Sunday, November 25, 2012

Vintage Christmas Wax

Rare turn-of-the-century Christmas recordings taken from wax cylinders.

Some of the earliest recordings around are of Christmas music, both in the popular vein, as well as more traditional hymns and other Christmas classical favorites. The Archivist doesn't recall where he first collected these transcriptions from wax cylinders (some are from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California - Santa Barbara, released under Creative Commons), but they represent some of the earliest music in his library.

  1. Hail Smiling Morn (Christmas Carol) - The Edison Quartette | 1904
  2. Christ The New Born King - Robert Price | 1904
  3. Winter - Harry Macdonough & Haydn Quartet | 1905
  4. Will You Love Me In December, As You Do In May - Harry Macdonough & Haydn Quartet | 1905
  5. Silent Night - Edison Male Quartet | 1905
  6. Joy To The World - Edison Concert Band | 1906
  7. O Tannenbaum - Nebe-Quartett | 1907
  8. Ring Out The Bells For Christmas - Edison Concert Band | 1907
  9. Christ Is Come - Edison Concert Band | 1908
  10. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Henry Burr | 1908
  11. The Star Of Bethlehem - A Christmas Song - Henry Burr | 1908
  12. Auld Lang Syne - Frank C. Stanley | 1910
  13. Christmas Time Seems Years And Years Away - Manuel Romain | 1910
  14. Ring Out The Bells For Christmas - The Edison Concert Band | 1912
  15. Silent Night - Elizabeth Spencer & Anthony Harrison | 1912
  16. Bells Of Christmas - Edison Concert Band | 1913
  17. Hail! Hail! Day Of Days - Edison Mixed Quartet | 1913
  18. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Edison Mixed Quartet | 1914
  19. O Come, All Ye Faithful [adeste Fideles] (Take 2) - Edison Mixed Quartet | 1914
  20. Night Before Christmas - Harry E. Humphrey | 1914
  21. Ring Out, Wild Bells - Carol Singers | 1916
  22. Christmas Eve: a Fantasie On Old German Christmas Carols - Robert Gayler | 1916
  23. Hallelujah Chorus - Messiah - Oratorio Chorus | 1916
  24. The First Nowell - Carol Singers | 1916
  25. Christmas, Christmas, Blessed, Blessed Day - Metropolitan Quartet | 1917
  26. God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen - Carol Singers | 1917
  27. Christmas Morn - Miro's Band | 1918
  28. Christmas Eve - Miro's Band | 1918
  29. Christmas Bells - Robert Gayler | 1919
  30. If Winter Comes - Atlantic Dance Orchestra | 1922
  31. Ave Maria - Kathleen Parlow | 1923
  32. Silent Night - Florence Easton | 1924
  33. Holy Night - Florence Easton & Chorus | 1928
  34. Bethlehem - The Shepherd's Nativity Hymn - Westminster Glee Singers | 1929
  35. The Only Thing I Want For Christmas (Is Just To Keep The Things That I've Got) - Eddie Cantor | 1939

Get it here: Rare turn-of-the-century Christmas recordings [Rapidgator] [FileFactory] [Zippyshare]