High-Fidelity-1957-J

The Beethoven Symphonies on Microgroove Reappraised a discagaphy by C. G. BURKE

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T H E M A G A Z I N E 1 O R .Nl l ' ti 1 C L I S T E N E R S

According to a New York 1957 This Issue. Volume -' 1\unl1)t r i January record retailer, interviewed last November in The Billboard, the brand new record buyer - currently called in the trade the Letters 4 man behind the boom" - tends to select his disks on the basis of how lately they Noted With Interest Ió came out. This points up an endless task for us (us meaning, here, HIGH FIDELITY and other record reviewing publications). On The Counter 30 It develops thus: The existence of the brand new buyer provokes record pro- AUTHORitatively Speaking 36 ducers to keep putting forth ever newer Beethoven Fifths. But the brand new Books in Review 39 buyer does not remain brand new. Two want newest years hence he will not the As The Editors See It 51 Beethoven Third, or Seventh, he will want the best. How is he to settle upon a C. 52 choice? In this month's discography, C. G. Halls, Hallowed and Acousticized, by Harold Schonberg Burke points out that the nine Beethoven A ramble through Europe's famous opera houses and concert symphonies in their various versions even theaters. now add up to more than two hundred recordings. Not even a big metropolitan The Great Highland Bagpipe, by A. R. P. Wrathall 55 record mart will stock all of these at The sheepskin sack is an instrument heard round the world. one time, nor could a shopper listen to them all anyway. So, more and more, the Phony About Stereophony? reliance of the shopper must rest upon Is There Anything reviewers and discographers, especially if by Norman H. Crowhurst 57 the shopper does not happen to live in a It appears that we may be misconstruing the uses of two ears. metropolitan area. If he does, he may be able to find a record store where the staff Treasurer of the Golden Age, by Philip L. Miller 6o really know their wares. These, however, collectors. are getting rarer and rarer, which is a A visit with Roberto Bauer, dean of acoustical disk shame but natural: these days, it is almost 62 impossible really to know records. Aroint Thee, Obtrusive Melody! by H. W. Heinsheimer Is there really any such thing as restful good music? CHARLES FOWLER, Publisher 67 JOHN M. CONLY, Editor Music Makers, by Roland Gelatt ROLAND GELATT, New York Editor Record Section 71 -105 J. GORDON HOLT, Technical Editor Records in Review; Dialing Your Disks; Building Your Record ROY LINDSTROM, Art Director Library; Beethoven Symphonies Reconsidered, by C. G. Burke. Assistant Editors MIRIAM D. MANNING; JOAN GRIFFITHS The Tape Deck, by R. D. Darrell I07 Editorial Assistant ANNA M. FURLANI Tested in the Home I15 Manager, Book Division Gray AM -5o amplifier; Concert Cabinetry turntable base; FRANCES A. NEWBURY Robins Aud -O -File; Metzner Starlight turntable; Norelco speakers and enclosures; Pedersen Tri -Amp amplifier. Contributing Editors C. G. BURKE Trader's Marketplace 133 R. D. DARRELL JAMES HINTON, JR. 134 ROBERT CHARLES MARSH Professional Directory WARREN B. SYER, Business Manager Audio Forum 135 ARTHUR J. GRIFFIN, Circulation Manager Advertising Index 137 Advertising is published monthly by Audiocom, Inc., at Great Barrington, Mass. Main Office Claire Eddings, The Publish- High Fidelity Magazine The Publish- - Mass. Tele- Great Barrington 1300. Editorial. publication, and circulation offices at: ing House, Great Barrington. Telephone: per year in the United States and phone: Great Barrington 1300. ing House. Great Barrington, Mass. Subscriptions: 66:00 copies: 60 cents each. Editorial contributions will be welcomed by the editor. Room 600. Canada. Single manuscripts New York - Fred C. Michalove, Payment for articles accepted will be arranged prior to publication. Unsolicited 5 -6332. 27. 1951 at the 6 East 39th St. Telephone: MUrray Hill be accompanied by return postage. Entered as second -class matter April should 1879. entry at the R. Rutherford & Associates. post office at Great Barrington, Mass., under the act of March 3. Additional Chicago -John of Circulation. Printed in the U. S. A. by 230 East Ohio St. Telephone: Whitehall post office, Pittsfield, Mass. Member Audit Bureau Inc.. Mass. Copyright 1956 by Audiocom, Inc. The cover design 4 -6715. the Ben Franklin Press, Pittsfield, of High Fidelity magazine are fully protected by copyrights and must not be repro- & Brand, Inc.. 6314 and contents Los Angeles - Brand duced in any manner. San Vicente Blvd. Telephone: Webster 8 -3971.

JANUARY 1957 3

www.americanradiohistory.com UNIDYNES the world's most widely used SIR: y\ fine microphones I read your editorial "Of Discordant Critics" [Oct. 1956) with interest, and felt the urge to try putting down "As PROVIDE the Composer Sees It," if for no other reason but to clarify my thoughts 41% higher output! on the matter. It is my firm belief that whenever The perfect microphone a challenging recording, performance, or composition-new or old - is choice for use with low - brought to the public, it would be gain P. A. systems and helpful and right to have at least two tape recorders... in addi- critics reviewing the work, on the condition that their reviews be "in- tion to their famed usage formative rather than merely contra- in finest quality public dictory," as you pointed out. As long as we are not talking of advertise- address systems. ment or promotion, I do not see how additional and contradictory information could be confusing to the public. If anything, it would be a challenge to the reader, who would find himself raised from the position of being told what to buy, what to believe, etc. to a position of arbitrator between the distinguished and discordant critics.... As a composer, I have just begun reading critiques of my work, and !better: have thereby discovered a new range evert of mixed emotions and feelings. In l'As almost every case, critics have furnished the public with better and The unidirectional dynamic Unidynes are more truthful evaluations and analyses now more than ever your best choice in of the work than I could have done in the program notes if I had tried those installations where feedback is a (as I did) to write them. I think problem, and for all fine -quality public most composers will agree with that; address, theatre -stage sound systems, even Berlioz.... Critics are, however, magnetic recording and remote broad- wont to forget that the most impor- casting -where critical standards call for tant facet of their art is to inform the finest- quality microphone operation. a wide audience whether a composition, a performance, or a recording is Another example of the continuous enjoyable or not. If the recording creativity of the Shure Research and technique of a Beecham performance Development Laboratories. has flaws, if Gieseking's interpretation of a certain passage does not come off, 55S Unidyne List Price $7950 it becomes a big item of news. But 556S Broadcast Unidyne when John Smith comes out with a good and thoroughly enjoyable re- List Price $12000 cording of a Beethoven sonata, it is IN ELECTRONICS SINCE 1925 scarcely mentioned. And yet, the majority of the listening public - in the /' concert hall as well as seated by the / - Continued on page SHURE BROTHERS, INC. 6 Microphones Electronic Components 220 HARTREY AVENUE EVANSTON, ILLINOIS www.americanradiohistory.com A SENSATIONAL NEW OFFER FROM THE COLUMBIA Q RECORD CLUB r TGNMADVSAT NUTCRACKER SUITE THE SLEEPING BEAUTY BALLET

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JANUARY I957 5

www.americanradiohistory.com LETTERS Continued from page 4 Where light and sha4e repo.-e, ïcl,ere record player - is concerned chiefly inn.ric dwells with the enjoyment that can be de- t, Lingering--and wande-ing cm rived from a piece of music. For some, as loathe to die; i . t -Willirtsr. Wor:irxorth loudness does the trick; for others, it is the orchestration, the legato, percussion, the whistling potentialities, the rhythm, or the lack of it, and so on. No critic can give all the answers, and even if he could, he is still bound to a certain extent by matters of personal taste. There, definitely, two critics are better than one. As far as I am concerned, the more, the merrier... . Serge de Gastyne Alexandria, Va.

SIR: In reading Mr. Kerman's "The Trouble With Tosca" [HIGH FIDELITY, Sept. 59561, I found his cautious warnings against naturalism as the ultimate in theater, his close analysis of part of Otello, and his resurrection of the critical principle of the special and integral nature of opera, all, by and large, agreeable. But when he pro- ceeded to damn Tosca on the basis of

dogmatic . . . misstatements, we stopped agreeing. Otello, with which Mr. K. beats Tosca on the head, was sixteen years in the making; upon it Verdi lavished a half -century of experience in the operatic theater, and Boito a quarter century; the lines of action had been determined by the greatest dramatist our culture has yet known. But until Otello, Verdi's attempt was what Mr. K. calls "trivial,' just as Puccini's. Puccini wrote Tosca at forty, the age at which Verdi was writing II Trova- tore, La Traviata, I Vespri Siciliani, any one of which should be enough Made in CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND to convince Mr. K. of the "triviality" The center of scientific research of Verdi's attempt. But Mr. K. does For Those Who Will Have Nothing But The Finest not choose to select any of these New Wide -band amplifer, superbly crafted in the operas; he chooses to select Otello, grand tradition for sound reproduction. nor as a standard of greatness, but as a club with which he can work on MAIN AMPLIFIER Type HF25 CONTROL UNIT Type HF25 'A Puccini, with which he can condemn Power output 35 watts. Output im- Controls: Bass, Treble, Low Pass Fil- Tosca, as he could condemn any other pedances 4, 7, 15 and 60.n. Noise and hum 90 db from full output. Harmonic ter, Volume, Selector for tape, radio work of Italian opera seria, as Distortion less than 0.1% at 15 watts, and microphone inputs and all stand- trivial... . 0.3% at 35 watts. I.M. Distortion 0.4% ard recording characteristics. Low [This) brings us naturally to the at 25 watts, 0.5 at 30 watts, 0.72% at noise circuitry. Cathode follower out- 35 watts. Damping Factor adjustable only point of Mr. Kerman's that space from 35 to infinity. Negative feed -back put to power amplifier allows remote will allow us to comment on fully, 25 db round amplifier. $139.50 control up to 2G feet. $59.50 that of his brusque charge that the Harvey Radio and Liberty Music Shops New York Distributors choirboys, cardinal, etc. in Tosca are For complete equipment and local dealer information write to: there for mere "extraneous ... display BRITISh RADIO ELECTRONICS, LTD. of floating lyricism." Of course, 1833 Jefferson Place N.W. Washington 6, D. C. Continued on page 8

6 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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BEETHOVEN'S "Eroica " Symphony BEETHOVEN'S `Violin Concerto in by LEONARD BERNSTEIN with The conducted played by DAVID OISTRAKH Stadium Concerts S)mrhonv Orchestra D major BY G. WALLACE WOODWORTH ANALYSIS RECORD BY MR. BERNSTEIN ANALYSIS RECORD

DVORAK'S "New World" Symphony TCHAIKOVSKY'S Fifth Symphony conducted by LEONARD BERNSTEIN with The Stadium Con- conducted by MAX RUDOLF with The Stadium Concerts cens Symphony Orchestra ANALYSIS RECORD BY MR. BERNSTEIN Symphony Orchestra ANALYSIS RECORD BY THOMAS SCHERMAN

MENDELSSOHN'SPianoConcerto MENDELSSOHN'S "Scotch "Sym - ,Jo. II played by EMIL GILELS And the Kroll by THOMAS SCHERMAN phony conducted Quartet plays MENDELSSOHN'S OCTET FOR S)mphon' Orchestra with the Music Appreciation STRINGS ANALYSIS RECORD BY THOMAS SCHERMAN ANALYSIS RECORD BY DAVID RANDOLPH

"Pathétique" Symphony Concerto in major TCHAIKOVSKY'S BRAHMS' `1'ioln D conducted by LEONARD BERNSTEIN with The Stadium Con- by WALTER GOEHR with the London Symphony conducted certs Symphony Orchestra ANALYSIS RECORD BY MR. BERNSTEIN Orchestra ANALYSIS RECORD BY THOMAS SCHERMAN

STRAVINSKY'S .irehirtl Suite BRAHMS' Second Symphony conducted by GEORGE SZELL .sigh Ills Music conducted by ALFRED WALLENSTEIN with the Appr,Liation Symphony Orchestra ANALYSIS RECORD Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra ANALYSIS RECORD BY THOMAS SCHERMAN BY RUSSELL SMITH

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MUSIC -APPRECIATION RECORDS R10-1 c/o Book -of -the -Month Club, Inc. TRY A ONE -MONTH PROVISIONAL SUBSCRIPTION 345 Hudson Street, New York 14, N. Y. Please send me at once the two 12 -inch 335', R.P.M. Dem- onstration Records I have indicated below. together with LI. THE ABOVE are recent Music - this one -month provisional subscrip- their 10-Inch Musical Program Notes Records. billing me $3.90, and enroll me in a one -month Trial Subscription to APPRECIATION recordings, and tion to continue for as short or as MUSIC- APPRECIATION RECORDS, with the privilege of canceling at any time. I understand that. as a subscriber. I am not in an ex- long a time as you please. If, how- obligated to buy any specified number of records. but may since they all demonstrate, take only those I want. Also. I may cancel my subscription after hearing the Demonstration Recordings, or any time citing way, the MUSIC- APPRECIATION ever, the idea, after this demonstra- thereafter at my pleasure. RECORDS idea, we will be happy to tion, does not come up to your expec- r] Beethoven's "Eroica" Beethoven's Violin Tchaikovsky's Fifth Concerto send you any two sets for the price tations, you may cancel immediately. Symphony Dvorak's Symphony you decide to continue you will Mendelssohn's "Scotch" Mendelssohn's Concerto of one. If Symphony Tchaikovsky's The regular price of each of these not be obligated to take any specific Brahms' Violin Concerto "Pathetique" Stravinsky's Firebird Suite Brahms' Symphony No. 2 two -disc recordings is $3.90 (plus a number of records. A different work Mr. small mailing charge). One disc is is announced in advance each Mrs. Miss (Please Print Plainly) 12 record, the month, described interestingly by a -inch performance ADDRESS other is a 10 -inch analysis record. Deems Taylor. As a subscriber you Postal zone No. STATE Should you want to receive other may take only those you are sure you CITY any) Recant price% are the same In Canada. and the Clot, .hlp. to Canadian great works of music performed and want for your permanent record mctnher. %Muni( an) charge for dut, thrnngh Iha,,kofthe\tonlh Club ,, ..oad:1 ,. I.3d. MAR87 analyzed in this way, you can allow library.

