Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 2, No. 2 (1927-11)

The Phonograph Monthly Review 63 November, 1927 By the issue of your review, dated October 1927, I see that Chaliapin has sung a new record from the Opera Don Qui- chotte, by Massenet, and the aforesaid record (Victor 6693) is criticized under the title ‘‘Analytical Notes and Reviews”. The critic thinks the record is one of Chaliapin’s best, but I think the contrary, that is, that the mentioned record is the most unartistie piece I ever heard in my life, and my collec- tion goes up to six thousand operatic records. The criticism that appears on the pages of your review as far as the Don Quichotte record is concerned, indicates one of these two things: either the critic does not know anything about Don Quichotte, or the critic did not hear the record at all. I tell you why. You must know that when Don Quichotte is near to death, Sancho Panza is with him taking care of him. Well, the scene is simply a dialogue between Don Quichotte and Sancho Panza, which suppose two persons on the scenery and two persons on the record. However, Mister Chaliapin, who always sings “pour epater le bourgeois”, as the French say, thinks that his art and his voice is sufficient, not only to sing Don Quichotte’s part, but also that assigned to Sancho Panza by the composer. And the record results one of those rare things that are conceived only by unartistie people, and it is a shame for the Victor Company to have put on the market such a rotten record (excuse the phrase). If the critic knew anything about Don Quichotte or heard the record, he would have called the attention upon this fact, as I could do it my- self, because I know the opera Don Quichotte and know what Chaliapin is singing. This basso or baritone (it is difficult to know what he is), should have sung the part of Don Qui- chotte only, or have asked the Victor Company to engage another artist to sing the role of Sancho Panza for nobody will ever suppose that when Don Quichotte was last performed at the Metropolitan, Chaliapine sung at the same time and at the same performance, the two roles, that of Don Qui- chotte and that of Sancho Panza. Effectively, the first, phrases of Chaliapin beong to Sancho Panza. Here they are: “O mon maitre, 6 mon grand, dans des splendeurs de songe, quo ton ame s’eleve aux cieux loin du mensonge, et que ton coeur, si doux plane dans les clartes, Ou tout ce qu’il reva devient rea lite. O mon maitre, 6 mon grand!” Then begins Don Quichotte with this words: “Ecoute, mon ami, je me sens bien malade! Mets ton bras sous mon cou, sois rultime soutien de celui qui pansa l’humanite souffrante, et survecut a la Chevalerie errante”. Then Sancho says: “Mon maitre”, etc., etc. The record sung by Galeffi “O sommo Carlo”, from Ernani. id also an unartistie record, for you know that this great con- certa too is sung by baritone, by tenor, by soprano and the chorus. The record has no tenor nor soprano. Havana, Cuba. Ricardo M. Aleman. Editor, Phonograph Monthly Review, I take the first opportunity of responding to your kind invitation to tell somewhat of phonographic opportunities here. On my first arrival here, twenty-one years ago, I in- vested in the cheapest Victor table model, and a few rec- ords, but a slender purse and the poor reproduction led to a long regretful neglect. After six or seven years, a better table model and more records tempted me. In 1922 I brought out one of the latest large cabinet Columbias, and some of the latest records then available, but had no leisure or opportunity to cultivate my taste till the summer of 1925. At that time I ran across the first edition of Percy Scholes’ First Book of the Gramophone Record, and other musically introductory works, which determined me to spend time and money in the cultivation of a wider musical appreciation and understanding. A timely legacy made this financially pos- sible. Since which time I have become a devoted fan and have purchased some four hundred records. First a word as to the opportunities for purchasing ma- chines and records. By agreement between the home com- panies, this is Victor rather than H. M. V. territory. Victor representatives can stock only Victor records regularly or lose their right to new releases. So that we are limited to the American records unless we are prepared to face the delays incident to a market twelve thousand miles away. The Victor representatives are long on their importations of jazz and short on those of higher quality. Their records are sent from the Oakland, Calif., factory, and the albums for the Art Series must come from New Jersey, sometimes months after the records they are to contain. Mine for the electrical recording of the Beethoven Fifth Symphony is still reported to be on the way. A Japanese dealer more en- terprising than the main English agents gets more of the symphonic works, with a result that I purchase fully three times as much Victor and H. M. V. music from him as from the larger dealers. With Columbia, we are in a slightly better position. The importers, the Robinson Piano Co., Ltd., receive both Eng- lish and American recordings and machines. They are prompt in informing me of expected shipments and permit me to go through thousands of them upon receipt and to take, on ap- proval, whatever appeals to me, with a natural result that my largest purchases are made from them. Their clerks (Chinese) show selective intelligence, learn the tastes of in- dividual customers, and take pains to call attention to rec- ords which they consider likely to appeal. This helps sales. Their manager was the first to show me copies of “the Gramophone” and of the Phonograph Monthly Review, of which I had previously seen mention in the Rolls and Discs department of “The Outlook”, whose counsel in the matter of records I had been following to supplement my first choices based on Scholes’ two books. I frequently have as many as fifty to one hundred Columbia records to try in a month and purchase twenty of these. Early in 1926 the Aeolian people attempted an agency here, which was combined with a circulating library of rec- ords and piano rolls, but the attempt was without sufficient financial backing and closed in July. While it was a going concern I took thirty records a month, widened my knowl- edge of recorded music and learned to appreciate the solid worth of the Vocalion records, of which I secured ultimately nearly fifty. As they are not now on sale here, except in a second-hand condition, and I have a rule not to purchase rec- ords I cannot hear first, I have had to defer purchases till better times. Polydor established connections here in 1925 with two Japanese representatives but the Victor people forced one of them out. The other receives shipments at such long intervals as to make buying difficult. The last shipment included re- leases of August 1926 (electrical). For some time another has been promised “next month, maybe.” Consequently my Polydors are limited to three symphonies, a sonata, the sec- ond Peer Gynt suite and a dozen overtures. Brunswick has three shops in operation, Geola, Phonola and Sonola. Of the better records they seem to import only one or two, and my inquiries are usually greeted with the reply, “Sorry, our only copy is sold.” The Columbia people are practically the only ones to habitually reorder. This and the silent surface, with the “no-scratch” quality, account for the preponderance of Columbias in my collection. There is another factor: I am having continual trouble with the breakdown of the needle track of some of my best Victor and H. M. V. records, which is maddening. It always happens in sets. No Columbia record has yet succumbed to repeated playings. Chinese shops generally handle only Chinese records by the different companies. The Japanese shops have the best Japan- ese records, largely produced in Japan. The most numerous class of buyers in the Japanese shops is sailors from the ships in harbor. It is surprising, however, to find that there are many Japanese with a taste for the best symphonic records, and that they are, on the whole, the best buyers of Euro- pean records. A small Chinese variety shop imports the Winner Records from England and makes a practice of buying all second-hand records offered in our numerous auctions. All are sold at a uniform price (about IT. S. 40c each) and a watchful waiter may occasionally find bargains. I have secured at least fifty of these, many of them as good as new, whose owners have been obliged by our civil wars and disturbances to go to a happier clime. As to machines, all the customary Victor, Columbia and Brunswick models seen in America (except electrical) are on display, together with the Orion and several popular port- ables/The Japanese manufacture many kinds, mostly rather shoddy affairs, the best by the Nipponophone Company, re- cently purchased bv Columbia. But from my point of view the best buy on the local market for the man of small means, is the new English Vivatonal Columbia and the newest Eng- lish Columbia Portables, which seem the best value for the price I have ever seen. I say this after haunting music shops