A TRIBUTE TO GIANNI BETTINI
BY
ROBERT FEINSTEIN









BETTINI PHOTOGRAPHED IN HIS NEW YORK LABORATORY,DEC,1891


THE ABOVE ARTICLE IS FROM
THE ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY,
VOL. VIII #2.
THE ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY WAS, FOR MANY YEARS,
EDITED & PUBLISHED BY ALLEN KOENIGSBERG.

A FULL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ROBERT FEINSTEIN'S
PUBLISHED BETTINI ARTICLES IS FORTHCOMING.


THE ABOVE CIRCA 1900
BETTINI ADVERTISING POSTER WAS FOUND AT A GARAGE SALE
IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA. IT HAD BEEN USED AS A BACKING
FOR A FRAMED PICTURE BY SOMEONE WHO DID NOT REALIZE ITS
HISTORICAL VALUE. IT IS NOW OWNED BY THE U.S. LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS. ROBERT A. TRUAX DONATED IT IN 2000. THE POSTER,
AND A BETTINI CYLINDER, HAVE BEEN ON DISPLAY IN THE LIBRARY'S
JEFFERSON BUILDING, AS PART OF THE LONG-RUNNING AMERICAN
TREASURES OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS EXHIBITION.


IN 1890 BETTINI WROTE A PAMPHLET, IN FRENCH,
ABOUT HIS TALKING MACHINE EXPERIMENTS.
THIS IS ITS COVER.


SHOWN ABOVE
IS THE COVER OF THE JUNE, 1898 BETTINI CATALOG.


SHOWN ABOVE
IS THE COVER OF BETTINI'S JUNE, 1901 CATALOG.
PICTURED ON IT IS THE ITALIAN SOPRANO, LINA CAVALIERI.


AMONG THE ITEMS OFFERED FOR SALE IN BETTINI'S
JUNE, 1901 CATALOG WERE HIS ORNATE CYLINDER CABINETS.


SHOWN ABOVE IS A 1901 STOCK CERTIFICATE
FROM THE SOCIETE DES MICRO-PHONOGRAPHES BETTINI,
WHICH WAS ORGANIZED IN PARIS.
(From: http://www.geocities.com/antiquephonos/bettini.jpg).


BETTINI PROMINENTLY PLACED HIS NAME ON HIS PRODUCTS
AND EVEN HELD TWO FRENCH COPYRIGHTS FOR HIS SIGNATURE.
(Courtesy of www.78tours.com/reportage).


ON FEBRUARY 5, 1903,
BETTINI WENT TO THE VATICAN AND RECORDED THE VOICE
OF 93-YEAR-OLD POPE LEO XIII. WHEN HE RETURNED TO PARIS,
HE PRODUCED A BEAUTIFUL BROCHURE, THE COVER OF WHICH
IS SHOWN HERE. IT MARKETED THE TWO CYLINDERS
CONTAINING THE PONTIFF RECITING "THE PONTIFICAL BENEDICTION"
AND "AVE MARIA." HE ENVISIONED THESE RECORDINGS BEING
SIMULTANEOUSLY PLAYED BY PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD,
IN ORDER TO PROMOTE GLOBAL HARMONY AND PEACE.
(Courtesy of the Diane and Kurt Nauck collection).


THE SOCIETE DES MICRO-PHONOGRAPHES BETTINI ISSUED
RECORDINGS OF THE POPE IN BOTH CYLINDER AND DISC FORMATS.
THIS IS THE LABEL FOR BETTINI'S DISC RECORDING:
"THE PONTIFICAL BENEDICTION." DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE A
PHOTO OF THE SOCIETE DES MICRO-PHONOGRAPHES BETTINI
DISC LABEL OF POPE LEO XIII CHANTING "AVE MARIA?"
IT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE BENEDICTION LABEL AND WE WOULD LIKE
TO ADD AN ILLUSTRATION OF IT TO THIS WEBSITE.
(The above photograph is courtesy of the Diane and Kurt Nauck collection).


THIS IS THE LID FOR A BOX CONTAINING A COLUMBIA
CYLINDER THAT WAS DUBBED FROM ONE OF BETTINI'S
RECORDINGS OF POPE LEO XIII.
(Courtesy of the Diane and Kurt Nauck collection).


BETTINI ENGRAVED HIS SIGNATURE INTO THE PAPAL CYLINDERS,
INCLUDING THOSE DISTRIBUTED BY COLUMBIA.
(The above photograph is courtesy of Jean-Paul Agnard).


THIS IS THE FRONT AND REVERSE OF AN ADVERTISING CARD
FROM THE PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1900,
WHERE BETTINI WON THE GOLD MEDAL FOR PHONOGRAPHS.
(Courtesy of Julien Anton).