JANUARY 1957 7

www.americanradiohistory.com LETTERS Continued from page 6 neither Verdi nor Puccini indulged in such haphazard theater. Verdi's carnival chorus gives dramatic contrast to the slow dying of Violetta. Contrast is one of Puccini's ends, but In the new Rek -O -Kut he also is interested in (a) establish- Turntable Arm ... ing the atmosphere of the surrounding city and country, and (b) in proving something exciting has that things are not what they seem. at taken place! Here Tosca, as no other of Puccini's operas, last is lateral and carries this philosophic burden: things vertical freedom-from- are not what they seem. From the friction achieved by no Magdalene who is not a Magdalene, other ... distortionless Cavaradossi's misinterpretation of tracking ... and an l'Attavanti's constant "prayer," Tosca's exclusive micrometer - misinterpretation of the fan, to the action counterweight final execution "come Palmieri," allowing easier, more Puccini maintains the difference between illusion accurate stylus and reality. It is only after he tells us that Scarpia uses the pressure adjustment! Church to his own ends, that the priests reveal political secrets heard in A -120 for records confessional, that the Church is op- up to 12" $26.95 posed to Cavaradossi both as agnostic A -160 for records and as revolutionary, it is only then up to 16" $29.95 that he presents us with a triple irony by introducing the "extraneous" slightly higher 11' :,t 1 line rra Te Deum: (a) the celebration for a fake victory (also the reason for the Act II cantata), (b) the counterpoint of Scarpia and piety, (c) the realiza- REKOKUT tion that Scarpia and this politic piety TURNTABLE ARM are really on the same side. The church bells which accent Scarpia's fanning of Tosca's jealousy are sud- Friction -free lateral denly reduced to the bell which he uses to summon his man Sciarrone. motion achieved by Hence the matin bells at the begin- unitized sealed -in ning of Act III not only define Rome twin -bearing pivot. about the Castel Sant' Angelo, but also Friction -free vertical symbolize the continuing power of suspension between authority, authority that does not die lmm chrome -steel near the divan with Scarpia; Puccini bearings ... sealed in uses these matin bells to crush and the cross- shaft! oppress the delicate Tosca themes at the No need for a stylus opening of the act. The "extraneous" pressure gauge! With shepherd boy's song does more than "strike a mood of melan- cartridge mounted and choly." Like the matin bells, it is arm in state of balance ironic, heralding a dawn which is turn micrometer - ... really not a dawning but an end... . action counterweight to Also like the matin bells, it points build up stylus pressure. up the exterior world, in this case, the nearness of the valleys and the flowers of which the lovers sing but See your dealer. Write for Catalog and FREE strobe disc which they never reach... . K -O -KUT COMPANY, INC. If space permitted, one could go 38 -01 Queens Blvd.. Long Island City 1. N. Y. on refuting Mr. K.'s blunt distor- EXPORT: Morhan Exporting Corp.. 458 Broadway, N. Y. 13, N. Y. tions.... But there is one amazing CANADA: Atlas Radio Corp., 50 Wingold Ave., Toronto 10, Ontario judgment in the article, over and above those mentioned. First, Mr. K. says that Tosca is not "gracious mu-

8 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com sically"; then he goes on to declare ç+9,06 pyt,Faotpta- that the musical texture is "consist- knight Hi-Fi ently, throughout, of café -music ba- THE VERY FINEST FOR LESS: nality." When one has heard the Knight Custom components are built to ALLIED': . . . reads music of Tosca and then own special high standards to deliver outstanding this article, one can only wonder what musical quality with distinguished appearance enchanted bistros Mr. Kerman fre- at money -saving minimum cost. Each unit is year. quents, in what magic coffeehouse unconditionally guaranteed for one full does this our Kerman feed. Eric Rothstein Top Value knight Hi -Fi Components W. Newton, Mass. ONLY ONLY SIR: I should like to take exception to the '945° $9950 article "The Trouble With Tosca" appearing in the September issue of De- Deluxe 24-Watt Amplifier. "Space- Saver" Deluxe Basic FM -AM Tuner. Matches your magazine... . meter; tuned design; response, ± 0.75 db, 20- 40,000 Luxe amplifier; AFC; tuning In reference to the statement about 12- position compensation; variable RF on FM and AM; FM discriminator; cps; exceptional sensitiv- the closing scenes of Otello and Tosca, damping; loudness control; rumble filter; 2 cathode followers; hum balance. U.L. Ap- ity. FCC Approved Radiation; U.L. Ap- in effect tape head input; in which Mr. Kerman says proved. Shpg. wt., 30 lbs. Net $94.50 proved. Shpg. wt., 17 lbs. Net ....$99.50 that Puccini did not capture the quality of ominous hush that Verdi ONLY ONLY employed - isn't that presupposing $645° too much? It is my opinion that the $1450 two scenes are poorly compared ( if indeed they are as comparable as the Amplifier. Response. "Bantam" Basic FM -AM Tuner. Matches author says), and it's quite possible "Bantam" 12 -Watt FM limiter t 0.5 db, 20- 20,000 cps; 3- position com- "Bantam" Amplifier; AFC; that the effect of melancholy employed pensation; variable damping; loudness and discriminator; output level control; by Puccini which the author feels is control; built -in preamp; tape head input; RF stage; high sensitivity; temperature - Saver" design. U.L. Ap- compensated oscillator. FCC Approved so inappropriate is far more appro- 7 inputs; "Space- $74.50 proved. Shpg. wt., 18 lbs. Net $64.50 Radiation; U.L. App. 13 lbs. Net.. priate to the scene than an "ominous hush." In Otello, the composer was contemplating the destruction of the heroine by the hero -of the wife by her husband - as he made use of the "Willow Song" and similar music in this act. That in itself would seem to call for a different type of music "Uni -Fi" Tuner -Amplifier Combination. than that written for the impending Single chassis construction; complete FM- fate of Cavaradossi who was to be AM Tuner, Preamplifier and Amplifier all in one; compact, 4 % x 15 x 10W; 10 -watt put to death in an impersonal way - amplifier has every advanced feature; and what could be more impersonal FCC Radiation Approved. "Uni -Fi" chassis only. 17 lbs. Net . $104.95 LOW -COST knight PHONO SYSTEM than a firing squad - by the direc- in "Space- Saver" cab- ONLY of one who was his "Uni -Fi" complete Top value in a fine Hi -Fi tion (Scarpia) inet. 21 lbs. Net $109.95 sworn enemy. music system. You save b17450 $18.32 over cost of individual As for the "Shepherd's Song" - ONLY components. No cabinets required. In- when I attended a recent production cludes Knight "Bantam" amplifier; E -V Speaker System (specify limed of Tosca I felt that the introduction Baronet $445° oak or mahogany finish); Webcor 1632 - of this song served to offset the 27A Changer with G.E. RPX -050A Tri- mounting tension of the opera, and ple Play Cartridge (dual sapphire styli). Easy installation. Shpg. wt., 67 lbs. in part, to bring home to the audi- Preamp -Equalizer. Lowest -cost self- powered preamplifier. 3- 94 PA 600. Complete System.... $174.50 ence the fact that life "outside" went position compensation; rumble on quite as usual in spite of the switch; loudness switch; ± 1 db, momentous happenings to the prin- 30- 30,000 cps. U.L. Approved. Shpg. wt., 8 lbs. Net $44.50 ALLIED RADIO . cipal characters... ALL PRICES NET, F.O.B. CHICAGO Amenca's Hi-F1 Center There are other points upon which ALLIED RADIO CORP., Dept. 49 -A -7 I could touch, but there seems to be 100 N. Western Ave., Chicago 80, III. little need of defending the music FREE the following KNIGHT Hi -Fi equipmen which to many of us speaks so well ALLIED'S 1957 Ship for itself. If the author did not so 356-PAGE CATALOG s enclosed plainly show his scorn for the genius Send for this value - u Send FREE 356 -page ALLIED 1957 Catalog if he had not made the packed catalog fea- of Puccini - Name unfortunate choice of such words as turing the world's largest selection of Hi -Fi components and systems, as well Address "simpering," "coarse," "arbitrary," os in Electronics. everything ray Zone State Continued on page II Write for your copy today. L J

JANUARY 1957 9

www.americanradiohistory.com The AR -2 speaker system uses the sane acoustic suspension principle as the AR -I. Because of this fact it is able to achieve a performance quality which, by pre -acoustic suspension standards, is associated with a price range several times higher than its 96.00.* *in birch or mahogany; other finishes S9.00 and 102.00

SUGGESTED PRICE RANGE FOR INSTALLATIONS USING THE AR -2

COMPONENT PRICE

v fi AMPLIFIER (10 -30 clean watts, complete with controls) $75 - - $125

RECORD PLAYER (changer or manual) $40 - - $60

CARTRIDGE(S) (diamond needle for LP) $20 - - $45

TUNER $70 - - $100

AR -2 SPEAKER SYSTEM ;Complete with $89 - - $102 enclosure; size 131/2 "x111/4"x24 ")

5294 - - 5432

(phonograph only, $224 - - $332)

Literature on request from: ACOUSTIC RESEARCH, INC. 24 Thorndlke Street Cambridge 41, Mass.

I0 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com LETTERS Continued from page 9 "pointless," "Puccini's failure," etc., I FAIRCHILD would feel that this article had considerably more merit. It seems to me, DESIGN too however, that these are much "How will the use of the Fair- in de- We're often asked - strong and harsh terms to use child Arm in conjunction with the Fairchild Cart- scribing the contribution of a man ridge increase the performance of my high fidelity so gifted in glorious musical expres- system ?" Since the 280A Arm is the housing best sion. , . , designed for this famed cartridge, the results will Mrs. Frank L. Mayer be immediately apparent to the critical listener. Denver, Colo.

Mr. Kerman replies to Mr. Rothstein and Mrs. Mayer:

The essential point, at the end of my article, was that Tosca is a cheap piece. Comparison with Otello as a "standard of greatness" seemed to me to make this point more graphic, that's all. That composer X also wrote junk at the age of forty is no more relevant than the fact that composer Y is still writing junk at sixty, or that composer Z wrote four operatic masterpieces before his death at thirty-six. Also beside the point, unfortunately, are my private estimates of Traviata (positive) and Turandot (negative). [Not so private: see Mr. Kerman's book, Opera as Drama. Eds.] I attacked Tosca rather than- I Vespri Siciliani because many people nowadays take it so seriously, thereby calling into question the "standard of greatness" that Mr. Roth- stein discerns in Ocello. I am quite unmoved by Mr. Roth - It will reduce the fundamental resonance which is stein's ingenious analysis of Tosca as an determined by the mass of the arm and the com- essay in illusion, and would plead with pliance of the cartridge, him to stop using his head and listen It will result in excellent tracking of the most to the piece in its own immediate terms. heavily recorded passages. A philosophical burden? you might It will minimize side thrust and hence reduce as well admire, in a grade -B Western, distortion. a subtle allegory of the heroism, bru- It will allow complete freedom of motion without tality, gentleness, and aggression of the vibration or erratic performance. frontier spirit dormant in the soul of It will reduce tracking error to a minimum. urban America. But the coarseness of It will provide unusual features of convenience and presentation stultifies such an inter- ease in handling. pretation - which brings me to my Most important, it will assure superb sound. central disagreement with both cor- respondents. I do not see anything glorious in Puccini's musical expres- is that a speaker sivity. It strikes me as tawdry, flat, There no question once housing is almost as important faint, and corny. My standards, as the speaker itself. Similarly, again, are Otello, and Figaro, Boris, the housing for the cartridge is Orfeo, Tristan. . . . equally important but often overlooked. The "Shepherd's Song," as I re- The Model 280A Arm, the result of marked, "might have been incorporated much experimentation and fundamental dramatically." But the music that research* can properly be classified as Puccini wrote here is flabby; flabbiness professional in performance, yet has nothing to do with irony (Mr. is modestly priced at only $33.95. Rothstein's interpretation) or imperson- *Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, ality (Mrs. Mayer's). The adjectives Volume 2, Number .1, July. 1954. cited by Mrs. Mayer were chosen with in a transcription arm. care: The musical continuity at the Find out what to look for it from me, "coarse and Write Department "S" for free illustrated booklet end is, take "HOW GOOD IS YOUR ARM. arbitrary"; Tosca does, in the most precise meaning of the term, "simper" in Act I. Mrs. Mayer's letter comes from the heart rather than from the head, FAIRCHILD EQUIPMENT COMPANY I in a way sorry to have pained RECORDING and am 10 -40 45th Anu, Lone Island City 1, Now York her by the tone of my article. But Continued on page 15

JANUARY i957

www.americanradiohistory.com ENJOY THE DIFFERENCE SOON'

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Pugh St. Colorado Springs: H 324 Central Ave. Wynnewood: & H ELECTRONIC SUP- Ann Arbor: Brooklyn: Akron: SHRYOCK HI- FIDELITY DE ITS BROS. PLY, INC. HI FI STUDIO OISON RADIO WARE. RADIO & TV Co. 119 E. Pikes Peak 506 -510 Kishwaukee 1317 S. University BENRAY ELECTRONICS Av. CORP. HOUSE. INC. Bonwit- Teller Bldg. Denver: Battle Creek: 73 E. Mill St. Williamsport: CANADA ALLEGRO MUSIC SHOP ELECTRONIC SUPPLY 485 Coney Island Av. INDIANA Aahabula: ALVO ELECTRONIC DIS - INC. Elkhart: CORPORATION BROOKLYN HI -FI CENTER New Brunswick: 836 Flatbush Ave. MORRISON'S RADIO SUP. TRIBUTING CO. St. John: 262 Fillmore St. FRICK ELECTRIC & TV, 94 Hamblin PLY 240 Pine St. THE CHAS. E. WELLS INC. Birmingham: Buffalo: THE NEW BRUNSWICK MUSIC Co. BUFFALO AUDIO CENTER 321 Center St. York: RADIO Co. 520 S. Main St. MCCALLUM & DEAN RADIO ELECTRIC SERVICE 1629 California St. 4119 161 Genesee St. Canton: 7 -11 Germain St. Gary: -11 E. Maple Ave. GEORGE CO. OF DELAWARE C. V. A. HI FI CENTERS VILLAGE HOME Detroit: FRONTIER ELECTRONICS, F. EBEL CO. APPLI- INC. 3017 Cleveland Ave. Nova Scotia: 1624 Broadway ANCE CO., INC. AUDIO HOUSE INC. N.W. RHODE ISLAND C. V. A. HI FI CENTERS 3592 Village Court 19771 Conant 1505 Main St. Halifax: 434 16th St. Hempstead: Cincinnati: Providence: CONSOLIDATED SUPPLY Hammond: HACO DISTRIBUTING Co. AUDIONICSCO. New ENG- LLOYD'S HI -FI RECORD HALL'S TELEVISION SER. 9730 Burnette St. at ISLAND AUDIO CO. INC. CUSTOMCRAITERS AUDIO Co. LTD. 414 Fulton Ave. INC. LAND'S HI -FI CENTER SHOP VICE Grand River Ave. 790 N. Main St. 61 lO E. Colfax 7430 Calumet Ave. HI -FI STUDIOS NEWARK & LEWIS 2259 Gilbert St. Ontario: U. S. Route No. 1 Indianapolis: 8300 Fenkell 43 Main St. Cleveland: Kitchener: CONNECTICUT Jamaica: PEFFER GOLDEN EAR K. L. A. LABORATORIES AUDIO CRAFT Co. SOUTH SOUND EQUIP. Hartford: 15 E. 16th St. 7375 Woodward Ave. AUDIO EXCHANGE 2915 Prospect Ave. CAROLINA MENT CO. BELMONT RECORD SHOP GRAHAM ELECTRONICS PECAR ELECTRONICS 159-19 Hillside Ave. PROGRESS RADIO SUPPLY Columba: Ottawa: 163 Washington St. SUPPLY 10729 Morane Jamestown: Co. DIXIE RADIO SUPPLY CO. CANADIAN ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONIC MARGOLIS HIGH FIDEL- 1(12 S. Pennsylvania SIHLER'S RADIO SHOP WARREN RADIO INC. 413 -415 Huron Road SUPPLY Co.. LTD. ITY STUDIO South Bend: INC. 31 Forest Ave. DIVISION 836 Somerset W. Columbus: 1628 Laurel St. 28 High St. FRICK ELECTRIC & TV, 15822 Grand River Mineola. L.I.: ELECTRONIC SUPPLY Toronto: Litchfield: INC. East Laming: ARROW ELECTRONICS. CORP. TENNESSEE BAY -BLOOR RADIO THE MUSIC SHED INC. 1001 Main St. CAMPUS MUSIC SHOP INC. 134 E. Long St. Kingsport: 1206 Bay St. Trader Lane West Lafayette: 106 W. Grand River 525 Jericho Turnpike SHAFFER CANADIAN New Haven: New York: MUSIC CO. RADIO ELECTRIC SUPPLY ELECTRICAL GOLDEN EAR Ave. 849 N. High SI. 245 E. Market St. SUPPLY CO , LTD. DAVID DEAN SMITH 108 Northwestern Av. Manistee: ARROW ELECTRONICS. Dayton: Knoxville: 522 Yonge St. 262 Elm St. GARDNER ELECTRONIC INC. ENGINEERED SOUND 65 CUSTOM ELECTRONICS MCCLUNG APPLIANCES SYS. RADIO SHACK CORP. SUPPLY Cortlandt St. TEALS LTD. IOWA Asco SOUND INC. 310 Georgia St., N.E. 230 Crown St. 258 River St. CORP. S. 169 Kipling Ave., S. New London: Burlington: 115 West 45th St. 1I00 Main St. Memphis: Saginaw: (3rd TIRE STOTTS- FERGUSON'S DOUGLAS AUDIOTRONICS ELECTRONIC ENGRO. AND Floor) FRIEDMAN RECORD SUPPLY CO. AUDIO COMM. CO. Co. SHOP Quebec: 15 Maple Terrace 1511 Janes St. CONSOLIDATED RADIO Montreal: West Hartford: F. & M. Bank Bldg. SALES 135 E. Second St. 2837 Poplar Ave. Cedar Rapids: St. Joseph: Toledo: CANADIAN ELECTRICAL AUDIO WORKSHOP INC. R. A. HOWARD- CUSTOM 768 Amsterdam Ave. SUPPLY Co.. LTD. IOWA RADIO SUPPLY CO. Toledo: ' HI- FIDELITY TEXAS 1 South Main St. HI FI FEDERATED PURCHASER, Austin: 275 Craig St. W. 719 Center Point Rd., NC. MIE W. Central DELAWARE N.E. 2938 Niles Ave. HIGH FIDELITY INC. EXCEL DISTRIBUTING INC. Sault Ste. Mark: 66 Dey St. Youngstown: 3004 Guadalupe 690 St. James St. W. Washington: Des Moines: J GRAND & St. RADIO OHN P. LEBLANC CENTRAL RADIO RADIO TV PARTS INC. Beaumont: PAYETTE RADIO LIMITED ELECTRIC SERVICE IOWA SOUND SERVICE NC. 230 E. Boardman St. CO. OF DELAWARE 1210 Grand Ave. 321 E. Spruce St. THOMPSON AUDIO CTR. 730 St. James St. W. 124 E. 44th St. 1090 Alma at Park THE RADIO CENTRE 3rd & Tatnall Iowa City: MINNESOTA HARVEY RADIO WILMINGTON CO.. INC. OKLAHOMA Dallas: Craig at St. Urbain ELECTRIC WOODBURN SOUND SER- Minneapolis: 103 W. 43rd St. Oklahoma SPECIALTY CO., INC. VICE City: CRABTREE'S WHOLESALE Quebec: AUDIO KING CO. HEINS & BOLET RADIO & SOUND CLINIC RADIO 403.405 Delaware Av. 218 E. College Si. 1827 E. Lake St. 68 Cortlandt St. MAURICE ST. -CYR 1239 W. Main 2608 Ross Ave. 706 Blvd. Charest Eat& SONOTEC S.A., La Gran Avenida, Sabana Grande. Caracas, Venezuela.

