Comedian Harmonists – Folge 2 (1929–35) (24/44 Vinyl Rip Mono)

There is so much to tell about the Comedian Harmonists and their recordings – where to start? Most people will know some of their hits. In 1975 a 4 hours documentary about the Comedian Harmonists was broadcast in German TV. Public demand then led to the reissue of their work on 3 double LPs. This second double LP emphasises the rich variety of their arrangements and vocal artistry: some of their hits, classical compositions, traditional "Volkslieder" in high German or dialect, 2 Italian songs, songs from their film appearances, one of them in French, an adaptation of "Night and Day" written by Cole Porter. If you are an arranger or a singer in a choir or band, you really have a lot to study here.

But most important:
These vinyl reissues have not yet been castrated by endless digital noise filters like today's CDs. I have spent hours to restore the original sound and also to repair some defects of the shellacs that had been used for this reissue. I don't think that you will find better sounding Comedian Harmonists anywhere, you can hear every breath now. What's the problem with some noise? These recordings are 80 (!) years old now, that's how a recording sounded in those days. If you only have heard a CD (rip) yet, you haven't heard the Comedian Harmonists at all, believe me!

Review from www.yodaslair.com:
I was introduced to this marvelous group by Volume 2 of this series by EMI Electrola, and would recommend it to you without reservation. The interior of the fold-open jacket contains five great pictures, and the 28 selections on these records are hard to beat. Yes, in this case, Volume 2 is better than Volume 1.

Biography from www.yodaslair.com:
The story of The Comedian Harmonists is more than a story of their music. It is a classic tale of the mercurial rise and tragic fall of exceptionally talented performers.
I can offer no better introduction to the music of this exceptional group than that found in the notes by Charles Haynes accompanying CD 7000 – The Comedian Harmonists, released in 1993 on the "Flapper" label:
The idea of singers vocalising to make humorous mimicry of music conceived for instrumental forces must be familiar to many from the Swingle Singers' renderings of Bach in the 1960s. … The concept in fact dates back a good deal earlier. Late in 1927, a gifted but unemployed German singer/comedian named Harry Frommermann thought of trying to form a male voice quintet to explore this genre. Frommermann had been inspired by hearing records of an American group, "The Revelers". Their aim would be not merely to vocalise, but to give renderings of a variety of different kinds of song, the accompaniments to be provided orally, supplemented discreetly on occasion by a piano.
Some brief historical perspective is in order. In 1927, Frommermann, seeking to compliment his own rich tenor voice, placed an advertisement in the Berlin Lokalanzeiger, soliciting other members for the quintet. Many applicants were turned away before Robert Biberti, the son of a singer at the Berlin Opera House, presented himself along with his deep and softly resonant bass voice. Biberti's advice and contacts soon led to the engagement of the other members. Ari Leschnikoff, a Bulgarian who had given up a military career to become a professional singer, became the lead tenor. Erich A. Collin, became second tenor, Frommermann himself was third, and Roman Cycowski, a Pole well known as an operatic singer in the '20s, was the baritone. The sixth man (and sometimes sixth voice) was Erwin Bootz, piano accompanist who, in collaboration with Frommermann, also worked on the musical arrangements.
As stated by Peter Dempsey in notes to a recent CD to be mentioned below:
… the ensemble was blessed, in addition to prodigious vocal and musical talent, with a multi-lingual capacity and a broadly based facility in many styles ranging from classical to the latest popular material.
And, as observed on the liner notes to an Australian LP (also to be mentioned):
There has never been another male-voice quintet quite like the Comedy Harmonists. "They adorn whatever they touch" wrote a critic at the time. Certainly their exquisitely conceived performances, rendered with immaculate musicianship, have never been surpassed. The group's originality lay in the imitation of musical instruments, the way their five voices could sound like a small orchestra.
The men soon achieved great success, producing many recordings, appearing in a dozen films, and sharing the bill with such luminaries as Marlene Dietrich. In-person tours included engagements in Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, and London, with their popularity eventually taking them to the United States, where they appeared at a celebrated performance aboard the "Saratoga" in the Hudson River in June 1934. The group also found time for several radio concerts on NBC. The fairy tale rise to fame came to an abrupt end due to the emergence of Adolph Hitler in Germany. Three members of The Comedian Harmonists were Jewish and the group was forcibly disbanded, giving their last German concert in Munich on March 25, 1934.
Seeing these guys in person must have been quite an experience. Their popularity is evidenced by the packed house shown in this rare concert photo. The overflow crowd was seated on the stage.
In later recordings and appearances, new men replaced some of the original members, but the fact that the "Comedian Harmonists" is not a household name today can be attributed directly to the tragedy that dominated Europe for more than a decade. Those of you interested in additional historical information will want to track down the article entitled "Their sweet song turned bitter long ago," which appeared in the Arts and Leisure section of The New York Times on March 31, 1991.
For those who read German, I refer you to two excellent books: "Die Comedian Harmonists" by Eberhard Fechner, published in 1988, and "Comedian Harmonists" by Peter Czada and Günter Große, first published in 1993. A second (and corrected) edition appeared in January 1998.
We are fortunate that the career of The Comedian Harmonists was relatively well documented by photographers. In addition to their fabulously popular concert appearances, the six gentlemen appeared on the theatrical stage and in motion pictures. At left we see a great photo of the horse-drawn "van" presumably used by the touring group. A selection of other photos is set forth on a separate page.

Tracks
01. Mein lieber Schatz, bist du aus Spanien? 02:45
02. Wir sind von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt 02:50
03. Ah Maria, Mari 03:10
04. Eine kleine Frühlingsweise 02:39
05. Hunderttausendmal 02:49
06. Liebling, mein Herz läßt dich grüßen 03:22
07. Perpetuum Mobile 02:35
08. Schöne Lisa 02:26
09. Ein neuer Frühling wird in die Heimat kommen 03:08
10. Tarantella sincera 03:19
11. Irgendwo auf der Welt 02:52
12. So ein Kuß kommt von allein 02:17
13. Tag und Nacht (Night and day) 03:16
14. Hallo, was machst du heut', Daisy? 02:41
15. Musketier Marsch 02:42
16. Hofsänger Serenade 03:09
17. Marie-Marie 02:37
18. Der alte Cowboy (The last round up) 03:17
19. Ich hab für dich 'nen Blumentopf bestellt 02:41
20. Ohne dich (Stürmisches Wetter) 03:11
21. Les gars de la marine (Das ist die Liebe der Matrosen) 03:14
22. Das Wirtshaus an der Lahn 03:01
23. In einem kühlen Grunde (Untreue) 02:53
24. Dorfmusik 02:53
25. Holzhackerlied 02:45
26. Hein spielt abends so schön auf dem Schifferklavier 02:43
27. Ach wie ist's möglich dann 02:00
28. Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus 02:00
Total time: 79:01

Musicians
Harry Frommermann: Tenor
Ari Leschnikoff: Tenor
Erich Collin: Tenor
Roman Cycowski: Bariton
Robert Biberti: Bass
Erwin Bootz: Piano