On April 23 of 1904, back when recording any stringed instrument was difficult, Charles D'Almaine had mastered the ability to play at a steady volume and with a horn attached to his violin so the sound was amplified enough to register
in the wax. The accompanist is not known but, considering the technology, a reasonably nuanced performance emerges from this Victor disc. This side may have been recorded in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, according to sketchy engineer's
notes, but that cannot be confirmed. The composer, Ambroise Thomas, had died just eight years before this performance was waxed: he was a prolific operatic composer who later taught a young Jules Massenet the art of composition. The
record that yielded this sample was not in too bad a shape and responded well to noise reduction.
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