I2 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com THERE A DIFFERENCE IN HIGH -FIDELITY EQUIPMENT! HEAR IT! SEE IT! IS gleeracz.® Hear whole octaves others miss! Look at the clean, functional lines which are the outward indication of inner quality. That's the result of "Listeneering" engineering by Electro- Voice.

All authentic high- fidelity equipment reproduces sound pleasantly. But to recreate living "presence," choose Electro -Voice as experts do. In the Aristocrat folded -horn corner enclosure and related equipment shown, you have an integrated three -way system which gives you amazingly wide tonal range without distortion. The enclosure with 12TRXB triaxial speaker, the Circlotron amplifier with controls and the 80 Series Ultra- Linear Ceramic cartridge in the record player of your choice combine to thrill you with concert hall realism in your home.

Twenty -six years of single- minded devotion to making only the finest is built into all Electro -Voice products . . . units designed to perform together as complete systems ... units which, when added Indi- vidually to any high fidelity system, make it sound better. New Catalog -Guide gives quick facts on Speaker Sys- tems for true high -fidelity music reproduction. Send 25c to cover postage and handling. Specify Catalog No. 117 ..F71.

Electro-Voice, world's largest manufacturer of high -fidelity products, offers you the world's most complete line -speakers, giewew7i,,cc® speaker enclosures, systems, amplifiers, pre - ELECTRO- VOICE, INC- BUCHANAN MICHIGAN amps, tuners, phono cartridges, Power -Point 'Slightly higher in the West. Export: 13 East 40th Street, New York 16, U. S. A. cartridges, Do-It- Yourself enclosure kits Cables: ARLAB and microphones. Available everywhere.

TRIAXIAL n- ULTRA- THE ARISTOCRAT Folded Horn Corner LOW -BOY CIR- 12 -INCH gives you LINEAR Enclosure augments bass reproduction CLOTRON AMPLI- REPRODUCER bass response, CERAMIC without "boom" or distortion, provides FIER WITH CONTROLS, easy to phenomenal range and silky - PHONO CARTRIDGE, for balanced bass and treble, adds to operate, designed for music lovers full -bodied mid -reproduction of 45, smooth upper octaves without dis- finest speaker power-handling capacity. You who want a compact, moderately - in the Aristocrat en- 33V3 and 16/; rpm rec- enjoy purity of extended tone never priced high quality amplifier. Five tortion. Used this integratec three -way ords with true high fidel- before achieved in a cabinet of this position playing selector for radio closure, has a response of 35- 15,000 ity. 1 -mil sapphire tip. size, 295/e x 19" x 165/6 ". Mahogany, tuner, tape recorder, TV and 2 posi- system cps. Model 12TRXB, Net $64.00. Model 845, Net =9.60. Net $69. Korina Blonde, Net $76. tion phono. Model A15CL, $99.50'

JANUARY 1957 13

www.americanradiohistory.com "I'm no whiz with the wires-like you"

Wistful William is going through his usual response to an evening of Hi -Fi listening at your house. Much as he wants good music, he tells you -he just doesn't have the know -how to line up components, select and balance, until he has a system like yours. For the hundredth time he says - "Isn't there any 'ready -made Hi -Fi for guys like me?" Now you can give him more than a pitying smile Here's the answer that will help him find his dream. You can tell him Stromberg- Carlson has just introduced its renowned "Custom Four Hundred "® components . . . laboratory - balanced ... in exceptionally beautiful console instruments ready to The new CHORAL high fidelity com- plug in and play. bination. Contemporary louvered cabinet with lift-lid over changer to pre- First, of course, you'll want to hear the instruments for yourself. vent jar or needle scratch. 4 -Speed They are at your Stromberg- Carlson dealer's studio. changer-4-pole motor, free of hum or You'll get an expert's kick out of discovering the ingenious features rumble; intermixes 7 ", 10 ", 12" rec- and skilled design that achieve performance perfection. Multi- ords. Automatic shut -off; live rubber such turntable cover. 10-Tube AM -FM ple speakers in special acoustic chambers project a flood of pure, radio with push -button control, pre- undistorted sound to every listener in the room. Powerful amplifiers cise fly -wheel tuning. AM band 550 to produce the finest possible tonal quality through the full range of 1600 kc, FM, 88 to 108 mc. Built -in FM antenna, drift -free components. audible sound. Four -speed changers, easy -to-reach controls -and 15 -Watt amplifier with Stromberg- stunning cabinet beauty are here too. And when you come to the price Carlson compensated volume control, tags, you'll realize what a favor you can do for Friend William input jack and front-panel switching - for easy connection of tape recorder, these superb Stromberg- Carlson instruments start at a low $149.95! second changer, TV audio signals and other program material. Multiple r.... a., ifLf/"-rmm. speaker system in frequency- dividing ....__ . This electric clock sign identifies network: 12" woofer -type bass speak- :I YOUR dealer for the new Stromberg- r,1 mroMIeRÍ er, 8" wide range, mid -range and 3" URLSOI I Carlson radio -phonograph series. high fidelity tweeter. Walnut, $299.95. I ' UGIO FpII1rYf Blonde Mahogany, $325.00. STROMBERG-CARLSON COMPANY Complete catalog on request.

A D I V I S I O N O F G E N E R A L D Y N A M I C S C O R P O R A T I O N 1719 UNIVERSITY AVE. ROCHESTER 3, N.Y.

14 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com LETTERS Continued from page ir illusions in art, as in life, are painful in the challenging. I feel that Tosca is second -rate through and through, and what is worse pretentious; that makes me scornful. Joseph Kerman Berkeley, Calif.

SIR: As your magazine is read so widely, I'm wondering if one of its readers might have the answer to a problem of mine. I am keen on acquiring several organ records on the Club Français du Disque, Discophiles Français, Erato, and Les Mélomanes Français labels, manufactured in France and, as far as I know, unobtainable in Canada, England, or the United States. Having ON ONE COMPACT CHASSIS! FISHER FM -AM TUNER, AUDIO CONTROL AND 30 -WATT AMPLIFIER! tried everything else I wonder if someone could supply the name and address YOU NEEDI of a record dealer in Paris who could EVERYTHING CHASSIS! furnish these disks needed to complete ON ONE SUPERB a comprehensive collection. Also, I would be delighted to hear from anyone who has any data on the organs in the Reformed Church at Thalwil, Switzerland; Westminster Cathedral, London; Grosskirche des Berliner Doms (Berlin Cathedral), Berlin; and the Pauluskirche (Paul's church ) , Berlin. Having indexed in detail all organ works recorded and determined in most cases the location of organs used incognito, as well as having compiled FISHER considerable data on most recorded organs, I would be most willing to pass such data along to anyone who might wish it. will appreci- "500" The slightest help be HOUSANDS have asked us for it - and here it is! An extreme- ated. sensitivity FM -AM tuner, a powerful 30 -watt amplifier, and a W. G. Lo fft ' Master Audio Control - all built on one compact chassis. Simply 7 Abbott Ave. add a record changer and loudspeaker to the FISHER "500" and, as Toronto, Ont. easily as that, you have a complete high fidelity system. Its quality - beauty Canada in the finest FISHER tradition. Its appearance - the timeless of classic simplicity. Here is the most economical form in which you can own FISHER equipment. Chassis Only, SIR: $239.50 Mahogany or Blonde Cabinet, $19.95 I read with great interest the article Allen Forte, "Composing With by Outstanding Features of THE FISHER "500" Electrons at Cologne" [Oct. 1956] and Extreme sensitivity on FM and AM. Meter for micro -accurate tuning. Full with the feeling that he is showing wide -bend FM detector for maximum capture ratio. Powerful, 30 -watt ampli- E fier; handles 60 -watt peaks. Uniform response, 16 to 32.000 cycles. 4 inputs, us now the work of pioneers whose including separate tape playback preamp- equalizer. 4, 8 and 16 -ohm outputs of volume and tone con- is recognized only match all existing speakers. Recorder output ahead fate usually to be trols. 7 Controls. including 9- position Channel Selector (AM, FM, AES, RIAA, many years later. The article gives LP, NAB, TAPE, AUX 1 and AUX 2), Loudness Contour (4- positionl, Vol- ume, Bass, Treble, AC-Power, Station Selector. Beautiful, die -cast, brushed us an insight into the future. brass escutcheon and control panel. Pin -point. channel indicator lights. Smooth. flywheel tuning. Largest, easy -to -read, slide -rule dial, with logging However, Forte failed to mention scale. High efficiency FM and AM antennas supplied. 14 tubes plus 2 matched germanium diodes. stze: 13 7/16" w. x 12%" d. (excluding knobs) other important pioneering work in x 61/4" high. experimental music, particularly the Prices Slightly Higher I. The Far West encouragement lent to this movement WRITE TODAY FOR COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS by Hermann Scherchen, and the work FISHER RADIO CORP., 21 -25 44th DRIVE L. I. CITY 1 N. Y. Continued on next page 71111 iiiiii1111c11iiiiiat1111c1Yt1tIt11111 iniu11111cI1umit Itllttttm nitltttttttttttll mlllllltttlll\

JANUARY 1957 I

www.americanradiohistory.com LETTERS Continued from preceding page

of his group at Gravesano, Switzer- land. Here is a movement in musical electro-acoustics in which musicians and scientists co- operate with no boundaries or cleavage such as distinguish the "electronic" and "musique concrète" factions. The Gravesano investigations are as wide and international as the human spirit. Their many pamphlets and technical mono- graphs testify to the large area of musical and scientific probings. On this side of the globe, in addition to the work of Luening and Ussachevsky mentioned by Forte, reference must be made to Kenneth Kendall of Ottawa, Canada, who takes the fundamental tone of one instru- MODEL 80 -T MOST ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL TUNER WITH COMPLETE AUDIO CONTROLS ment and combines it with the overtones of other instruments, creating a Outperforms Them All ! new tonal character that does not exist in any form as a physical entity. This is a sort of musical hybrid and the combinations are almost infinite THE FISHER for the creation of new tonalities. MODEL 80 -T MODEL 80 -R When used with taste and scholarship it will vastly increase the opportunities for creative composing. FM -AM TUNERS Allen Forte correctly states mathematics has a definite place HERE ARE AMERICAS only FM -AM Tuners with TWO meters for micro - "... accurate tuning - just one of their many unique features. THE FISHER in the musical thinking of such a Series 80 FM -AM Tuners enjoy an unparalleled reputation as the leaders in group." Just how solidly music rests of professionals using THE FISHER tuners include high fidelity. The roster on a mathematical base is being shown the names of some of the most outstanding organizations in the research, broadcasting, and educational fields. In every case, THE FISHER was chosen by A. H. Frisch of New York, who because, unquestionably, it provides a level of performance that exceeds even by solving the expressions for the flexibility, the most critical requirements. "Performance, and all-around squares and cubes of binomials and 'usefulness' are excellent!" -High Fidelity Magazine. trinomials has produced a means of Outstanding Features of THE FISHER Series 80 timing for virtually an unlimited The Model 80 -T features extreme FM sensitivity - 1.5 microvolts for 20 db of quieting. Full limiting on signals as low as one microvolt. Separate FM and AM number of rhythm series. ... Frisch front ends, completely shielded and shock- mounted. Separate tuning meters for has gone beyond the theoretical work FM and AM. 72-ohm, plus exclusive balanced, 300-ohm antenna inputs for increased signal -to -noise ratio. Supplied with AM loop and FM dipole antennas. Adjustable of Schillinger in that he has created AM selectivity. AM sensitivity better than one microvolt for full output. Inherent hum nos- meassrable. Distortion below 0.04% for 1 volt output. Four inputs. the means for mechanically and simply Separate tape -head playback preamplifier (with NARTB equalization.) Preampli- fier- equalizer has sufficient gain to operate lowest level magnetic cartridges. Six establishing rhythm patterns. choices of record equalization. Multiplex and cathode follower outputs. Frequency response, on FM, within 0.5 db, 20 to 20.000 cycles. Super- smooth flywheel tuning Frisch is now working on a me- mechanism. 16 tubes. (Model 80 -R: 13 tubes.) RIGHT CONTROLS: Selector, Vari- chanical means of recording pitch and able AFC /Line Switch. Station Selector, Bass, Treble, Equalization, Volume, 4- Position Loudness Contour. Self powered. DC on all audio filaments, dynamics directly on tape. He is Beautiful brushed -brass front panel. slze: 12%" wide x 8%" deep x 6" high. (Model 80 -R: 4" high.) WEIGHT: 21 pounds. (Model 80 -R: 16 pounds.) NOTE: laying the basis for musical composi- Model 80 -R is identical to the above. but is designed for use with an external audio control, such as THE FISHER Series 80 -C Master Audio Control. tion without recourse to any instruments. The composer will work with MODEL 80 -R FOR USE WITH EXTERNAL AUDIO CONTROL MODEL 80 -T unmagnetized tape while sitting at $19950 his desk, and by applying to the tape specific magnetic dyes will transfer MODEL 80 -R pitch or a theme from his creative $16950 innards to the tape. He will also have MA11OC;AN, ()F? BLONDs a means of applying amplitude or CABIN, I SI 795 dynamics and even vibrato. He will l'Krr- Ilcla l) Vere In The I r \ \eat establish rhythm or timing by a pre- Write For FULL Details selected formula shown as specific in- FISHER RADIO CORP. tervals on a sort of yardstick over 21-25 44th Dr., L.I.C. 1, N.Y. which the tape is manipulated, inch by inch, or foot by foot. l% HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com An informal group of musicians and physicists was recently formed in New York to promote all forms of new music. Called the Neo- Phonic Society, they hope to emulate the objectives of the Gravesano group. The society is to any musician, composer, mu- ®®93 91 IP 01 SS open M ;r b - 1p ...... ,... sicologist, acoustician, and engineer .... +.. possessing a broad point of view toward creative music. The group is able to look ahead, believes that the future holds a good thing, and is willing to do something about it. Saul J. White New Rochelle, N. Y. AMERICA'S LEADING FM TUNER IN SENSITIVITY, APPEARANCE AND WORKMANSHIP

