Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 1, No. 12 (1927-09)

490 The Phonograph Monthly Review “Lest We Forget” By Peter Hugh Reed O NE of the prevailing faults of the general public in this country is their quickness to forget an old favorite, who by misfor- tune of age, accident or illness drops out of the active list of performers. And, even though their absence may be for only a short period of time, interest has to be always actively stimulated anew, the old following seems to seek new talent. Something new, something sensational, only too quickly usurps the interest for the matured, more sensitive and undoubtedly finer art of the de- parted. As a nation, we are the only ones who seem to suffer from this peculiar form of deficiency. Today, artists are acclaimed over night, possibly by a splendid performance or an unioue interpre- tation, and are heralded. People flock to hear them, and applaud. But let that artist disappear from their midst for one short year, reasons legitimate or otherwise, and note the result. The public, the so-called glorious American public, forget their idol of an idle hour, and the world moves on. Verily, and so does memory! There is, in almost all other countries, a rever- ential respect for an older artist, and the spirit carried on with the advent of the new. Nor is the acclaimed idol forgotten, if he or she have ability that is enduring, even though circumstances may remove that artist from their midst for a short time. An artistic endeavor achieved is truly won, theirs is not a fickle acclamation. But perhaps it is because art is more generally aopre- ciated in the older countries, particularly in youth. Certainly, this is true of music. Again, perhaps it is parents bring their children un to respect the names of their favorites; but what- ever it is, it is a verity that cannot be denied, they do remember. Of recent years, one American favorite in the prime of her art was frozen out of the greatest tabernacle of music in the land, at a time when her health was not at its best. This, after fifteen years of unexcelled artistic work. A career that can never be forgotten by those who followed its development. Already the general public have forgotten her, they accept inferior artists in the very roles that she excelled in, and they never demur. Today, she is singing in Germany, where she hasn't 1 been heard in twenty years. In Ger- many, where the memory of people is not im- paired by the sensational whatnots of the day. No doubt, the American public are ignorant of that fact, for usually when they bury their dead, they bury them deeply. Must memory be so negligent? Though consis- tent retrospection would be devastating and re- tarding in its influence upon both the body and the spirit, still there is a healthy memory which can and should recall that which has been un- equalled in its artistry. But memory alas, is ever tricky and no one can ever seem to trust it. The painter and the sculptor leave their products as consistent physical reactions for each succeed- ing generation. They are by turns lauded and condemned. But because their art is ever on ex- hibit, they are never really forgotten. But not so, the singer, the pianist or any of the perform- ers in perhaps the greatest of the arts. Of the finest, the very greatest, too many of their voices are buried in eternal silence. But with the advent of the phonograph over twenty-five years ago, a new turn in affairs was brought about. Famous artists, from that time on, have left canvasses of their venerable art, in duplicate of their expressions upon phonograph records. Unfortunately the instrumentalist from the early days, suffered bad reproduction, their expressions are decidedly grotesque in most in- stances, where the medium is concerned. The piano sounds like a corrupted banjo, a good violin, like a cheap fiddle, and the orchestra, a false shadow. But the vocalists certainly fared better. They left some splendid examples of their art. Most of these have been withdrawn from the various catalogues but one of the companies, has issued a cut-out list, from which one can pro- cure some rare examples of numerous artists. The difficulties in them are mostly confined to poor backgrounds, but as some of the finest por- traits of the early school of portrait painting have inferior backgrounds which do not depreciate their value, why should a poor accompaniment behind a beautiful voice destroy entirely what is there in the better part. After all, these early records are portraits of an artist's work, and the beauty of their early voices in many cases is truly exquisite. Theirs was not the fault, that the medium of that day was deficient. The finesse, the phrasing, the emo- tional and mental concepts are all registered, and surely to the discerning listener, they should be an unforgettable experience. So many of these artists lived lives that were filled with sorrows, subtle intimate sorrows, and work that was daily a tremendous task. Such work as gives growth, growth to all sides of their nature; mental, spirit- ual and emotional. Their very greatness was born out of consistent balance, out of consistent effort, in which no human reaction was neglected. Many of these artists ripened in their art, through a long period of patient, careful study. Thev never attempted to appear before the public, until they were thoroughly certain that the many details that are requisite for their art, were in absolute co-ordination. What a difference from the would-be artists that spring up over night now with insufficient backgrounds, whose careers are all too short-lived. We hear their types all the time, they make vain efforts to please. Almost daily they are broadcast