Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 2, No. 5 (1928-02)

February, 1928 The Phonograph Monthly Review 187 writing things especially for the Victor Co., etc. Even now the various companies are gradually turning their attention more and more to the modern and outstanding younger men. I have read all the reviews and listened to all the comments of my friends on the English ver- sion of the Brahms fourth symphony, and almost without exception praise runs high. I have been very much interested in all that anyone has had to say because I am beginning to think that I am either losing my mind or that an important cog has slipped along the line some place. I did not at first and still do not think that it is a good recording. But inasmuch as everybody else does, I must be wrong. I know that it is not my machine because I am judging its mechani- cal qualities only on a basis of comparison with other records played on that same machine. But I think that my main point of criticism would focus on the conductor Mr. Abendroth, and I am sorry that I do not know enough about con- ducting in general and about him in particu- lar to say anything really constructive or important, — but it seems to me after playing the set several times that the recording is weak—it lacks the strength and power that for me is so necessary in Brahms. At the mo- ment when one should be worked up to a high emotional pitch (and this can be done on the phonograph) Mr. Abendroth leaves me cold and almost uninterested. To me this becomes more and more apparent when we compare this set with the first symphony, recorded for Victor by Stokowski. Some showmanship even in Brahms on the phonograph does not go amiss. I do not feel that any complete symphonies yet recorded (that is any I have heard) can compare with the Brahms First and the Cesar Franck. VORIES What would Mr. Lee say to BeechanTs further comments on British Musical institutions re- sembling “a dozen flat tires that need to be in- flated !” Or on British composition “in a state of perpetual promise. . . .It might be said to be one gigantic promissory note!” Another remark is of special interest to record buyers who hotly debate the respective merits of British and Ameri- can orchestras: “The only thing England takes seriously today is the United States. They are also convinced that the finest orchestras in the world are now in America.” Musical America for January 7 contains these and many other vitriolic words. No wonder the British musicians solemnly resolve that Beecham should be severely censured. Yet perhaps they allow their not unnatural anger to blind them to the value of adverse criticism as a constructive force. The untiring efforts and the almost il- limitable sums of money that Beecham has ex- pended for the cause of music in England surely entitle him to free his mind of a few flaying comments. Even while he speaks, the project he has started for opera at moderate prices is going forward with increasing momentum. The phonograph, too, has not escaped Sir Thomas’ tongue in the past, but it is his recorded deeds and not his evanescent words that we re- member. Both performances and discussions of music are liable to become dull and uninspiring without the turbulent readings and remarks of a musical playboy like Beecham to keep things stimulatingly alive. May he continue to cri- ticize and to play; the sting will soon disappear and the merits remain! Beedham’s Fortissimo P HONOGRAPH enthusiasts who cherish Beecham’s incomparable performance of Beethoven’s Second Symphony in their re- cord libraries will follow his American tour with particular interest and, given the opportunity, will certainly hear him in person at one of his “guest” appearances in New York, Boston, or Philadelphia. His arrival on these shores was no less dynamic and brilliant than his orchestral performances. No sooner had he landed than he was heard to caustic effect upon his pet topic of music in England and the critical rod dealt its vigorous blows unsparingly. Troubled echoes filter across the water and Markham Lee, President of the Incorporated So- ciety of British Musicians, replies with some bit- terness that, “It may be that the musicians of this country don’t take Beecham as seriously as does the American public, but I think it most unpardonable that he should say in America that we are the laziest people on earth and that our music is comatose.” CHELTENHAM PHONOGRAPH SOCIETY The town of Cheltenham is to all intents and purposes (though not officially, because it is in another county) a part of the city of Philadelphia. It lies m a kind of pocket, just over the city line, to the northeast. Most of its work- ing inhabitants are employed in offices, or engaged in usiness pursuits that take them to the city every day. And they are as dependent upon Philadelphia for their education, amusement, and inspiration, as for their means ol liveli- hood. There are five churches with their attendant social organizations, one or two lodges, a few other social organiza- tions, and enough community stores to supply necessities. Because of close proximity to the city, and the varied in- terests it has to offer, business, social, and cultural, it is aim- cult to secure any kind of continued or regular attendance on the part of any considerable group of people for any such activities in community. ? Several years ago the experiment of a Mens Club in connection with one of the churches did not work out successfully, both on account of varied interests and the lack of the right kind of leadership, possibly. Now there are in Cheltenham a number of men who are interested in various ways, and to a greater or less degree, in the art of music. When I first learned, in the fall of 1926, through the publication of The Phonograph Monthly Review, that there was such a thing as a Phonograph Society move- ment, after thinking over the situation for some time and after some correspondence with the Editor, I decided that this movement might be applied, with a possibility of great cultural advantage to this community. As is so often the case, the women are far better taken care of socially than