Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 4, No. 1 (1929-10)

14 The Phonograph Monthly Review October, 1929 Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, when we were allowed to go downtown, the place was sure to be crowded, and, as there was only one vener- able horn machine in the shop, one had to wait long for his turn at trying out things. That I could waste my own, and, more especially, other people’s time in playing things apparently so uninteresting, and even painful, was regarded as criminal. As regards a phonograph, I was in even a worse plight. My little Pathe portable proved to be entirely unsatisfactory, quickly spoiling some of my dearly purchased records. Finally, from the son of the cook where I waited on table, I was able to rent, for twenty-five cents a week, an old, greasy Columbia “Grafanola”, with a concealed tin horn, but possessed of a cover. The tone of this was really astonishingly good, everything considered, and it served me well for two winters. Once in a great while, on “movie” nights, or on holidays, when most every- one had gone to Boston, I would steal into the room of the possessor of one of the then new Orthophonics and spend a heavenly hour or so. During the succeeding summer, I had prepared myself, financially, as well as otherwise, for the purchase of some album sets. Relatively ignor- ant as I was with regard to symphonic music, and lacking the opportunity to hear the records beforehand, my first buy, as have been of neces- sity a good many of them since, was made on the basis of what I had read about it in The Phono- graph Monthly Review, and elsewhere, rather than from any personal liking for the work. It was the Coates version of the Beethoven Ninth. However, I have never regretted my choice, and of all the symphonies which I have since known, there has not been one which can approach, for me, the first three movements, at least, of that one. I am sure that there must be a large group of people, foremost among them myself, which, dissatisfied with the present comparatively poor recordings of that great work, would eagerly snap up a new and more perfectly conducted one. In as quick succession as was possible for me, came the Cesar Franck, Brahms’ First, Scheherazade. These were all obtained through a little “hot-dog” shop—most incongruous sur- roundings. There was not one set, however, that was not the cause of a series of disappointment, as the man never got them until days after he had promised. When they had arrived, and he saw me come in, he would wipe his hands, after having laid a “hamburger steak” on the griddle, and, with a knowing glance, run over to the coun- ter, whence he would withdraw a mysterious paper parcel, containing the ardently desired records. But sometimes, they were the wrong ones, and then would ensue more promises and disappointments, until they were finally exchang- ed. It often seemed as if it was through the mer- est chance that I heard of works which I later came to like most. It was certainly so in two cases. I happened to hear the Director of Music speak of how wonderful were the Missa Papae Marcelli and the B Minor Mass. I knew nothing either of Palestrina or of Bach, and my idea of them was that they were dry and uninteresting, but his words, and the fact that on almost the same day recorded excerpts of these masses came to my notice, so impressed me that I decided to try them. The first was, of course, the Credo from the Brunswick album of the Roman Poly- phonic Society. The Victor Co. has since issued the entire mass in its Educational Series (sung by Choir of Westminster Cathedral), and I con- sider it one of the things most to their credit that they have made available this wonderful music, although it can never be popular. With regard to the B Minor Mass, (heard on the H. M. V. records by the Royal Choral Society) my feelings are still more pronounced. I may say that those four records, topped by the gorgeous and thrilling Sanctus, are more precious to me than any others in my collection. In this case, one can feel only shame for all of our companies that, having, as we do, the Bethlehem Choir, no one of them has ever issued the work complete; but one must feel sure that they will soon give us a recording of a set which will certainly have such widespread sales. These two composers, moreover, are almost the only ones whose works I feel that I can buy, even without a pre-hearing, and be sure that I shall not be disappointed. Since the above times, I have secured a long- coveted Orthophonic Victrola, and have continued to buy records in ever increasing quantities, be- coming acquainted somewhat more with the mod- erns—Strawinsky, de Falla, etc. In college, the general attitude toward those who are fond of music is much broader and more lenient, and one finds many who are themselves interested in recorded music, as may be seen from the great number of album sets stocked and sold by the largest college gramophone shop near Harvard Square. From the slight sketch above, I hope that it will be seen how very easy and natural is the cul- tivation of an appreciation and enjoyment of mu- sic, even if they be, in the beginning as absolutely ignorant of it as I was. The most serious ob- stacle, it seems to me, of which one must surely rid oneself, is all prejudice and fear of boredom; mere passive, but careful, listening, without, ne- cessarily, a fixed determination to like, or to dis- like, come what may, will do wonders, often even with abtruse or ordinarily antagonistic composi- tions. 1 H. ROYER SMITH CO. 1 g 10th and Walnut Streets Philadelphia g jjj “The World’s Record Shop” 3 | NEW IMPORTATIONS ALMOST | | EVERY DAY | S (See advertisement on page 29) g