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

18 The Phonograph Monthly Review October, 1929 My first contribution to the magazine dealt wholly with the Columbia Fine Art Series of Musical Masterworks, then scarcely out of its in- fancy, which has for long been the mftin concern of my working life. Much water has passed un- der the mill since that time; the development of the Masterworks Series has been phenomenal and its success outstanding, as all who have followed it fortunes must be aware. The Beethoven and Schubert Centennials, sponsored by the Columbia Company, have long passed, but their effects still linger in the great succession of major composi- tions in the Columbia Masterworks Series which signalized the observance of each one. These constitute in themselves record libraries of the first importance. But even more significant, in estimating the value of this Series and its growth in the past three years, is a review of the other great com- posers whose works have been represented in that time. Closely following upon the Beethoven Cen- tennial list there was issued one of the first com- plete works in a strictly modern idiom, namely, Debussy's suite of brilliant Spanish tone-pictures for orchestra, Iberia. The success of this issue was outstanding from the first and encouraged the release of such works as Ravel's fascinating Mother Goose, Dukas' moving ballet, La Peri, the Debussy G minor Quartet, Stravinsky's master- pieces, Petrouchka and The Fire Bird, and the extraordinary work of Manuel de Falla, Spain's great contemporary master, El Amor Brujo. The musical public has responded most eagerly to all of these offerings. The arrangement by Which Columbia secured exclusive right to record performances of the Bayreuth Wagner Festivals constituted a verit- able landmark in musical recording. The furore attending the production of the first series, early in 1928, has scarcely died down, and promises to be more than repeated in the case of Tristan and Isolde (1928 Festival) shortly to be announced. But even with all of these, there have been mentioned not half of the more than eighty sets which have been put forward since this magazine came into existence. The great mainstays of the standard concert repertory — Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Tschaikowsky, Brahms, Dvorak, Grieg, Strauss—have been represented by some of their finest achievements. Schumann, Liszt and Men- delssohn, of the romanticist masters, have been added to the series. With the utmost striving for perfection in all of these enterprises it would be more than human if it were always attained. But there can be no doubt that where it has been approximated The Phonograph Monthly Review has given us full credit; on the other hand chiding us in friendly fashion Where in its opinion we have fallen short; which is entirely as it should be. And in either, and in both cases, it has performed the invaluable service of acquainting the musical public (and many others who are rapidly becom- ing musical) with the fact that these remarkable compositions have been recorded and are avail- able. In this manner it has carried forward the one object aimed at and at the only one necessary in the dissemination and popularization of great works of music, namely, familiarity with the works themselves. The continued success of The Phonograph Monthly Review is both the desire and the pre- diction of all who have watched its career. (Signed) George C. Jell, Columbia Phonograph Company. Greetings! The career of The Phonograph Monthly Review and also Axel B. Johnson reads like a Horatio Alger novel. With heart full of determination and honest-to-goodness hard work, you have built up a marvellous review. The read- ing of the magazine has been a course of great information to me, and I am sure to thousands of others. I want to thank Mr. Johnson and the staff of The Phonograph Monthly Review for the privilege of allowing me to send this personal mlessage in their anniversary edition. Before I close, I want to thank many of the readers for their letters and acknowledgement of my articles written in the various PHONOGRAPH Monthly Review editions. I hope I will find time in the near future to continue these articles. Sincerely yours, (Signed) NAT SHILKRET Victor Talking Machine Division , R.C.A . THE GRAMOPHONE SHOP’S ENCYCLOPEDIA For many months rumors have been drifting in about an elaborate “Enclycopedia of the World’s Best Recorded Music” to be issued by The Gramophone Shop of New York. The work itself arrived at the Studio just too late for notice in the September issue; by this time many of our readers are undoubtedly familiar with it. For the others it should be briefly described. In size and format it compares with the largest record catalogues of the regular manufacturers—214 pages in all. The listing is logically done entirely by composers, to which has been added a sort of supplement of special album sets of French songs, popular European concert hall stars, books on music, novelty records, etc. Not only imported records, but signi- ficant domestic records are listed, making the work literally true to its title. Under each composer’s name (with dates) recordings of his works are classified under Symphonies, Operas, Choral, Piano, Quartets, Songs, etc., followed by a list of available miniature scores. Only electrical recordings are listed. It is remarkably comprehensive in scope and unquestionably it contains a large listing of important record encyclopedia to date. There are some omissions, of course, but sur- prisingly few. A particularly meritous feature of the work is the excellent typography and the freedom from typo- graphical mistakes. The Gramophone Shop’s Encyclopedia is vastly more than an order catalogue,—it is a reference handbook that will be invaluable to every serious collector. The price is 25c postpaid to any part of the world from The Gramophone Shop, 47 East 47th Street, New York City.