THE GRAMOPHONE

Southland Times, Issue 18972, 20 June 1923, Page 10

THE GRAMOPHONE

Records of the Recordings

(By

“Vox Populi.”)

Leopold Godowsky, one of the great pianists, began his concert career as a very young child. His precocity lay not only along pianistic lines, for at the early age of nine he composed a sonata of such merit that Rubinstein, to whom it was shown, insisted that the boy be sent to him at the Royal Conservatory at St. Petersburg. Circumstances, however, were such that the lad could not avail himself of the great Russian’s instruction. As a matter of fact, Godowsky is really self-taught. As composer he has enriched the literature of the piano by many original compositions and several transcriptions, each bearing the impress of his genius. Godowsky was born in Vilna, Russia. One of his pupils was Mr Ernest Empson, a well-known Christchurch pianist. Godowsky records for the Brunswick, and included in his items are:— Fantasie Impromptu (Chopin), 30017. Impromptu in A Flat (Chopin), 30016. Liebestraum (Liszt), 30019. Marche Militaire (Schubert-Tausig), 30004. Rustle of Spring (Sinding), 10022. Waltz in C Sharp Minor (Chopin), 10031. Witches’ Dance (MacDowell), 10027. The report that Lydia Lipkovska, the Russian soprano, may visit New Zealand, will turn gramophone owners to their records. She has recorded for H.M.V. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra in Beethoven’s “Coriolan” overture, is in the H.M.V. June list. These are the first of His Master’s Voice records by this famous organisation. Under Willem Mengelberg, the great Dutch conductor, it is offering, on two records, the “Coriolanus” overture which Beethoven wrote beneath the inspiration of Collins’s tragedy (3-0738). Elsa Stralia in Venzano's “Ah! Che Assort a in Dolce Incan to,” is on the Columbia list for June. There are not a great number of big waltz songs in the realm of music, but this of “Ah! Che Assort a” is always considered to be among the classics, and as such, is beloved of all sopranos for the opportunities it offers for the display of coloratura art.

The Chaliapin Record 052355, 12in., H.M.V. Red Label, “Ave Signor” (“Mefistofele” ) has been withdrawn from the catalogue, and a new lOin. recording, 7-52227 substituted.

Reinforcement of the harmonics or overtones in the sound given out by the gramophone has been accomplished by Charles A. Valentine, a New York banker, according to a writer in The Popular Science Monthly. Mr Valentine uses wooden rods as resonators, and as the richness of a tone depends on the number and character of its accompanying overtones the sound can be improved greatly by using the rods freely. The writer of the article compares these resonators to the so-called “rods of Corti,” in the human ear, which are believed to answer a similar purpose. Mr Valentine’s early experiments seven years ago, convinced him that the imperfection in gramophones at that time was their failure to develop the overtones, and so to reproduce the actual quality of sounds created by the artist. With the knowledge that instruments and voices embodying the largest number of overtones are the most pleasing and effective, he worked out a system resulting in his present instrument. He says: “In the Valentine instrument from 60 to 120 resonating wooden strips depending on the size of the machine, are exactly tuned to these various tones. The resonators of different lengths respond in sympathy with tones from the reproducing diaphragm, and in so doing amplify the delicate overtones that otherwise would be completely smothered by the harsher full tones.

‘The principle of Mr Valentine’s machine, while entirely new in musical instruments, has a near counterpart in the human ear. When sound waves strike the outer ear and are conducted through the outer passages or vestibule to the inner ear, they ultimately strike against the ‘organ of Corti.’ While the exact function of this organ is not definitely established, many theories have been advanced, most of them based upon the theory of resonance.”

Mr Valentine’s invention is considered by the writer essentially a new musical instrument rather than an attempt to improve existing -gramophones. A special auditorium model, with 160 resonating strips and a large tone-chamber, has been used successfully in a theatre seating 1400 persons. The volume of sound is great enough to permit a pipe organ accompaniment. There is no limit to the size of the new instrument, as it can be enlarged merely by increasing the dumber of strips, their dimensions, and the size of the soundchamber. He goes on:

“The pleasing tone quality obtained is partly due also to a wooden diaphragm in the reproducer that reduces extraneous and mechanical noises caused by the motion of the needle and reproducing mechanism. The needle-holder is rigidly attached to this diaphragm, which slides up and down in an air-cushioned groove, but the tone-arm itself does not move. This feature removes a considerable portion of the weight from the needle and increases the life of the record. Furthermore, the absence of metal in the tone-arm eliminates objectionable ‘tinny’ sounds.

After the grooves in the record are converted into sound-waves by the vibrating diaphragm, these waves pass up through the wood-sheathed tone-chamber. As they expand they are forced to assume a ‘smoke ring’ shape by passing around a tapering wooden core extending the length of the tone-arm, which tends, the inventor believes, to mellow the tones. After reaching the end of the tone-arm, the waves, now freed from any of the crude sounds, expand into the sound-chamber, where they encounter the rexonating strips.

‘-Each sound-wave is made up of a multitude of single waves, and each of the resonators within the pitch of the tune vibrates in sympathy with a tone corresponding to one of the single waves. Delicate but essential overtones that under ordinary conditions would be lost are thereby amplified by resonance to their correct intensity.”