User:MistyMorn/sandbox: Difference between revisions
m Reflinks: Converting bare references, manual edit |
Block cylinders, refs, formatting etc |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
<!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE --> |
<!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE --> |
||
'''Henry Ward Marston IV''' (born in 1952), better known as '''Ward Marston''', is a [[Audio restoration|restorer]] of historical recordings and a jazz musician. He is well known for making high quality transfers to [[compact disc]] (CD) from older recording media, including [[wax cylinders|wax cylinders]] and [[78 rpm]] records drawn from his extensive personal collection.<ref name=naxos>[http://www.naxos.com/historical/engineer_marston.htm 'Restoration engineer — Ward Marston']. Naxos Records website. Retrieved 27 February 2012.</ref><ref name= |
'''Henry Ward Marston IV''' (born in 1952), better known as '''Ward Marston''', is a [[Audio restoration|restorer]] of historical recordings and a jazz musician. He is well known for making high quality transfers to [[compact disc]] (CD) from older recording media, including [[wax cylinders|wax cylinders]] and [[78 rpm]] records drawn from his extensive personal collection.<ref name=naxos>[http://www.naxos.com/historical/engineer_marston.htm 'Restoration engineer — Ward Marston']. Naxos Records website. Retrieved 27 February 2012.</ref><ref name=nyt1>Prial, Frank J (2005). [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/27/arts/music/27mars.html?pagewanted=1 'A master of making old tunes new again']. New York Times, 27 August 2005. Accessed 27 February 2012.</ref> |
||
==Background and education== |
==Background and education== |
||
Born in [[Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania|Bryn Mawr]], Pennsylvania, Ward Marston's father was a banker from an old Philadelphia family, and his paternal grandfather apparently sung minor roles at the ''[[Opéra Comique]]'' in Paris.<ref name= |
Born in [[Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania|Bryn Mawr]], Pennsylvania, Ward Marston's father was a banker from an old Philadelphia family, and his paternal grandfather apparently sung minor roles at the ''[[Opéra Comique]]'' in Paris.<ref name=nyt1/> Marston himself has been blind from early infancy due to an oxygen overdose following premature birth.<ref name=nyt1/> Marston's mother discovered her son had perfect pitch when he was three years old.<ref name=chicago>von Rhein, John (1996). [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-05-19/news/9605190025_1_reissues-independent-labels-rca 'An ear for detail — the art of transferring historic recordings onto Cd has become a booming business']. ''Chicago Tribune'', 19 May 1996. Accessed 27 February 2012.</ref> After taking to the piano at the age of four, Marston began to study music at the [[Overbrook School for the Blind|School for the Blind]] in [[Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Overbrook]], Philadelphia, which he attended from 1956 to 1964, before going on to a public school where he could continue his ongoing studies in piano and organ.<ref name=naxos/> In 1968, Marston was able to study in Paris with [[Pierre Cochereau]] and play the organ of [[Notre Dame de Paris|Notre Dame]].<ref name=nyt1/> After forming his first jazz group in 1967,<ref name=naxos/> Marston began to play piano in clubs and bars, happy to swerve away from the prospect of a concert career.<ref name=nyt1/> While studying at [[Williams College]], Massachusetts, where he majored in history, Marston managed the local radio station, a post that allowed him to play his already extensive collection of records.<ref name=nyt1/> Following this experience, Marston began to develop his skills as a recording engineer and start work at [[Columbia Records]].<ref name=naxos/> |
||
==Restorer of historical recordings== |
==Restorer of historical recordings== |
||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
I do a lot of the equalization in the analogue domain and digitize it once I've got the sound I want, using CEDAR (Computer Enhanced Digital Audio Restoration), which is a wonderful product, but can be misused. It's always a compromise. Some people don't want any CEDAR at all — they would rather hear all the clicks and scratches. And it's true that any amount of digital intervention can have an effect on the sound. I feel it's important to make the restorations of these old recordings sound like real, live performances, which is why you may end up hearing more surface noise in my transfers than you will in others'. Preserving the music is simply more important than noise reduction. |
I do a lot of the equalization in the analogue domain and digitize it once I've got the sound I want, using CEDAR (Computer Enhanced Digital Audio Restoration), which is a wonderful product, but can be misused. It's always a compromise. Some people don't want any CEDAR at all — they would rather hear all the clicks and scratches. And it's true that any amount of digital intervention can have an effect on the sound. I feel it's important to make the restorations of these old recordings sound like real, live performances, which is why you may end up hearing more surface noise in my transfers than you will in others'. Preserving the music is simply more important than noise reduction. |
||
</poem> |
</poem> |
||
|source = from "From where I sit,"<br> article by Ward Marston in [[Gramophone (magazine)|''Gramophone'']]<ref>Marston, Ward. [http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/February%202003/19/801472/ "From where I sit" |
