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MMD > Archives > July 2017 > 2017.07.13 > 08Prev  Next


Unknown Composition on Welte Licensee Roll
By Jim Miller

A Mignon Mystery Not Really A Mystery

Ref.
http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/17/07/11/170711_233739_K%C3%BCnstler_S47.jpg 
http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/17/07/08/170708_205947_Mireille%20Waltz%20(Gounod)%20Goodall.mp3 

It all began with Peter Phillips' appeal of a few days ago for
information regarding his mis-numbered but positively labeled
"Poughkeepsie Licensee issue of Welte-Mignon roll 2905, . . ."

Then, in the 170710 MMDigest, each weighing-in with really interesting
and useful information about Gounod and the double palindrome herself,
Irene-Eneri, were Hans-W. Schmitz and John McClelland respectively,
thus setting the stage for a possible big sparks display, Mignon-style!
Sadly (I love controversy just as did distinguished AMICA Bulletin
editor Jim Elfers) it is not going to be, as the mystery that might
have been never was to be.

I took a listen to Peter Phillips' fine sound file of his (I assume)
MIDI conversion, and was stunned by its immediacy of emotional
impression, as it had made upon me.  Not a waltz by any means but,
rather, it seemed darkly Russian and brooding with a touch of spring
lightness uplifting one at it's center, then on-continuing to
conclusion.  McClelland proclaims the roll is "2005," "Gorainoff," and
"Les larmes", which as translated conveys to us the emotive "In Tears".

All this I accept and believe -- the tiny work's sad mood being
effectively 'tho briefly conveyed by ghostly chads existing no longer
in thin paper.  (Magic as done by nothing.)

The Last Word (and the first):

  2005  Les LARMES, Op. 33, in E -- Eneri-Gorainoff/Eneri-Gorainoff
  2005  MIREILLE, Waltz -- Gounod/Goodall (a numbering error by
  Welte-Mignon Corp. in their 1920 T-100 catalog; see roll no. 2905)

These two are compliments of Charles Davis Smith, to be found in his
and another's "Purple Bible" -- The Welte-Mignon: It's Music and
Musicians -- on page 205 at lower right.  (Author/compiler Smith rarely
if ever missed a trick, as certainly he did not with this one.)

As for the Palindrome Girl, Irene-Eneri, herself, Prokofieff and Rimsky
made known some opinionation as to her compositional prowess, and it
was not sterling.  However, this one tiny sample (again, compliments of
Peter Phillips), reveals her to have been distinguished compositionally
as well as executantly at very least, if not great.  (The graphical
attachments of Robbie's and John McClelland's are splendid!  Let's find
out more about her.)

In addition to providing much information about the failed Gounod
effort, Hans Schmitz coincidentally mentions "(See the German catalog
by Dangel/Schmitz)."  What might _this_ be?  Whatever, it must be
wonderful.  (Has anyone ever even seen a copy, much less had one
in-hand?  Doubtless-so, the very stuff of which legends are hewn;
of what color might be it's covers?)

At the link below, I've included a lovely photo portrait of the barely
prepubescent Irene-Eneri.

Jim Miller
Las Vegas, Nevada

 [ A "Lolita" of the grand piano-forte?
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/17/07/13/170713_024935_GORAINOFF,%20Irene-Eneri%20-%20A%20Ivanitsky%20phot.jpg 

 [ I didn't notice earlier the palindrome, Jim -- good catch!  But it's
 [ a palindrome only in the French version of her name; compare with
 [ her name in Cyrillic in the photo.  In modern English transliteration
 [ her name is spelled Irina Eneri Goryainova (Gor-ya-i-nov-a).  More at
 [ http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=1887.30;wap 
 [ -- Robbie


(Message sent Thu 13 Jul 2017, 09:49:36 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  Composition, Licensee, Roll, Unknown, Welte

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