SIR: Thank you very much for publishing my letter ( July 1956) requesting a tape recording of "Festival of Music. The response to my plea has been tremendous. I have received letters from all over the United States and parts of Canada making the tape available to me. THT, You did me a great service and I appreciate it. Ralph M. Fuld, Jr. Georgetown, S. C. 1F' 1F1.41k SIR: ILS H In the October issue, I read with keen interest Alfred Frankenstein's excellently documented review of Bartók's recorded works to date. FM TUNER In his concise review of the Viola MODEL FM -90 Concerto, I was astonished, as well as pleased, to note his exception to WHEN WE INTRODUCED our Model FM -80 FM tuner, it imme- Halsey Stevens' strictures. As a matter diately established itself as the leader in the field. Today, of fact, at the time Professor Stevens the FM -80 is standard equipment in many broadcast stations, wrote his book on Bartók, the original where its fabulous sensitivity and absolute reliability make it to my know- manuscript was not - ideal for pickup of distant FM chain programs, for rebroadcast ledge - available to any one but my- to the local communities. It took FISHER to improve on FISHER self. and the result is the new Model FM -90. It is some sixteen years Tibor Serl) since we produced our first FM tuner. The engineering skill and New York, N. Y. experience that only time, plenty of it, can bestow, are evident in every aspect of THE FISHER FM -90. We can truly say for it SIR: that it is the most advanced FM tuner now available. May I take the privilege of commend- ing you on a fine, if belated, article Remarkable Features of THE FISHER FM -90 FM on the late great inventor of the TWO meters, for micro -accurate tuning. Res ulutiunary, dual dynamic system, Mr. Edwin Howard Arm- limiters, assure noise -free reception where all others fail. Full wide -band detector for max'mum capture ratio. Exclusive, variable inter -station noise strong. This truly great invention eliminator. Full limiting on signals as low as I microvolt. Dual triode, cestode -tuned RF stage, four IF stages. Uniform response, 20 to 20,000 which so many music lovers of today cycles. Three outputs (Main, Recorder and NIultiplexl. Dual antenna inputs 172 ohms or 300 ohms balanced). Four controls. IO tubes plus enjoy is a magnificent accomplishment four matched germanium crystal diodes. Special circuits for meter operation. through hard and discouraging odds.. Chas. is completely shielded and shock -mounted. Beautiful, die -cast, brushed brass escutcheon and control panel. Dipole antenna supplied. From our college enthusiasts, may we SIZE: 13 7/16" w. x 61/4" high x 834" deep (plus 1" for knobs). wcî: 15 lbs. get more such fine endeavors. Alfred J. Dube Professional FM Tuner $149.50 New York, N. Y. MAHOGANY OR BLONDE CABINET: $17.95 Prices Slichtb Higher In the Far n'est

\\'RI I I{ I ()DAY FOR (O'\IPLETE SPECIFICATIONS FISHER RADIO CORP., 21 -25 44th DRIVE L. I. CITY 1 N. Y. ItIllll llllll IIII 11111111 IIJ II IIII W IIIIIIIIIIIIIÌIIIIIIÌIIIIIII íW1.11 W 1111 1III ...11111 t 111111 t11111 I11

JANUARY 1957

www.americanradiohistory.com New Product Needed Manufacturers please note: Rene Willdorff, of San Francisco, wrote us the other day asking why no one THE FISHER 25 -WATT manufactured a little clip -on finger Master Control -Amplifier . CA -40 guide which could be attached to the Complete in every respect - and it's by FISHER! A new 25 -watt arms used on record changers and amplifier with complete Audio Controls. Less than I% distortion at 25 players. watts! Six inputs. Six equalization positions. Exclusive FISHER TONE- He says he plays many of his records SCOPE provides graph -form indication of Tone Control settings. Direct. tape -head playback and microphone preamplifier. Uniform frequency manually and that he finds it awkward response within 0.5 db, IO to 90,000 cycles. Less than 1% IM distortion to get hold of the arm or cartridge at 15 watts. Hum and noise level better than 90 db below full output. shell. So, he says, "Why doesn't some Cathode- follower tape recorder output. Speaker output impedances: 4, 8 and 16 -ohms. Nine controls. TUBE COMPLEMENT: I- 12AU7A, manufacturer make a clip -on guide, 3- 12AX7, 4 -EL84, 2 -6BW4. SIZE: 1234" wide x 103/4" deep x 5" high. one that you could clamp or snap or WEIGHT: 24 pounds. $139.50 clip onto the arm to the right of the pick -up? It certainly could be made light enough so as not to add appre- Two Great Audio Units! ciably to the weight of the arm." Sounds like a fine idea to us. How THE FISHER about it, manufacturers? MODEL CA -40 MODEL 80 -C Record Cataloguing It was the first or second issue of THE FISHER HIGH FIDELITY which carried an article about cataloguing records. It was Master Audio Control 80-C a problem then and it is still a prob- "Breathtaking! " -Edward Tatnall Canby. The Master Audio Control lem for most of us. The article was can be used with any amplifier. Provides professional phono and tape - head equalization, plus full mixing and fading facilities for from two no doubt good, but it didn't solve the to five channels. Seven inputs. Two cathode -follower outputs. Uniform little matter of the "spine" of the response within 0.25 db, 20 to 20,000 cycles. IM distortion and hum virtually non -measurable. DC on all filaments. Separate equalization record jacket. During the last year and preamplification directly from tape playback head. Eight controls. and a half, record companies have TUBE COMPLEMENT: 3- 12AX7, 1- 12AU7A. size: 1234" wide x 73,4" done much to help, since most of them deep x 41/4" high. WEIGHT: 10 pounds. $99.50 now print the content of the jacket Prices Slightly Higher IN The Far West Mahogany or Blonde Cabinet $9.95 on the spine. WRITE TODAY FOR COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS Nevertheless, the FISHER RADIO CORP. 21 -25 44th DRIVE L. I. CITY 1, N. Y. problem still largely remains. In our own household, we have the usual shelves of records and the usual card catalogue, cross- indexed and everything else. But we still have to pull out most of the jackets, one after another, until we find the right one. Now along comes the Old Colony Sound Lab, P.O. Box 91, Roxbury 20, Mass., with what may not be the final answer but certainly looks like a major step forward. And simple, too! Part one of their solution is commonplace: a pressure- sensitive label about one inch high and II/2 inches wide. The labels are $1.5o per hundred. Part two of the system is, to our

Is HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com thinking, the key and the real stroke of genius. It is a rubber stamp running the wrong way around. Thus, instead of printing AE498 - two of the rubber stamp's five strips are letters of the alphabet and the remaining three are numerals - it runs the other way, like this: A E 4 9 8 Yes, we can see ways of achieving this same effect without using the rubber stamp which is, admittedly, expensive: $6.50. Old Colony Sound Lab points out that they know the THE FISHER stamps are expensive but they have to FM Tuner Model FM-40 they are not a be made to order; A beautifully designed FISHER FM Tuner - with all that the name stock item. So you could take a label implies - and only $99.50! Stable circuitry aid simplified controls. letter the same or different Meter for micro -accurate tuning. Sensitivity -3 microvolts for 20 do and hand response ±I db, 20 to 20.000 cycles. 72 ani to of quieting. Uniform numbers; you might even be able 300 -ohm antenna facilities. Three outputs: Detector /Multiplex, plus type the coding on the labels. But it cathode follower main output. permitting lead up to 200 feet. Self - with the powered. Beautiful, brushed -brass front panel. TUBE COMPLEMENT: all seems so much easier 123/4" 1- 6BQ7A, 1 -6U8, 3 -6BH6. 1 -6AL5, 1- 12AU7P., 1 -6X4. size: rubber stamp! wide x 71/4" deep x 4" high. wricltT: 15 pounds. $99.50 The labels are a little bit special since they are ruled and have space to jot down equalization and informa- World Leader in Quality tion of that character. You're supposed to stamp the label in three places: on what would be the back THE FISHER of the jacket, on the spine, and on the front. Then you set up any sort of MODEL FM -40 MODEL AM -80 a card filing system you want and stamp the cards to correspond to the THE FISHER (_ coding on the jacket. Old Colony has a nice bulletin which goes into the AM Tuner Model AM-80 whole problem in considerable detail. Combines the pulling power of a professional co nmunications receive- Features may have more about this with the broad tuning necessary for high fidelity reception. -We a tuning meter for micro -accurate station selection. Adjustable band- system in a later issue; Old Colony width (three -position.) Remarkable sensitivity-Ins than one microvol said they would send us some labels produces maximum output! Elusive and distant stations are brought in Built-in IO Kc whistle filter. Dual ntenna inputs. Three a stamp for a TITH re- with ease. and sample high- impedance inputs. Cathode follower outpu permits leads up to port. But meantime, it certainly looks 200 feet. Self- powered. Brushed-brass front paneL TUBE COMPLEMENT: 1 %4" x 71/4" deep like a bright idea. 3 -6B16, 1 -6BE6, l -6AL5, 2 -6C4, -6X4, sIzE: 12 wide x 4" high. WEIGHT: 15 pounds. $119.50 Cabinets Available for FM-40 and AM -80, Blonde or Mahog., $17.95 The Hi and the Fi WRITE TODAY FOR COMPLETE SPECF 1CATIONS Y. We are pleased to report the con- FISHER RADIO CORP. 21 -25 44th DRIVE L. I. C. 1, N. tinued expansion of interest in things high -fidelity. We now have high - fidelity hospital service at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles, according to a bulletin sent us by Cap Kierulff. And we have high -fidelity freight service - on the Kansas City Southern Lines, according to an advertisement sent us by Ralph Glover of Jensen Mfg. Kansas City Southern defines high fidelity as "our responsibility to those who trust us with the movement of their freight." We would like to sug- Continued on next page

JANUARY 1:957

www.americanradiohistory.com 11II111IIIIIIIIIIIIIlttt111111111 NOTED WITH INTEREST Continued from preceding page

gest that this might make a good credo for our industry, if the word "freight" were changed to "music." For after all, if some one makes a piece of hi -fi equipment, or a hi -fi record, doesn't that person or manufacturer assume a WATTS responsibility to those who trusted him with the movement of their music - from live performance to home s9950 reproduction? Well, all right; maybe we are stretching things a bit, but it's an THE FISHER idea.

Lab Standard Amplifier 80-AZ Audio Consultants Here is the incomparable FISHER 80 -AZ Amplifier with PowerScope, a visual Peak Power Indicator. More clean watts per dollar than any Not long ago, we relayed the re- amplifier in its class. 60 watts peak! Three separate feedback loops. quest of a Long Island reader for sug- Less than 0.5% dis :ortion at 30 watts, 0.05% at IO watts. IM distortion less than 0.5% at 25 watts. Frequency response uniform within 0.1 db, gestions about an audio consulting 20 to 20,000 cycles; within 1 db, 10 to 50,000 cycles. Hum and noise service. We have had two answers so virtually nonmeasurable 96 db below - full output! CONTROLS: far. Ernest L. Sachs, 29 Chestnut St., Z- MATIC, POWERSCOPE, Input Level. TUBE COMPLEMENT: I- 12AT7, 1- 12AU7A, 2 -EL37, I -5V4G, 1- PowerScope Indicator. I- Regulator. Rockville Centre, L. I., N. Y., writes SIZE: I5I-á" wide 41.1" deep x 67/s" high. WEIGHT: 22 pounds. that "such a diagnostic service exists - and has for a number of years, right on Long Island." Mr. Sachs' phone Two Great Audio Amplifiers number is Rockville Centre q -1167. And Carl Machover, of Audio Ad- visory, 32 Loring Drive, Yorktown THE FISHER Heights, N. Y., writes: "We estab- MODEL lished just such a service for Northern 80 -AZ MODEL 20 -A Westchester about six months ago. The scope of Audio Advisory is some- THE FISHER what greater than simply diagnosing existing installations. We are prepared Lab Standard Amplifier 20-A to design or specify components for Low in cost, terrific in quality! The Model 20 -A is the I5 -watt ampli- new installations as well as to indicate fier thousands of hi -fi enthusiasts have requested. Traditional FISHER workmanship. handsome appearance. Compact, advanced design possible improvements for existing sys- throughout. Frequency response within 0.1 db, 20 to 20,000 cycles. tems. Audio Advisory does not sell than 0.7% Less dis :ortion at full output, 0.4% at 10 watts. IM distortion equipment or technicians' services. Our less than 1.5% at 10 watts, 0.75% at 5 watts. Hum and noise better product is individualized, than 90 db below full output! Internal impedance 1 ohm for 16 -ohm competent operation. gives damping factor of 16. Excellent transient response. advice, based upon a background of One volt drives amplifier to full output. Octal socket provides all engineering and musical training and necessary AC and DC voltages for operating unpowered auxiliary components. Completely enclosed in a protective metal cage. Speaker experience." output impedances: 4. 8, and 16 ohms. Input Level Control. TUBE Any more consultants? We'll be COMPLEMENT: 1- I2AX7, 2 -EL84, l -EZ80. SIZE: 13" wide x 41/4" glad to pass names along, but let's deep x 63/i" high. SHIPPING WEIGHT: 13 pounds. make it tough: For the purposes of this list, and to find out what happens, THE FISHER LABORATORY STANDARD AMPLIFIER MODEL 20 -A suppose we define a consultant as someone who does not sell high -fidelity equipment nor is associated with or - ;,;\ 15 works for anyone who does. This re- IIII(Lllt striction is going to exclude l\ l llllll`llllllllllll\l many jj;; IÌul WATTS highly qualified advisors, but we'd ; ::a IIWI. seriously like to find out how many of these rare individuals there are in the , s59sa high -fidelity business today. Priers slightly IIIgh, In the Fur West San Diegans Please Note Irrite For Full Detail, Everyone around San Diego aware of FISHER RADIO CORP. station KFSD -FM? Dr. Egon Muehl- 21 -25 44th DRIVE ner was Long Island City 1, N. Y. kind enough to send us a clipping from the San Diego Evening

