Well, here is a rare, rare recording by Mr. H. Clarke!

[thereallyniceman]

Only recently made available, this extremely rare Berliner Record (No 6324) of Mendelssohn’s Concerto on banjo, was recorded in London on 8th February 1901 by Mr. H. Clarke.

Berliner Gramophone (also known as E. Berliner's Gramophone) was an early record label, the first company to produce disc "gramophone records" (as opposed to the earlier phonograph cylinder records). Emile Berliner started marketing his disc records in 1889. These records were five inches in diameter, and offered only in Europe. In 1897 Berliner opened up his United Kingdom branch in London. This was called The Gramophone Company, then from 1900 The Gramophone & Typewriter Ltd.

Early Berliner records were unusual in that they did not have paper labels, the title and performer details being engraved into the centre of the disc!

 

I know very little about Mr. H. Clarke, except he made several early banjo recordings for The Gramophone & Typewriter Ltd., both as solo performances and with Earl and others:

 

Messrs. Clarke and Rays, Old Folks at Home, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Rays, "Finale, William Tell Overture", 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Rays, Imitation of a Negro Wedding, 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Darkies’ Patrol, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, King Cotton March, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Scorcher March, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Hot Foot Sue, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Narcissus, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Marriage Bells, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, What Ho! She Bumps, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Scarlet Letter March, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Off to the Races, Banjos 1901

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Pizziccato from Sylvia, Banjos 1901

Mr. H. Clarke, Tarantella, Banjo 1903

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Twin Star Medley,Banjos 1903

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Coster Medley, Banjos 1903

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Little Octoroon, Banjos 1903

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, The Lambeth Walk, Banjos 1903

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, British Patrol, Banjos 1903

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Dixie Medley, Banjos 1903

Messrs. Clarke and Earl, Rice’s Ragtime Opera, Banjos 1903

 

H. Clarke was quite a player but again, as with some other early banjo recordings, I can’t quite work out if he is playing exclusively fingerstyle!

What do you think?

MENDELSSOHN’S CONCERTO

[thereallyniceman]

Enjoy!

 Why can't I play like that?

:-)

[Mike Moss]

Sounds like the Farland arrangement... and he seems to be playing it note for note!

[thereallyniceman]

So who on earth was Mr. H. Clarke??  Anyone know of him?

 There sure were a lot of talented Classic Style players around at the turn of the 20th century!

[thereallyniceman]

There will be a prize for the first to produce a recording   :-)

...   Here is the score:

[Trapdoor2]

I bought 17 of the 5" Berliners about 30 yrs ago in a junque shop. They were marked as 45rpm records and I paid a whole $15 for the lot. As I recall, most are with hand-scratched titles and they run from 1895 to 1898.

Not a single one has a banjo on it.

One though, is enscribed "Stars and Stripes Forever, Sousa's Band, November 22, '97, Washington, D.C." This may well be the earliest known recording of the piece...which debuted in May of the same year.

I will not be attempting the Mendelsohn. Did someone spill sugar on that score? It appears to have attracted a great deal of ants.

 

[Shawn McSweeny]

Is that a score??? 

It looks more like  section diagrams through the recent Tour de France mountain routes. :-)

[Richard William Ineson]

Mr. Clark is a bit of a mystery, he certainly seems to be the Clark who played with Burt Earle, but he was supposedly called Clark Jones. Burt Earle was also quite a banjo player, he had the Mendelssohn violin concert in his repertoire as well as the William Tell, and also Semiramide and Bazzini's Witches' Dance.

Burt Earle was born in San Francisco, and after leaving Clark in 1903, he played with Ossman and later with Hunter in America.

My issue of the B.M.G. for June 1955, which might contain details of Mr.Clark in Brewer's article,' The Banjo in Britain' has had the relevant pages removed, by whom, and why, will ever remain another mystery.