Retired recording engineer Jim Pattison discovered a set of remarkable 78s dating back to the early 20th century on a visit to Brodsworth Hall, Doncaster.
This is an extract from a quartet Addio dolce svegliare (Goodbye to sweet awakenings) from La Boheme by Puccini, sung by Geraldine Farrar (soprano) Gina Ciaparelli-Viafora (mezzo-soprano) Enrico Caruso (tenor) and Antonio Scotti (baritone).
The recroding was made on March 10, 1908, in a New Jersey studio. Singers and orchestra were captured by a single acoustic recording horn, resembling a gramophone horn, except the sound was captured rather than disseminated by it.
