Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 5, No. 11 (1931-08)

August 1931, Vol. V, No. II 309 About 1925, Mr. McCormack sang a number of German lieder for the English Gramophone Com- pany. They were discontinued two or three years ago, but may still be obtained by special order to The Gramophone Company. The best is DA628, Brahms’ Die Mainacht and In Waldeseinsamkeit. Hardly less notable are DA635, Brahms’ Komm Bald and Feldeinsamkeit, and DB766, Schubert’s Du Bist die Ruh and Hugo Wolf’s Wo find ich trost. Two fine American records by Mr. McCormack are less known than they deserve to be. Ho. 1081, Lotti’s Pur Dicesti, backed by Walter Kramer’s Swans, was surreptitiously introduced among the theme songs in 1924 and soon dropped. No. 1272 contains two lovely songs: Hugo Wolf’s Schlafendes Jesuskind and an exquisite Minnelied from the Lochhamer Liederbuch. This is not yet cancelled, but doubtless soon will be to make room for such trash as Mr. John Charles Thomas’ new Red Label offering, The Texas Cowboy Song. These atrocities are, I fear, bound to continue until the discrimina- tion of the Victor Company in the matter of in- strumental music is applied to vocal music. Their present policy prefers Rudy Vallee, Richard Crooks, Lawrence Tibbett and John Thomas to such incom- parable masters as De Gogorza and McCormack. How long, 0 Lord, How long? Detroit, Michigan. Edgar H. Ailes Elly Ney Records Editor, Phonograph Monthly Review: I can never understand why no companies have recorded the playing of Elly Ney. It is criminal that there are no records of her playing some of the last Beethoven sonatas, or the Emperor concerto, or Brahms’ B flat or D minor concertos. I have recently heard Mme. Ney in an all Betho- ven recital, and I consider it one of the most stirring experiences I have ever had. She alone carries one beyond the realm of piano playing and creates or re-creates the spirit of the masters. De Pere, Wisconsin Oliver Daniel Note: Elly Ney once made several acoustical recordings, but these are now all withdrawn from the Brunswick catalogue. Help Wanted Editor, Phonograph Monthly Review: Will you please direct me to an agency which sup- plies records of music which have been used for experimental work in therapy for the mentally sick? I shall be grateful, too, for new records of the type of the Battle Creek Sanatarium Health Lad- der, a set of records issued by the Columbia Com- pany several years ago. Ellen L. Canton, New York City Teacher , Psychopathic Dept. Bellevue Hospital Editor, Phonograph Monthly Review: Being in possession of a library of records which enables me to play them on an average of about one a month, I opened an album of discs this morning to play, when I found that the odd side of each record was stuck to the pockets of the album, ap- parently the paste that had been used to glue the pockets warmed, causing the records to stick. When I took them out, the paper stuck to the grooves, rendering the affected sides useless for the time being. No doubt you know of some remedy to apply to these records, and if you will be good enough to advise me in this matter I shall be greatly obliged to you, for no doubt I have other records in a like condition, as I have about ten albums of individual recordings piled one on top of the other due to lack of space to have them stand in a vertical position. Naturally I would like to save them all. Cleveland, Ohio. Ben Spitalsky Notes : The question of records for mental therapy has been raised before in these columns, but no information is available on specific recordings for this purpose. Perhaps some reader can suggest suita- ble records to Miss Canton. We advised Mr. Spitalsky to endeavor to swab off the paper stuck to his discs with alcohol. Perhaps there is a better method of restoring them to playable condition. This difficulty :s one of the many re- sulting from the storage of records in an over-warm place, and is perhaps even more annoying and destructive than warping. Kurt, Albani, DeReszke, et al Editor, Phonograph Monthly Review: “J. M.” asks if Melanie Kurt ever recorded. Yes she did, and rather extensively I believe. I own only one, an orange label Columbia E-3274 coupling the Mignon Kennst du das Land with the German folk song Abschied. Both of these are exquisitely sung and I am very anxious to obtain more records of Mme. Kurt’s lovely voice. Mr. Aleman has one of her Parlophone discs containing arias from the Masked Ball , a H. M. Y. black label (Czechoslovakia) of a Prophet duet with Matzenauer, two trios on Polydor records, one from Faust , the other from Fidelio, sung with Urlus and Knupfer. Can anyone tell-me if it is true that Mme. Kurt is now teaching singing in Germany? Mme. Albani recorded for H. M. Y. but the Gramo- phone Co. informs me that special pressings of her records are not available. Miss Farrar thinks that her age would affect her records greatly. Yictor Maurel’s Fonotipia records will be surveyed in detail in a forthcoming article for P. M. R. I know nothing about Sarah Bernhardt’s Path6 records but I recently found an Aeolian Yocalion made by her in 1916. On this very roughly surfaced record she recited Priere pour nos Enemies and VEtoile dans la Nuit (Guerinon). The record num- ber is 22035. “J. M.” and other subscribers may be interested to know that Jean DeReszke, Ernest Yan Dyck and Yictorien Sardou made very early Fonotipia records. Sardou recited his own Patrie, La Maine and La Famille Benoiton. I have the numbers of these records and a list of the Yan Dyck records and will gladly furnish a copy to any collector who writes to me for them. Incidentally, I have written Parlo- phone for a list of the Jean DeReszke records and am enquiring whether or not it would be possible for them to press up as they have done with the Lehmann matrices. Bridgeport, Conn. W- H. S.