The Edison phonograph monthly (Dec 1914-Dec 1915)

14 EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY, APRIL, 1915 SODA WATER PATRONS EXPRESS A DECIDED PREFERENCE FOR EDISON DISC MUSIC " TUST to advertise and demonstrate the Edison J Disc," writes W. D. Wilmot of Fall River, "I put an A150 in an apothecary store which does a large soda-fountain trade. It created so much interest and the proprietor was so impressed with his increase of trade, that just to get him to the buying point I took it away at the end of a couple of weeks. "Then a local agent for another type of machine put in a . There was a great change in the comment of the customers of the store, and the apothecary notified the agent to take it out after only a few days' service. "Then I got after him. He wanted to buy an Edison and borrow records; I said, no. Then he compromised by buying #50 worth of records on condition that I loan him a phonograph for two months. "You can guess as well as I can what he will do at the end of two months, so I feel safe in saying I have won another victory in competition." Mr. Wilmot's enterprise in this as in other matters is deserving of all praise and emulation. SINGING ON THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD, HER VOICE IS HEARD ON THE PACIFIC COAST "Annie Laurie" is known the world over, but soon it will be literally heard around the world. On March 12th this year Mrs. Louis K. Comstock, of Upper Montclair, N. J., sang "Annie Laurie," clearly and sweetly — and her voice was distinctly heard in San Francisco by telephone. Speaking of her experiences Mrs. Comstock said: "I chose Annie Laurie because it is more or less of a favorite and persons enjoy a song more when they know the words. When I had finished singing, I could hear the thanks expressed over the telephone by those who were listening in the Exposition Building and the handclapping. I did not feel the need of any special effort to have my voice carry the long distance. "At the time I sang over the wire to Boston, those who listened heard me through a horn such as is ordinarily used for a graphophone, but yesterday afternoon telephone disk receivers were those used by the central operators." Mrs. Comstock was formerly Miss Annie Wilson and at the time she sang to Boston held a scholarship in the National Conservatory of Music in New York. She resides on Fernwood Avenue, Upper Montclair, and is a member of the Women's Club of that town and frequently sings at concerts and musicales in Montclair and vicinity. She is now engaged in professional work. AN EDISON CONCERT 250 MILES LONG WITH an audience stretched out 250 miles a number of choice Blue Amberols in succession entertained a lonely lot of telegraph operators along the line of the Wheeling, Lake Erie Railroad, from Toledo, O., to Pittsburg, Pa., recently. The matter came about in a most informal way. One operator at Harmon, O., owned an Edison Amberola with a number of records. Late one Sunday night, while business was slack, he decided to start the phonograph. It occurred to him that if he brought the machine near the new telephone which the railroad company had just installed, one of his fellow operators along the line might hear and enjoy it. The experiment was a success, till one after another of the many operators along the road had placed the receiver of the telephone to their ears and were enjoying the concert immensely, some 250 miles away. Operators in Toledo, Cleveland, Pittsburg and intermediate points along the line heard it distinctly. One record "The Horse Trot" (2707) had to be played three times to satisfy the audience. Many of the operators took down the record number of the pieces heard in order to purchase them; some said they would get an entire outfit. The concert has become a regular Sunday night affair when the line is not busy. NEW DANCES It seems as though there would be no end to the flood of new dances, yet through them all the "Hesitation" goes steadily forward in popularity. When, some years ago, modern dances were violently attacked, it was only the "Hesitation" that escaped criticism for this is the most graceful, refined, and beautiful dance of them all. Many authorities have predicted that in another generation only the "Hesitation" will survive as a specimen of the dances of the present period, and so far the prediction seems in the process of fulfillment. "Millicent," the forthcoming Hesitation dance (Disc 50226) will be one of many good numbers written for the "Hesitation." The first melody carried by the 'cello is especially graceful. This is repeated by the violin and later comes a characteristic Spanish arrangement. In the world of popular music, novelty is the keynote of success. Whether it is a popular dance number, or a phonograph record, it must be novel in some way, or it will go down to oblivion with the host of its contemporaries. "Kakuda," the one-step, forthcoming on the Edison disc (50225) is novel in that the selection is rendered by a "Banjo Orchestra." The "foottickling" qualities of the banjo are admitted, so what is more natural than a use of a number of the instruments to make a dance record. All Edison owners admire Fred Van Eps as a banjo soloist. Here his own organization— "The Van Eps Banjo Orchestra" — are expert banjoists, which he leads himself. It's a stunning record.