RECORDED MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 19942, 11 August 1928, Page 15

RECORDED MUSIC

■ [By Eeato.] Tho New Zealand season of grand opera, under the auspices of the Ful-ler-Gonsalez Company, should give an appropriate fillip to the already wellestablished interest of gramophonists in this wonderful field of music. Tho His Master’s Voice list for August, incidentally, is rich in operatic fare. In addition tp the discs noticed below it will bo found on reference to the catalogues that the whole range of opera to be presented in New Zealand is very fully covered in records. In some cases the operas may be obtained in very complete sets, such as ‘Faust,’ ‘ La Traviata,’ 1 La Boheme,’ etc. TOTI DAL MONTE AGAIN. Toti dal Monto (soprano), in |La Figlia del Rcggimento Convient Earth ’ (Donizetti), and ‘Lucia di Lammermoor—Regnava Ncl Silenzio ’ (Donizetti). —Toti dal Monte, whoso Melbourne and Sydney triumphs with the J. C. Williamson Grand Opera Company have further established her as a great favourite with Australian audiences, has added another magnificent record to the memorable number already made for His Master’s Voice. She sings two arias which had.not been previously recorded. The delightful aria from ‘The Daughter of tho Regiment ’ will prove new to most hearers, aud the cavatina, ‘ Regnava Ncl Silenzio ’ (‘ Silence O’er All ’) is a melodious gem of rare beauty, and which is rendered with great feeling. Her admirers will be delighted with this exceptionally fin® record. SCHUBERT’S MASTERPIECE, ‘ Symphony in B Minor ’ (unfinished, Schubert). Sir Henry Wood conducting tho New Queen’s Hall Orchestra (Columbia). —The loveliest and most famous of all the works of Franz Schubert, tho ‘ Unfinished Symphony ’ may well bo ranked as the most popular orchestral work ever written. Its abundance of flowing song-like themes of delicious tho appealing air of wistful sadness that pervades the whole work, win it an instant place in tho heart of the average listener, while the expert finds even more to delight him in tho orchestration and tho structure. Sir Henry Wood reproduces his finest records to date in giving us tho two movements that comprise what wo know of the symphony. His basses are rich and vibrating, and between these and the staccato of the strings ho runs the full gamut of orchestral colours, keeping its texture beautifully varied, its tempo impeccable, and its ton© a surpassing joy. USEFUL TIPS.

Hattie.—Aro you suro your sound box diaphragm is not cracked? Examine it under the light and see if it looks flaked at the centre; look at both sides, since a crack may be covered with wax on one side. No? Then smear some vaseline round tbo joints and baso of tbo tone arm. If that does no good, aro you suro that there isn’t a loose needle somewhere inside tho horn? _ Take off the turntable and everything else that is removable, and then turn the gramophone upsido down and give it a good shaking in every direction. If tho rattlo continues go back to tho sound box and take it to your dealer to examine. The trouble is pretty sure to lie somewhere there. But remember that if there are grey lines visible on your record no sound box can bo expected to play it without blasting and rattling. Cold Motors.—Hear that bumping noise when tho motor of your gramophone is running? Probably due to cold weather. Grease is sticking in the barrels of the motor. Put the gramophone in a warmer place, and keep the motor running. If it gets no better .you will have lo remove the motor. Take off turntable, remove tbo screws round the sides of the motor board which fix it to tho cabinet, and take off tho winding handle ot the motor. Then carefully lift tho motor board (with_ the motor underneath it), and take it round to a dealer to get new grease put in. Dust.—Always dust new records slowly and carefully. Lots of rubbish in tbo grooves generally. Ever noticed tbo crackling noise when you take a record up after playing it? Electric charges from friction; therefore very liable to collect specks of dust from tho air. Therefore better always to wipe records before and after playing. Have a pad or sclvyt always handy. Best material of all is cotton cord ot a particular kind which does not readily produce electric charges. Record Speed.—Make sure of the speed of your turntable by putting a slip of paper on it so as to protrude beyofid the edge, laying a record on top, and playing tbo record. Count the revolutions of tho strip of paper with your watch in hand for a full minute, and_ adjust your speed indicator accordingly. Remember that H.M.V., Parlophone, Zonophone, and some Columbia and Regal records (tho speed is printed on tho labels) should bo played at 7S revolutions to the minute; others at 80. It won’t hurt your records to play them at 78 when they ought to be played at 80; but it will alter the pitch and quality of the music. Testing and adjusting tho speed indicator is just one of those things which are worth doing, but which can bo postponed "without any risk of damage.

Warped Records.—Tho following i<s a simple and quick way of curing warped records. Hold the record by the edge, between the fingers of each hand, with the surface of tho record at right angles to the palms. With the flat of the record facing a fire (preferably a gas or electric fire) and about 18in away from it, so that tho tips of tho fingers are pointing directly towards the fire, turn the record round between tlm fingers so that every part of tho face becomes nicely warm. Then turn tho record over and warm .tho _ .other face .in the same way. When it is just warm (ho careful nob to,get it too hot), place it hctw-ccn two sheets of ■plateglass which have been thoroughly cleaned and dried. A heavy record album or a few large books placed on top will then flatten out the record iu' a few minutes. Plate-glass is necessary, because few sheets of ordinary glass arc perfectly flat.—‘ ’The Gramophone.’-