Tim Gracyk's video: Richard Jose Killarney 1904 Victor 31343 music by Balfe IRISH SONG Cornwall s countertenor

Richard Jose sings "Killarney" on Victor 31343, issued in 1904. Recorded Dec. 9, 1904 Music is by Michael William Balfe. Lyrics by Edmund Falconer. Richard Jose recorded for the Victor Talking Machine Company exclusively and was popular during that company's early Monarch-Deluxe and Grand Prize periods. Victor recorded nothing from Jose after 1906. In that year he suffered an accident on stage that led to his decline, a stage curtain falling on Jose with enough force to cause severe head injuries. But several Jose selections remained in the Victor catalog until 1919, including "Silver Threads Among the Gold," closely identified with Jose. One Jose disc remained in the catalog as late as 1922: "Abide With Me," recorded on February 23, 1906 (Victor 16660). Jose's voice was extraordinarily rare--and beautiful! He chose material perfectly suited for his unique vocal delivery, mostly sentimental ballads and hymns. He was a countertenor when that term was unknown to Americans--except in association with Richard Jose. A countertenor's sound is closest to that of the female contralto (or counter-alto--"alto" means "high"). Whereas countertenors today rely on falsetto, Jose--along with Will Oakland, a younger recording artist following in Jose's footsteps--achieved an unusually high range without reliance on falsetto, using full lung power. Jose could color the tone of the voice in a way that is difficult for anyone using falsetto. No singer relying on falsetto could have produced the volume needed to fill concert halls, as Jose did for decades. He was born in England in the Cornish village Lanner. His birth certificate establishes that Jose was born on June 5, 1862, though sources give later dates due to Jose wanting to seem younger (the singer's 1941 death certificate cites 1872, off by ten years). Jose's baptismal record is dated September 17, 1862, and gives the surname as "Joce." This is a phonetic spelling and indicates how Jose is pronounced in Cornwall, where it is a fairly common name. Jose toured extensively, appearing on stages throughout America until his singing career was over by 1915 or so. Jose lived at 795 Sutter St. in San Francisco for the last decades of his life until his death at age 79 on October 20, 1941. He had no children. He is buried in Colma, California. Richard Jose "Killarney" (1904) Victor 31343, music by Balfe IRISH SONG = Cornwall's countertenor