THE APRIL, 1900
BETTINI CATALOG WAS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY
FOR HIS EXHIBIT AT THE PARIS EXPOSITION.


THIS LITHOGRAPHED BETTINI ADVERTISING POSTER WAS
FOUND IN NEW ZEALAND. IT HAS BEEN RESOLD SEVERAL TIMES,
OVER THE YEARS, AND IS NOW OWNED BY A COLLECTOR IN
CALIFORNIA. IT WAS DISPLAYED AT THE ANNUAL SHOW OF
THE CALIFORNIA ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH SOCIETY,
HELD IN AUGUST OF 1998, WHICH FEATURED A PRESENTATION
ENTITLED, "THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF GIANNI BETTINI."
ROBERT FEINSTEIN PROVIDED RESEARCH AND PHOTOGRAPHS
TO SPEAKERS, JOHN LEVIN AND MARK ULANO, FOR THE EVENT.
WHILE THE POSTER IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE APRIL, 1900 CATALOG,
A COMPARISON OF THE TWO SHOWS A NUMBER OF SUBTLE,
BUT DISTINCT DIFFERENCES, IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DESIGNS.
(The photograph of this poster was kindly provided by Rod Cornelius).


IN 1905, A GROUP OF FIVE PARTNERS PURCHASED THE U.S.
BETTINI PHONOGRAPH BUSINESS. AS CAN BE SEEN FROM
THIS CA. 1905 CATALOG, THE FIRM CONTINUED USING BETTINI'S
NAME AND DISTINCTIVE GRAPHICS.
(Courtesy of Charles Hummel).


IN EARLY 1900, SOPRANO MARCELLA SEMBRICH RECORDED
A RENDITION OF "VOCI D' PRIMAVERA, IN BETTINI'S NEW YORK
STUDIO. AROUND THE YEAR 1965, THIS BETTINI CONCERT
CYLINDER, BOX , AND RECORD SLIP FOR THAT SEMBRICH
SELECTION WERE DISCOVERED IN THE LOFT OF A HOTEL,
NEAR NELSON, NEW ZEALAND. THIS CYLINDER HAS BEEN
DUBBED TO BOTH DISC AND CD FORMATS, OVER THE YEARS.
(The photo is courtesy of William R. Moran).


A BLANK U.S. BETTINI CYLINDER LABEL IS SHOWN ABOVE
(Courtesy of Allen Koenigsberg).


BETTINI'S FAMILIAR LOGO APPEARED ON
THE BUSINESS ENVELOPES OF HIS AMERICAN COMPANY,
DURING THE 1890'S AND EARLY 1900'S.




RESPECTIVELY SHOWN ABOVE, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, ARE
BETTINI NO.2, BETTINI NO.3 AND BETTINI NO.8 PHONOGRAPHS.
(They are all courtesy of the Julien Anton collection).


THIS IS ANOTHER BETTINI NO. 8 MACHINE, COMPLETE WITH ITS LID.
(Courtesy of www.phonograph.be/verzameling.htm).


BETTINI SOLD HIS ACCESSORIES IN BEAUTIFUL PACKAGES.
(These photos are courtesy of Charlotte & Jalal Aro).


THIS IS A BETTINI MODEL "C" REPRODUCER, ATTACHED
TO AN EDISON SPRING MOTOR MACHINE.
BETTINI OFTEN REFERRED TO HIS MICRO-RECORDERS
AND MICRO-REPRODUCERS AS "SPIDERS," BECAUSE OF
THEIR SPIDER-LIKE CONFIGURATIONS.


THE LIORET COMPANY MAY HAVE PURCHASED SOME OF
BETTINI'S INVENTORY, AFTER HE LEFT THE PHONOGRAPH BUSINESS.
THESE ARE PHOTOS OF A BETTINI NO. 4 PHONOGRAPH, CONVERTED
TO A LIORET MACHINE, WITH AN EDISON MODEL "R" REPRODUCER.


SHOWN ABOVE IS A BETTINI NO. 18 DISC MACHINE.
(This photograph is courtesy of the Marco Contini collection).




THE PHOTOS OF OUR FRIENDS, ALEXANDER & GEORGE,
WERE TAKEN IN DECEMBER, 2001. THEY'RE APPARENTLY
VERY PROUD OF THEIR BETTINI PHONOGRAPH!
THE ARO BROTHERS, ALEXANDER ON THE LEFT, AND
GEORGE ON THE RIGHT, POSE WITH A BETTINI NO. 22
DISC MACHINE. ABOVE ALEXANDER AND GEORGE IS
A BETTINI DISC MACHINE REPRODUCER.
(The brothers, the No.22 and the Bettini disc machine
reproducer are all courtesy of Charlotte and Jalal Aro).
IN THIS DECEMBER, 2002 PHOTO,
WE CAN SEE THAT THE BOYS HAVE GROWN A LOT
IN A YEAR. ALEXANDER (WHO IS ON THE RIGHT,
HOLDING A BETTINI HORN), AND GEORGE POSE
WITH A CLASS M EDISON NORTH AMERICAN ELECTRIC,
FOR CONCERT CYLINDERS, OUTFITTED WITH BETTINI
RECORDING AND REPRODUCING ATTACHMENTS.
(Thanks again go to proud parents, Charlotte and Jalal Aro).


