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Operaphone

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Despite the label name, nothing operatic was ever issued on it. The fare was the usual popular song, music hall and orchestra music to be found on other cheap records of the period.
They were pressed in Germany from Bel Canto, Beka (and other) masters during 1913-14.
The labels state various places of manufacture in Germany, implying that more than one company was making these records.

The London agent was The Operaphone Company Ltd, of 23, City Road, London, a district that seemed to have been stuffed with record & gramophone businesses at this time.

Ther are two known designs of the label, one showing a winged cherub, which prompted The Gramophone Company to sue for trade mark infringement, since they used a similar image on their records. This may explain the change of design of Operaphone records.

The outbreak of WWI caused closure of the business. Over 276 10" records and about 76 12" records had been issued on Operaphone. Some of the 2000- series are 12", and I will noted that against the catalobue number where known.

Thanks to Bill Dean-Myatt and Rainer Lotz for providing the label photos.

 

This is a first attempt at a listing. Please e-mail me if you can help me fill in the gaps in any of these series.

My thanks to Frank Andrews in providing most of the information for this page.

Thanks Also to: Mike Atkins, Graham Farnell, Norman Field, Robert Girling, Mike Jones, Mike Langridge, Jackson Todd, Michael Turley

Page last updated on: February 27, 2024

Cat No Matrix Title Labelled Artists Notes
1        
2        
3        
4        
5 5140
5148
Stop Your Tickling, Jock
I Love A Lassie
Dougal McNab  
6        
7 5269
5270
Ginger You're Balmy
I'm Henry VIII I Am
Harry Champion  
8        
9 5271 / E-004
5272
Don't Do It Again, Matilda
Natty Little Patch
Harry Champion  
10 B-7-B
B-31-A
The Old Grey Coat
My Girl From London Town
Billy Williams  
11 H32
H33
Mary Ann, She's After Me
I've Never Been Courting Before
George Baslow  
12 40825
40827
I Wish I Lived Next Door To You
Anywhere Is Alright When You're Doing Well
Rastas Brown  
13        
14        
15        
16        
17        
18        
19 5206
5212
I Played My Concertina
The Postman
Harry Bluff  
20 5211
41053
Living Animals
What Is A ---- ?
Harry Bluff  
21        
22   Archibald! Certainly Not
Let's All Go Down The Strand
Harry Bluff  
23 5205
5207
There Are Nice Girls Everywhere
Nobody's Satisfied
Harry Bluff  
24        
25        
26   Laughing All The Day
All I Said Was Ha! Ha! Ha!
Billy Whitlock (comic)  
27        
28 5177
5180
Come Into The Garden, Maud
Farewell To Summer
M. Virgo (tenor)  
29        
30        
31        
32 5120
5122
The Angel Of My Drreams
The Land Where The Angels Are
Harry Trevor (baritone)  
33        
34 5131
5137
Red Wing
To The End Of The World With You
Harry Trevor (baritone)  
35 5139
5185
For Auld Lang Syne
All Soul's Day
Harry Trevor (baritone)
H. Carbayn
 
36        
37        
38 5135
5138
Two Eyes Of Brown
Pansies Mean Thoughts And Thoughts Mean You
Harry Trevor (baritone)  
39        
40 5190
5191 ?
Bedouin Love Song
Thora
Thomas Howell (bass)
?
 
41        
42        
43        
44        
45        
46 5162
5165
Three For Jack
A Sergeant Of The Line
Adolph Fowler (bass)  
47        
48   Bedouin Love Song
Thora
Thomas Howell (bass)      [ see also No. 40]  
49 5192
5194
Trooper Johnny Ludlow
Glorious Devon
Thomas Howell (bass)  
50 5196
5197
Lord God Of Abraham
It Is Enough
Thomas Howell (bass)  
51 5193 Asleep In The Deep Thomas Howell (bass)  
52        
53   Nobody Knows, Nobody Cares
You Eyes Have Told Me So
Stanley Kirkby (baritone)
Thomas Jackson (tenor)
 
