The Diana rolls I have are marked Madrid above the label on
the leader, and they also bear royalty stamps with text such as
"1,00 pagados derechos - asociacion espangla de compositores de
musica - adaptacion mecanica". The black Bakelite spool flanges
are marked "U.M.E.C.A (S.A.) MADRID".
Roll 1746, "El Sobre Verde - Schottisch", is my only Diana roll with
printed words, which seem to me to be quite liberal for a Catholic
country in the 1920s. The sprightly verse is sung by a girl boasting
of her newly bobbed hair and permanent wave; the somber refrain is
a scolding by the town ladies! A kindly librarian at Biblioteca de
Catalunya, Barcelona, explained to me:
"'El Sobre Verde', first performed in Barcelona in 1927, is a
musical revue composed by Jacinto Guerrero (1895-1951), one of the
most important composers of zarzuelas and revues of Spain in the
1920s and '30s. This song, 'Schottisch de la garson', is a satirical
song that makes fun of modern girls who are much too worried about
fashion."
Robbie Rhodes
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