Samlingen ‘De Private Valser’ er en del af Nationaldiskoteket, som blev grundlagt i 1913 og udbygget af Nationalmuseet i perioden 1942-1989, hvorefter samlingen blev overdraget til det tidligere Statsbiblioteket, nu Det Kgl. Bibliotek.
De Private Valser er en broget skare af lydoptagelser. De giver et lille lydbillede af almindelige danskeres liv i begyndelsen af 1900-tallet, vel at bemærke de velhavende almindelige danskere. Prisen for en fonograf, maskinen til både optagelse og gengivelse af lyd, svarede til en tjenestepiges løn i fem år, så fonografen var ikke hvermandseje.
Fonografen blev taget frem ved festlige lejligheder som familiesammenkomster og fødselsdage, og det var både festligt og fornøjeligt. Der blev fx sunget drikkeviser, holdt taler, gæsterne blev bedt om at præsentere sig, og børnene sang for forældre og gæster. Der blev også optaget små, politiske taler.
Et antal valser indeholder optagelser af slægten Berling (familien bag avisen Berlingske) og deres venner i både ind- og udlandet. Grosserer Willer og familie er også godt repræsenteret, bl.a. med en optagelse hvor sønnen Erik Willer synger julesangen ”Dejlig er jorden”.
Denne samling er endnu ikke at finde i Dansk Lyd.
Private Cylinders
The collection of ‘Private Cylinders’ is part of the Danish National Audio Collection, founded in 1913 and extended during the time period 1939-1989 when it was part of the Danish National Museum’s collections. In 1989, the Danish National Audio Collection was handed over to the former State and University Library, Denmark, now called Royal Danish Library.
The Private Cylinders is a variegated collection. The recordings represent a sound picture from the early 20th century of the lives of ordinary Danes, or to be more precise the wealthy ordinary Danes. The price of a phonograph, the machine used to both record and play sound, corresponds to five years of income for a housemaid, so the phonograph was not found in every home.
The phonograph was used at joyful events like family gatherings and birthdays, and this was always very amusing. There were songs in honour of drinking, speeches were given, guests introduced themselves, and the children would sing for their parents and guests. Recordings of short, political speeches were also made.
A number of cylinders contain recordings of the Berling Family (publishers and owners of one of the oldest newspapers still in print in Denmark) and their friends in Denmark and abroad. Recordings of wholesaler Willer and family are well-represented as well, among others with a recording of their son, Erik Willer, singing a Danish Christmas carol titled ‘Dejlig er jorden’.
The collection will be added to Dansk Lyd soon.