Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 5, No. 12 (1931-09)

322 The Phonograph Monthly Review Odd Sides By KARL WENDELL Unusual musical treasures used as "fillers" for album sets W HEN ambitious manufacturers first ven- tured beyond single disc recordings (perhaps some of the phonographic histor- ians can tell us the exact date), it was prompt- ly discovered that a considerable proportion of musical works refused to fit into the con- venient scheme of an even number of record sides. At first the last side of a work that occupied three, five, or seven sides was left blank, but by this time the double-sided rec- ord idea had penetrated the public conscious- ness so far that purchasers of the set were piqued at paying for blank record space. A “filler-in”, “make-weight”, or “chaser”—a short piece occupying only one side—was necessary to round out the set. Naturally recording directors have con- sistently avoided issuing works in an odd number of sides whenever it was in any way possible to stretch or compress them to an even number. Among the early album set re- leases there are many instances of tempos grossly speeded up or slackened for this pur- pose. Often excisions are made in the music itself, or two partly filled sides are made to take the place of one full one. Such practices met with the condemnation they deserved, and today the odd side recording is usually— if not always—frankly faced as a frequent inevitability in album set recording. At first the selections chosen for filling in were almost invariably standard pieces, war- horses available in many other recorded ver- sions. The overture to the Marriage of Fiagro, for instance, was a prime favorite, and still is an obvious choice. Off-hand I can think of no less than three times it appears on odd sides of American released albums: in the Blech version of the Tannhduser overture (Victor), Gaubert’s version of L’Apprenti Sorcier (Columbia), and the complete Barber of Seville album (Columbia). But the tran- scriptions of Rachmaninoff’s notorious pre- lude and other popular piano works have al- most disappeared. More and more record- ing directors seem to have allowed the con- ductor of the major work to choose the sup- plementary piece. Now, as a consequence, the filler-in is usually by the same composer as that of the larger work, or failing that the filler-in is a musical novelty of genuine worth, frequently unrecorded elsewhere. Al- most invariably the odd sides are recorded by Pablo Casals the same artists who are responsible for the album set, but occasionally still—particularly in Germany—a soloist or small ensemble will respond to the “encore!” occasioned by the performance of a large symphony orchestra. With the tremendous expansion of album set lists the number of odd side recordings has increased in like proportion until now a good sized library could be formed of them alone. But necessarily the major work gets nearly all the attention in catalogues, adver- tising, and even record reviews. The present article is written with the intention of partly remedying the neglect into which the pieces have been forced. Many of them rank with the choicest gems of phonographic literature; it is a shame that they should be buried in obscure corners of record catalogues. In most cases the major work in the set is well worth acquisition, but in many in- stances an individual may not care for the larger work, or already possess another ver- sion that he finds preferable. But when the merit of the odd side really warrants it—and I shall quote many examples—the last record