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Berliner Gramophone

From Alfawiki
Berliner Gramophone
Company typeRecord label
IndustryMusic recording and production
Founded1889
FounderEmile Berliner
Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
,
United States
ProductsDisc records, gramophones

Berliner Gramophone was a pioneering American record label and, for almost ten years, the sole producer of disc records globally. Its discs were designed for playback on Emile Berliner's Gramophone, competing against the more prevalent wax cylinder–based phonograph devices of the 1890s. The records bore an engraved emblem stating "E. Berliner's Gramophone."

History

Emile Berliner secured U.S. patents 372,786 and 382,790 for his Gramophone invention in 1887 and 1888. This development preceded the North American Phonograph Company, which manufactured cylinder recordings, positioning Berliner's flat disc as roughly contemporaneous with cylinders, although disc manufacturing in the United States began somewhat later. Berliner's initial enterprise took place in Germany in 1889 alongside manufacturer , producing 5-inch hard rubber discs; some of these were shipped to England. Among the oldest discs preserved in major collections is an 1890 recording of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, likely created by Berliner, though it is no longer regarded as the earliest commercial disc.

During the early 1890s, Berliner sought to launch the American Gramophone Company in New York City; however, this effort failed before any products reached market. Subsequently, he established the United States Gramophone Company based in Washington, D.C., producing gramophones and 7-inch hard rubber discs starting in 1892; discs became commercially available by 1894. By 1895, shellac had replaced hard rubber as the preferred disc material until vinyl emerged in the 1930s.

Beginning in 1896, Philadelphia machinist Eldridge Johnson manufactured Berliner's gramophones incorporating spring-driven motors rather than hand cranks. Berliner also set up a New York branch under the National Gramophone Company name, staffed by Frank Seaman and O. D. LaDow.

Master recordings were created on zinc plates used for electroplating stampers. A devastating fire in Washington, D.C., in 1897 destroyed numerous masters and equipment; nonetheless, production resumed swiftly with certain operations relocated to Philadelphia.

Berliner discs typically offered about two minutes of playback per single-sided 7-inch record at variable speeds ranging from 60 to 75 rpm. In comparison, wax cylinders provided longer playing times but operated at faster speeds (initially around 120 rpm, later standardized to 160 rpm) to match the gramophones’ superior volume.

As gramophones gained popularity, Berliner confronted patent violations. In 1898 he shut down companies infringing on his designs. In 1899 he discovered that Frank Seaman’s Zonophone machine closely imitated his Gramophone model. Berliner stopped supplying New York operations, prompting Seaman to file a breach of contract lawsuit. By June 1900 a court injunction prohibited Berliner and the United States Gramophone Company from using the term "Gramophone," effectively removing Berliner from the U.S. market.

Berliner's patents were transferred to Eldridge Johnson who rebranded the firm as Victor Talking Machine Company in March 1901 and introduced that brand within the same year. By 1905 Victor dominated the American disc record industry while Seaman’s Zonophone had declined significantly by 1906.

Foreign interests

In 1895, comic performer Billy Golden introduced Berliner to Fred Gaisberg, who alongside Barry Peter Owen of the National Gramophone Company facilitated Berliner's international expansions. Although Berliner's German partnership with Kämmer & Reinhardt had ended, he retained patent rights in Germany and England. In 1898 Owen founded Berliner's British subsidiary, later known as Gramophone & Typewriter Ltd., which merged into EMI in 1931. That same year Gaisberg established Berliner's German branch as Deutsche Grammophon, which remained one of the longest-standing record companies until its acquisition by Universal Music Group in 1999. Gaisberg also launched a Berliner subsidiary in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1901.

The Canadian branch, E. Berliner Gramophone of Canada, was founded in Montreal in 1899 and marketed records and gramophones by 1900. It received its official charter as Berliner Gram-o-phone Company of Canada in 1904. Early recordings were imports from U.S.-based masters until a Montreal studio opened in 1906.

The Berliner label persisted longest in Canada. In 1918 Herbert Berliner, Emile’s son, established the Compo Company, while his brother Edgar continued as CEO of Berliner Gram-o-phone. Canadian Berliner was acquired by USA's Victor in 1924 and renamed Victor Talking Machine Company of Canada. Emile Berliner passed away in 1929—the same year RCA acquired Victor—and Edgar resigned from Canadian RCA leadership in 1930.

