Music oriented vacation

[mlsstl]

Sometimes it is really good that people know you have a particular hobby. Though not equipment related, it really turned out great that someone knew I have a strong passion for music.

A year or two ago this friend bought the summer home on Lake Michigan of a family friend who died. This fellow had been an avid music collector for many years, but my friend had no idea what they really had on their hands.

A casual conversation a few months ago turned into an invitation to stay at this stunning almost 100 year old waterfront home and inventory the collection.

The depth of this collection was simply amazing. There were 12" shellac-aluminum discs from 1914 (Arthur Pryor's band), radio station transcription discs from the 1940s (the type that start at the inner label and play outward) and a collection of Leopold Stokowski that seemed endless. (The collection was perhaps two-thirds classical.)

I discovered amazing artists I'd never heard of (Winifred Atwell's 1953 recording of "Cross Hand Boogie") plus many recordings by legendary performers such as Enrico Caruso, early Heifetz, and even Rachmaninoff played by Rachmaninoff (Prelude in G minor)!

So, it never hurts to let people know what your interests are. You never know what may come of it. The only sad thing is I couldn't take the collection with me.