20 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Tribune for September 17 which told of a thirteen -week cycle of classical and semiclassical music which would be broadcast from 4 to t i p.m., Mon- days through Fridays. Sounds like plenty of worthwhile listening. 90 Tops for Christmas II IIIIIIIII III!Illllltlllll WATTS True Magazine did a survey of some of its readers, discovered that - we knew this all along -hi -fi equipment ranked first in the miscellaneous classification of most -wanted Christmas 5229.50 gifts. The full survey appeared in the issue of True for mid -November, in THE FISHER case you want more details. Lab Standard Amplifier 90 -A At your command-90 watts of audio power. with Tess than 1/2% Hi -Fi Chickens distortion at full output. Two power supplies assure optimum amplifier operation. Exclusive PERFORMANCE MONITOR meter indicates correct adjustments of tube bias, screen voltage and output balance. It also An advertisement in the September shows average power output. FEATURES: Less than 1% IM distortion issue of Poultry Tribune proclaims, in at 75 watts! Frequency response ±0.1 db, 20 to 20,000 cycles. Hum large type, "Now Ful -O -Egg Mashes and noise better than 92 db below full output. 8 and 16 -ohm speaker output impedances. Power socket supplies all necessary voltages for ad promote Hi -Fi performance." The operation of unpowered auxiliary components. CONTROLS: Input Level, goes on to explain "Hi -Fi means high Speaker Impedance Switch, Meter Switch, Bias, Screen Voltage, Output fidelity, or music recorded with pre- Balance, Driver Balance, Z- MATIC. TUBE COMPLEMENT: 1- 12AU7A, 1 1 2- 5R4GY, plus 2 -NEI6 re- I- 12AX7, 4 -EL34 (6CA7), -6Y6, -6AU6, cision. In other words, quality regulators. size: 14" wide x 111 /e" deep x 8'/4" high. production. Ful -O -Pep ... gets quality reproduction and top performance from your hens." Neiv! And Unequalled ! Next, please. European Broadcasting Stations THE FISHER Wireless World, through Iliffe & Sons. AUDIO AMPLIFIERS Ltd., has just released the 1956 -57 edition of its Guide to Broadcasting Stations. This is an 8o -page booklet THE FISHER giving complete information about Lab Standard Amplifier 55-A some 3,000 broadcast stations, includ- Plenty of puv.er tor sour present -and any possible future needs. ing long, medium, and short -wave THE FISHER Model 55 -A is a laboratory instrument designed for home Delivers 55 watts at less than 1% distortion. is 2s. 6d. plus 4d. for use. Drives even ones. Cost the lowest efficiency speaker system to full output. Exclusive FISHER postage. Iliffe's address: Dorset POWER MONITOR meter shows correct adjustment of output tube bias. House, Stamford St., London S. E. 1. and indicates average power output. IM distortion below 2% at 50 watts, 0.8% at 45 watts, 0.4% at 10 watts. Harmonic distortion less than 0.08% at 10 watts. 0.05% at 5 watts. Frequency response within Correction, Please 0.1 db, 20 to 20,000 cycles. Hum and noise better than 92 db below full output! 8 and 16 -ohm speaker outputs. Octal socket supplies all In the September NWI column we voltages for operating unpowered components. CONTROLS: Input Level, Bias. Speaker Impedance Switch, Z- MATIC. TUBE COMPLEMENT: included the names of several sources 3- I2AU7A, 2 -6CL6, 2 -6550, 2 -5AW4. SIZE: 141/4" wide x 93/4" deep for disk jackets. We got tangled up x 816" high. WEIGHT: 50 pounds. on one: it should be Soundings Re- cording Service, 215 East 12th St., New York 3, N. Y. Raymond Graunke, who runs Soundings, says that disk jackets are really a sideline; their principal work is editing, mas- 55 tering, dubbing, recording, and so forth. WATTS Paging Hamlet '169.50 It's too bad that Hamlet is not alive Is r,,, irir, today. It took him a good many hours, FISHER RADIO CORP. or maybe days or months, to go mad. 21 -25 44th DRIVE long Island City 1, N. Y. Continued on page 24

JANUARY 1957 2i

www.americanradiohistory.com 60 WATT AMPLIFIER

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The McIntosh circuit is fundamentally different and technically superior. It possesses an inherent large advantage over conventional circuits, makes

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McIntosh plus values are a solid investment in your high fidelity future - bring you the finest in reproduced sound now.

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE... .

MAKE THE McINTOSH LISTENING TEST AT YOUR AUTHORIZED McINTOSH DEALER'S.

www.americanradiohistory.com 1. Advanced Audio Design. The exclusive paterted McIn- tosh circuit is world- renowned for virtually perfect amplification. PERFORMANCE PROVES 2. Purity of Signal. Low Harmonic distortion of t/s of 1%, even at full rated output, from 20 to 20,000 :.p.s., and distorted or ' -z of i% Intermodulation assures no lost, M:INTOSH OUTCLASSES intermixed tones. 3. Adequate Power Reserve. 60 watts continuous, 120 AMPLIFIER watts peak to meet the power demands of natural EVERY EXISTING sounds under any room conditions. 4. Great Stability contributes clean bass characteristic, no ON EVERY SCORE oscillation problem, long dependable life even under adverse operating conditions. 5. Highest Efficiency for less heat dissipation and less power consumption for greater output. 6. Matchless Performance guaranteed for your protection of quality sound.

Send for free booklet "Lost Instruments" and complete specifications Ilitintoh LABORATORY, INC. 322 Water Street, Binghamton, N Y. Export Division: 25 Warren St., New York 7, N. Y. Cable. SIMONTRICE N. Y.

www.americanradiohistory.com NOTED WITH INTEREST WORLD PREMIERE Continued from page 21 With the facilities now offered by some high -fidelity dealers, he could get it over with in about thirty seconds. All he would have to do is to decide that he would like to buy a high -fidelity system and then wander into the elegant store of a certain dealer in a certain community. This dealer recently sent us an announcement de- tailing his facilities. He announced- proudly, believe it or not -that his collection of high -fidelity components was so enormous, and his switching facilities so complete, that he could offer more than 700,000 different phonograph combinations and an additional ( italics ours - Editor) one million -plus tuner combinations! We would sincerely like to know how anyone-even Hamlet - could be expected to make up his mind when confronted with nearly two million possible combinations!

A king can have no better Cylinder Records, Please than this "2300" . . . the Harold L. Christopher, 75 West Cres- cent Ave., Allendale, N. J., would like newest look and performance to know where he can get cylinder records for his r9o7 Edison. in High Fidelity amplifiers. This shouldn't be too hard ... anyone in Mr. Christopher's area able to Pictured above is the new Bell "2300 ", twenty watt. help? Other new designs are available in 10 to 40 watts. The specifications of these new Bell amplifiers TV at the Opera are the best in the world today. From Pye Ltd., The controls, all closely grouped in the center panel, we learn that Pye miniature TV cameras present conveniences you've always longed for. are being installed in the Glyndebourne Opera buy a You cannot better engineered or better styled House, beside the prompter's box, High Fidelity amplifier ... anywhere. with monitors back stage. No more peering through holes in curtains or

scenery for chorus masters . . . just NOT JUST NEW VERSIONS OF OLD MODELS relax and watch the whole thing on but ... COMPLETELV NEW DESIGNS television. Somehow ... Glyndebourne? Tele- vision prompting? ... well, progress. For "Operation 2300 ", Bell assembled a group of electronic engineers Let's concentrate on the day when a with knowhow ... a group of designers with imagination ... and bright lad ties the monitors to a regu- gave them an order -"Create a line of High Fidelity Amplifiers that lar television set, so the chorus can will produce breathtakingly -realistic sounds -and will be styled for watch a cricket match while waiting traditional, contemporary and modern living." for their cue.

The "2300" line is the result of this far -reaching project. You should Electrostatics see and hear it. Your nearest Bell dealer will gladly demonstrate, for you, a remarkable "2300 ". Write us for his name and detailed "2300" There has been so much discussion literature. Bell Sound Systems, Inc., (A subsidiary of Thompson Prod- of electrostatic loudspeakers of late that we are loath to bring ucts, Inc.) 559 Mario,, Road, Columbus 7, Ohio. up the subject again. This time, we are on safe grounds because we are not re- n ferring to loudspeakers. Had a note 1 .een t World Renowned For the Best in Sound" Continued on page 26

24 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com from singleg speakerp to 3-way systemstem í n easeasy stagessta es

with a GOODMANS I2 -inch AXIOM Full Range I~ç LOUDSPEAKER Axiom 22 Mk II and ARU Friction Loaded $72.95 ENCLOSURE

First you select one of the three 12 -inch Goodman Axiom Full Range Loudspeakers: Axiom 22 Mk II, Axiom 150 Mk U or Axiom 100. You then mount it into a Model B -1200 ARU Enclosure. Assuming that you have chosen the Axiom 22, you now have one of the finest single speaker systems available. The enclosure is only 26 x 20 x 20 inches. Yet, the response goes down to 20 cycles and extends to 15,000 without resonant peaks to mar its smoothness. You could stop here.

But you decide to 'put more top on'- extend the ARU Enclosure Kit simply procure the Goodman Model B -1200 with response to 20,000 cycles. You Acoustical Resistance Unit pressure driven tweeter with horn, and XO -5000 cross- Trebax, $63.40 over unit. You remove the back of your ARU Enclosure, and then the block that covers the Trebax opening already cut into the front panel. You screw the Trebax into position, and connect the wires according to the instructions. You now have a 2 -way Good- mans system worthy of the finest high fidelity installation. You could stop here. Tre bax $27.00

But, the urge for a more 'super system may take hold again. This time you need only procure the Goodmans Midax, pressure -driven, mid -high reproducer with its long flared horn, plus the XO -750 crossover unit. Again you find that provi- sion has been made for including the Midax without modification of the ARU Enclosure. And in a matter of minutes, you have an operating, full- fledged, full- range, 3 -way system. The Axiom 22 reproduces the frequencies from 20 to 750 cycles, the Midax from 750 to 5000 cycles, the Trebax from there to 20,000 cycles. You have done all of this without discarding or modifying a single piece of equipment included in your original single system. Here is progress without waste, improvement without extrava- gance. And you will agree, enthusiastically that the results were worth it - every easy step of the way. Crossover Units X0 -5000 ... $8.50 X0 -750 ... $25.00 ARU Friction Loaded Enclosures are available in kit form - complete to the last detail - for easy home assembly.

For other Goodmans -ARU systems, see your hi -fi dealer or write to Dept. XA -, ROCKBAR CORPORATION 650 Halstead Avenue, Mamaroneck, N. Y. In Canada: A. C. Simmonds and Sons. Ltd., Toronto. Ontario

JANUARY 1957 5

www.americanradiohistory.com NOTED WITH INTEREST the Ultimate Continued from page 24 from reader Henry Robbins of New York City with two noteworthy items. One was a clipping of an advertisement for electrostatic printing, developed by IBM. The other item had to do with the fact that he was stuck in a resort hotel with no hi -fi. Sug- gested we publish a list of resorts which had hi -fi installations for the enjoyment of their customers.

Hill and Dale Most, but not all, records are cut with a lateral stylus motion. That is, the stylus swings from side to side. Some old records and many broadcast recordings are cut vertically or, as they have been called, hill and dale recordings. Even if you do not have any hill fir sensitivity and dale recordings, you are sure to have a friend who someday will have a friend who does have some and wants to play them back. Then the problem is: where does one get a cartridge? So jot this down in your notebook: Fairchild has just announced a new Model 216B cartridge for vertical recordings. Also: the 216B is available on special order with a 7.5 mil stylus for playing Edison, Parlophone, and other early cylinder i>% records. For further information, write Fairchild.

Thr4v4cA7dfr "Feather -Ray" Tuning Eye The FM Front > With apologies to a distinguished MODEL S -3000 FM TUNER author: all quiet on the FM front. That is the latest word. According to Indeed the Ultimate! Under one microvolt sensi- an unimpeachable authority, the FM tivity for 20 db FM quieting increases station band is safe until further notice. We'll range to over 100 miles with the newly engineered keep you posted of any threats that im- Sherwood S -3000 FM (only) tuner.* Other might arise in the future. portant features include the new Feather -Ray local- distance switch to suppress tuning eye, a Our Sympathy cross -modulation images, AFC switch, fly -wheel tuning. Received a nice note from a reader $9950 net. in New Jersey recently, cancelling his All Sherwood tuner models now feature subscription to HIGH FIDELITY. We're 0.95 pv sensitivity. sorry to lose him, but we sympathize SherooI with his problem. He wrote: "Thank - ELECTRONIC LA$ORATO*ES, INC., you for the trial issue of your maga- Write for literature, Dept. H -1 - 2802 West Cullom Avenue, Chicago 18, Illinois zine. I enjoyed it very much, but I cannot keep up my interest in hi -fi music right now as my wife just had twins. What with running a store in the daytime and feeding the twins at night, I'm too tired to have any in- Sherwood is the "complete high fidelity home music center." terest in anything. Will take your magazine later when things have quieted down."

26 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com adventure in sound ... AMIPIEX magnificent high fidelity tape systems with stereophonic sound

It's Stereophonic ... for startling realism! It's a Tape Recording System ... for unsurpassed sound reproduction! It's an Ampex ... world renowned! Ampex Stereophonic Series from a magnificent console to a portable recorder. Stereophonic Sound now costs less than monaural 75% TRADE -IN sound did last year. GUARANTEE Buy Ampex at audio exchange and take advantage of audio exchange's Unique Trade -Back Plan LIBERAL TRADE INS (may well cover your down payment) AMPEX TIME PAYMENT Applies to all popular new or HI -FI CONSULTANTS FAMED SERVICE DEPARTMENT (only for used equipment purchased from PLAN EXPERT audio exchange. equipment bought from us.)

and catalog Writeaudio Dept. HFI7 for trading informationexchange THE TRADING ORGANIZATION OF THE HI -FI FIELD 159.19 Hillside Ave., Jamaica 32, N. Y., near subway , AXtel 7.7577 8.3380 367 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, N. Y., next to Piz theatre, WHite Plains

www.americanradiohistory.com Bogen

E R IO UAL fZ VO:U ME-CONTOURo S E Lk CT OR o B A S S - T R RIA f.Af ALS C04. Le h, ..... fM

MODEL R775 DELUXE TUNER -PRE

CONTROLS ,)LUMC. TUNING. SEPARATE NON -RESONANT FEEDBACK BASS AND TREBLE. 7- POSITION RECORD EQUALIZER LOUDNESS CONTOUR SELECTOR. SEPARATE HIGH. AND LOW -FREQUENCY FILTERS. FUNCTION SELECTCR. CCLORED DOTS INDICATE AVERAGE LISTENING SETTINGS FLAT FREQUENCY RESPONSE. C:iTREME SENSITIVITY (2 MICROVOLTS FOR 30DB QUIETING ON FM). EXTREMELY LOW DISTORTION 10.4 % AT RATED OUTPUT). ADJUSTABLE HUM -ELIMINATOR. TAPE - RECORDER OUTPUT INPUTS FOR MAGNETIC. CERAMIC. AND CRYSTAL CARTRIDGES.

