Melograph

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Records

Melograph

Records

British Dance Bands

The Melograph Record Company, formed in August 1907 was based in Liverpool, but all the known examples of the records were manufactured in Germany, by Hess & Co, from masters which they had available to them, including 'Star'. I have seen rumours that the company had their own manufacturing plant in Liverpool, but this may be a confusion from the fact they are reported to have a recording studio in Liverpool, from January 1908.

Although regional recording companies are very unusual in England at this time, it is notable that the artists' names on the later issues are not familiar and could well be local performers, recorded in Liverpool. As the records are all manufactured in Germany, they will all date from before 1914.

It has been reported to me that some copies of the ones shown in the listing below sometimes turn up without any catalogue number common to both sides.

The colourful label shown here is a 12" issue. The Title "Torch Dance" was issued on No. 9. Although highly pictorial labels like this are usually associated with German-only issues, it should be noted that Dacapo did something similar, with their attractive 12" record labels. The quality of my image here is poor, taken from a tiny photo shown in "For The Record" No 22. Obviously a better scan would be greatly appreciated, along with any details to add to my listing below.

Label scan (first image) kindly sent to me by Ian McPherson.

12" issue

This is a first attempt at a listing, showing the few records I know so far! Almost all the information is from Frank Andrews.

Others who have helped are: Mike Atkins, Graham Farnell, Norman Field, Robert Girling, Adrian Hindle-Briscall,

