Recordings

“Little by little, he managed to make his way in the singers entourage and he was even called to record some novels for twenty liras on those rudimentary “cylinders” that were later substituted by the records for the first phonographs. This foresight in the sector of voice and music recording, previously unexplored, would later pave his way ten years later to the signing of a lucrative contract with the Grammophone Company of New York”.

[G. Meucci. Titta Ruffo. Pisa, Pacini, 2012]

Titta Ruffo’s major legacy to us is related to his voice which we can still hear today; therefore represents a compelling testimony despite the fact that it began during the pioneering era of recordings with the acoustic method. Titta Ruffo’s discography is considerable and is presented here following the chronological sequence: from 1905 in Milan with recordings on Pathé cylinders to recording then in 1906 with the Gramophone Company Ltd. in London (also known as His Master’s Voice) and from 1912 until 1929 with the Victor.
The description includes the title, author, and aria of the work (usually the first verse) followed by the disc’s matrix number with an indication of the sound recording actually issued (preceded by a hyphen) and the date of recording. The final numbering refers to the catalog number of the record company under which the disc originally appeared on the market.

Pathé Frères Company (France), 1905

15 recordings on cylinders, vertical-engraving (100 r.p.m and 80 r.p.m.) and lateral-engraving (re-released at 78 r.p.m.), all with piano accompaniment. The original 100 r.p.m. are only playable on Pathè devices with special needles, label-less and the label data is engraved straight in the disc; their recording begins from the center, prefaced by Titta Ruffo announcing his name and the title of the piece he’s about to sing.
For the Italian, English, French and American 80 r.p.m. re-release (still vertical-engraving), Pathè opted for paper labels and recordings starting from the outside of the record.
The exact date of the recording at Pathè studios isn’t absolutely certain, but there are elements that make us lean towards 1905; Titta Ruffo’s presence at the theaters of the French capital during the months of May and June and the publication of the Pathé Phonographes catalogue exactly in 1905.

Gramophone Company (United Kingdom), 1906-1912

Acoustic recordings, orchestra accompanied. Serial numbers followed by letters – ai, c, f, i, v – indicate 12 inches records; those followed by – b, e, ah, h, u – are 10 inches (25 cm) records.

Victor Talking Machine Company (USA), 1912-1929

Until 1925, acoustic recordings, orchestra accompanied. Serial numbers preceded by letters C or CVE indicate 12 inches records, those with B or BVE are 10 inches records. Starting from 1926, recordings switched from acoustic to electric.