Send .°,.0 fur nein 56.page' Undrrstanding High Fidelit y." David Bogen Co., Inc., Box 5o o. Paramus, N. J.

--;;

41. 4.. 4N/we'

1 ,6,1...: .-ar+w.awr+. `r°'r`. www.americanradiohistory.com because it sounds better...

what the `sound men' say...

"At Radio Shack we have no hesitation in recommending Bogen hi -fi equipment when customers ask for our advice. Long experience has shown us that Bogen equipment is exceptionally free of maintenance problems and that lE T U N I N G Bogen specifications are 'delivered as written.' Other factors include excellent product -design, sensible engineering innovations, and the sales aid of Bogen's consistent advertising and high consumer -magazine reports. Finally, we are secure in selling Bogen components on their 'Investment Value'- products of a company whose substance and reputation have a 'blue chip' connotation in the world of sound." - Vollmer Hetherington, Radio Shack, Boston. To thousands of New England audiophiles "Vol" AMPLIFIER is the "dean of sound."

Y7.0 are looking at the finest tuner money can bay -the tuner that automatically "fine" tunes itself. JUst turn the tuning knob until you reach the fringe of the station you want (as indicated by the meter) -then let go. A light goes on to tel you that Bogen is taking over. Walk away. The exclusive Auto -Lock tuning "zeros in like a homing pigeon. It makes the precise, micro- scopic adjustments that even the most skilled firgers can only approximate. Then it locks out all u,wanted signals - however strong - and locks your station in for keeps. No drift. Pin- point- perfect reception, even in areas where others fail. All this plus special "squelch" circuit which eliminates inter -station noise. Chassis: $249.50, worth more. Blonde or mahogany- c Al - fsisFed enclosure: $8.00. .4: HIGH FIDELITY L A UNITPONICS COAPO.AIION AFFILIATE

r A4 V

ïm.wIDAr` www.americanradiohistory.com Top of the pile this month is a release from International Scientific Industries of Colorado Springs, Colo., an- nouncing the availability of their TAPE RECORDER. Big feature is the Isimetric drive, which is a magnetic drive giving beautiful smoothness of ration. Basic deck is the model loo, which has half -track erase, record, and playback heads. Mounting space for three additional heads; two -speed hysteresis motor (either 33/4 71/2 or 7½/15 ips) ; automatic cutoff; tape lifter; these are some of the many standard features. Accessories include VU meters, stereo playback kit, and ro -in. reel adaptors. Model too basic price is $465. Only planned high fidelity An attractive EQUIPMENT CON- SOLE is now available from Concert Cabinetry of Chicago at a net of can give you true high fidelity! $119.00. Over -all dimensions are 44 in. long, 24 high, and 231/2 deep. Left - hand half of lid lifts for access to Putting together a hi -fi system for your limitless. We're happy to help you changer; the sloping front panel is home can be simple -and it probably choose what will best suit your home half covered by a sliding reed- paneled will cost a lot less than you think! and your budget. You can start small door; normal position is at right, Here at MusiCraft we offer the kind and add as you wish. where it covers knobs. of information and guidance that will Stop in at MusiCraft soon or write Sherwood's new FM -only TUNER is help you get started right and avoid us for further information. Let us help said to have achieved a sensitivity of mistakes. you plan the kind of high fidelity 0.95 microvolts for 20 db of quieting. possible combi- system will give you true As you may know, that high Other features include a new -type nations of components are practically fidelity. tuning eye, a local-distance switch, and flywheel tuning; price, $99.50. Minnesota Mining & Mfg. has announced a new plastic LEADER TAPE Send now for FREE NEW which features a special anti -static HIGH FIDELITY CATALOG: coating as well as a 5oel increase Here's a special high fidelity catalog that in strength. Known as leader and you'll find particularly useful, because we timing tape No. 43 -P, it can be writ- have included only equipment which we ten on with a ball -point pen and has at MusiCraft consider the best - from the markers every 71/2 in. for timing standpoint of compatibility and stable oper- purposes. ating efficiency - in every price range. Harman -Kardon has added to its Page after page pictures the newest high long line of components a series fidelity equipment with detailed informa- of four INTEGRATED SYS- tion about characteristics and specifications. cabineted or TEMS. One mounts equipment and speakers in separate cabinets; the other three are all -in -one models. Price range is from $325 to $575. Califone's new Commander ($214.5o) is a complete PORTABLE SOUND SYSTEM. Features include 25- 48 -F East Oak St. Chicago 11, Illinois DElaware 7-4150 watt amplifier (40 watts peak ) rated at 30 CO 20,000 cps ±2 db; two heavy -duty speakers; a turntable with lowest Prices Largest Component Selections Complete Custom Installation Service continuously variable speed from 16 to 84 rpm; separate tone controls for Continued on page 32

30 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com DO ITA YOURSELF...

with ALTEC LANSING Components Often there is no adequate substitute for the custom -built speaker system to answer specific needs. Altec Lansing offers a complete line of components for such speaker systems to cover the full range from 30 to 22,000 cycles. Of course every Altec speaker, driver, horn and network -like a / /Altec products- carries the exclusive Altec "Performance Guarantee" -your assurance that every piece of Altec equipment will literally out - perform published specifications. To assist the custom -builder, Altec has prepared a special brochure on speaker systems, describing the proper methods of enclosure design and construction. The brochure also provides answers to special questions that will enable you to realize the full potential of your Altec home music system. Complete Altec 2 -way speaker system components are priced from $87.00. For the special speaker system brochure and for further information on Altec Lansing high fidelity components, see your Altec dealer or write Dept.1H 16 802 DRIVER AND 811 HORN Power: 30 watts Range: 800- 22.000 cycles Impedance: ohms Distribution: Hor., 90 vert., 40 Dimensions: 8 -5 I8" H; 18 -3/8- W; 16" D Price: 802C-S57.00, 8118 -527.00 N -8000 NETWORK Impedance: 16 ohms HF attenuation: 4 -1 db steps Crossover: 800 cycles Dimensions: 8 -1 /2H; 5 -1 /2- W; 3.112" D Price: $42.00 V.C. tot SPEAKER Power: 30 watts Impedance: 16 ohms Range: 30-1600 cycles Mag. Weight: 2.4 lbs. Diam.: 3" Cone Res.: 45 cycles Dimensions: Diem.. 15- 5116 "; Depth, 7" Price: $60.00 1000A HIGH FREQUENCY SPEAKER Power: 20 watts Impedance: 8 ohms Range: 3000 -22,000 cycles Dis- tribution: Hor.. 90 vert., 40' Dimensions: 2.5 I8" H; 2.7/8" W; 3" D Price: $36.00 Dimensions: H -10015 NETWORK Impedance:8 ohms HF attenuation:2 -2 db steps Crossover: 3000 cycles 3 -1 /8" H; 2/5 -8" Square Price: $18.00

ALTEC FIDELITY IS HIGHEST FIDELITY MIEL 9356 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, Ca: ` LANSING CORPORATION 161 Sixth Avenue, New York 13, N. Y.

JANUARY 1957 31

www.americanradiohistory.com Discovered! Something new and ON THE COUNTER very fine in compact components Continued from page 3o microphone and phono channels; mixer controls for one phono and two The moment we saw and heard these beautiful tion, you can order them by mail with com- microphone channels. For further in- new Newcomb "Compacts" we knew immedi- plete confidence ... and incidentally, save formation, write Califone Corp., 1041 ately these were something very special we yourself a lot of time and trouble. could wholeheartedly recommend to an ever Look at the flexibility of the Compact 1020. N. Sycamore Ave., Hollywood 38, growing group of discerning buyers who place Separate bass and treble recording curve selec- Calif. their trust in The Sound Corporation. The tors give up to 36 possible combinations to ever increasing confidence these critical buyers precisely match any record curve and distor- A very neat -looking and clever show in Kierulff could not possibly come from tion -free wide ranging tone controls, continu- IPPING and STORAGE CONTAINER isolated customer experiences. It can only be ously variable loudness control which gives th explained by the accumulated satisfaction of most accurate approximation of the normal for tape has been developed by Con - many customers over many years. hearing curve we have yet heard, and a "level" certapes of 522 Green Bay Rd., Win - Likewise, our confidence in Newcomb pro- control to insure correctness of the loudness ducts stems from many years experience with compensation for all conditions of use. The netka, III. Stor -A -Tape is made of them...years that have proven time and again tuner is extraordinarily sensitive, and stability rough, high -impact plastic; the meticulous care with which they are is assured by both A. F. C. and temperature the case is designed and manufactured ... years that have controlled oscillators. round, large enough for a 7 -in. reel proven the genuine value they represent for Ladies will love the Newcomb Compact but with a center those who are critical by nature and who seek units, not only for their immaculate sound, pin so smaller reels more than superficial value in whatever they but for the feeling of luxury they add to the can be stored equally well. purchase. Two listening room...no dusty clutter of tubes and small If you do not find it convenient to visit us wires, just unobtrusive, rich elegance. The "feet" enable the round case in person to see the extraordinary beauty of audiophile will be awed by their clean, beauti- to stand upright on a shelf, with- these latest Newcomb "Compacts" and listen fully balanced response. These components to the mirror -like realism of their reproduc- are truly something ccrv, sery special... out rolling. A large front label and two edge labels are provided, as well as a special mailing label THE NEWCOMB which serves also to seal the package COMPACT firmly. - Prices not furnished. 1020 AMPLIFIER Now available from Amplifier Corp. is a portable (15 lb.; 7 by to The 1020 includes an integrally- engineered high gain preamplifier, pure power amplifier, precision control by 1 I in.) TAPE RECORDER having unit. Newcomb's exclusive. patented Adjusta Panel mounting makes installation in a cabinet a quick and four speeds, either: 15-7 1/2-33/4-17/8 simple malter. U L approved. Of 71/7-33/4-17/8-15/16. Motor is Power 20 watts at less than 1% tor, level control, loudness (contin low level pickups without trans spring- driven. Prices Distortion at average listening uously variable) control. hum balance former. not furnished. less than .05% (screwdriver slot) control. "Output to Tape" lack permits record. Also in the decidedly Bass tone control range - - portable Response . 24 db to mg while listening. cate- within -t db 20- 20,000 16 db cycles Finish "brushed gold" anodized face Treble tone control range - - 27 db to plate and cream.colored case dusted gory is a new PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM Controls - power switch, five position 4- 16 db with gold. selector and rumble filter switch. sw Inputs radio, microphone, low level Dimensions else" high, 13'2" wide. announced by Antrex Corp. of Chi- position bass crossover selector. magnetic pickup. high level mag. 9,44" deep. bass tone control. treble tone con. netic, crystal. tape. auxiliary. Shipping weight 23 lbs. cago. It uses flashlight batteries and trot. six position treble rolloll selec- High gain preamp permits use of most Net Price $159 50. transistors; weighs only 18 lb.; fits into an attaché THE NEWCOMB COMPACT 200 AM -FM TUNER case measuring 18 in. long by 14 deep by 6 wide. It is Tye 200 Tuner will perform beautifully with any ampli. said to provide enough volume fier. but its excellence can best be appreciated by teaming it with the superb Newcomb Compact 1020 through its 8 -in. Amplifier The exceptional sensitivity of the 200 makes speaker to be heard for much better reception ,n areas where FM signals clearly are poor Flywheel tuning gives velvety smooth action over an area of 6.000 sq. ft. Equipped with special multiplex output lack A new Called FM detector system with triple limiting action pro. the "Redcap," price is $249.50. vodes lower distortion at all modulation percentages. better adjacent channel refection. and more effective Shure has announced a replacement limiting on weak as well as strong signals Cathode follower allows placement up to 200 feet from ampli PICKUP CARTRIDGE for the Chrysler lier U l approved Hiway Hi -Fi system. Response is Sensitivity -FM RF stage 2 microvolts Patented Adlusta.panel for simple, fast For 30 db of quieting. Oscillator radiation is certified to mounting stated to be to 12,000 cps; has a AM - 5 microvolts. be below the limit specified in Dimensions Oa" high. 1242" wide. Output (maximum) -10 volts part 15 of the. applicable FCC 9" deep. 3 'to -mil stylus which tracks 21/2 regulations at Distortion -less than 2 10% at 5 volts Shipping weight - I8 lbs. Hum - better than 75 db below 10 volts Net Price - $169 50 grams. L The "Heathkits for 1957" CATA- LOGUE is now available. Contents: at KIERULFF'S 55 pages; 7o kits including a corn - The West's SOUND plete line of high -fidelity equipment, Largest Hi -Fi C R P I Center - for Oyer thirty years O O R A T O N amateur radio gear, and service test a trusted name in soil nil. instruments. Included will be a new Dept. W-1 to KIERULFF SOUND CORPORATION speaker kit which features 820 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 15, California two 15 -in. To order by mail, simply fill My check Gentlemen: - in the order blank, include Altec- Lansing speakers covering the Please (or) your check or money order and send me the items I have checked below: range to Soo cps. Above we will do the rest. The price D Newcomb Compact 1020 Amplifier @ $159.50 money order_ this fre- by mail is exactly the same as D Newcomb Compact 200 AM -FM Tuner @ $169.50 quency, a multicellular exponential the price in our store. Please mail to the address below: for g Include a generous allowance Catalog of Newcomb High Fidelity Sound Products. horn is enclosed. takes over. Price is $325 and for freight or express Other catalog sheets of record players and loudspeakers charges; we will promptly you recommend for use with Newcomb Components. S345 for this speaker kit, depending on refund any excess. Print or typewrite clearly: California buyers will. of style and finish. Size is approximately course, include 4Ç sales for Name 41 in. tax. Complete instructions long, 23 deep, and 33 high. Looks packed with each unit. mighty interesting! Catalogue is Address -

Ir r+ Continued on page 36

32 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Gray "Concert Duet" in matching twin cabinets with removable legs suggests use as companion pieces or as separates.

Available in walnut, blonde or mahogany .

a at your leisure . . . your fingertips ..

transcription Now you can buy the world's finest High Fidelity Tone Arm, the professional type Gray Amplifier, de- components, laboratory matched, completely assem- Turntable, the Gray 50 Watt Power top quality speaker bled and mounted in the magnificently styled Gray luxe Gray Pre -Amplifier, plus "Concert Duet." system. Available at exclusive dealers throughout Includes the renowned Gray 108 C Viscous- Damped the U. S.

(See reverse side for full details.)

CONN. E S E A R C H AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, INC., MANCHESTER, Q RAYR Subsidiary of The Gray Manufacturing Company

www.americanradiohistory.com IIIgood reasons why an Inte- Gray -ted High Fidelity system made from laboratory matched components is superior to the trial and error method of buying and trying se,,arate components A

Gray 108C Viscous Damped High Fidelity Tone Arm isolates the 1 cartridge, provides maximum arm compliance, eliminates tone arm resonance, prevents record damage, provides preset precision stylus pressure, and cartridge adapters for all popular cartridges.

Gray HF 500 A Turntable with hysteresis motor assembled on 1/4 2 steel plate for complete rigidity, 12 lb. turntable with 4" tapered steel bearing for precision adjustment and elimination of turntable wobble. Due to the mass of turntable and motorboard (ten times that of motor) transmission of all mechanical disturbance is prevented. Cue light for accurate starting groove location. Wow and rumble superior to NARTB specifications. Speeds 33.33 RPM-45 RPM -and 78.26 RPM, accurately achieved with precision drop -on type bushings.

