CROWN - Croatian World Network - http://www.croatia.org/crown
Franjo Dugan playing organs in Zagreb during the first public registration of a gramophone record in Europe
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10634/1/Franjo-Dugan-playing-organs-in-Zagreb-during-the-first-public-registration-of-a-gramophone-record-in-Europe.html
By Darko Žubrinić
Published on 12/27/2014
 
The first remote public registration of a gramophone record in continental Europe was successfully organized in Croatia's capital Zagreb, 1927. It was the third such registration in the world, after the USA, New York in 1925 and GB, London in 1926. The concert of Croatian Christmas carols with Franjo Dugan as the organist in the Zagreb Cathedral (stuffed with 2000 worshippers who were singing), had been registered for the Edison - Bell - Penkala Co. in Zagreb. We mention in passing that Penkala was a famous Croatian inventor, known among others for his "chemical pen", named as penkala in his honor.

The first remote public registration of a gramophone record in continental Europe and the third in the world


Franjo Dugan, distinguished Croatian organ player


 
Summary. The first remote public registration of a gramophone record in continental Europe was successfully organized in Croatia's capital Zagreb, 1927. It was the third such registration in the world, after the USA, New York in 1925 and GB, London in 1926. The concert of Croatian Christmas carols with Franjo Dugan as the organist in the Zagreb Cathedral (stuffed with 2000 worshippers who were singing), had been registered for the Edison - Bell - Penkala Co. in Zagreb. We mention in passing that Penkala was a famous Croatian inventor, known among others for his "chemical pen", named as penkala in his honor.




The 1927 gramophone record containing two Croatian Christmas carols, registered during the Christams concert in the Zagreb Cathedral, with Franjo Dugan playing organs. It was created using the remote public registration method for the first time in continental Europe.

Narodil nam se Kralj Nebeski:



Tebe Boga hvalimo:



 
Franjo Dugan (1874-1948), studied mathematics and physics at the University of Zagreb, and was outstanding organ player and composer, the Zagreb Cathedral organist since 1910.

It is maybe worth mentioning that the German pianist Alfred Brendel, at that time 10 years old, met Franjo Dugan in Zagreb, who gave him lessons that he found extremely useful. He also appeared at a children's theatre in Zagreb. In Dugan's textbook Music Acoustics (in Croatian), published poshumously,

Franjo Dugan st., Glazbena akustika, Kiklos - Krug knjige, Zagreb, 2014., ISBN 978-953-56937-6-5, 302 str. (information at  kiklos.hr@hotmail.com )

one can find the following surprising and little known fact (see pp. 279-295, in the appendix to the book written by Veljko Lipovšćak, Franjo Dugan st. - prvo javno snimanje za gramofonske ploče u Europi):

The first remote public registration of a gramophone record in continental Europe was organized in Croatia's capital Zagreb in 1927. It was the third such registration in the world, after the USA, New York in Metropolitan opera in 1925 and GB, London in Convent Garden 1926. The concert of Croatian Christmas carols with Franjo Dugan as the organist in the Zagreb Cathedral (stuffed with 2000 worshippers who were singing), had been electronically transferred  to the studio which later became known as Dvorana Istra (Istria Hall in Zagreb), and registered there for the Edison - Bell - Penkala Co. in Zagreb.
 
We mention in passing that Slavoljub Penkala was a famous Croatian inventor, known among others for his "chemical pen", named as penkala in his honor.

Source www.croatianhistory.net





Formated for CROWN by Darko Žubrinić
Distributed by www.Croatia.org . This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!