Cat No	Matrix	Title	Labelled Artists
No Number	1034 1512	When The Band Plays - selection Lohengrin - Bridal March	Melograph Orchestra Empire Orchestra
1	1416 2405	La Petite Tonkinoise The Circus Rider	Albert Muller (tubaphone, with orch)
2		The Woodchoppers Of Tyrol Sunflowers Mazurka	Empire Band Melograph Symphony Orchestra
3	551 2102	Entry Of The Gladiators The Bells Of St Malo	Empire Band
4		La Mattchiche The Skaters' Waltz	Empire Orchestra
5	2105 2455	The Jolly Coppersmith Spanish Serenade	Kaiser Franz Grenadier Guards Band Albert Muller (bells)
6	518 562 or 566	Stars And Stripes Forever, march Carmen - Grand March	Kaiser Franz Grenadier Guards Band
7		The Merry Widow, selection part 1 The Merry Widow, selection part 2	Melograph Symphony Orchestra
8	1029 1503	The Merry Widow - Waltz The Merry Widow - Vilja's Song	Melograph Symphony Orchestra Melograph Orchestra
9	1413 2456	Waltz Menuette Mayflowers Polka	Empire Orchestra Albert Muller (bells)
10	557 1510	La Marseillaise Le Prophete - Coronation March	Empire Band
11	502 529	Old Comrades, march Our Navy, march	Kaiser Franz Grenadier Guards Band
12		Dancing Hussars, waltz Butterfly Gavotte	Empire Orchestra Albert Muller (bells)
13		Faust Waltz Luna, waltz	Empire Orchestra
14	1008 1018	DonauWellen, waltz Santiago waltz	Empire Orchestra Melograph Symphony Orchestra
15	1512	Lohengrin - Bridal March Lohengrin - selection	Empire Orchestra Melograph Symphony Orchestra
16	5006 ?	The Bedouin Love Song King Cotton March	Oswalde Earle (baritone) Kaiser Franz Grenadier Guards Band
17		If Those Lips Could Only Speak Boulanger March	Oswalde Earle (baritone) Albert Muller (xylophone, with orch)
18		The Bandolero The Cadets, march	Oswalde Earle (baritone) Kaiser Franz Grenadier Guards Band
19
20
21	925 2403	The Old Soldier Carnival Of Venice	Arthur Webber (bass) Albert Miller (xylophone)
22	962 1028	The Diver La Craquette	Arthur Weber (bass) Melograph Orchestra (cond: Fred Holliday)
23		The Little Beauty - Mazurka The Storm Fiend	Melograph Orchestra (cond: Fred Holliday) Arthur Weber (bass)
24	917 1505	Carmen - Song Of The Toreador The Thieving Magpie, overture	W. Atkinson (baritone) Price's Concert Orchestra
25
26
27
28
29
30	960 2454	The Dear Little Shamrock Lily Of The Valley, polka	Ida Phillips (contralto) Albert Miller (tubaphone)
31	1532 1536	William Tell - Overture The Mikado - selection	Price's Concert Orchestra
32	573 1534	Tannhauser - Grand March Tannhauser - Pilgrims' Chorus	Empire Orchestra
33	1430 2211	Spring Song Martha - selection	Melograph Symphony Orchestra
34		Spring Air - whistling song The Turkish Patrol	Empire Orchestra
35	571 574	El Capitan, march Liberty Bell, march	Empire Orchestra
36	2402	Katchen, polka Campaign March	Albert Muller (xylophone) Kaiser Franz Grenadier Guards Band
37	417 1009 ?	Anona, intermezzo The Geisha - Waltz	Price's Concert Orchestra
38		Parliament March The Suffragettes' March	Empire Orchestra
39	570 1517	Aida - Triumphal March Mignon - Overture	Melograph Symphony Orchestra
40	1506 2255	Zampa - overture Jovial Polka	Empire Military Band J & W Hatton (cornet duet)
41	1535 1537	Overture To Norma (Bellini) Jubilee Overture (Weber)	Melograph Orchestra
42	2404 2452	The Madrilenean Moonlight Shadows	Albert Muller (xylophone) Kaiser Franz Grenadier Guards Band
43	1526 1531	A Waltz Dream - Ni Ki March A Waltz Dream - Waltz	Muller's Viennese Orchestra
44	1528 1530	A Waltz Dream - The Merry Polka A Waltz Dream - Tsin, Tsin, Tsin	Muller's Viennese Orchestra
45	566 1006	The Emperor's Fanfare Viennese Forest, waltz	Kaiser Franz Grenadier Guards Band Muller's Viennese Orchestra
46	548 1108	Father Of Victory March Liberty Polka	The Empire Military Band The Emipre Orchestra
47
48	1519 2258	Cavalleria Rusticana - Intermezzo On The Rhine	Kaiser Franz Grenadier Guards Band J. Hatton (cornet)
49
50	1025 1030	Old Time Melodies, Nos. 1 & 2	The Melograph Orchestra
51	1109 2256	Spanish Dance Jolly Good Fellows	Price's Concert Orchestra J. Hatton (cornet)
52
53
54
55
56
57	560 1432	Russian March Village Revelry	The Empire Military Band The Empire Band
58
59
60
61	1103	Hiawatha Sorella	Empire Orchestra
62
63	587 1020	Maxim March ("Merry Widow" - Lehar) The Sirens Waltz (Waldteufel)	(anon English Orchestra) Melograph Orchestra
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77	1042 1046	The Bay Of Naples (waltz) (Guardia) Happy Days In Dixie (cake walk)	Melograph Concert Orchestra
78
79
80
81
82
83	1401 1442	Polish Dance Russian National Dance	Price's Concert Orchestra
84
85
86
87
88	1000 1009 ?	There Is A Green Hill Far Away The Messiah - Why Do The Nations?	Samuel Mann (bass)
89	01042 01045	Serenade (Gounod) Carmena (H. Lane Wilson)	Miss Florence Hall (soprano)
90	1033 1038	Cavalleria Rusticana - Siciliana I Pagliacci - On With The Motley	G. Renier (tenor)
91		The Skipper The Trumpeter	George Platt (baritone)
92		A German At The Telephone Bargain Tales	A. Frame (comedy monologue)
93		O'Brien They're All Single At The Seaside	Darby West (comic)
94	1012 1022	Breakfast In Bed On Sunday Morning Put On Your Ta-Ta Little Girlie	Fred Bentinck (comic)
95		Shirts Meet Me In Kellyland	Fred Bentinck (comic) Bob Fawcett (comic)
96		I Like Your Apron And Your Bonnet Yiddle On Your Fiddle	Harry Smith Darby West (comic)
97
99
100
101
102
103	622 2103	The Guards' Parade (The Passing Regiment) The Village Smithy	Melograph Orchestra
104	2411 2477	William Tell - Fantasia (Kruger) Sweet Annie, polka	Melograph Orchestra and Zylophone (sic) Melograph Orchestra and Tubaphone
105
106
107
108
109
110
111		God My Father Turn Thou To Me	Samuel Mann (bass)
112		In Morning's Garden Smiles	Miss Hamblett (soprano) Miss McMahon (contralto)
113		Because The Rosary	Harry Smith (tenor)
114		Florodora - In The Shade Of The Palm La Poupee - A Jovial Monk Am I	G. Day (baritone)
115		Phil The Fluter's Ball Zummersetshire	Samuel Mann (bass)
116		The Arcadians - My Mother Hi! Hi! Mr. McKie	Fred Bentinck (comic)
117
118
119
120
121
122
123		For You Alone Your Eyes Have Told Me So	George Renier (tenor)
124		The Gondoliers - Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes I Hear You Calling Me	Harry Smith (tenor)
125		The Arrow And The Song The Corporal's Ditty	George Edwards (baritone)
126		Richard Of Taunton Dene Young Tom O' Devon	Samuel Mann (bass)
127		Ivanhoe - Ho! Jolly Jenkin Glorious Devon	George Platt (baritone)
128
129
130

Cat No	Matrix	Title	Labelled Artists
1
2
3
4
5
6
7		For God, King & Country, march The German Eagle, march	Melograph Military Band
8		Russian Polka The Swallows, waltz	Melograph Orchestra
9	1556 1557	Torch Dance Reminiscences Of Wagner	Melograph Concert Orchestra
10		The Wave, waltz Die Fledermaus, waltz	Melograph Concert Orchestra
11		"Fra Diavolo" - overture Fantasia On Bocaccio	Melograph Concert Orchestra