Gray AM -2A High Fidelity Pre -amplifier. Input for radio, TV and tape, 3 as well as four low frequency turnover points available on selector switch. Six positions available on high frequency roll -off switch. Continuously variable, separate base and treble control of the variable cross -over negative feed -back type. Compensated type volume control, combined with ON and OFF switch. Tape output, adjustable level control, hum balanced control, (on rear of pre -amp). Power from Gray AM 50 power Amplifier provides optimum signal to noise ratio.

Gray AM 50 High Fidelity 50 watt power Amplifier. Unique and 4 trouble free circuit design. 50 watts of power with less thon 1% IM distortion. Exceptional stability. Transient signals controlled through critical damping prevent oscillatory surges, from pulse type signals. Square wave distortion prevented by extremely wide band -pass characteristics. Frequency response 6 to 100,000 cycles. 100 watts peak power. Distortion due to overloading dynamically prevented. Printed circuit wiring assures long, trouble -free life.

Gray High Fidelity Speaker. Built for Gray by top quality nationally 5 known speaker manufacturer (Bozak) of the total enclosure type, consisting of woofer, tweeters and cross -over network assembly. Enclosure approximately 7 cubic feet in volume assuring smooth, low frequency response to the lower end of the audio spectrum. Separate speaker enclosure provides maximum flexibility for placement to eliminate acoustical feed -back.

GRAY RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CO., INC.. MANCHESTER, CONN. SUBSIDIARY OF THE GRAY MFG. CO.

www.americanradiohistory.com 1. 4 -POLE SHADED "INDUCTION SURGE" MOTOR gives this changer constant speed with minimum vibration. Will not cause hum even with these sensitive pickups. The rotor is dy. namically balanced!

2. FULL MANUAL POSITION: Just are the touch the switch and tone arm is freed for manual play. Returns auto- features matically to its rest at end of record. 3. ADVANCED GARRARD PUSHER PLATFORM: After twenty years still the only device insuring positive, gentle handling of all records. any diameter, thickness or condition of center hole.

4. PERFECTED TRUE -TURRET DRIVE operates directly off motor without belts. Combined with an oversized "soft tread" idler wheel, it gives you that have unfaltering speed without wows or flutter. made it 5, INTERCHANGEABLE SPINDLES (Manual and Automatic) insert easily, remove instantly. Note that the Garrard one-piece spindle has no moving parts to nick or enlarge center holes.

6. EXCLUSIVE TRUE -TANGENT TONE ARM OF ALUMINUM plays better, provides rigidity, low mass and lightness .. It has the easiest stylus pressure adjustment on any changer.

7. HEAVY STEEL PRECISION TURN- TABLE with genuine rubber traction mat. A full inch high! Eliminates magnetic hum by strengthening motor shielding. Turns on silent, free- wheeling ball-bearing mount.

8. EXCLUSIVE SENSIMATIC TRIP MECHANISM gives you sure operation even with tone arm set at lowest tracking pressures. Automatic stop after last record.

9. INTERCHANGEABLE PLUG IN The HEADS accommodate your personal choice of high fidelity pickups, fit all cartridges ... magnetic, crystal or ceramic; turnover, twist or simple WORLD'S plug-in types.

10. REINFORCED AUTOMATIC MUT- FINEST! ING SWITCH eliminates sound through speaker during record change cycle. Also, a special condensor-resistor network eliminates shut off noise. Model RC 88 g;tescarni dI GARRARD De Luxe Auto - Manual Record Changer

11. STEEL MONO-BUILT UNIT PLATE keeps changer permanently in line. Exclusive snap-mount springs permit you to mount changer instantly, level it from top with screwdriver.

12. CHANGER COMES READY FOR PLUG IN to any system of high fidelity components. Supplied with full 5 ft. U L.-approved electrical line cord, and pick -up cable terminating in standard jack. $54sä less cartridge

t1AlL THIS COUPON for illustrated B.I.0 High Fidelity Plan Book.

Garrard Sales Corp., Dept. GA -27 Port Washington, N. Y.

Send B.I.C. High Fidelity Plan Book

Name

301 RC96 RC121 Model T Address Turntable Super Changer Mixer Changer Manual Player City Zone State $89.00 $67.50 $42.50 $32.50

Now there's a GARRARD for every high fidelity system! - Quality- endorsed product of the B.I.C. Group

JAV uARY 1957 35

www.americanradiohistory.com ON THE COUNTER

The SUPREME Continued from page 32 free; write Heath Co., 305 Territorial Rd., Benton Harbor, Mich. Irish ( i.e., Orradio Industries) has a TAPE REEL gimmick which is so simple it makes you wonder why you didn't think of it. Its a "no- spill" reel, made that way by the cutting of DUOTONE FIDELITY FOCUS 15 in. Woofer Cat. No. 15W -92 two notches on opposite ends of the ,Coudspeakers Power 25 watts reel. Slip an elastic band around the reel, through the notches, and ... no spill, no more. New Engineering Technique Assures You -Bell -Clear Highs; Vibrant- Undistorted Lows. Permo has announced a new pricing DUOTONE -For a quarter of a century, leader in the high fidelity industry, presents for for its Fidelitone DIAMOND the first time, OFF, DUOTONE FIDELITY FOCUS LOUDSPEAKERS. A new high in manufac- schedule turing standards and procedures assures you of a superb quality seldom found in most NEEDLES, bringing the price down to other loudspeakers. Rigid specifications adhered to and exacting field trials were made $16.95 and up. This, it is stated, "is this fine line was presented to the public. It was only the results of these exhaustive before a reduction of approximately tests that assured us of a product worthy of the HI -Fl enthusiasts interests. Whether you 359f choose a coaxial speaker such as the Royal or Medalion, or a woofer-tweeter combination from the generally accepted diamond like the Supreme and the Duchess, you will be more than satisfied with the excellent re- pricing in the industry." sponse these afford. Stop into your HI -FI dealer's showroom and ask to hear them. speakers Ronette has announced a new Your reword will be the self- satisfaction of hearing excellent high fidelity sound reproduction. There's a DUOTONE FIDELITY FOCUS LOUDSPEAKER to match your system and they MICROPHONE, called the Ronomike. are priced to $$53.97. It is high impedance; sensitivity stated Write today for our FREE new booklet, "An Objective Study of Loudspeakers ". It's designed to be -55.4 db; and (we quote) to help you choose and install your speaker system. "the flat response from 3o to Io,0o0 The ROYAL The MEDALION 12 in. Coaxial 12 in. Coaxial cycles is peak -free when matched to a 1/2 to i megohm input of a triode Cat. No. 12CX -62 Cat. No. 12CX -60 stage." Price not stated. 35 to 18,000 cps. 35 to 18,000 cps. Keroes Enterprises, 369 Shurs Lane, Power: 25 watts Power: 15 watts Philadelphia 28, Pa., has issued a BOOK- LET which presents a detailed study of Magnet Wt. 1.5 lbs. Magnet Wt. 6.8 ozs. the theory and operation of the "Ultra - Efficiency: 14 °o Efficiency: 7 °0 Linear Circuit." Cost is 250 per copy. Res. Freq.: 45 cycles Res. Freq.: 45 cycles Impedance 8 ohms Impedance 8 ohms AUTHORitatively Speaking Philip Lieson Miller, whose peripatetic interview with Roberto Bauer, famous 8 in. Coaxial 8 in. Coaxial acoustical record collector, begins on page Cat. No. 8CX -50 Cat. No. 8CX -70 6o, is assistant director of the Music Division of the New York Public Library. 50 to 20,000 cps. 75 to 19,000 cycles and Curator of the Library's Record Archive. He has reviewed records in al- Power: 10 watts Power: 6 watts most any periodical you care to mention, Magnet Wt. 6.8 ozs. Magnet Wt. 2.6 ozs and is author of Vocal Music, Vol. 11 of Knopf's Guide to Long Playing Records. Efficiency: 0o Efficiency: 10 °, 6 Trained as a singer, he became some- Res. Freq.: 60 cycles Res. Freq.: 85 cycles thing of an expert on art songs, particularly German and old English varieties, but Impedance 8 ohms Impedance 4 ohms nowadays does more listening than singing. H. W. Heinsheimer, author of "Aroint The DUKE The DUCHESS Thee, Obtrusive Melody!" (page 62), is 4 in. Tweeter 7 in. Tweeter a former Austrian music editor and pub- Cat. No. 4 -TX Cat. No. 7 -TX lisher who is now a New York music editor and publisher (G. Schirmer's) . He 1000 cycles to be- 350 cycles to be- has written widely on music, his best - yond audibility yond audibility known efforts probably being two very amusing books: Menagerie in F Sharp and Power: 5 watts Power: 10 watts Fanfare for Two Pigeons. Magnet Wt. 3.16 ozs. Magnet Wt. 6.8 ozs. Norman H. Crowhurst, who dissects stereophonic theory gently on page 57, Impedance 8 ohms Impedance 8 ohms is a bearded gentleman (or amateur Schweppesman ) trained in electrical engineering and now occupied about equally in writing technical articles and serving c omñ y as a manufacturers' consultant (one manu- 0%0NOM. facturer wanted to make lifelike robot " dolls). Proudest accomplishment: setting Exp. Div., Singer Products Co., up an electronics curriculum for the Uni- KEYPORT, NEW JERSEY N. Y. N. Y., versity of London.

36 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com o

New "Convertible" 20 -watt Amplifier and Pre -Amp with controls, in one versatile unit, only $9995

THE new General Electric Convertible is a fier and pre -amp may be mounted independently dual -chassis design. In a single, amazingly in built -in systems. Or, as one complete unit, flexible and low cost unit there's a powerful the handsome Convertible cabinet may be placed amplifier, with 20 watts of undistorted output on a bookshelf or table. -plus a pre -amplifier with seven panel- mounted Write today for new hi -fi ideas and the name controls. It gives you sound reproduction as it of your dealer. He can show you the full line of was meant to be heard. G -E Hi -Fi components. General Electric Com- There's New Installation flexibility, too! With the pany, Special Products Department, Section

General Electric dual -chassis design, the ampli- R 541 7, Electronics Park, Syracil.( . V ew York.

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www.americanradiohistory.com 28 to 16,000 Cycles room -wide coverage 8 Ohms - 50 -60 Watts Fourteen Bozak loud- For the first time - a lowboy Speaker speakers-four Bass, two Mid- Range, eight Treble System that is distinguished for both - with infinite baffling to preserve their unrivalled its quiet elegance and its superb sound. precision, balance, purity.

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IDOUBT whether anyone ever can self -study of his preoccupation with musical coming -of -age, then, you can- read a good autobiography with the "most decisive, the most norma- not fail to be engrossed in Sheean's. his later detached objectivity. I may be quite tive and enduring" of his "various and You may or may not envy naïve in the special relish I find in cumulative discoveries," that of "the familiarity with professional greats simultaneously paralleling another's 'impure' form, the quasi -musical and and near -greats, but you surely will life and my own, spellbound by the quasi- dramatic, the distinctly literary admire the efforts of a man who has marvel of both how alien and akin and indirect invention known as lived a fantastically active "outer" life they can be; but apparently that opera." to analyze the significant role the art And you naïveté is widely shared for what Now, I long have been preoccupied has played in his inner life. - child- else can account not only for the myself with one of the most curious are sure to find his stories of general popularity of autobiographies. dichotomies in all musical experience: hood in a Midwestern small town and but the special attraction they hold what I believe is the sheerly instinc- of youth in Chicago deeply touching even for individuals who read com- tive compulsion of listeners to orient evocations of a forever -lost essence paratively few books or at least few themselves in response to the polar of Americana. in in which they can find so much which magnetisms of the human voice and There are other fine things his is personally meaningful? of instruments. Certainly no serious book: not least among them his stress It doesn't seen to matter who or listener can plausibly claim that vocal on the value of even amateurish score - how important the autobiographer is, music is more - or less - important following as an enhancement of one's or what particular environments he than instrumental music, even if he is record -listening satisfactions; his dis- has come from and moves in. The frank enough to confess that he "likes" cerning study of the singular appeals autobiographer need not try to "tell one better than the other. Never- of the Old Pied Piper of Bayreuth all" (a manifest impossibility, any- theless, it seems almost invariable that and their perversions in Hitlerite way), but he must tell what he has every completely honest investigation Germany; and his heart- warming solu- felt and thought most deeply; and, of any individual's growth in music tion of the uncomfortable problem of whatever his external adventures may clearly reveals one type as the innate listeners' attitudes toward artists ac- have been, he must make his recon- and the other as the acquired taste. cused - rightly or wrongly - of fas- siderations of them both articulate And no matter how complete even- cist collaboration. There are other enough to be clearly grasped and tual reconciliation may be, the original emphases, to be sure, which I for significant enough to be eagerly bias usually colors one's "final" views one find less sympathetic: notably his shared. to a considerable extent. depreciation of the harpsichord reper- Hence, it is intriguing and illumi- tory and indeed his seeming lack of nating, for someone like myself, for any affinity for pre -Bach music in Personal History of a Listener instance, whose crucial first introduc- general - not to mention his insist- That is just what Vincent Sheean does tions to the tonal world were via ence on the superiority of public per- in what is described as "an autobiog- instrumental music, to relive by proxy formances over rehearsals and audi- raphy of his life in music," First the young Sheean's electrifying initia- ence -less music making. But as a by in the finest Love and Last ( Random House, tion into the delights of listening thoughtful listener and - way of Midwestern Chautauqua sense of the much abused term , and it is what makes the mu- - $4.75 ) sical experiences and opinions of a singers and those of the Illinois music lover, Sheean cannot be read man hitherto unknown to me not only Theatre and Chicago Opera Company without galvanizing one into fresh deeply absorbing in themselves, but - which drew him as compulsively thinking about one's own musical at- also provocative of fresh re- examina- in his student years as Boston's Sym- titudes and rewards. tions of my own views. Many other phony Hall did me in mine. In the readers will be already interested in end, of course, all roads lead to the Divas in Fantasy and Reality Sheean through his Personal History, Rome of the eternal, protean masters. one of the most influential mind - But here, as in comparing many an- Unfortunately, not all musical auto- shaping books of the Thirties; many other Pilgrim's Progress with one's biographers are as self- analytical, as may be drawn to the present volume own, one discovers anew that the honest, and as discerning as Vincent by the promise of reminiscences of richest delights are perhaps not so Sheean. Few others write as well, his personal idols and friends, Lotte much in united worship of the su- either; but then one would hardly Lehmann, Toscanini, and other celeb- preme masterpieces as in the recogni- expect, for example, a one -time prima rities; still others will be attracted by tion, in retrospect, how even the most donna's prose to command as much his first -hand reports of some of the radically different approaches inevita- appeal as either her singing or dra- outstanding musical events of our era. bly bring us all to much the same matic ability. Yet, as a matter of But all these lures have meant much goal. less to me than following Sheean's Whatever the course of your own Continued on next page

JANUARY i957 39

www.americanradiohistory.com BOOKS IN REVIEW no other Quality Speaker Continued from page 40

is admirably free from the stage -door- offers so much for so little Johnny breathlessness which commonly prevails. Yet it remains primarily of interest to opera buffs and ( except perhaps for its descriptions of the mechanics of broadcasting actual Met performances) is hardly calculated to arouse non -operatically -minded listeners to any burning consciousness of how much they may be missing.

Opera Lovers' Companion. . .

