Instructions: Offer your assessments of the files in bullet point form below the files.
Files are considered Verified if they receive unanimous support and no issues have been identified and raised about them on this page.
Files are considered Possible if they receive a super-majority of support no major issues have been identified and raised about them on this page.
Files with identified issues or that received multiple oppose votes, but have not been listed for desisting are considered Improbable.
Files placed up for desisting are Denied. If they survive delisting they can be put back into the category where they were before, or if a new version of the sound was created as part of the desisting process, can be placed in unassessed.
Files are Unassessed if two people or less have commented on them.
Note that files promoted after 23 February 2011 are presumed to be verified.
Support Great recording for the era. Its a fairly important song from the era of the American civil war. --Guerillero | My Talk 01:12, 25 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Supported by Tony1 on the original page, with the comment: —historically significant: I love it. But tell me, can anything be done to improve the unfortunate "rattling/buzzing" artefact at peak volume? Tony(talk)
Not really. That sort of distortion is basically caused by the recording going beyond what the technology can handle. I can't say if it's the cylinder or the scanning cylinder reader (they generally don't play them anymore, they use a scanner) that causes the problem, but either way. Adam Cuerden(talk) 05:41, 20 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Support Very nice. I can't help thinking that in 100 years people will listen to recordings ripped from CD and say "is there anything you can do about XXX imperfection?" "Sadly, No. That's just from their primitive optical technology." Sven ManguardWha? 00:09, 3 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
"Swansong", the winning song in the Ubuntu 10.10 Free Culture Showcase, written and performed by Josh Woodward.
Yes. But is it possible to locate who the recordist(s) and accompanying artist(s) were? Who was the copyright owner? Should there not be an OTRS ticket releasing the copyright? Tony(talk) 04:46, 20 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I don't think we need an OTRS if there's a thingie on the webpage of the artist. God, it's late here. Adam Cuerden(talk) 05:41, 20 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I was told last night that Raul apparently puts empty OTRS tickets on the Musopens that just say that everything's been verified. That might be a good idea, but it also seems unnecessary.
Weak Support The article it's in needs work. We have a while before this becomes critical though. Sven ManguardWha? 16:28, 23 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
From Tony1 on the original roll call thread; "as I commented above, boxy acoustic feel, the first chord is just horrid. Some good things about the performance, even though on modern instruments and with too much vibrato than is now normally acceptable. I’d use on the main page only if desperate."
I see your points, but am ambiguous on how it adds up. Adam Cuerden
Neutral something just sounds wrong about this recording that I can't put my finger on. --Guerillero | My Talk 01:08, 25 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I wouldn't call the first chord "horrid", but yea it's not great. Indeed vibrato is a bit strong. Overall agree with Tony. Jujutaculartalk 04:17, 8 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Denied
Was frag ich nach der Welt (DELISTED)
Delisted 4 March 2011
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
Currently in a suspended nomination where the proposal calls for delisting and replacement by Musopen version. Mixed set (two from one source, one from another.) Sven ManguardWha? 17:09, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Toccata et Fugue (1 File)
Delisted 22 March 2011
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
robotic performance; brittle organ sound. OK in some respects. (talk)
I find the opening somewhat awkward, and it's such an iconic piece of music. At the very least, this is begging to be replaced, and so should be moved down the list a bit in that hope. Adam Cuerden(talk) 13:49, 19 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Down the list a bit? Does that mean off the list (I hope). Tony(talk) 04:07, 20 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Honestly, if something's not good enough for the main page, it should probably be delisted, and I agree with all of these except Magic Flute (too soon!), the Pierre Gaveaux (fault explained by period instruments) and I'm a little more ambiguous than you on Eine kleine Nachtmusic. Actually, we don't have the rest of the piece. Delist it. If we can't stand by these being on our main page, they probably shouldn't be FSes. Adam Cuerden(talk) 04:33, 20 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Oppose A pedestrian performance - the description page doesn't indicate where it was recorded. It does sound to me like a digital organ done in MIDI rather than a real organ in a Church, although it does say it was done on a Tamburini organ (or on a program which sounds like a Tamburini Organ). The sound does sound "wet", but doesn't have the scale that a recording done in a large space would have. I'm sure there must be a better performance of this somewhere. Major Bloodnok (talk) 21:34, 4 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The "Hallelujah" chorus from George Frideric Handel's Messiah, as performed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Concert Choir, directed by William C. Cutter.
