Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 1, No. 5 (1927-02)

The Phonograph Monthly Review 239 SMETANA’S WORKS OBTAINABLE ON RECORDS Operas: “The Bartered Bride.” Ouverture: Royal Albert Hall Orch., Eugene Goossens, Gramophone D 643. Berlin State Opera, Leo Blech, Poly dor 62455. Dresden State Opera, Fritz Busch, Polydor 65861. Act I: Marie’s Air — (Bohemian), Kamilla Unger, Gram. 273013. Marie and Jenik—(B.) K. Unger and Otokar Marak, Gram. 74003. Kecal’s Entrance — (B.) Emil Pollert, Gram. 272032. Terzetto — (B.) Klan, Pollert, Sir, Victor 16208. Polka and Furiant Dances — Prague Nat. Th. Gram. 270724-25. Odeon Symph. Orch., Ed. Moericke, Odeon 89017. State Opera Berlin, Blech, Polydor 65840. Polka, arr. for Violin by Ondricek—Milan Lusk, Columbia E 4036. Finale — (B.) Prague Nat. Th. Chorus, Gram. 274514. Act II: Brindisi—(B.) Prague Nat. Th. Chorus, Gram. 274504. Jenik and Marie—Bohumil Ptak and Hanna Foerster, Victor 63622. Kecal’s Air — (Boh.) Emile Pollert, Gram. 272031. (Boh.) Emil Pollert, Columbia E 267. (German) Peter Lordmann, Polydor 13346. Kecal and Jenik—(Boh.) Kliment and Marak, Columbia E 267. (German) Bohnen and Hutt, Polydor 85314. Jenik’s Air—(Boh.) Otokar Marak, Gram. 072015. (German) Hermann Jadlowker, Polydor 70513. (Germ.) Robert Hutt, Polydor 62512. (German.) Otto Macha, Polydor 19108. Act III: Skocna Dance — Prague Nat. Th., Gram. 270723. Sextett — (Boh.) Klan, Felden, Kubat, Sir, Viktorin, Polak, Gram. 074000 Sextett — Prague Nat. Th. Orch., Gram. 270722. Marie’s Air — (Boh.) Emmy Destinn, Gram. 073006. Jenik’s Air — (Boh.) Otokar Marak, Gram. 272271. “DALIBOR” Milada’s Air—(Boh.) Emmy Destinn, Gram. 73309. King Vladislav’s Air — (Boh.) Emil Burian, Gram. V. 4—102558. Dalibor’s Airs — (Boh.) Karel Burian, Gram. 2-72214 and 15. (Boh.) Fr. Pacal, Gram. V. 2—102878 and 79. Jailkeeper’s Air — (Boh.) Emil Pollert, Victor 16209. Armourers Chorus—(Boh.) Prague Nat. Th., Gram. 274503. 3|<SV “THE KISS” Ouverture — Prague Nat. Th. Orch., Gram. 070519 and 20. Vendulka and Lukas — (Boh.) Malka Bobek and Otokar Marak, Gram. 74164. Vendulka’s Cradle Song—(Boh.) Emmy Destinn, Gram. 073007. (German) Emmy Destinn, Victor 6087. Lukas’s Song—(Boh.) Otokar Marak, Gram. 2-72233. Lukas’s Air—(Boh.) Otokar Marak, Victor 16204. (Boh.) Fr. Pacal, Gram. V. 4—102658. Terzett—(Boh.) Klan, Kubat, Pollert, Victor 16634. Lukas and Tomes—(Boh.) Marak and ^ir, Columbia E 269. Barca’s Air—(Boh.) Kamilla Unger, Gram. 273012. “TWO WIDOWS.” Ladislav’s Air—(Boh.) Otokar Marak, Gram. 2—72232. (Boh.) Otokar Marak, Victor 16625. Entreact—Prague Nat. Th., Gram. 270736. “THE SECRET” Vitek’s Air—(Boh.), Otokar Marak, Gram. 2—72105. “LIBUSE” Ouverture—Odeon Symph. Orch., Dr. Weissman, Odeon 89016. Premysl’s Air — (Boh.), Bohumil Benoni, Victor 16204. Entreact—Prague Nat. Th., Gram. 270737. “THE DEVIL’S WALL” Jarek’s Air—(Boh.) Otokar Marak, Gram. 2—72009. SYMPHONIC POEM “Vltava”—Odeon Orch., Dr. Weissmann Odeon 89014 and 15. State Opera Berlin, Leo Blech, Polydor 040922, 23 and 24. State Opera Berlin, Leo Blech, B 20414, 15 and 16. QUARTET E MINOR—London String Quartet, 1 and 2 movement. Vocalion 38001. 3 and 4 movement, Vocalion 38003. Flonzaley Quartet, 2nd movement, Victor 6449. “FROM MY HOME,” violin and piano,—Fritz Kreisler, Victor 6188. Josef Fuchs, Homokord 74172. TRIO C MINOR — Pozniak Trio, 2nd movement, Polydor B 29047. “VENO”, Male Chorus—Prague National Theatre, Gram. 274507. Chicago Boh. Workingmen Singing Society, Columbia 50011—F. EVENING SONGS “Nekamenuite proroky” (Boh.)—Fr. Pangrac, Victor 73004. “Z svvch pisni trun ti udelam ’ (Boh.)