Early Jean Moeremans (1899-1901)

 Jean Moeremans was not the first saxophonist to record, but he was the first to make a substantial number of records. Between 1897 and 1899  he made 21 solo recordings for Berliner Gramophone, as well as 14 duets with other instrumentalists or vocalists. He then moved over to the fledgling Victor label in 1900, where he recorded some 25 sides - mostly solo, but including some duet and ensemble recordings. His final Victor discs, recorded in 1904, are not difficult to find, but the Berliners and 1900-1901 Victors are elusive. I'm presenting four of them here

Biographical information on Moeremans is sketchy. He was born in Belgium and emigrated to Canada, probably in the 1880s. Bandleader Patrick Gilmore heard him there and recruited him for his New York-based concert band. After a stint in Gilmore's band, Moeremans became the featured saxophone soloist with the United States Marine Band. He never recorded again after 1904, and his later life is clouded in mystery. He died in 1937 or 1938.

Moeremans' style is seems slightly odd, or at least archaic, by today's standards.  His nearly vibrato-less sound is somewhat bland (as far as we can tell through the haze of the primitive recording techniques), and his phrasing is not particularly distinguished.  But his technical abilities are apparent, and are even more impressive when one realizes that the saxophones of his time had more primitive keywork than modern horns, and that he's doing all that while negotiating double octave keys; the linked octave key mechanism had not been developed when these recordings were made.

Transferring these very early disc records presented several problems, not the least of which was determining the proper playing speed for each disc. The standard of 78 RPM was not widespread until a few years into the 20th century - and even then record speeds did not become reliable until the advent of electrical recording in 1925. Berliners were meant to be played at "about 70 RPM," but that varied a good bit from disc to disc. 1900-1902 Victors were usually recorded at 75 to 76 RPM.

In determining the correct speed for these discs, I used my ear, my knowledge of the saxophone, an electronic tuner, and common sense. I still acknowledge that I could be wrong about some of my conclusions. The "Fantasie on Old Folks at Home" sounds natural to me when played at about 67.5 RPM. At that speed, the piece is pitched in E flat. And in that key, the Moereman plays up to the highest "normal" note on saxophone. If the speed is pushed any higher, Moeremans would have had to utilize the altissimo register of the saxophone,

which he was not known to have used, and which would have been unusual at the time. The other Berliner, "Miserere" from Trovatore, was recorded on the same day, and sounds right at more or less the same speed.

The Victors sound natural at about 75.6 RPM. And again, that puts them into reasonable keys which fit the range of the instruments.

Caveats: The first Berliner, "Fantasie on Old Folks at Home," is pretty worn. For a few seconds at the beginning, there is more noise than music. It quickly improves, though. The other records are in better condition, although they all show their age. The recording is fairly primitive and unstable - you'll hear lots of wavering of pitch. I've used minimal noise reduction and filtering in order to avoid affecting the sound of the instruments. There is some "blasty" distortion in the saxophone sound in "Miserere." 

I have been unable to track down the composer of the "Fantasie for Flute and Saxophone" on Victor Monarch A-462. The last title doesn't feature Moeremans as soloist, but as part of a woodwind ensemble playing Louis Moreau Gottschalk's weepy salon piece "The Last Hope." These are all 7-inch, one-sided records - the standard at the time - with a playing time of about two minutes each.

Berliner 0605: Fantasie on Old Folks at Home by Jean Moeremans; recorded October 13, 1899

Berliner 0582: Miserere, 'Il Trovatore by Jean Moeremans and Frank Badollet (flute); recorded October 13, 1899

Victor Monarch A-462: Fantasie by Jean Moeremans and Frank Badollet (flute); recorded October 26, 1900

Victor A-604: Gottschalk's Last Hope by Moereman's Wood Wind Quartet (flute, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon); recorded January 1, 1901