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Dame Nellie Melba shellac disc
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Title:
Dame Nellie Melba shellac disc
NFSA ID
193194
Year
1904
On 20 October 1904, Dame Nellie Melba made history by recording for the Gramophone Company in London. The process was simple: Melba sang into a horn connected to a needle that etched grooves into a wax disc, which could then be copied to produce discs for sale. While the technology had limitations in range and tone, Melba’s voice was perfectly suited to the medium. At a time when cylinders and discs were vying for dominance, Melba's star power gave the Gramophone Company a major edge. Her recordings played a key role in establishing recorded music as the future of home entertainment. This shellac disc features Nellie Melba singing 'Les Anges Pleurent', 'Chant Vénitien' and 'The White Sea Mist'.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.