GRAMOPHONE NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 18852, 29 January 1925, Page 4

GRAMOPHONE NOTES

NEW RECORDS, Tests of memory of children for music are now provided for the gramophone, for school or home use. •'J he National Military Band has recorded for _ Columbia eight tunes to bo used for this purpose in guessing competitions. Experience of teachers has shown that not only are the wits of children sharpened by these tests, hut that they thoroughly enter into the spirit of the thing, and treat as a game a competition that is likely to do very much to create a taste, for the best music.

Miss Edna Thomas’s recent successful recitals of negro minstrelsy in Australia naturally excited much musical interest, She did not, of course, deal with the burnt-cork aspect of the subject, but sympathetically with what is undoubtedly the folksong of a people, _ tho_ seeds of the music homing from Africa in the first instance. In one of her songs, for the gramophone, she sang 1 Mamzclle Zizi.’ This is in patois, and is tunefully expressive of the .Lender passion of the. French Creole. It offers a. striking contrast to 1 Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.’ Incidentally, both markedly show (ho influence of widely different environment on the negro race. It may savor of irreve.renco to the ardent devotees of Chopin to hear him through any other medium titan the pianoforte, excepting, of course, the ‘Funeral March ’ used on special occasions. But Chopin wrote several concertos, also pieces for ’cello and pianoforte; besides, to hear Chopin’s delightful melodies solely through the pianoforte is not. always practicable for the great majority of people. With tho title 1 Chopirnana,’ Mr Herman Finch has provided what he rails a pot-pourri of Chopin, and this is performed by his orchestra for the benefit of all possessing gramophones. The melodies have been most skilfully woven into a beautiful fabric, and it includes the striking “drum” polonaise, the ’’ butterfly ” study, ’ Mazurka in F Minor,’ and the brighter part of the ’ Funeral March ’ (which was not written for such purpose). The name of Mr Hubert Eisdell is not found among the great romantic operatic tenors of to-day, bid, he, is a singularly gifted singer, and very popular through tho gramophone. He is an artist in the love song and ballad, usually heard, in drawing room and concert, hall. These he interprets with great feeling and real art. His latest records are ‘A Spray of Roses ’ and ‘ Flower and Star.’ Amateur tenors have found a study of Mr Eisdell’s songs most valuable, and this apart from the pleasure they give for their own sake. Much depends upon the instrument when pianoforte records are placed on the gramophone. Fine results may be obtained from bands and other instrumental and often with vocal records, hut the pianoforte is different. It is not tho player or record that may bo at fault for an unsatisfactory rendering. With an instrument good in every respect the artist will receive fair treatment. This point is illustrated in Leff PouishnofPs recent records of tho delightful ballet music from Schubert’s ‘ Rosamundo ’ as arranged by the player himself. It has on the reverse the arrangement by Saint-Sacns of the 1 Dance of the Dervishes,’ from Beethoven’s 1 Ruins of Athens.’ Both performances show how Punishnoff was able to satisfy and captivate musical London, and subsequently New York.