54 40733
40736
Sing Me To Sleep
Sleep And Forget
Philip Ritte (tenor)  
55        
56        
57        
58        
59        
60 5081
.
Come, My Sweet Queen
A Southern Lullaby
W.G Callinan (tenor)  
61        
62        
63        
64        
65        
66 5229
5237
My Bungalow In Bond Street
Oh, The Girls I Left Behind Me
Jack Charman
Charles Denton (= Harry Bluff)
 
67        
68 5227
5228
Put On Your Ta-Ta Little Girlie
Fall In And Follow Me
Jack Charman  
69 5246
5247
If I Had The World To Give You
You Taught Me How To Love You
Phillip Gordon  
70 5245
40803
Silver Bell
Nellie Dean
Phil Gordon
James Hudson
 
71 5263
5264
I'll Be Out In The Life Boat
I'm Setting The Village On Fire
Ben Merry  
72        
73        
74 5248
5249
Come To The Ball
I Wonder If You Miss Me Sometimes
Harry Thornton (baritone)  
75        
76        
77 5107
5186
He Was A Prince
The Choir Boy
Florence Bruce (mezzo-soprano)
Florence Bruce (mezzo Soprano) (= unidentified male singer)
 
78 5099
5113
Hush, My Little Coon
My Honolulu Queen
Florence Bruce (mezzo-soprano)  
79 5098
5110
My God And Father
Be Thou Nigh
Florence Bruce (mezzo-soprano)  
80        
81        
82 5100
5112
Samson And Delilah
In The Shadow Of The Pine
Florence Bruce (mezzo-soprano)  
83        
84 5156
5157
Whisper And I Shall Hear
Sing Me To Sleep
(Florence) Venning (contralto)  
85        
86 5159
5160
Love's Old Sweet Song
Darby And Joan
Florence Venning (contralto)  
87        
88 5153 / E-153
5154 / E-154
Abide With Me
The Lost Chord
(Florence) Venning (contralto)  
89        
90        
91        
92        
93        
94        
95        
96 5070
5074
Massa's In De Cold, Cold Ground
Old Black Joe
Quartette  
97        
98        
99        
100 10520 / E-52
10540 / E-54
Everybody's Doing It
The Gaby Glide
Terry & Osborn (= Will Terry & ? Osborn)  
101        
102 10272 / E-27
10302 / E-30
Waiting For The Robert E. Lee
I'm Going Back To Dixie
Terry & Osborn (= Will Terry & ? Osborn)  
103 10283 / E-28
10293 / E-29
Hitchy Koo
Ragging The Baby To Sleep
Terry & Osborn (= Will Terry & ? Osborn)  
104 10304 / E-30
10454 / E-45
I Want To Be In Dixie
Piccadilly, Piccadilly
Terry & Osborn (= Will Terry & ? Osborn)
Orchestra with Chorus
 
105 10365 / E-36
10405 / E-40
Alexander's Ragtime Band
The Ragtime Goblin Man
Terry & Osborn (= Will Terry & ? Osborn)  
106 10396 / E-39
10406 / E-40
Ragtime Cowboy Joe
The Ragtime Goblin Man
Terry & Osborn (= Will Terry & ? Osborn)  
107 10477 / E-47
.
Mysterious Rag
Dicky Bird
Terry & Osborn (= Will Terry & ? Osborn)  
108 10328 / E-32
10358 / E-35
Ragtime Soldier Man
Puppchen
Terry & Osborn (= Will Terry & ? Osborn)
Orchestra
 
109 10339 / E-33
10569 / E-56
The Ghost Of The Violin
Woolloomoolloo
Terry & Osborn (= Will Terry & ? Osborn)
Mr. Terry (= Will Terry)
 
