Radio broadcast .. (1922-30)

WE ARE beginning to comprehend vaguely the extent of the phonograph industry. That we had not done so before is due to the fact that we never could visualize figures. Units, tens, and hundreds we can manage very well but when the thousand mark has been passed our brain reels, and the very numbers jump before our eyes. And so, al- though we knew that some sixteen hundred re- cordings were made annually by the Victor, Brunswick, and Columbia companies, we were not impressed because the figure was meaning- less. Now we have a dim idea. An average of thirty-four records a month have been reviewed in this department for the last four months. Our statistical department reports that this totals one hundred and thirty-six records. These records occupy a considerable portion of our apartment, to be exact, a couch, a large mahog- any office desk, one stool, and three chairs, not to mention the overflow on the floor. Walking has become dangerous and sitting is well nigh impossible. In another four months the records will have reached the kitchen and we will be forced to take our meals out. If we ever review all the records each month we will move into Carnegie Hall. Nice little industry! Many of these we could lose without a tear. Then again there are those we will cherish for- ever. Already we have formed a permanent at- tachment for some of this month's supply: two selections from // Pagliacci sung by Giovanni Martinelli, a Percy Grainger record, two delight- ful numbers by the Elman String Quartet, two old and one new waltz from the Whiteman or- ganization, and several better-than-usual dance numbers by the usual dance orchestras. These have gone into our library. Into the ash can we would like to put a Ted Lewis record and an Al Jolson song. The rest are chiefly dance records which will provide good entertainment for the moment. We welcome the appearance of eight waltz numbers. We hope that means that the waltz is coming back but there have been so many false alarms already that we refuse to send out searching parties for our old waltz partners, yet. In the meantime we waltz alone in the privacy of our home. More or Less Classic Andante Cantabile (from String Quartet, Op. 11, by Tschaikowsky) and Theme and Variations (from The Emperor Quartet by Haydn). By the Elman String Quartet (Victor). Delicate cham- ber music exquisitely played by Mischa Elman, Edward Bachmann, William Schubert and Horace Britt. Both performances are richly colored by the beautiful tone of the Elman violin. Pagliacci — Vetti la Giubba (Leoncavallo) and 441 The s New Phonograph Pagliacci — No Pagliacci Non Son! (Leon- cavallo). By Giovanni Martinelli (Victor). Martinelli's powerful tenor voice combined with his dramatic ability fit him eminently to sing the emotional Leoncavallo music. He handles these two glorious selections magnifi- cently. Andrea Chenier Improwiso — Come un bel di, Parts i and 2 (Giordano). By Arnoldo Lindi (Columbia). An imported recording of a fine Ital- ian tenor who just misses being better than that. Mazurka in B Minor (Chopin) and La Campanella (Liszt-Busoni). By Ignaz Friedman (Columbia). We would like to enthuse over this record because the Columbia Company has done an excellent job of recording Mr. Fried- man's fine display of piano technique in La Campanella, but how can one enthuse over pas- sionless music? Dubinuschka and (a) Old Forgotten Wall^ and (b) Bouran by the A. & P. Gypsies (Brunswick). If there is aught of the spirit of Terpsichore in you these gypsyish rhythms will make you yearn to express yourself in dance. Meaning: our grading of this offering—50 per cent. Traumerei (Schuman) and Mazurka in A Minor '(Chopin-Kreisler). By Max Rosen (Brunswick). Adequate violin solos unemotion- ally delivered. Don't Miss These New Records Andante Cantabile (Tschaikowsky) and Theme and Variations (Haydn) played by the Elman String Quartet (Victor). Pagliacci — Vesti la Giubba and Pagliacci — No Pagliacci Non Son! (Leoncavallo) sung by Giovanni Martinelli (Victor). Cradle Song (Brahms-Grainger) and Molly on the Shore (Grainger) played by Percy Grainger (Columbia). Voices of Spring and Enjoy Your Life (Strauss) played by Johann Strauss and Symphony Orchestra (Columbia). Dubinuschka and (a) Old Forgotten Walt: and (b) Bouran by the A. & P. Gypsies (Brunswick). 'S Wonderful and My One and Only (Gershwin) by the Ipana Troubadours and Clicquot Club Eskimos respectively. (Columbia). My Heart Stood Still and / Feel at Home Witlo You by George Olsen (Victor). / Live, I Die For You and Eyes That Love by the Troubadours (Victor). Beautiful Ohio and Missouri Walti by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra (Victor). A Shady Tree and Dancing Tambourine by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra (Victor).