|source = from "From where I sit,"<br> article by Ward Marston in [[Gramophone (magazine)|''Gramophone'']]<ref>Marston, Ward. [http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/February%202003/19/801472/ "From where I sit"], ''The Gramophone'', February 2003, p. 19. Accessed 27 February 2012</ref>}} |
||
Marston's initial career breakthrough came while working for Columbia in 1979, when he restored the first known [[stereophonic sound|stereophonic]] record, made by the [[Bell Labs|Bell Telephone Laboratories]] around 1932.<ref name=naxos/> Since then, Marston has gone on to restore and transfer to CD a wide range of historic recordings, released by a variety of other labels, including [[EMI Records|EMI]], [[RCA Records|RCA/BMG]], [[E1 Music|''Koch Historic'']], [[Naxos Records|''Naxos Historical'']], ''Andante'',<ref name=andante> Stearnes, David Patrick (2011). [http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wyso/.artsmain/article/2/1051/536720/Classical/Ward.Marston/ 'Ward Marston' [with interview<nowiki>]</nowiki>]. WYSO website hosted by publicbroadcasting.net. |
Marston's initial career breakthrough came while working for Columbia in 1979, when he restored the first known [[stereophonic sound|stereophonic]] record, made by the [[Bell Labs|Bell Telephone Laboratories]] around 1932.<ref name=naxos/> Since then, Marston has gone on to restore and transfer to CD a wide range of historic recordings, released by a variety of other labels, including [[EMI Records|EMI]], [[RCA Records|RCA/BMG]], [[E1 Music|''Koch Historic'']], [[Naxos Records|''Naxos Historical'']], ''Andante'',<ref name=andante> Stearnes, David Patrick (2011). [http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wyso/.artsmain/article/2/1051/536720/Classical/Ward.Marston/ 'Ward Marston' [with interview<nowiki>]</nowiki>]. WYSO website hosted by publicbroadcasting.net. Accessed 27 February 2012.</ref> [[Biddulph Records|''Biddulph'']], ''Pearl'', ''[[Pristine Audio]]'', ''[[Romophone]]'', ''VAI Audio'' and ''West Hill Radio Archives'', in addition to his own record company, ''Marston Records'', which he founded in 1997.<ref name=nyt1/> |
||
The original recordings used by Marston all come from his vast personal collection, numbering some 35 thousand individually chosen records, prevalently of vocal performances, kept at his home in [[Swarthmore, Pennsylvania|Swarthmore]], Pensylvania,<ref name=naxos/><ref name= |
The original recordings used by Marston all come from his vast personal collection, numbering some 35 thousand individually chosen records, prevalently of vocal performances, kept at his home in [[Swarthmore, Pennsylvania|Swarthmore]], Pensylvania,<ref name=naxos/><ref name=nyt1/> and he emphasizes the key importance of selecting exactly which original discs should be used for restoration.<ref name=chicago/><ref name=andante/> Although often considered a 'non-interventionist' in terms of restoration style, Marston prefers to call himself a "limited interventionist".<ref name=andante/> |
||
His many well known transfers include complete sets of recordings made by [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]] and [[Fritz Kreisler]] (for RCA) ..... [[Enrico Caruso]] (Naxos), ... |
His many well known transfers include complete sets of recordings made by [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]] and [[Fritz Kreisler]] (for RCA) ..... [[Enrico Caruso]] (Naxos), ... |
||
| Line 24: | Line 22: | ||
Being blind, Marston employs an assistant to help him with some particular tasks, such as accessing remastering technology interfaces.<ref name=chicago/><ref name=andante/> |
Being blind, Marston employs an assistant to help him with some particular tasks, such as accessing remastering technology interfaces.<ref name=chicago/><ref name=andante/> |
||
===The Julius Block cylinders=== |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
...the Julius Block cylinders.... |
|||
<ref name=nyt2>Wakin, Daniel J (2008). [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/arts/music/26waki.html?pagewanted=all 'Classical ghosts, audible once again ']. New York Times, 24 October 2008. Accessed 28 February 2012.</ref> |
|||
<ref>Nicholas, Jeremy (2009). [http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/June%202009/89/1002482/ 'The dawn of recording: the Julius Block cylinders'], ''The Gramophone'', June 2009, p. 89. Accessed 28 February 2012.</ref> |
|||
<ref>Woolf, Jonathan (2009). [http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/Mar09/Dawn_of_Recording_53011.htm 'CD review—historical recording of the month. The dawn of recording: the Julius Block cylinders'], musicweb-international.com. Accessed 28 February 2012.</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
==Jazz musician== |
==Jazz musician== |
||
| ⚫ | Ward Marston makes his living by giving performances with his Trio and Orchestra.<ref name=nyt1/> According to his performer website, "After graduation, he played jazz in Philadelphia clubs where he established a reputation as a talented musician. He caught the attention of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ellla Fitzgerald, and Oscar Peterson."<ref>[http://www.wardmarston.com/about.html About Ward Marston], wardmarstonmusic.com. Accessed 27 February 2012.</ref> |
||
{{Expand section|date=February 2012}} |
|||
| ⚫ | Ward Marston makes his living by giving performances with his Trio and Orchestra.<ref name= |
||
== References == |
== References == |
||
Revision as of 19:00, 28 February 2012
Henry Ward Marston IV (born in 1952), better known as Ward Marston, is a restorer of historical recordings and a jazz musician. He is well known for making high quality transfers to compact disc (CD) from older recording media, including wax cylinders and 78 rpm records drawn from his extensive personal collection.[1][2]
