Recorded Music Society Hears Early Phonograph

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30222, 29 August 1963, Page 19

Recorded Music Society Hears Early Phonograph

Instead of listening to their usual high-fidelity, stereophonic long-playing recordings. members of the Christchurch Recorded Music Society last evening had a change With the aid of an early Edison phonograph, they were carried back more than half a century to the era of the wax cylinders and famous artists such as Nellie Melba. Arthur Middleton, Anna Case, Paul Althouse, and Peter Dawson “Presenting the march from ‘Tanhauser’ played by the Sousa Band on a Columbia recording,” an indistinct voice announced from an 1898 cylinder record. And for the next minute, members listened as the familiar march tune struggled through the phonograph's large horn. “I’m afraid the fidelity to those days was not too good,” said Mr D. S. Smith, who gave the demonstration. ‘‘As you cam no doubt here, the speed control was not absolutely perfect either.” he explained, as the tempo varied. However, other cysisv records made in the early 1900-s and played by Mr Smith last evening possessed a remarkable clarity and only a minimum of surface noise —in fact not much more than a maltreated, present-day L.P.

Among those played were “Miserere” (Anna Case and Paul Althouse) and “Home To The Mountains” (Dan Beddoe and Margaret Keyes) from “H Travaitore.” Mendelssohn's “I’m A Roamer” (Arthur Middleton), and “Viva la Francia” from Donizetti’s “The Daughter Of The Regiment - ' (Frieda Hempel). Peter Dawson, whose recordings have been issued to every form from two-minute wax cylinders to pre-recorded stereophonic tapes, was heard singing the Toreador Song from Bizet’s “Carmen.” Mr Smith's selection also included a number of “Royal Purple” records on which Edison recorded his top artists. “The quality was no better, but he could charge a little more for them.” he said. The evening ended with a demonstration of an H.M.V. open horn acoustic gramophone on which Mr Smith played a number of early discs. One which aroused considerable interest was “Lo Hear The Gentle Lark” sung by Nellie Melba. Recorded in 1905, this 12 inch, four minute disc sold—according to its original dustjacket—tor 21s. Other artists heard on discs were Caruso, Galli-Curci and McCormack.