Orquesta Típica Victor

Uncorrected translation by Google translate

ORCHESTRA OF RCA-VICTOR- (1925-1944)

In the early years of the twentieth century, record companies recorded music from all over the world, including in Buenos Aires. To sell the talking machines (gramophones), cylinders had to be built. The Victor Talking Machines Company was one of them, which was bought by RCA (Radio Corporation of America) in 1929. The dog looking at the phonograph is their famous logo.

From the 1920s onwards, orchestras were put together for the tango solely for the purpose of making recordings and consisted of musicians from orchestras affiliated with the same label. These temporarily assembled orchestras have never performed publicly.

A chorus singer who worked for the label was added as singer. It was also the time when singers made their appearance, but then only the chorus was sung.

The orchestra leaders of the Orquesta Típica Víctor were:

Luis Petrucelli 1925-1931

Adolfo Carabelli 1931-1935

Federico Scorticati 1936-1941

Mario Maurano 1940-1944.

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The very early recordings from the early period around 1900-1910 were limited by poor technology, so that sound could only be recorded in the range of 160 to 2,000 hertz, while the human ear can handle 20 to 20,000 hertz.

Musicians therefore had to adjust their playing to the mid-range. The voice also had to sound sharp, hard and clear to get anything into the grooves.

The cylinders were made by playing/singing into large horns, the reverse of playing.

The vibrations of string instruments, including the double bass and the piano, produced a muffled, muddy sound. That is why the clear, metallic sound of copper was often chosen. For that reason there are many recordings of brass bands. The duration also had to be limited to a few minutes.

Casa Tagini, a shop on the corner of calle Perú and Avenida de Mayo (Buenos Aires) claimed in 1905 that their gramophones had replaced musicians at dance parties a thousand times. There is a drawing showing a DJ in action with his gramophone in a converted horse stable with dancing couples (the horse can just be seen). But music was also played in a room where men had their shoes shined, often by a woman. There was music everywhere.

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Fortunately, from 1926 onwards the flat record came with its electric recording and its better quality, it was also possible to record more than two minutes. Enjoy some examples of the Orquesta Típica Víctor between the late 1920s and early 1940s.