INEXPENSIVE LYRE-SHAPED PUCK MACHINES,
SUCH AS THIS ONE,
WERE MANUFACTURED BY SEVERAL COMPANIES,
INCLUDING COLUMBIA. THEY WERE COPIED FROM BETTINI'S
ORIGINAL DESIGN FOR HIS LYRAPHONE.
(Courtesy of Julien Anton).


THESE ARE VIEWS OF BETTINI ATTACHMENTS FOR EDISON
PHONOGRAPHS. SHOWN IN THE PHOTOS ARE HIS PATENTED
MICRO-RECORDER, MICRO-REPRODUCER, AND CONNECTING ARM.



THIS CLOSEUP PHOTO OF A TYPE N BETTINI REPRODUCER
SHOWS THAT THE INVENTOR ENGRAVED HIS NAME ON
SEVERAL AREAS OF HIS PHONOGRAPH ATTACHMENTS.
(Courtesy of Lee Kirk).


THIS IS A TYPE V BETTINI RECORDING ATTACHMENT,
WITH THE "SPIDER" ON THE DIAPHRAGM OBSCURED FROM VIEW.
TYPE V RECORDERS COULD BE USED WITH BOTH EDISON AND
COLUMBIA MACHINES.


ONE OF BETTINI'S INVENTIONS WAS THE UNIVERSAL SPEED
INDICATOR, A DEVICE THAT HELPED PEOPLE ADJUST
PHONOGRAPH MOTORS, SO THAT THEIR CYLINDER
RECORDINGS SOUNDED BETTER. THE ONE PICTURED
WAS DISCOVERED IN NEW ZEALAND.
(Courtesy of Rod Cornelius).


IT WAS NOT AN EDISON-BETTINI MICROPHONE THAT WAS
EXHIBITED AT THE CANTERBURY JUBILEE, HELD AT
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND, IN DECEMBER OF 1900.
WHAT THIS VERY RARE SCHOOL TICKET ACTUALLY
REFERS TO IS A DEMONSTRATION OF AN EDISON PHONOGRAPH,
EQUIPPED WITH BETTINI ACCESSORIES. THE MICROPHONE CO.
WAS APPARENTLY ONE OF SEVERAL NEW ZEALAND FIRMS THAT
WERE MARKETING BETTINI'S PHONOGRAPH PRODUCTS AROUND
THE DAWN OF THE 20TH CENTURY.
-----
DURING THE LATE 1970'S OR EARLY 1980'S, BETTINI'S DAUGHTER,
MADAME CONSUELO ROLO (SHE WAS BORN IN 1898),
WROTE ROBERT FEINSTEIN THAT SHE WAS UNCERTAIN AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT HER FATHER EVER PERSONALLY TRAVELLED
TO NEW ZEALAND. IN MARCH OF1982,
AT THE URGING OF LINDA FEINSTEIN (MRS. ROBERT FEINSTEIN),
A SURPRISE LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONE CALL WAS PLACED TO
MADAME ROLO. AS A RESULT OF THAT PHONE CONVERSATION,
A NUMBER OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF GIANNI BETTINI WERE ACQUIRED.
THE SEQUENTIAL PHOTOS, USED TO MAKE THE BRIEF FILM AND
THE CARICATURE DRAWN BY CARUSO, SHOWING THE GREAT TENOR
POSED WITH BETTINI, WHICH ARE ON THIS WEBSITE, WERE SENT TO
ROBERT FEINSTEIN BECAUSE OF THAT CALL. IT WAS THE ONLY TIME
THAT MADAME ROLO AND ROBERT FEINSTEIN TALKED ON THE
TELEPHONE, ALTHOUGH THEY HAD BEEN CORRESPONDING WITH
EACH OTHER AND EXCHANGING PHOTOCOPIES FOR ABOUT FIVE
YEARS. THE LOVELY (WHEN SHE WAS A YOUNG WOMAN, HER
IMAGE GRACED A NUMBER OF FASHION MAGAZINES), KIND
MADAME ROLO, PASSED AWAY IN APRIL OF 1982.
(The photograph of the Edison-Bettini ticket is courtesy of John Levin).


