Recording Pioneers


Stepan BALCIYAN  .... - ....   arrowarrow PIONEER    PARENTS    LIFE    NOTES    LABELS    PHOTOS    THANK YOU

PIONEERRESPOND

Stepan BALCIYAN  .... - ....

aka Stepan Balciyan, S. Balciyan, Stepan Baldjian, S. Baldjian
nationality
occupation
birth ........
baptism
death ........
burial

PARENTS

father
mother
children

LIFE


Armenian recording engineer ORFEON in later years (source: Marcel Blumenthal)
Matrix numbers of the earliest Orfeon recordings all have an "X" prefix (although the "X" was at times left out)
During one of the interviews I had with Marcel Blumenthal, the son of Jules Blument(h)al, he told me that the very first Orfeon recordings were made in Germany. That is not illogical since there definitely was a connection between the Blumenthals and the German HOMOKORD company. It seems likely that the first Orfeon recording engineer (prefix/signature "X" in front of the matrixnumbers) was German, possibly a Homokord recording expert.
In the early twenties an new prefix, an “S", appeared in front of the matrix numbers.
Initially recordings with “X” and “S” prefixes took turns, but at a certain point in time “S” took over completely, and X-prefixed matrix numbers stopped altogether.
It seems not unlikely that the “S”indicated a new recording expert and even that the “S” stood for “Stepan [Balciyan]”, although there is no proof for this assumption.


NOTES

  • Musique Adresses Universel. Annuaire International de Commerce de Musique, 13e Édition (1931) (Office Général de la Musique, Paris, 1931)


COMPANIES & LABELS



PHOTOS

First page of 11-page condolence register of Jules Blumenthal (18 February 1946).
Mentioning among others the name "Stepan Balciyan".
Detail of above-mentioned document showing the name "Stepan Balciyan".
Second page of 11-page condolence register of Jules Blumenthal (dated 18 February 1946).
Mentioning among others the name "A. Balciyan".
Detail of above-mentioned document showing the name "A. Balciyan".
Last page of draft 11-page contract (unsigned) between
Columbia Graphophone Company Limited and H. & J. Blumenthal Frères (dated 4 April 1929).
Detail of above-mentioned contract.
Lists H. and A. Balciyan Biraderler as representatives of Parlo[phone].
Page 1232 of Musique Adresses Universel, 13e Édition (1931).
Lists Baldjian frères, H. & A. at 8 Yeni Cami, Sirin Han, Istanbul.
BLUMENTHAL factory
Detail of Feriköy plan showing the Orfeon factory



THANK YOU


Ruth Edge
Nicole van Os