While touring America in 1912 with his "Elizabethan Stage Society of England," troup leader Ben Greet took some time to record some Shakesperean monologues at Victor studios. Of the 15 performances put to wax, only four were
released: two on a twelve-inch record, and two on a ten-inch. This is the second side of the ten-inch release, from the comedy "Much Ado About Nothing," put to wax on May 3. To modern ears he may sound overly drenched in
flowery Victorian-isms, but he was one of the better Shakespearean interpreters of the time. He would later become director of the Old Vic theater in London, and in 1929 he would be knighted (see
this entry in Wikipedia to read more about him). Victor discs of this period had quieter surfaces and truer tonal qualities than a few years before,
so this recording benefits from both improvements. The disc had been played repeatedly so there was some surface noise, but it is reduced to a point where the original performance can be enjoyed.
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