110 11530 / E-53
11550 / E-55
The Spaniard That Blighted My Life
Mysterious Moon
Mr. Terry (= Will Terry)  
111 11141 / E-14
11181 / E-18
She Makes Me Walk In Ragtime
Follow Your Leader
Mr. Terry (= Will Terry)  
112   They All Walk The Wibbly-Wobbly Walk
Nobody Loves Me
Mr. Terry (= Will Terry)  
113 1123 / E-2
1143 / E-4
Oh, That Ragtime Sea
It's a Long Walk
Mr. Terry (= Will Terry)  
114 11434 / E-43
11444 / E-44
Cock-A-Doodle Doo
Everybody Two-Step
Mr. Terry (= Will Terry)  
115 36666
36668
Pucker Up Your Lips, Miss Lindy
There's Something Merry And Bright About a Sailor
Mr. Terry (= Will Terry)  
116        
117        
118 11348 / E-34
11428 / E-42
Take Me To That Swanee Shore
Honeymooning Honey In Bombay
Mr. Terry (actually a duet!)  
119        
120        
121 12161 / E-16
12171 / E-17
I Tried To Keep From Laughing
That Awful Joke
Frank Fairley (= Charles Penrose)  
122        
123        
124        
125 E-9915/E-1
E-9935/E-3
The Future Mrs. 'Awkins
My Old Dutch
Bob Styles  
126 1256 / E-5
1276 / E-7
Wot Cher! (Knocked 'Em In The Old Kent Road)
Our Court Ball
Bob Styles  
127 1297 / E-9
12117 / E-11
Our Little Nipper
Oh, 'Amstead
Bob Styles  
128        
129 P-0415
P-0416
"Barber Of Seville" - Mattinata
"Il Trovatore" - Strella
B. Dessa (tenor) (of The Palais D'Opera, Milan)  
130        
131        
132        
133 E-61 / 20252
E-62 / 0253
Kangaroo Hop
When Father Beat The Carpet
Billy Williams (!) (= Jack Chaman)
Billy Melville (= Jack Charman)
Guardsman 282
 
134 5034 ?
5189

Star Of Bethlehem

Thomas Jackson (tenor, with piano)
 
135 E-63
E-64
The Wedding Glide
How D'Ye Do, Miss Ragtime?
Harry Cove
The Two Rags
 
136        
137        
138        
139        
140        
141        
142 5069
5072
Dinah Doe
Tales In Babbling Echo
Operaphone Quartette  
143        
144        
145        
146 E-71
E-73 / 20412 
Hold Your Hand Out, Naughty Boy
The Trail Of The lonesome Pine
Jack Charman  
147 E-77
E-105
Snooky Ookums
On The Mississippi
Jack Charman  
148 E-78
E-86
All The Girls Are Lovely At The Seaside
Down In Dear Old New Orleans
Jack Charman  
149        
150   P.C. Forty-Nine
Up Came Johnnie With His Ice Cream Can
Jack Charman  
151 E-99
E-100
Hey-Ho, Can't You Hear The Steamer?
Everybody's Doing It At The Seaside
Jack Charman  
152        
153        
154 E-69
E-132
A Few More Years Shall Roll
Abide With Me
Walter Bishop  
155 E-77
E-127
Snooky Ookums
It's A Long Way To Tipperary
Jack Charman  
156   The Wishing Well
All For Father's Sake
Alf Willis  
157 E-83
E-84
While I Was Licking My Stamp
Have a Drop Of Gin, Joe
Alf Willis  
158   I Was Holding My Cocoanut
Up Went My Little Umbrella
Alf Willis  
159        
160 E-90
E-91
Dan, The Cat's Meat Man
Oh, Joe Stock Out Your Toe [sic]
Alf Willis  
161        
162        
163        
164 E-92
E-93
Ta-Ta My Bonnie Maggie Darling
She's The Lass For Me
Jock McCullum  
165 E-94
E-95
Roamin' In the Gloamin'
M.A.C.G.R.E.G.O.R.
Jock McCullum  
166        
167        
168 E-128
E-129
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Walter Bishop & Edmund Lucas  
169 E-70
E-130
Oh! Come, All Ye Faithful
The First Nowell
Walter Bishop & Edmund Lucas  
169 E-113
E-114
To Cheer Him Up And Help Him On His Way
It Doesn't Matter, I've Changed My Mind
J. Baker  
170   Those Ragtime Melodies
You're My Baby
Charman & Cove  
171 20411
 
