There have been countless threads about the oldest song you have and the oldest record you have heard, usually most of us have some 1920s jazz tunes on some CD, but I will make it harder.

.

How about the oldest actual musical items you have, whether records, sheet music, wax cylinders, harmonium discs and piano rolls. I myself have 2 items that are over 100 years old. Here they are.

[img:$uid]http://i1081.ph.../img:$uid]

This Zonophone record is of a song recorded in 1911 and the record itself dates from about 1915, at this time, all records were 78rpm shellac with the wax cylinder around too, but going out of fashion. Surprisingly records from this time are very cheap costing a few dollars.

.

Listening to it, it has no rhythm or melody and is a scatchy recording ofsome man with a deep voice squawking on about some woman who is away from him.

.

[img:$uid]http://i1081.ph.../img:$uid]

This record is even older being in a 1913 HMV catalogue, by an Australian soprano called Amy Castles (Born 1880) the record is a 1911 recording sold up to 1916. So this thing is over 100 years old!!!! Way before the age of melody and syncopation.

[img:$uid]http://i1081.ph.../img:$uid]

The cover looks later about 1925 - 1930, but the record is original.

.

My oldest recording by a Black artist is this one, nowhere near as old as the other two, but still over 70 years ago.

[img:$uid]http://i1081.ph.../img:$uid]

This jam was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald (b 1918) and the Ink Spots in 1943 and a huge hit in 1943/44. The song is a boogie woogie style Rhythm tune and is very funky for its time with the unforgettable chorus "Get along, get along lil doggie, you better git on your way".

.

Originally I had a one sided recorded "Way down colon 2 step" by Iffs London orcehstra from 1910, however this record was broken in a move.

.

So what are your oldest musical items?

No one has any ancient music?

My grandpa has like a hundred of those records like the one with the dog on it

My Grandparents had tons of old records when I was a kid. Even an old Victrola. Most of them weren't considered valuable at that time. But before all was gotten rid of I went looking for a first edition copy of Peggy Lee's Black Coffee that was supposed to be worth a lot of money with the original record cover. Well, I found the cover...but no record.

[Edited 3/12/15 15:13pm]