THE GRAMOPHONE

Southland Times, Issue 20495, 25 May 1928, Page 5

THE GRAMOPHONE

RECORDS OF THE RECORDINGS. (By Vox Populi.) Are you sure 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 the joints and base of the tone arm. If that does no good, are you sure that there isn’t a loose needle somewhere inside the horn? Take off the turntable and everything else that is removable, and then turn the gramophone upside down, and give it a good shaking in every direction.

lor doping fibre needles: Use albumen and tannic acid. Leave the fibres to soak in the white of an egg for a few days, and then, without drying them, put them into a 20 per cent, solution of tannic acid for another couple of days. After that rinse them in water for a second or two, roll them in a tea cloth to absorb surface moisture and leave them in a warm place (preferably in the sun) to dry naturally. Quick drying is a mistake. White, unoiled fibres dope best. Ordinary fibres usually contain a small quantity of light oil, and with these it is an advantage to dissolve out the oil by immersing the fibres in a little methylated ether before giving them their albuminous breakfast. After being treated by this process the fibres improve the longer they are kept. That is provided they are kept dry. The Gramophone magazine recently conducted a competition for the best selections, by popular vote, of the new electrical recordings. Here are the first fifteen:— Temple Church Choir, “Hear My Prayer” (H.M.V .C .1329) Schubert, “Trio in B Flat” (H.M.V.D.8.947/50) Beethoven, “Fifth Symphony” (H.M.V .D.1150/3) Chaliapin, “Farewell and Death of Boris” (H.M.V.D.8.934) Schubert, “Unfinished Symphony” (H.M.V.C.1294/6) Chopin, Twenty-four Preludes—Cor- . tot (H.M.V.D.957/60) Pagliacci, Complete Opera by 8.N.0.C (C01.4347/58) ' Beethoven, “Violin Concerto”— Kreisler .. .. (H.M.V.D.8.990 5) Wagner, “Rienzi Overture” (H.M.V.D.1226/7) Mendelssohn, “Violin Concerto”— Kreisler .. (H.M.V.D.8.997/1000) Elizabeth Schumann. “Morgan and Standchen” .. (H.M.V .D.B.1010) Tchaikovsky, “Pathetique Symphony” .. . .. (H.M.V.D. 1190/4) Elgar, “Enigma Variations” (H.M.V.D.1154/7) Haydn, “Trio in G Major” (H.M.V.D. A.895/6) Dvorak, “New World Symphony” (H.M.V.D.1250/4) In a tribute to the new H.M.V. recording as a whole, Mr Herman Klein, the wellknown London musical critic, says in the Gramophone: “Well, only one verdict is possible. There cannot be the slightest doubt that the records comprised in this Operatic Supplement have raised enormously the level of average merit associated with the vocal section of the H.M.V. catalogue. For the recording itself no words of praise would be excessive. Thanks to the electrical process, it has become such a true and faithful reflection of the original presentation that the whole ensemble, no mater how vast or complex its component parts, seems to be actually and actively in progress in our very midst, focussed within a perspective that the ears can grasp as easily as the eyes can take in a picture.” The following recipe for cleaning records was given by Mr P. Wilson in The Gramophone:—Two parts white vinegar, 1 part 3-in-l oil. Shake the mixture to an emulsion, and rub it into the grooves with a clean piece of silk until no liquid apparently remains on the surface. Leave the record for about ten minutes, and then play through with a fibre, repointing several times during the playing. Be careful how you place the fibre in the groove; “gently does it.” Never try to put it on the record in the middle of a loud passage; you will shatter the point at once. Repoint the needle at each loud passage, and start playing again from a place just before the loud passage. Before you get all the debris out of the groove, you may have to play through six, or even twelve times. But the results amply repay the patience which is required, the reproduction being altogether cleaner and sweeter. While Gladys Moncrieff is back in Australia delighting the Sydney audiences with “Rio Rita,” the latest musical comedy, Columbia has not been idle in the recording of songs from the piece. The result is that with vocal gems from “Rio Rita,” Columbia is right up to the minute. Ths record is a 12-inch one, sung by the Columbia Light Opera Company, and the songs are “Rio Rita,” “If You’re in Love You’ll Waltz,” “Following the Sun Round” and “The Kinkajou.” As a whole, the re cording is very pleasing, although at times, the voices seem a trifle strained. A good bracket is completed by a Layton and Johnstone duet, “Oh! Kay!” This is a medley, which includes “Do, Do, Do,” “Maybe,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “Clap Yo’ Hands.” Little need be said of the work of these two firm Columbia favourites. The best songs are “Do, Do, Do,” and “Clap Yo’ Hands,” which 4s a negro jubilee affair. A song which should be whistled by most boys and which should be welcomed by all dancing people is “Rio Rita,” a fox trot played by the Knickerbockers, and re corded by Columbia. The composition is from the musical comedy of the same name now running in Sydney. Columbia has made a fine job of recording this piece, which, apart from its fox-trot qualities has an infectious lilt. On the reverse is “The Kinkajou,” played by the same orchestra, and an excellent fox trot. Another of the fine dancing releases for this month is “Breeze,” played by Will Quintrell and his Tivolians, which has been rightly acclaimed as the Yale Blues perfect. This is an excellent record from all points of view, and excellent for the purpose of teaching the dance. On the other side is “Lady Moon,” a good waltz of the conventional type.