{"id":33628,"date":"2022-06-08T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T06:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guitarrasramirez.com\/the-phonographic-cylinders-of-luis-and-simon-ramirez\/"},"modified":"2022-06-08T08:00:09","modified_gmt":"2022-06-08T06:00:09","slug":"the-phonographic-cylinders-of-luis-and-simon-ramirez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guitarrasramirez.com\/en\/the-phonographic-cylinders-of-luis-and-simon-ramirez\/","title":{"rendered":"The phonographic cylinders of Luis and Sim\u00f3n Ram\u00edrez"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of the 19th century, Luis and Sim\u00f3n Ram\u00edrez printed a series of phonographic cylinders with the guitar and the bandurria as protagonists.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of Jos\u00e9 Sim\u00f3n Ram\u00edrez de Galarreta y Pern\u00edas ‘Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez II<\/a>‘ (1885-1957) and Luis Ram\u00edrez de Galarreta y Pern\u00edas ‘Luis Ram\u00edrez’ (18XX-19XX), we have little information beyond that provided by the Ram\u00edrez family. When he was barely twenty years old, Jos\u00e9 Sim\u00f3n Ram\u00edrez went on a tour of South America – overcoming the reluctance of his father (Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez I<\/a>) – with the argument that it would be a brief two-year trip, although it ended up being twenty<\/strong>. Among the many activities he carried out, his work as commercial director of His Master’s Voice<\/a> in Argentina (La Voz de su Amo) stood out.<\/p>\n

In 1923 his father died, so he returned to Madrid from Buenos Aires to take over the family business, after acquiring the shares of his brother Luis and his two sisters. Luis Ram\u00edrez continued his artistic career, playing with Los Alpinos and with the Tr\u00edo Espa\u00f1ol, together with Miguel Mart\u00ednez’s father<\/strong> (whose name was Jes\u00fas Mart\u00ednez), the historical manager of the shop located at number two Concepci\u00f3n Jer\u00f3nima Street.<\/p>\n

The phonograph in Spain<\/h2>\n

The life of the phonograph in Spain is one of the most exciting periods in our musical history. Since Edison succeeded in 1877 in developing the first prototype of the tinfoil phonograph, our country was an important place, both for the activity developed and for the quality of what was produced. From 1884 onwards, this primitive tin foil began to be replaced by the wax cylinder as a recording medium, but it was not until almost a decade later that the new recording format began to spread throughout Spain, through public exhibitions held by Pertierra, Armando Hugens and the Marquis of Tovar<\/strong>, among others.<\/p>\n

Prominent professionals and amateurs impressed cylinders to the delight of the audiences that gathered in salons, casinos and other types of venues. But until that time, however, there had not yet been any commercial houses dedicated to the recording and marketing of cylinders, with a catalog of their productions and an establishment available to the amateur. It was at the zenith of the 19th century when several entrepreneurs who were very much in touch with the latest scientific advances began to take the first steps in this direction<\/strong>, as was the case of the aforementioned Armando Hugens or the laboratory of Viuda de Aramburo.<\/p>\n

\"Edison<\/a>

Edison Standard Model A “Square top” with membrane and Bettini horn.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The Ramirez Brothers begin their curiosity for the phonograph<\/h2>\n

It was between 1898 and 1899 when the “Hermanos Ram\u00edrez” (Luis Ram\u00edrez and Sim\u00f3n Ram\u00edrez), with a mixture of curiosity and love for the instrument,<\/strong> experimented with the phonograph and impressed the following cylinders:<\/p>\n