Background and education
Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Ward Marston's father was a banker from an old Philadelphia family, and his paternal grandfather apparently sung minor roles at the Opéra Comique in Paris.[2] Marston himself has been blind from early infancy due to an oxygen overdose following premature birth.[2] Marston's mother discovered her son had perfect pitch when he was three years old.[3] After taking to the piano at the age of four, Marston began to study music at the School for the Blind in Overbrook, Philadelphia, which he attended from 1956 to 1964, before going on to a public school where he could continue his ongoing studies in piano and organ.[1] In 1968, Marston was able to study in Paris with Pierre Cochereau and play the organ of Notre Dame.[2] After forming his first jazz group in 1967,[1] Marston began to play piano in clubs and bars, happy to swerve away from the prospect of a concert career.[2] While studying at Williams College, Massachusetts, where he majored in history, Marston managed the local radio station, a post that allowed him to play his already extensive collection of records.[2] Following this experience, Marston began to develop his skills as a recording engineer and start work at Columbia Records.[1]
Restorer of historical recordings
I do a lot of the equalization in the analogue domain and digitize it once I've got the sound I want, using CEDAR (Computer Enhanced Digital Audio Restoration), which is a wonderful product, but can be misused. It's always a compromise. Some people don't want any CEDAR at all — they would rather hear all the clicks and scratches. And it's true that any amount of digital intervention can have an effect on the sound. I feel it's important to make the restorations of these old recordings sound like real, live performances, which is why you may end up hearing more surface noise in my transfers than you will in others'. Preserving the music is simply more important than noise reduction.
from "From where I sit,"
article by Ward Marston in Gramophone[4]
Marston's initial career breakthrough came while working for Columbia in 1979, when he restored the first known stereophonic record, made by the Bell Telephone Laboratories around 1932.[1] Since then, Marston has gone on to restore and transfer to CD a wide range of historic recordings, released by a variety of other labels, including EMI, RCA/BMG, Koch Historic, Naxos Historical, Andante,[5] Biddulph, Pearl, Pristine Audio, Romophone, VAI Audio and West Hill Radio Archives, in addition to his own record company, Marston Records, which he founded in 1997.[2]
The original recordings used by Marston all come from his vast personal collection, numbering some 35 thousand individually chosen records, prevalently of vocal performances, kept at his home in Swarthmore, Pensylvania,[1][2] and he emphasizes the key importance of selecting exactly which original discs should be used for restoration.[3][5] Although often considered a 'non-interventionist' in terms of restoration style, Marston prefers to call himself a "limited interventionist".[5]
His many well known transfers include complete sets of recordings made by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Fritz Kreisler (for RCA) ..... Enrico Caruso (Naxos), ...
Being blind, Marston employs an assistant to help him with some particular tasks, such as accessing remastering technology interfaces.[3][5]
The Julius Block cylinders
...the Julius Block cylinders....
Jazz musician
Ward Marston makes his living by giving performances with his Trio and Orchestra.[2] According to his performer website, "After graduation, he played jazz in Philadelphia clubs where he established a reputation as a talented musician. He caught the attention of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ellla Fitzgerald, and Oscar Peterson."[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f 'Restoration engineer — Ward Marston'. Naxos Records website. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Prial, Frank J (2005). 'A master of making old tunes new again'. New York Times, 27 August 2005. Accessed 27 February 2012.
- ^ a b c von Rhein, John (1996). 'An ear for detail — the art of transferring historic recordings onto Cd has become a booming business'. Chicago Tribune, 19 May 1996. Accessed 27 February 2012.
- ^ Marston, Ward. "From where I sit", The Gramophone, February 2003, p. 19. Accessed 27 February 2012
- ^ a b c d Stearnes, David Patrick (2011). 'Ward Marston' [with interview]. WYSO website hosted by publicbroadcasting.net. Accessed 27 February 2012.
- ^ Wakin, Daniel J (2008). 'Classical ghosts, audible once again '. New York Times, 24 October 2008. Accessed 28 February 2012.
- ^ Nicholas, Jeremy (2009). 'The dawn of recording: the Julius Block cylinders', The Gramophone, June 2009, p. 89. Accessed 28 February 2012.
- ^ Woolf, Jonathan (2009). 'CD review—historical recording of the month. The dawn of recording: the Julius Block cylinders', musicweb-international.com. Accessed 28 February 2012.
- ^ Marston, Ward (2008). 'The dawn of recording: the Julius Block cylinders', marstonrecords.com. Accessed 27 February 2012.
- ^ About Ward Marston, wardmarstonmusic.com. Accessed 27 February 2012.
External links
- Official Ward Marston website (as musician)
- Official website of Marston Records
- Discography at All Music
- Marston Records YouTube channel (includes some promotional material)
- 'Ward Marston and Rosemary Benson Sampler' music video on YouTube