Doris Howe wrote:

>I prefer mine on CD.where possible.  I am also a great fan of Conchita
>Supervia who I have on LP.  Wonderful.

Yours was the Madeleine that got me thinking of a compatriot, ten years
older, Maria Barrientos (1884-1946).  I'm not an opera connoisseur but
when I hear something musical that holds my attention I try to make a note
of it, and hearing a recording of Maria Barrientos that a friend had taped
was one such instance.  I have a CD (Opal/Pearl CD 9852) w/ Fonotipia
Recordings from 1905-06, w/ only piano accompaniment in which her singing
comes through beautifully over the surface noise.  It also contains
electrical recordings of songs by Manuel de Falla accompanied by him on
the piano.

Barrientos may be the only singer I've heard sing the Bell Song from
*Lakme* like a stunning musical piece rather than like an exercise in
vocal pyrotechnics.

Walter Meyer