The orchestra is not a disaster, but the choir is pretty bad: wheezy. The problem with this musical icon is that people will judge it by the tons of superb recordings available. Why would we embarrass ourselves? [User talk:Tony1|(talk)]]
Documentation is also horrible. I wouldn't have considered this without a lot more research. Adam Cuerden(talk) 13:49, 19 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Oppose - The singers aren't bad, but the quality of the sound is crap. (X! · talk) · @273 · 05:32, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Oppose - as per X!/ The musicians play OK and the choir is performing as I would expect from non-professionals, but the sound is terribly muddy and murky. Major Bloodnok (talk) 22:44, 2 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Supported by Tony1 on the original roll call thread; comment: "not a very good recording, and the orchestra is way suppressed in the balance, as you’d expect from the techniques of the day; but worth it on historical grounds, probably."
Supported by Adam Cuerden who considers it one of his favourite featured sounds. It's on period instruments, which explains away the only mild flaws. Adam Cuerden(talk) 19:19, 23 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Supported by Tony1 on the original page, with the comment; —Of historical significance. There's a high blip after 30 s or so that could be removed. Nice to have the details of the artists and their years on the description page. Tony(talk)
As I recall, I was unable to remove the blip without it sounding like Caruso's voice wobbled. Adam Cuerden(talk) 13:51, 19 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Supported by Tony1 on the original page with the comment: -historically significant. But there's a lot of hiss and in a few places whatever artefact you get from too much volume for the mike (from her voice, I think). Can it be improved? Tony(talk)
Supported by Tony1 on the original page, with the comment; —yup, great performances, great feel about it (Hempel's long-held high note is slightly flat, but it's not enough to worry about). This one is free of those irritating buzz/rattle artefacts; occasionally the loud, thick vocal chords suffer. So we do have an article on Caruso; let's ensure the description pages link artists where possible. Tony(talk)
Opera is perhaps one of my least favorite forms of music, however this is technically sound and dosen't suffer from as much distortion as I'd expect from a recording this old, so Support. Sven ManguardWha? 23:59, 2 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Supported by Tony1 on the original page, with the comment:You can hear the disc going around and around, unfortunately. Was it a wax disc in 1910? Visitors need to have easy access to this kind of information if these are main-page featured. Tony(talk)
I'm sorry, I don't quite follow the question. If you mean was it a disc or a cylinder, all Victor Records releases were on disc, to my knowledge. Adam Cuerden(talk) 05:46, 20 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Brass band arrangement of the Hunters' Chorus from The Lily of Killarney using period instruments. During the 19th century, brass bands began to spring up throughout Europe and America. Popular music, including operas, were arranged for them by composers and music sellers eager to cash in on the free advertising they provided.
Supported by Tony1 on the original page with the comment; high-class, almost entirely. WTF is the Library of Congress Music Division (which is listed as recording this in 1974)? Is it from an opera, an operetta, or what? The link is dead on the description page. Tony(talk)
It's the American name for Julius Benedict's The Lily of Kilarney. It's very valuable so far as it goes, of course, it's more an example of brass band than Benedict =) Adam Cuerden(talk) 04:36, 20 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Supported by Tony1 on the original page with the comment; —Good. We have a lot of Caruso. Enough to consider thematising in a series at some stage. I wish the title or the descr. page had the English translation, The force of destiny.Tony(talk)
It's generally referred to by its Italian title even in English speaking countries. I've never seen it translated. Adam Cuerden(talk) 05:41, 20 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
A 1913 recording of "The Lost Chord" sung by Reed Miller. The lyrics are by Christian mystic poet Adelaide Anne Procter, and were set to music by Arthur Sullivan at the bedside of his dying brother, Fred Sullivan, to whom the song is dedicated. "The Lost Chord" proved immediately successful and remains one of the most enduring of Sullivan's non-operatic compositions.
Francesco Tamagno, the original Otello, sings "Niun mi tema" (Morte d'Otello) from Giuseppe Verdi's Otello. This 1903 recording dates from just two years before Tamagno's death.
Navarra (Danza Espagnole), Op. 33, by Pablo de Sarasate. Performed by Roxana Pavel Goldstein and Elias Goldstein (violins) with the Depaul Symphony (Chicago) conducted by Cliff Colnot. Composed in 1889.
A piano roll recording of Maple Leaf Rag, by Scott Joplin. It was performed by Scott Joplin in 1916, as he was suffering from advanced Syphilis, and shows how the degenerative disease effected Joplin's musical ability.
