Friday, May 15, 2015

MacDowell: "Indian" Suite (Howard Barlow)

Cover image restored by Peter Joelson
This week, an album by that indefatigable purveyor of unusual and little-known music on record, Howard Barlow (1892-1972), who, with his Columbia Broadcasting Symphony, was responsible for a number of recorded premières, including this one.  Actually, four-fifths of one, because another Howard - Hanson - beat Barlow to the punch by four days in recording the fourth of the five movements of this MacDowell Suite (the "Dirge") as part of his first Victor album of American music, which didn't actually hit the stores until after the present recording did:

MacDowell: Suite No. 2 in E minor, Op. 48 ("Indian")
Columbia Broadcasting Symphony conducted by Howard Barlow
Recorded May 15, 1939
Columbia Masterworks set M-373, four 78-rpm records
Link (FLAC files, 78.16 MB)
Link (MP3 files, 62.05 MB)

The simple but appealing cover design shown above is original to the set, which is a nice early pressing.  I'm pretty sure it predates Alex Steinweiss' design work for Columbia, and there were a few other sets from the same time period (middle to late 1939) that featured a composer's silhouette, as this one does.  Later copies of this MacDowell set that I've seen use an ordinary generic cover.
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8 comments:

  1. BryanMay 15, 2015 at 10:19 PM

    Alternate links:

    FLAC:
    http://www.mediafire.com/download/c2c4rhbj64oenuo/Barlow_-_MacDowell_Indian_Suite_FLACs.zip

    MP3:
    http://www.mediafire.com/download/y2z8h1wuxg87pvq/Barlow_-_MacDowell_Indian_Suite_MP3s.zip

    ReplyDelete
  2. NickMay 16, 2015 at 11:10 AM

    Thank you very much indeed for sharing your customarily excellent, beautifully documented transfer of this attractive work and fine performance! 'Indian', yes - out of Russia, via Bohemia... An interesting insight into bygone anthropological, cultural and musical attitudes, it must already have sounded old-fashioned by 1939?, but it's played here with great conviction. Thanks again and very best wishes, Nick

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  3. centuriMay 20, 2015 at 2:45 AM

    Thanks a lot Bryan for that rare version of this orchestral suite which is a key work in American music. The interpretation as well as the sound are excellent !!

    ReplyDelete
  4. centuriMay 20, 2015 at 2:46 AM

    Thanks a lot Bryan for that rare version of this orchestral suite which is a key work in American music. The interpretation as well as the sound are excellent !!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bill AndersonMay 30, 2015 at 11:57 AM

    Great find and share, Bryan. Thank you! (I was looking for this very same set at a friend's place, but came up empty.)

    I plan to post over at symphonyshare 2 more recording premiers with Barlow next month: Franck - Les Eolides & Deems Taylor - Suite from Peter Ibbitson.

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    Replies
    1. BryanJune 3, 2015 at 9:38 AM

      Both of those sound like very worthwhile projects, Bill - when you get them up, could you post a heads-up here? Thanks, Bryan

      Delete
    2. Bill AndersonMay 15, 2016 at 5:44 PM

      Well- it took a year to get to it - and I've only done the Ibbetson Suite so far - but here's my transfer of Set X-204:

      https://www.mediafire.com/?ydm6z5xsddw9bwp

      The Columbia 78's are so anemic sounding. A pity this was never issued on LP & transferred from the original lacquers Like other Barlow items. I worked the equalization to get a more pleasing sound to my ears, but...

      Delete
    3. BryanMay 19, 2016 at 2:33 PM

      Thanks, Bill - good stuff! Actually sounds quite good - on my cheap laptop speakers, that is. Pity Taylor isn't better remembered as a composer; what I've heard (just this and the Looking Glass suite) is quite good.

      Delete

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