—Otokar Marak, Gram. 2—72229. VSIE by Richard G. Appel “EMILE BERLINER; MAKER OF THE MICRO- PHONE” by Frederick William Wile (The Bobbs- Merrill Company). Mr. Wile has performed a notable service to humanity in portraying the life stories of one of its great benefactors. If the phonograph has contributed more to the spread of human culture than anything since the invention of the printing press, as is strongly maintained by some, it is surely high time to review the steps in its invention and the distinguished personalities concerned therewith. We are so accustomed to the abstractions of “big business” and “Industry” that we are apt to overlook the personal element in their upbuilding. It has remained, indeed, for the greatest Indian thinker of our day to proclaim the view that there are just as great heroes and heroines living today as lived in the golden days of Greece and Rome. When the hero of a book is revealed as a benefactor in so many different ways it not only restores our belief in humanity but it distinctly ennobles it. A mere reference to the fact that Berliner in addition to his inventive career has led in the movement for the pasteur- ization of milk with the results of reducing infant mortality from gastro-intestinal troubles in the District of Columbia from about 30 to less than 1percent shows his ideals of service. x That a poor boy who finished his academic education in Germany at the age of fourteen could come to America and by his own efforts in a few years “transform the habits of communication of all mankind” is indeed remarkable. The first date in the evolution of the phonograph is 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell was granted “the most-valuable single patent ever issued” for his telephone. In just a bit over a year Berliner filed his own caveat or description of his invention which was to perfect the telephone and prepare 3ISV the way for the phonograph or talking machine. Another name must be mentioned here for about the some time Thomas A Edison was experimenting and two weeks after Berliner filed his caveat describing the microphone, Edison filed a patent application. In October of 1877 Berliner filed his application for a patent for his invention of the contin- uous current transformer — one of the two fundamentals of the telephone industry. The patent for this was issued Jan. 15, 1878 but owing to opposition the patent for the micro- phone, the other fundamental, was not issued until Nov. 17, 1891. Meanwhile Berliner became indentified with the Bell Telephone Company performing valuable services. In 1877 Edison conceived the idea of reproducing sound and transmitting it over the Bell telephones using a paper record. Later he substituted tinfoil for the paper and the tinfoil cylinder phonograph was exhibited all over the world. Meanwhile at the Volta laboratory in Washington, established by Bell from the Volta prize, a gift of the French govern- ment, wax was substituted for tinfoil and in the fall of 1887 was first exhibited the Bell-Painter “graphophone.” About the same time Berliner was granted a patent for a “gramo- phone” a term he coined which made the record horizontally in a flat disc. Eventually he accomplished a photo-engraving process of producing a permanent zinc record of “etching the human voice” as he said — and of substituting for wax hard rubber and next a compound based on shellac by means of which an indefinite number of duplicates might be pressed from the original zinc. Mr. Berliner’s inventions are innumerable and among the most recent are his “acoustic tiles” made of porous cement and as hard as stone but which have the resonance of wood when vibrated by a tuning fork. By the use of these tiles it is believed that churches and concert halls of all kinds can be made acoustically perfect. In the words of William E. Brigham, the “story is of the melting pot, the product a wizard, whose career touching as it does almost every individual that goes to make civilized humanity, has remained too long unsung; the story of the indestructible ‘lateral cut’ disc record, by means of which we hear Caruso as in life and Galli-Curci sings to us in our own living room.”