THE GRAMOPHONE

Southland Times, Issue 19659, 9 October 1922, Page 6

THE GRAMOPHONE

BY

“VOX POPULI.”

Among the “cheap” H.M.V.’s now being sold arc some fine old songs. .Charles Tree's singing of “Will o’ the Wisp” for example is an excellent piece of recording and the same may be said of Backhands rendering of Handel’s “The Harmoniou? Blacksmith.” Recently I was favoured by [ a chance to hear Mosoievitch playing the Chopin Berceuse. It was my first exi i>erience of the disc but his treatment of the cradle song is too heavy and exceedingly stiff, especially when Ii.M.V. has made ' available to us the wonderful ;>erfonnanco of Cartot in this beautiful work. * * # Columbia has begun to issue the “Negro Spirituals.” These are negro impromptu part singing in religious themes. They date back to the slave days, when the negroes by the closer association were fonder of folk singing than they are today. These Spirituals are wonderfully impressive. The clear fervour of the work is its great a«sel, but its closeness to the soil gives it its folk character and, therefore, its great value. The first record issued by Columbia in London was “Shout All Over God’s Heaven.” This is also known as “I’se Got a Robe,” the singing of which impressed the Prince of Wales during his American tour so that on his return to the Old Country he spoke of it as wonderful. On the other side of the record was “Good News, the Chariot’s Coming,” alro a well-known spiritual. Both are sung by the- Fiske University Jubilee Quartette. # # # The H.M.V. has its little joke: “Although we are using the original artists in ‘The Beggars Opera' records, there is no truth in the rumour that th&<e are the artists who ap{)eared in Mr Gay's production in 1728.” # # # Writing in the Illustrated London Newg “Stylus,” who conducts “The Talking Machine” department, gives some advice: “1 have received several lei tore on the subject of records "wavering” in pitch when being played. One correspondent holds that the faulty centreing is res|M)nsible for this trouble; and another, that irregular running on the part of the motor would also give a similar effect. This latter would, of courae, sj>oil the reproduction of every record, and can be detected for that very reason. Badly centred spindle holds give a distressing “swish.” Thia is not a common fault, at any rate, with records of the better makes, as the utmost care is taken, micrometric gauges being used at every stage.” To some extent as an experiment His Master’s Voice announce that they will very shortly issue the whole of Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5 for Pianoforte and Orchestra, better known as the ‘‘EinpeioF’ with Lamond a« the soloist, accompanied by the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, and conducted by Eugene Goosens. Not a note is to be missed, the complete work filling five twelve-inch double-sided records. A truly colossal achievement of concentration anil wonderfully developed technique, when one considers that not a false note Or blurred passage is permissible (says “Stylus” i. This set of records marks a new era in the re cord-collector’s existence, and in recording