Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 5, No. 7 (1931-04)

204 that one could turn away from the mirror and draw it from memory. Next Dr. Barss placed a record of a flute solo on the talking machine. Every flute trill made a pattern indistinguishable from that made by Mel- ba’s trills in the dancing light on the glass. The professor explained that the “sound-im- pulses’* from the talking machine had been con- verted into electric impulses on reaching the ocillograph. Each variation in sound caused a corresponding fluctuation of electric impulse, which produced a variation in the form of a beam of light thrown on the mirror. A singer may be very good, and receive high critical praise, Dr. Barss explained, and yet the ocillograph will betray faults. There may be flaws in the tone, or its production. In particular, af- ter a tone is struck, the singer may not hold it unfluctuatingly until the end. Although the ear may be satisfied, the ocillograph may show a con- stant minute Wandering from the true tone. Melba’s voice on the ocillograph, Dr. Barss said, showed absolute evenness, both as to tone and as to breath control when she sustained a note. Once she struck a note calling for susten- The Phonograph Monthly Review tion, she held it without the slightest fluctuation until the end. When she trilled each of the notes involved was perfecly clear and showed a flawless pattern. The record sung by a very noted soprano of a later generation than Melba was started by Dr. Barss. It was excellent singing, but when we looked in the ocillograph mirror, every “orna- ment” similar to those we had heard—and watched—from Melba showed irregularity in pattern compared with Melba’s. Especially strik- ing was the fact that the sustained notes of the second artist wavered a great deal in their boun- dary lines between the start and the finish of a tone. Of course, these observations were made by watching a shifting image in a rotating mirror. Hence, they might be founded on fallable opinion. To provide unchallengeable scientific testimony of the fine qualities of Melba’s voice, Dr. Barss kindly made some motion picture photographs of the Melba waves in the ocillograph. For the sake of a “foot-rule” comparison, he added a photo- graph of the waves from the sustained tone of a flute. An Outline of Melba Recording History U NLESS it should be that there are still matrices wait- ing to be released, Melba’s recordings by the electrical process are only three number—none of which is high- ly characteristic of her finest art. One, however, is significant for other reasons—historical and personal. It is an actual recording made at Convent Garden on June on June 8, 1926, the occasion of her farewell appearance. Her last public per- formance, Mimi’s (and Melba’s) Addio, is immortalized; and in addition the supremely moving speech in which Melba bids farewell to her friends. Those who affect a fine disdain of the phonograph as a mechanistic monster can have no more convincing rebuke than the literal re-creation of this mov- ing scene. Melba’s sentences are at first low-pitched and uncertain, but hei 4 voices rises vibrantly and clear as she thanks the management, the orchestra, even the faithful at- tendant at the stage door, and then bids her audience a last farewell. The brief speech is punctuated by the rustlings of the unseen audience, the break in Melba’s own voice, and the tumultuous applause,—all as actually occurred in the opera house on that memorable occasion. The ability to keep that moment forever fresh, undimmed by failing memory, the death of Melba herself, the eventual death of all who were present, marks the phonograph as an outstanding con- tributor to history. This notable disc is H. M. V. DB-943, available in this country through the American importers, as is H. M. V. DB- 987, one of the other electrical recordings—Bemberg’s “Un ange est venu” and the “Dite alia giovine” from Traviata, both sung by Melba and Brownlee in duet The third elec- trical disc is released in this country by Victor (No. 6733): Burleigh’s arrangement of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” and Szulc’s “Clair de Lune.” The list of acoustical recordings is a formidable one, too lengthy for complete inclusion here. The majority of them were released in this country by Victor, and while they are now withdrawn from the General Catalogue, they may be ob- tained from Camden in special pressings (see the Victor Red Seal “Cut-Out” List). Mr. S. E. Levy, of Shanghai, China, an authority on the older recordings, names the Boheme “Addio” (with “Mi chiamano Mimi” on Victor 6210) as per- haps the best Melba recording. I might recommend also the Traviata “Ah, fors‘ e lui” (from which the Barss ocillograms reproduced elsewhere were made) and the Rigoletto “Caro nome” on 6213. One of the most popular of Melba’s discs was 6220, coupling the “Melba Waltz”—Arditi’s “Se saran rose”—and the Tosca “Vissi d’arte.” Records in which Mel- ba was associated with other great names are the duets with Gilibert (Blangini’s “per valli per boschi” and Bemberg’s “Un ange est venu”), with Caruso (the BohOme “O soave fanciulla”), and the Mozart aria (“L’amero, saro costante” from Re Pastori) with violin obbligato played by Kubelik. In the H. M. V. general nd historical catalogues is a group of addition recordings not listed in the Victor catalogues (but procurable through Camden or the American importers), chief of which is the Rigoletto Quartet with McCormack, Sammarco, and Thornton. There were other H. M. V. releas- es, now withdrawn, one of which—Bizet’s “Pastorale”—is rec- ommended by Mr. Levy as the best of the Melba recordings up to 1906. Another i^ one of the few recorded Chausson songs—“Le temps de lilas.” Mr. Levy contributed to the Gramophone’s Collector’s Corner (June 1929) a most valu- able list of the works in Melba’s first recording engagements, March 1904, October 1904, etc., including several pieces which were never released.