Discos Qualiton


Discos Qualiton was a record label, published by the recording studio Fonema S.A. A garage experiment in Rosario, Argentina in 1961, Qualiton would later become a major independent record label influencing a generation of artists, writers, musicians, poets, and filmmakers.

Early days

The first attempts by Nelson Montes-Bradley and Ivan Cosentino to produce and publish vinyl records in Argentina was made under the umbrella of Fondo Cultural, a firm based in Rosario, and incorporated in Buenos Aires. Fondo Cultural later adopted the name Qualiton, which eventually led to a close relationship with the homonymous state-owned record company in Hungary during the Communist years.
Joaquín Rodrigo's "Cantares de los pajes de la nao" by Coro Estable de Rosario, conducted by Cristián Hernández Larguía, was Qualiton's first recording in 1961. Soon, the idea of producing other choruses became a perfect venue to establish the company in the local arena. Limited editions, of no more than 300 units, were quickly absorbed amongst the members of the chorus ensemble and their relatives. By 1965, the early catalog of Discos Qualiton produced by Fondo Cultural, was beginning to develop into a greater ordeal. Fondo Cultural became extinct and Fonema incorporated thus allowing Nora Raffo and Carlos Melero, newest members of the Qualiton team, to join in the corporation.
The following years were mostly dedicated to producing classical music with a particular emphasis in baroque and colonial periods in Latin America. Also worth mentioning are the recordings of ethnographic music harvested in the field and gathered under the label Serie del Conocimiento and the unique recordings of literary works known as Juglaría.

The 1970s

By the late 1960s, the record label had already relocated from Rosario to Buenos Aires and expanded its catalog. New investors were seduced by the idea of creating a major independent label. Curt von Simpson and Gertrudis Moser joined Fonema executive leadership providing the needed contacts with local banks. During this period of expansion Take One, a state-of-the-art 24-channel recording studio was built to specs. The console was manufactured by Solidyne and the studio acoustics was designed by Oscar Bonello. Take one, which would eventually become a landmark of the record industry was located at Fonema's HQ on Perú 375 in Buenos Aires historical district known as Monserrat The original concept of a small and family orientated garage experiment born in Rosario had grown out of proportion. However, by 1976, a military putsch, led by Jorge Rafael Videla, ousted Argentine president Isabel Perón making life quite difficult for the arts at large, and in particular for domestic labels linked to the previous years of social unrest. On October 22, 1976, an unsigned article denouncing "Marxist Penetration" was published in the newspaper La Razón. The clipping inspired a paramilitary group to target the studios of Discos Qualiton, then located in Calle Perú 365, Buenos Aires, and also members of the board of directors. The artists involved in the actual creation of the songs reproduced in the LP as denounced in the article published by La Razón were forced into exile. Author Vico Ciliberti fled to Rome. The final days of Discos Qualiton came about in 1978.
Only a few complete collections of Discos Qualiton and other labels associated with Fonema and Fondo Cultural have survived and are available in a handful of libraries, private collections, and research institutes throughout Europe and the US. It is worth noticing that up to 1977, the artistic direction of Discos Qualiton was mostly the result of the expertise of Ivan Cosentino as a musician and recording engineer, while the publishing, editorial presentation, production, and marketing was carried out by Nelson Montes-Bradley.

Catalogue

According to what has been reconstructed from catalogs, newspaper articles and vinyl records available from private collectors and currently being sold at auctions or through internet services. Qualiton was one of five labels published by Fonema in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Other labels released by Fonema were: Colección Privada, Serie del Conocimiento, Archivo Colonial de América Latina and Juglaría. Each new album released by Fonema was identified with an alphanumeric code in one of the five labels. Some of the sequences in the catalog are interrupted and this is perhaps due perhaps to the fact the albums were either pending release or that we have not yet been able to identify its contents. In order to facilitate research, we present each album in the following categories.

Qualiton

QH-2006: Roberto Lara, guitarra. Guitarist Roberto Lara plays from a repertoire of Argentine composers: Carlos Guastavino, Pelaia, A. Alemann, Julián Aguirre, Gómez Carrillo and Abel Fleury. Roberto Lara, guitar; Eduardo A. Alemann, recorder.
Private Stock: A total of five titles were released by Fonema S.A. under Colección Privada. The concept behind the idea of a private stock was to subscribe to a limited number of members, initially set at 500 in a clear reference to the Fortune 500. The idea of exclusivity was becoming popular in Argentina at the time also through the different programs promoted by credit cards such as Diners Club and American Express. The logo revealed a key and the number 500 in reference to the privacy held by the exclusive members. Colección Privada initially announced it was going to release on LP every month.
A total of three titles were produced and released by Fonema S.A. parent company of Discos Qualiton, under the label Balkanton. The titles were edited by Planeta S.A. a firm owned by Eduardo Eurnekian and Miguel Levy, under license by Balkanton, Bulgaria.
Spoken Word: Authors such as Federico García Lorca, Dylan Thomas, Jacques Prévert or local icon Tejada Gómez were either publish in their own voice or read and interpreted by others. At least eleven titles, were released under this category. Halfway through the series, the ID numbers that identify each title in a catalog were changed. The denomination "QH" corresponds to the original Qualiton, the following known as the series that begin with "JC" and "JQ" were inscribed in the attempt by Fonema to create label exclusively for literary works. The later was known as Juglaría label produced by Nelson Montes-Bradley.
World Music:
The following titles were produced, edited, and often distributed by Fonema S.A. through what was called "Departamento de Productos Especiales de Fonema S.A." The list includes a variety of musical products relative to the nature of the contracting entity commissioning the recordings.
Fonema's distinct catalog was acknowledged not only from its content of original and unusual recordings but also for its commitment to the visual arts. Each LP jacket was carefully designed with the works of local artists such as Mele Bruniard, Battle Planas, Luis Seoane, Antonio Berni and Mario Loza. The graphic corporate image of Qualiton was created by Oscar Díaz. Díaz was a prestigious local graphic artist who also conceived the unique logo of Discos Qualiton, Juglaría, and Colección Privada. Qualiton's logo, a spiral to its center representing the groove in a vinyl record, incorporated the illusion of a human eye. The concept merged the idea of music and the visual arts in one label. Pablo Barragan, also a graphic designer, joined Qualiton as the in-house artist during the last years of Fonema.