Berliner Gram-o-phone's Montreal facilities at 1001 rue Lenoir and 1050 rue Lacasse evolved into RCA Victor Canada’s headquarters, where advanced technologies such as microwave radio relay systems, communication satellites, and television broadcast equipment were developed. After RCA dissolved in 1986, these buildings were repurposed into mixed-use office and commercial spaces housing the Musée des ondes Emile Berliner, which preserves Berliner's heritage. The historic Studio Victor remained operational as a recording studio until 2014 and was utilized by La hacienda creativ for sessions up to 2021.

Legacy and preservation

During the 1890s, Berliner records encompassed a wider variety of content compared to cylinder manufacturers, featuring standard band pieces and songs, piano compositions, ragtime, speeches, sermons, solo instrumental performances, and ethnographic recordings—areas where Berliner notably excelled beyond its rivals. Its European branches concentrated predominantly on opera and classical genres, which were less frequently pursued by American cylinder producers at that period.

Tracking the output of American Berliner is complicated by the limited availability of original discs and a complex block numbering system. Catalog numbers were used to maintain titles through multiple reissues, frequently accompanied by letter suffixes such as "Z-W" for early editions. While recording dates were commonly printed on labels, they are often difficult to decipher since Berliner seldom employed paper labels. Additionally, matrix numbers were occasionally recycled to integrate new recordings into existing blocks—for instance, block 900 transitioned from popular tunes to opera selections primarily attributed to vocalist Ferruccio Giannini.

In March 1899, Berliner adopted a more systematic sequential numbering approach featuring a leading zero and appended letters denoting categories (for example, "A" signified marching bands, "F" represented banjo). Distinct methodologies were applied to foreign matrices, thoroughly chronicled by discographer Alan Kelly (discographer).

The EMI Archive Trust possesses nearly 18,000 Berliner artifacts—the most extensive collection known—largely amassed by Fred Gaisberg during the company's formative years. The National Library of Canada also curates a substantial Canadian Berliner archive accessible through its Virtual Gramophone initiative, with an emphasis on Canadian performers.

Located in a former RCA Victor factory in Montreal, QC, the Musée des ondes Emile Berliner safeguards a significant assortment of Berliner discs and gramophones.

Berliner recording artists

Among the distinguished performers who recorded for Berliner were:

Notable recordings

Highlighted examples of Berliner 7" discs, often representing initial versions of popular melodies, include:

  • Berliner 7W ("William Tell overture", Sousa's band)
  • Berliner 140 ("Washington Post march", Sousa's band)
  • Berliner 830 ("Morning serenade", Boston Fadettes)
  • Berliner 967 ("La Donna è Mobile", F. A. Giannini), recognized as the earliest serious opera recording
  • Berliner 932X ("Viva il Vino", Ferruccio Giannini)
  • Berliner 196 ("Whistling coon", George W. Johnson)
  • Berliner 404 ("The Laughing song", George W. Johnson)
  • Berliner 930Y and 0572 ("Miserere", Ferruccio Giannini)
  • Berliner 940 ("Drill ye tarriers, drill", George J. Gaskin)
  • Berliner 3312 ("Blue Bells of Scotland", trombone solo by Arthur Pryor)
  • Berliner 230 ("Commodore polka", cornet solo by W. Paris Chambers)
  • Berliner 3900 ("Carnival of Venice", saxophone solo by Jean Moeremans)
  • Berliner 62 ("Romance for Trombone", trombone solo accompanied by band)

See also

Further reading

  • Bryan, Martin F. Report to the Phonothèque Québécoise Regarding Archival Research on Berliner Gram-O-Phone Co., Victor Talking Machine Co., R.C.A. Victor Co. (Montreal), 1899–1972. Expanded edition. Montréal: Phonothèque Québécoise, 1994. 19, [1] pages.
  • Charosh, Paul. Berliner Gramophone Records: American Issues, 1892-1900. (May 30, 1995). Greenwood Publishing.
  • Sherman, Michael W. E. Berliner's Gramophone: Physical Attributes and Label Design of the 7-inch American Berliner Record, 1892-1900. (January 1, 2018). Monarch Record Enterprises.

External links

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