Not sure on this one. Does the historical importance of it being his piano roll and showcasing the syphallis outweigh the fact that it's played wrong? Sven ManguardWha? 17:13, 23 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Support - I've got to mention that I was the original nominator and uploader. I appreciate what you mean by the quality of the playing. However I would argue that it is of historical interest as it is a performance by a major figure in American music of the early 20th Century, and illustrates the health problems he experienced later in life. IMO the historical importance of this recording trumps any problem with the performance in musical terms. It is important to note that this comes from a piano roll which was not edited, as was the usual practice at the time, so it is likely to be as close as we can get to the reality of Joplin's playing. Of course there is still the possibility that someone may not like the piano sound; feel free to do another version based on the source MIDI file. I can't do it myself as I no longer have access to Cubase. Major Bloodnok (talk) 22:53, 2 March 2011 (UTC)I got confused about the purpose of this page; I think it would be worthwhile if it were a clear explanation on the description page. But as Sven notes above, there is a risk that without clarity it may be seen merely as a bad performance (which it is in some ways). Of the two Joplin rolls we have I would go for Pleasant Moments in the first instance as it was unknown until its discovery by a NZ collector recently, and sounds better because it has been heavily edited before publication. Major Bloodnok (talk) 16:24, 3 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Maple Leaf Rag, composed by Scott Joplin and performed by William J. Leslie in 2008. This composition is based off of Joplin's sheet music, and is presumably closer to the artist's original intention that the piano roll featured above is.
Oppose I must say I'm not at all a fan of this rendition. There seems to be no sense of tempo. Jujutaculartalk 07:03, 4 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Oppose I must agree - the tempo is all over the place and while it is nice that he pianist has put in some of his own flourishes, the playing is just too uncertain. I must admit I would also be in favour of reassessing the FS status of this. Major Bloodnok (talk) 19:49, 4 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The hit song from the 1899 musical Florodora, which played a major role in developing the chorus line. A c. 1908 Edison Records recording by the "Edison Sextette" (Ada Jones, George S. Lenox, Corinne Morgan, Grace Nelson, Bob Roberts and Frank C. Stanley).
Lillian Russell's only recording, from 1912. During the production of Twirly Whirly, composer John Stromberg delayed giving her her solo for several days, saying it wasn't ready. When he committed suicide a few days before the first rehearsal, the sheet music for "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star" was found in his pocket. It became Lillian Russell's signature song.
A recording of "Hostias Et Preces" by Eugenio Terziani (1824–1889), sung by the last surviving castrato of the Pope's choir, Alessandro Moreschi (1858–1922). Moreschi, as the only castrato trained in the old traditions to be recorded, provides our only insight into what a lost musical tradition was like.
Oppose This sounds all over the map. The clarinet or cornet, I can't tell what it is, sounds airy and whistly. I was very hopeful to get some jazz on the main page. --Guerillero | My Talk 19:00, 26 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Support Sure, it sounds a bit off by modern standards, even I can hear the balance issues, but this is huge historically. Sven ManguardWha? 17:28, 23 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Support Good stuff. I can't help but smile though at "Music Director Bourgeois", I mean come on... :D Sven ManguardWha? 07:50, 3 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Instrumental version of the most famous song from the 1921 musical Shuffle Along, recorded during its original Broadway run. Later used as a presidential campaign song for Harry Truman.
Supported by Tony1 on the original page with the comment; —Yes, but shouldn't the scant information on the Commons SDP be copied onto the en.WP page? The link to the source is dead.Tony(talk) 04:46, 20 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Traditional anthem in the Omaha language, used for homecomings and to close ceremonies. Translation: "When you went overseas, you made a stand so that the flag could be raised. When you returned, you brought the flag back. You saved our lives."
An example of a singer reading shape notes, this shows how a trained shape note singer would have the music to "Star of the East" marked up in the shape note tradition's modified solfege.
Charles Gounod – Petite Symphonie pour neuf instruments à vent (4 Files)
Charles Gounod's Petite Symphonie pour neuf instruments à vent (Little Symphony for Nine Woodwinds, 1885). Performed by the Soni Ventorum: Felix Skowronek, flute; Laila Storch, oboe; William McColl, clarinet; Christopher Leuba, horn; Arthur Grossman, Bassoon; and guest performers Ove Hanson, oboe; Julie Oster, clarinet; David Cottrell, horn; and Robert Olson, bassoon.