THIS BOX CONTAINS ELEVEN OF THIRTEEN BETTINI CYLINDERS
DISCOVERED A FEW STEPS FROM CANAJOHARIE, NEW YORK,
DURING THE 1960'S. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THIS GROUP OF
BETTINI RECORDINGS WAS ONCE OWNED BY PUBLISHER
WILLIAM J. ARKELL, WHO LIVED IN BOTH NEW YORK CITY
AND CANAJOHARIE. IN THE 1890'S AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY,
ARKELL'S BUSINESS OFFICE WAS IN THE JUDGE BUILDING,
110 FIFTH AVENUE...THE SAME BUILDING THAT BETTINI HAD
HIS NEW YORK PHONOGRAPH LABORATORY IN.
ALL THIRTEEN OF THIS CACHE ARE NOW OWNED BY
THE U.S. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
(This photograph is courtesy of Glenn Sage).


SHOWN ABOVE ARE TWO STANDARD SIZE CYLINDER BOXES
FROM THE SOCIETE DES MICRO-PHONOGRAPHES BETTINI.
(From: http://www.usinternet.com/users/danixon/).


BETTINI'S DISCS WERE MANUFACTURED IN A VARIETY OF WIDTHS.
(Courtesy of Julian Anton)


BETTINI ETCHED HIS SIGNATURE INTO THIS DISC.
(Courtesy of Henri Chamoux).


SHOWN ABOVE IS A CIRCA 1901-1902 ACCESSORIES CATALOG.
AN EXCELLENT REPRODUCTION OF IT IS AVAILABLE FROM
ALLEN KOENIGSBERG, WHOSE WEBSITE CAN REACHED BY
CLICKING ON ITS COVER.
(courtesy of Allen Koenigsberg).


THE RECORD SLIPS OF BETTINI'S NEW YORK COMPANY
WERE UNCHARACTERISTICALLY SIMPLE, BUT THEY DID
HAVE STAMPED REPRODUCTIONS OF HIS DISTINCTIVE SIGNATURE.
THESE THREE, AND THE RECORDINGS THEY DESCRIBE,
ARE NOW OWNED BY THE U.S. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.


IN 1903, BETTINI'S PARIS-BASED FIRM MARKETED STATUETTES,
WHICH WERE CREATED BY JACQUES MERCULIANO,
A FRENCH-ITALIAN ARTIST WHO HAD EXHIBITED AT THE UNIVERSAL
EXPOSITION OF 1900. THE MODEL FOR THE "LADY AND THE
PHONOGRAPH" WAS PROBABLY LINA CAVALIERI.
THE ADDRESS OF THE SOCIETES DES MICRO-PHONOGRAPHES
BETTINI WAS ENGRAVED INTO THE BASE OF THE SCULPTURES.


DURING THE 1899-1900 CONCERT SEASON,
BETTINI PLACED A SERIES OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE
PROGRAMME'S OF THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE.
THESE BROADSIDES ALWAYS APPEARED ON THE LOWER
LEFT CORNER OF THE FOURTH PAGE.


IN JANUARY OF 1899, BETTINI PLACED THIS FULL-PAGE
ADVERTISEMENT IN THE PHONOSCOPE, A TALKING MACHINE
INDUSTRY TRADE JOURNAL, PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK CITY.


THIS ADVERTISEMENT APPEARED IN THE DECEMBER, 1901
ISSUE OF HARPER'S.


PLEASE CLICK ON THE THE RECORD SLIP TO GO TO JEAN-LUC FRADET'S WEBSITE
JEAN-LUC FRADET HAS REPRODUCED
A FRENCH BETTINI CONCERT LABEL /
RECORD SLIP FOR THE EXCELLENT CD HE SELLS
ENTITLED "LES PREMIERS CYLINDERS (1898-1902)".
IT CONTAINS THIRTEEN BETTINI CYLINDERS,
IN ADDITION TO OTHER RECORDINGS.
(Thank you Jean-Luc Fradet for joining this salute Lt. G. Bettini).


Thank you Glenn Sage for joining this salute to Lt. G. Bettini.
(CLICK ON THE BANNER AS ABOVE)


AND ALSO THANKS TO:
Jean-Paul Agnard, Julien Anton, Charlotte & Jalal Aro, Peter Betz,
Martin Bryan, Dr. Basilio Catania, Henri Chamoux, Marco Contini,
Rod Cornelius, Aaron Cramer, Charles Hummel, Lee Kirk, John Levin,
Fred O. MacFee, Joe Martel, Carlos Martin, Miguel A. Montalvo, William R. Moran,
Diane & Kurt Nauck, Ray Phillips, Eileen & Phil Stewart, Mark Ulano,
James Weber, Janine Whitcomb, Preston White, Ray Wile and Chai Yisrael.

IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, ORIGINAL INFORMATION
ABOUT LIEUTENANT GIANNI BETTINI, OR OWN BETTINI COLLECTABLES,
PLEASE EMAIL:

rfeinstein19@yahoo.com