Take Me In Your Arms And Say You Love Me
Ring Out Those Bells
Charman & Cove  
172        
173 E-139
E-140 / 20447
You Made Me Love You
If I Could Only Make You Care
Cove & Charman
Harry Trevor (baritone) (= Robert Carr)
 
174   That Whistlin' Band
That Ragtime Postman
Harry Cove
Jack Charman
 
175        
176 E-131
E-171
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
When The Christmas Bells Are Ringing
Walter Bishop & Edmund Lucas
Harry Trevor (baritone) (= Robert Carr)
 
177 E-160
E-161
When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam
On The Mississippi (Carroll & Fields)
Operaphone London Orchestra  
178        
179   Hot Meat Pies
As Large As Life In The Harem
Alf Willis  
180        
181        
182        
183        
184        
185        
186        
187        
188        
189        
190        
191        
192 E-176
E-177
A Soldier's Song
Nazareth
Edward Lucas  
193        
194        
195        
196        
197        
198        
199        
200        

Here is the 2500- series: Some of these are 12"  and those will be noted after the catalogue number, where known.

Cat No Matrix Title Labelled Artists
2501   The Honolulu Rag
Alexander two-step (Alexander's Ragtime Band)
Military Metropole Band ?
2502      
2503 3243
3259
Grizzly Bear
Turkey Trot
Military Metropole Band
2504      
2505      
2506 (12") 1735
3181
The Fireflies
The Skippers Song ("The Flying Dutchman" - Wagner)
Military Metropole Band
2507      
2508      
2509 3182 (1154)
3183 (1148)
Quand L'amour Meurt
Gold And Silver, waltz (Lehar)
Military Metropole Band
2510 3210 (1158)
3211 (1745)
Brooklyn Cake Walk
The Camp meeting, Cake Walk
Military Metropole Band
2511 3186 (68)
3187 (1160)
Estudiantine, waltz
Valse Bleue
Military Metropole Band
2512      
2513 3192 (2089)
3193 (2087)
Elysium, waltz
Franasco, waltz
Piano solo
2514      
2515 3198 (1654)
3199 (1045)
Emana
Siamese Patrol
Military Metropole Band
2516      
2517   Entry Of The Gladiators, march (Fucik)
Under The Victorious Flag, march (Blon)
Military Metropole Band ?
2518 3206 Whistling Rufus Military Metropole Band
2519      
2520 1158 / 3210
1745 / 3211
Brooklyn Cake-Walk (Thurban)
Georgia Camp Meeting (Kerry Mills)
Military Metropole Band
2521      
2522 40719
40720
Harry Lauder Memories, part 1
Harry Lauder Memories, part 2
Military Metropole Band
2523      
2524      
2525      
2526 5225
5226
Rule Britannia and God Save The King
National Anthems Of France And Russia
Military Metropole Band
2527 2530697  (3069)
2530997  (3099)
Eva Waltz (Lehar)
Vanity Waltz
Military Metropole Band
2528      
2529 25809 Roses Of The South, waltz Military Metropole Band
2530 3242
3243
Down In Jungle Town
Grizzly Bear
Military Metropole Band
2531 2530811 (3081)
2530831 (3083)
Hobomoko (Japanese Romanze)
A Nigger's Dream (descriptive)
Military Metropole Band
2532      
2533 (12") 1747
2510363 (1036)
Soldiers In The Park
Old Comrades, march
Military Metropole Band
2534      
2535 2530955 (3095)
2530965 (3096)
Selection From Rigoletto
Selection from Traviata
Military Metropole Band
2536      
2537      
2538      
2539      
2540      
2541 2518421 (1842)
2518451 (1845)
Arrow Galop
Enchanter Bell
Bells and Orchestra
2542      
2543      
2544      
2545      
2546      
2547      
2548      
2549      
2550      
2551 3037
3101 or 3109
Nocturne (Chopin)
Serenade (Pierne)
Senor Gomez (violin) (of the Paris Opera, Milan)
2552 P 1190
P 1193
Titania
Waltz from The Waltz Dream
Gialdini (whistling)
2553      
2554      
2555 3320
3324 / 788
The Canary
Waltz Of The Fairies
Max Wills (whistling)
Wills and Lawrence (whistling)
2556 20220 E-066
E-065
The Rosary
The Lost Chord
W. Sizer (cornet)
2557      
2558 P-205
P-1175
Dreaming Lilies
Carnival Of Venice
W. Williams (bells)
2559      
2560      
2561      
2562      
2563      
2564      
2565      
2566      
2567      
2568 5282
5283
The Mascot Valeta
Dreaming, waltz
Operaphone London Orchestra
2569      
2570      
2571 E-067
E-068
Menuett
Bolero
Cecile Stevens (vioin)
2572      
2573      
2574   Queen Of The Burlesque
Return Of The Regiment
Copus & Hughes (banjos)
2575      
2576      
2577      
2578      
2579      
2580      
2581      
2582 E-154 / 3386
E-157 / 3388
The Darkies Frolic
The Gladiator March
Operaphone Military Band
2583      
2584 E-145 / 3378
E-149
Fo Hunters
Up The Street
The Operaphone Military Band
2585      
2586      
2587      
2588      
2589      
2580      