Sonata for Flute or Recorder and Harpsichord in B minor (3 Files)
Johann Sebastian Bach's Sonata in B minor for flute or recorder and harpsichord. Performed by Alex Murray (traverso) and Martha Goldstein (harpsichord)
These recordings of selections from W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore (1878) was created by Edison Records in 1911. It stars Elizabeth Spencer, Mary Jordan, Harry Anthony, Walter Van Brunt, James F. Harrison, and William F. Hooley.
Includes "My gallant crew, good morning", "I am the Captain of the Pinafore", "Sorry her lot" (second verse, beginning "Sad is the hour"), "Over the bright blue sea", and "I am the monarch of the sea"
Support A very interesting set, used in a Featured Article. The recordings have historic value and one can forgive the limitations of the technology. Major Bloodnok (talk) 20:06, 4 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Molière and Jean-Baptiste Lully – Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (11 Files)
The ballet music by Jean-Baptiste Lully from Le Bourgeois gentilhommeMolière's 1670 comédie-ballet (that is, a ballet broken up by spoken scenes). This version was performed by the Advent Chamber Orchestra in 2007.
Frédéric Chopin wrote his Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65 in 1846. It is one of only nine works of Chopin published during his lifetime that were written for instruments other than piano (although the piano still appears in every work he wrote). Chopin composed four sonatas, the others being all piano sonatas. The cello sonata was the last of Chopin's works to be published in his lifetime.
The sonata was written for and dedicated to Auguste Franchomme, and it was played by Franchomme and Chopin at the composer's last public concert, at the Salle Pleyel on 16 February 1848.
This performance is by John Michel and Lisa Bergman.
"Trois Quintetti Concertans" by Giuseppe Cambini (9 Files)
Giuseppe Cambini (1746–1825?) wrote the Trois Quintetti Concertans ("Three Wind Quintets") around 1802, making the some of the earliest ever composed. This recording was performed in 2004 by the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet: Felix Skowronek (flute), Laila Storch (oboe), William McColl (clarinet), Christopher Leuba (horn), and Arthur Grossman (bassoon).
Satie's coining of the word "gnossienne" was one of the rare occasions when a composer used a new term to indicate a new "type" of composition. Satie had and would use many novel names for his compositions ("vexations", "croquis et agaceries" and so on). "Ogive," for example, had been the name of an architectural element until Satie used it as the name for a composition, the Ogives. "Gnossienne," however, was a word that did not exist before Satie used it as a title for a composition. The word appears to be derived from "gnosis"; Satie was involved in gnostic sects and movements at the time that he began to compose the Gnossiennes.[citation needed] However, some published versions claim[citation needed] that the word derives from Cretan "knossos" or "gnossus" and link the Gnossiennes to Theseus, Ariadne and the Minotaur myth. Several archeological sites relating to that theme were famously excavated around the time that Satie composed the Gnossiennes.
Support I know it sounds dreadful, but it is of historical importance and I like the symbolism of the first known recording of the human voice being the first Featured Sound on the Main Page rota. Major Bloodnok (talk) 16:27, 3 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Oppose. This should be replaced with a version based on First Sounds' May 2009 restoration. Further study has convinced them that the recording should run at half the speed originally proposed, bringing it down an octave. Their opinion now is that it's a male voice, specifically that of Scott, the inventor. ReverendWayne (talk) 04:18, 30 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
A very early wax cylinder recording (October 5, 1888) of composer Arthur Sullivan. It was created in London by George Gouraud as an audio letter to be sent back to Edison.
An 1890 recording of Walt Whitman reading the opening four lines of his poem "America", from his collection Leaves of Grass.
Oppose. Allen Koenigsberg's article [1] raises sufficient doubt of this recording's authenticity. ReverendWayne (talk) 04:25, 30 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
United States military song recorded during the Spanish–American War by Emile Berliner, inventor of the first lateral disc audio record, one year after he received the patent on the device.
A recording of the Welsh national anthem, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (composed in January 1856 by James James, with words by his father Evan James), sung by Madge Breese for the Gramophone Company on 11 March 1899.
This 1906 recording enticed store customers with the wonders of an exciting invention: the phonograph cylinder.
Support Although I think of "Head On" commercials when I hear it. Corny as hell by modern standards. Sven ManguardWha? 17:39, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Excerpts of a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt at Carnegie Hall, March 12, 1912, recorded August 12 by Thomas Edison. The time constraints of the wax cylinder medium probably required the abridgement.
