates. Above that and for international shipments, it will be actual weight plus a small packing charge (1-2$)

1 record: 4$

2 records: 5$

5 records: 6$

10 records: 8$

International Buyers:

I am very happy to ship records worldwide.

Prices below are for regular 78 rpm records. For Edison Discs in  international shipments, it will charge for the actual weight plus a small packing charge (1-2$) - for small quantities, it will not be much different from the charge for regular 78s.

Pls contact me for a shipping estimate, or send me an invoice request after close of auction.

Be aware that US Postal Rates can be high. Here are some examples.

Your best bet is the Large Priority box, everything that fits into a 12"x12"x5 1/2" box up to 20 pounds ships for 60$ (35$ Canada) worldwide.

However, I can get competitive rates from FedEx and the US Postal service for any kind of parcel weight

Germany (is pretty much the same for most countries, incl Japan and Western Europe)

1 record = 2 lbs 20$
4 lbs = 35$
20 lbs in 12x12" box 60$

Canada

1 record = 2 lbs 10$
4 lbs = 18$
20 lbs in 12x12" box ((12" albums won't fit)= 35$
I may be able to get some slightly better FedEx rates.
Pls email with your address for an estimate.

To estimate your shipment, pls go to

http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcome.htm?from=home_header&page=calculatepostage

My zip code is 94107.

Assume 1 pound per record plus 1 pound for packing.

Pls contact me with your country, home town and postal code before bidding for an estimate.

=====

As always, I would appreciate any suggestions and corrections from you, pls contact me with any question.

Thank you very much, and good luck bidding !!!