I understand that the following are 12" records, or the "30-4000" series are at least.

Cat No Matrix Title Labelled Artists
30-100 3 E 10
3 E 11
Willow Waltz
Life's Dream Is O'er
Mary Williams (contralto)
Thomas Howell (bass)
30-101      
30-102 3 E 6
3 E 8
Ragtime Violin
The Spaniard That Blighted My Life
Osborne & Irvin (duet, with orch) (= Jack Charman & ?)
Richard Morton (vocal, with orch) (= Will Terry)
       
30-3001 (12") 3 E 5
3 E 7
Hitchy Koo
Baby Rose
Operaphone London Orchestra, with chorus
       
30-4005 (12") 5256
5257
Valse Brune (Krier)
Gold And Silver Waltz (Lehar)
Operaphone Symphony Orchestra
       
30-4050      
30-4051      
30-4052      
30-4053 5249
5250
Mysterious Rag
Alexander Two Step
Operaphone Military Band
30-4054 5251
5252
The Honolulu Rag
Detective Dance, two step
Operaphone Military Band
30-4055 5115
5116
Old Comrades, march
The King's March
The Grand Operaphone Band
30-4056 5051
5179
Through Shade And Shadow
The Sharpshooters
The Grand Operaphone Band
30-4057      
30-4058      
30-4059 5198
5199
Operaphone Grand March
Cross-Bearers' Fanfare
The Grand Operaphone Band
30-4060      
30-4061 887
888
Waltz from the opera "Susannah" (Gilbert)
Teresa, waltz (Ch. Faust)
Grand Operaphone Band
30-4062      
30-4063      
30-4064      
30-4065      
30-4066 893
5049
Tango Argentina
Love Dance - Intermezzo (Hoschma)
The Grand Operaphone Band
30-4067      
30-4068      
30-4069 5104
5169
Souvenir
La Serenata
Senor Gomez (violin)
30-4070      
30-4071      
30-4072      
30-4073      
30-4074      
30-4075 5253
5436 / 3 E 23
William Tell Overture (Rossini)
Les Cloches De Corneville, selection (Planquette)
The Grand Operaphone Band
H.M. Irish Guards Band