Oppose but do not Delist I really don't want a translation of the Himmler speech on the main page. Heck I really don't want the clip on the main page period. That's not just personal bias, it's recognition that doing so will offend a huge number of people, especially if we include the translation. The last thing I want to see is the media running with "Wikipedia calls for extermination of the Jews" on one of the many journalistic outlets that don't bother to understand Wikipedia before reporting on it. Wikipedia isn't censored, except for the fact that it kinda is. If we do decide to put it on the main page, it has to be on Holocaust Memorial Day (27 Nisan or 27 January) and it has to be done carefully. Sven ManguardWha? 17:39, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Oppose but do not Delist I agree with Sven. In addition, I think that there is no problem with having FSes and deciding not to have them on the main page - Featured Pictures has a page detailing which FPs won't be displayed and why. Having a translation on the main page would be problematic for obvious space reasons, and besides which this is an English language Encyclopaedia. Having a speech, even a noteworthy historical one, on the front page in another language is asking for trouble (unless it's very short). And that's even before you get to the subject-matter of this one. Major Bloodnok (talk) 20:21, 4 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Harry Truman Announcing Surrender Of Germany (1 File)
Japanese emperor Hirohito reads out the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War
Should we include a translation? It should have one, but I don't want to set a precedent for it mostly because I really don't want a translation of the Himmler speech on the main page. Sven ManguardWha? 17:39, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Harry Truman Announcing Surrender Of Japan (1 File)
James A. Lovell, Jr, Apollo 13 Commander, reporting an explosion on 13 April 1970. Duration 0:17.
Comment One of our shortest featured sounds by far. I'm not sure what that means for us, but we should be careful when pairing this one up to make sure it dosen't seem lost. Sven ManguardWha? 17:39, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
This is just so iconic as far as space flight goes. (where is the one small step for man....) --Guerillero | My Talk 03:30, 16 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
George W. Bush's address to the people of the United States, September 11, 2001, 8:30 pm EDT.
Weak Oppose Historically very important, and it's an important record to have. My main problem is that the quality of the recording is poor - there are digital artefacts which distort the sound during President Bush's vocal. I checked the web-site this came from, and the source MP3 is 64Kbps, which is not CD quality. It's a real shame. Hopefully there will be another recording online somewhere of higher quality. For old recordings I think low quality can be forgiven, but for recent, broadcast recordings, poor quality is not really on. We could use it on the 10th anniversary of Sept 11th which is on Sunday this year, but I'd still worry about the quality. Major Bloodnok (talk) 20:50, 4 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Performance of the Hymn of the Russian Federation by the Presidential Orchestra and Kremlin Choir at the inauguration of President Dmitry Medvedev at The Kremlin on 7 May 2008. The lyrics were written in 1943 by Sergey Mikhalkov to a pre-existing tune by Alexander Alexandrov. In 2000, it was reinstated as the national anthem of Russia.
Why do we have 2 nearly identical sounds? Myself, I'd prefer to promote the 2008 version. It's got singers, and is longer. (X! · talk) · @278 · 05:40, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Support I'm neutral on the crop but I understand why it was done. This is a very famous speech, producing one of the most famous quotes in recent American history, and it simply has to be shown. Sven ManguardWha? 17:09, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Russian anthem at Victory Day Parade (1 File) (VIDEO)
The Shepard-Risset glissando, a type of aural illusion: The sound seems to infinitely descend while remaining in a finite frequency range.
Support April 1? It's a Monday this year but I'd just love to see it with a prompt "A standard speaker test, properly functioning speakers should produce a low uniform hum." Sven ManguardWha? 17:09, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I like that idea. (I'll through in a support too) --Guerillero | My Talk 03:27, 16 March 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Support I would however recommend that all four pieces be used at once. They are a contiguous story and running them seperately would be the same as publishing the first three chapters of a book in one month and then publishing the rest of the book six months later, cutting the story in half. Sven ManguardWha? 17:09, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yes, it's professional grade with studio quality. Free use is beyond a doubt at this point. The one weakness is the article it's connected to. Hungry Lucy isn't mainstream, and the lack of reviews reflects that. Sven ManguardWha? 03:40, 23 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hold for a few months to allow article to grow. (X! · talk) · @274 · 05:34, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yes, playing one of them on 10 March (negotiator and uploader J Milburn's Wikibirthday) is seeming like a slim chance, at least this year. Sven ManguardWha? 17:16, 24 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
^Tovey, Donald Francis, Essays in Musical Analysis: Chamber Music, Oxford University Press, 1944, p. 124.