World Famous for Those who are interested in opera, as well as the real aficionador, may, however, find useful Introduction to consistent good sound Opera, edited by Mary Ellis Peitz ( Barnes & Noble, paperback, Si.65 ), ...unequalled Quality features and LOW COST! which appears to be a revised and enlarged reprint of Opera Lovers'

Companion ( Ziff- Davis, 1948 ) . The LORENZ LP 312 LORENZ TB -1 and TB -2 bulk (277 pages) of this book is 12" WIDE -RANGE TWEETER COMBINATIONS devoted to documentations ( including For LOUDSPEAKER all 12" speakers. synopses A quality, dual - purpose of the plots) and discussions Completely assembled and speaker. Can be used as ready wide range for installation. Fits of some 4o operas from Aida to Die reproducer or across 12" speakers with woofer unit in expanding out Zauberflöte. (The ordering by title system. FEATURES: projecting beyond front EXTRA of speaker mounting heavy magnet. long mag- baffle. rather than composer may be signifi- netic path, small air gap. Specially designed steel long voice coil, nonreso- bracket supports tweeter(s) cant-at least from a music rather nant frame, perfect gap coasially. Rigid metal con - alignment and multi -para- struction discourages reso- than opera lover's point of view.) meter, tropicalized cone. o nance in speaker or tweeter. As in the earlier edition, most of these SPECIFICATIONS: Impedance - 16 to TB -I (bracket with single ohms at 800 cps; Response - below 20 tweeter) net 11.85 annotations (23 to be exact) are above 14,000 cps; Output - 25 w average. 35 w peak; Magnet Wgt. - 61.5 ozs; Voice TB -2 (bracket and two tweeters) net 21.69 supplied by Herbert F. Peyser, while Coil Diam. - 147 "; Baffle Opening - 103/4": Depth- 63/4": Frame -heavy duty cast alu- some nine other writers provide the minum girder construction. net 39.50 rest. The novel feature of the present paperback edition is a 52 -page "guide" LORENZ LP 208 to LP 8" WIDE -RANGE recordings of the same 4o LOUDSPEAKER operas, in which C. J. Luten discusses Versatile. 3 purpose repro- the various disk versions in consider- ducer. Designed as wide -range 1 speaker alone or in groups, as able detail, with notable perceptivity, high or low end of 2 -way system. or as mid -range unit in and (decidedly surprising in a book 3 -way system. FEATURES: ex- LORENZ LP 312-1 LP tra heavy Alni magnet. perfect and 312 -2 of this sort) a firm sense of critical gap alignment, tropicalized 12" COAXIAL AND DIAXIAL SPEAKERS cone. oversized voice coil. values. This section is a definite bonus Extended response coaxial or diaxial small air gap, non -resonant speakers are obtained by adding Lorenz TB -1 or T8 -2 attraction to a handbook which by trame. SPECIFICATIONS: Im- - Tweeters to Lorenz 12" wide -range reproducers pedance - 8 ohms at 800 cps: Response - the standards of its ilk and those of 35 to 14,000 cps; Output - IS w average. SPECIFICATIONS LP 312.1 LP 312.2 21 w peak; Magnet Wgt. 28.5 ozs; Voice coil impedance (at 800 cps); 16 ohms 16 ohms the apparently enormous audience Diam. - 1 "; Overall Diam. - 81 "; Baffle Response: 20. 17,000 20. 17.000 which Opening -7S "; Depth -4 "; Frame -heavy Output: 27 w 27 w exists for that ilk - is a "must" duty cast aluminum girder construction. Overall Diam.: 121/4" 1211/4" Baffle Opening: 103/4" 103/4" at a bargain price. net 19.95 Depth: 63" 71/4" Price: nit LORENZ LP 65 49.50 net 59.50 (includes HP -1 Hi Pass Filter) ... And a Key to Operatic Drama HORN -TYPE TWEETER Fits any enclosure or speaker LORENZ HP -1 In without the usual interaction. any larger perspective than that of FEATURES & ADVANTAGES: HIGH PASS FILTER footlight- dazzled fans, the trouble with solid back permits wide application; round For use with any tweeter. Intro- cone design assures even sound dispersion; duces highs at rate of 3 db per all opera "introductions," "compan- soft plastic construction prevents metallic octave starting at 2,000 cps. overtones. SPECIFICATIONS: Impedance - with nominal crossover at 5.000 ions," and "stories" is that they touch 5.5 ohms at 800 cps; Response (with High cps. Effect increases smoothly to of Pass limit Filter HP1) -2,000 to 17,000 cps; audibility. Installed within speaker enclosure only the surfaces and peripheries, Sound Dispersion -120" (in all directions); DIMENSIONS: Overall height 23 "; Mounting Output-2 w; Outside Diam. -247 "; Cone never coming to grips with basic (square base) Ws" Diam. -24A "; Baffle Mounting Hole -244" - net 4.95 Oared to 21/7" or more. between hole centers. aesthetic problems nor advancing any net 8.50 really convincing explanations of the unique appeals and potentialities of Exclusive / See and Hear Them At Your Hi-Fi Dealer NOW this perhaps bastard, but certainly ti S. - 0 stributors r ///T_ PRODUCTS, Ltd. at its best - transcendental art. A N.w York 12, N. Y. WOrth 6 -0800 514 Broadway, Continued on page 46

HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Modern High Fidelity by é/ot Born of 37 Years of Electronic Experience

CHOOSING YOUR AMPLIFIER Power Output, Frequency Response and Distortion

features in the %.'n Id AA-903B The most flaunted amplifier - (illustrated) AA920 high power output. aide /requency response. low dis. tortion-are virtually meaningless terms unless they Power Output 14 watts 20 watts are interrelated. Specifications that fail to show this Total Harmonic Distortion relation, say nothing. and can be quite deceptive. at Rated Output less than 1% less than 1% An amplifier that claims "20 watts of audio power Intermodulation Distortion -20 to 20,000 -cycle frequency response -and less at Rated Output 1.5% 1.5% than 1% harmonic distortion" may have them all. Frequency Response 20-20,000 cycles 20-20,000 cycles But. there is nothing to indicate any relationship at Rated Output ! 1db ±1db among them. The distortion may be "less than 1 %" Price $79.95 $99.50 ...at 2 watts, and only between 50 and 8000 cycles. prices slightly higher west of Rockies beyond and below which the distortion may rise appre- ciably. At 20 watts the distortion may be as high as There is a promise of performance in these state- 10%. Who knows? The `facts' are not facts. ments upon which you can really rely in choosing Here for example. are the vital specifications of your amplifier- a promise that will be fulfilled the two new Pilot amplifiers with built -in preamps. Note very moment the amplifier is turned on in your high how they are stated. There isn't the slightest chance fidelity system. for misunderstanding. Both amplifiers have built -in preamps with equali- And, as an added reward for your choice of Pilot, zation for tape -head playback as well as for records. you will enjoy styling that will always bring Other features include: variable phono input impe- admiring comment when shown off in your home - dance, independent bass and treble tone controls. handsome metal enclosures finished in contrasting rumble and scratch filters, separate loudness and burgundy and burnished brass. A Pilot Amplifier volume controls. tape recorder output and use of alongside a Pilot Tuner make an attractive pair on an hum -free dc on tube heaters. open shelf or table.

At your hi -/i dealer, or write for complete specifications to Dept. F. I .3

RADIO CORPORATION 37 -06 36th Street, Long Island City 1, N. Y. IN CANADA: Atlas Radio Corp., 50 Wingold Avenue, Toronto 10, Ontario

JANUARY t957 -I?

www.americanradiohistory.com EverythIng looks better with When your aim is to give your home a distinctive, decorative touch that's all your own, there's no better way than with a custom Fleetwood installation. Fleetwood adds an "extra" note to your decor with television how you want it ... where you want it. Installed in a bookcase, recessed in a wall or on an angle from the ceiling, housed in a room divider, sound system cabinet or the "what not" Grandma left you, it bears the work of your indi- viduality. Ask your dealer for a booklet of installation ideas. A Fleetwood feature designed for lazy luxury is the remote control. Channel selection, fine tuning, brightness,

ARIZONA GRACIE'S RECORDS ELECTRONIC EXPEDITERS, INC. K.L.A. LABORATORIES, INC. THE HI -FI CENTER 7422 Woodward Avenue, Detroit 2 AUDIO SPECIALISTS 304 West Third street, Santa Ana Phone: KI 3 -2684 29119 Vl ea 1)eu11 Ace., Chicago 15 Phone: TRinity 4-1100 333 East Camelhack Road, Phoenix Phone: RO 4 -8640 Phone: AMher -t 5-0447 HI -FI HAVEN R. L. KARNS ELECTRONICS 442 So. Greenleaf Avenue, Whittier INDIANA 910 E. Fulton Street, Grand Rapids 3 ELCO ELECTRICAL Phone: OXford 414112 THE GOLDEN EAR, INC. Phone: GLendale 8-5869 COMMUNICATION CO. COLORADO 15 East 16th St.. Indianapolis - i WEST MICHIGAN SOUND CO. 202 f. Fillmore, Phoenix Phone: MElrose 5 -4915 Phone \ I. pine 2-8218 ALLEGRO MUSIC SHOP, INC. 1932 Peck Street. Mu,-.10 gon THE GOLDEN EAR, INC. Phone: 2 -5910 NILES RADIO & TV CENTER 262 Fillmore, Denver Phone: EAst 2 -1869 610 Main Street, l.afayett.- 400 N. 4th Avenue, Tucson Phone: 2 -2917 MINNESOTA Phone: MA 3 -2537 CONNECTICUT IOWA EQUIPMENT DAVID DEAN SMITH AUDIO COMPANY CALIFORNIA SERVICE Iliglissay t.5 S St. John :1v.. 262 Elm Street, New Haven 11 WOODBURN SOUND Iowa City Albert Lea THE AUDIO WORKSHOP Phone: I'Niver.ity 5 -1101 218 East College St., Phone: 8-0151 Phone: 3568 2211 Camino Del Reposo, La Jolla DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Phone: GLencourt 4 -5378 KANSAS AUDIO KING COMPANY

CUSTOM HI -FI . PHIL WOODBURY SOUND 1827 East Lake Street, Minneapoli- BUSHNELL ELECTRONICS 1612 Connecticut \ N.W., Phone: PArkway 9.7451 12026 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 25 Washington 1103 Commercial, Emporia Phone: 20 Phone: BRadshaw 2 -7537 Phone: HUdson 3 -3336 MISSOURI PLAZA TELEVISION CRENSHAW HI -FI CENTER SHRADER SOUND, INC. DAVID BEATTY HIGH FIDELITY 1408 Huntoon, Topeka 107 Santa Barbara Plaza,Los Angeles 8 280:3 M Street. N.W., Washington 7 Phone: 25007 SOUND & TV Phone: AXminster 3 -8201 4-4730 Phone: :Mums 1616 West 43rd, Kansas City 11

THE BENNETT MUSIC HOUSE 1 -3109 MIDWAY ELECTRONIC SUPPLY CO. FLORIDA I Fifer-4m East Central at Oliver. Wichita 2817 Crenshaw Blvd.. I o. %.11:2,'l - 16 GRICE RADIO & ELECTRONIC Phone: \1I rraV 2 -6578 THE HIGH FIDELITY SHOWROOM, INC. Phone: REpublic 1-2151 SUPPLIES, INC. 6383 Clayton Road, St. Louis 17 KENTUCKY 1.6500 BUSHNELL'S HARBOR HI -FI 300 E. Wright Street, Pensacola Phone: PArkview 3333 Newport Blvd.. Newport Beach Phone: HEmlock 3 -4616 J. M. HISLE AND ASSOCIATES Phone: HArhor 4681 RIS -') Ninth Lpper :NI yet, I.c \ington NEW JERSEY BURDETT RECORDING CO. SOUND & Phone: 2 -7881 VALLEY CUSTOM SOUND 3619 Henderson Blvd., Tampa M. & M. ELECTRONICS & 5148 Lanker.him Blvd.. Phone: 73-6091 THE GOLDEN EAR, INC. TELEVISION CO., INC. North Hollywood 6111 south :3rd sheet, Louisville 7 Maple :1senue. \Iorri.to. Phone: POplar 2-1181 GEORGIA Phone: CL 4531 Phone:.leffereon 835271 BAKER FIDELITY CORP. GENERAL ELECTRONICS LOUISIANA THE JABBERWOCK 1140 Peachtree St., N.E., Atlanta Ave., 4156 Piedmont Oakland Phone: EMerson 2156 CUSTOM ELECTRONICS, INC. 396 George Street, New Brunswick Phone: Olympic 5-2711 9 -1900 4215 S. Claiborne Ave., Phone: (-Harter ILLINOIS BAY ELECTRONICS New Orleans 25 MUSIC AGE, INC. Phone: TWinbrook 1 -5874 22051/2 Redondo Reach Blvd., THE NEW SOUND 171 Route »4, Paramus Redondo Beach 35 E. Springfield Ave.. Champaign MICHIGAN Phone: Diamond 3- 8201 -1 Phone: ORegon 8 -4668 FR 9 -9446 Phone: 6 -119 AUDIO HOUSE, INCORPORATED CASEY HI FI INSTALLATION CO. HOLLYWOOD HI -FI ALLIED RADIO CORPORATION 19771 Conant at 'state Fair E., 205 V1. Englewood Ave., 1839 E Street, San Bernardino 100 N. Western Ave., Chicago 80 Detroit 34 W. Englewood Phone: 8 -36101 Phone: HAvmarket 1 -6800 Phone: TWinbrook 3 -3358 Phone: TE 6.4200 Free booklet of installation ideas available from

www.americanradiohistory.com 9&Efwooc/TELEVISION contrast, volume, and picture definition are controlled at your chairside. Sound may be played through your high fidelity system. The picture looks better, too. Fleetwood gets it better - brilliant, sparkling, clear as a professional photographic enlargement* Fleetwood's exclusive definition control lets you adjust the picture to your tastes - soft and diffused or clear and hard. Ask your dealer for a demonstration of this remarkable control. No matter how you consider it- decor, convenience, picture quality- everything looks better with Fleetwood Television. 'See tested in the Home Report, October 1955 High Fidelity

EE WOO Ci

Crafted by CONRAC, INC. Department A Glendora, California

Export Division: Frorar and Hansen Ltd., 301 Cloy Street, San Francisco I1, California .)Conroc, Inc. 1956 - CONRAC is the Canadian Nome for Fleetwood.

WASHINGTON NEW YORK THE AUDIO EXCHANGE AUDIO LABORATORIES, INC. 367 Mamaroneck Avenue, 808 Mohican Street, Bethlehem OLYMPIC ENGINEERING CO. BUFFALO AUDIO CENTER Phone: UNiversity 7 -3909 White Plains 2008 Westlake Avenue, Seattle 1 161 Genesee Street, Buffalo 3 CORP. Phone: ELiot 4650 Phone: MOhawk 1368 NORTH CAROLINA DANBY RADIO 19 South 21st Street, Philadelphia NEWMARK & LEWIS, INC. DALTON -HEGE RADIO Phone: RIttenhouse 6 -5686 43 (lain Street, SUPPLY CO. WISCONSIN Hempstead, L. I. LECTRONICS OF CITY LINE 912 W. 4th St.. Winston -Salem 1'h. to. 11':tnl,n ' 1 _hR9fl Phone: 5 -8711 CENTER, INC. HI -FI HOUSE, INC. THE AUDIO EXCHANGE, INC. 7644 City Line Avenue (City Line '630 North Downer Avenue, 31 159 -19 Hillside Ave., Jamaica 32 OHIO Center). Philadelphia Milwaukee 11 Phrm: \Xte1l 7- 7577.8.9 Phone: GReenwood 7 -9535 ('hone: Ef:tewood 2 -1700 AUDIO CRAFT CO. GReenwood 7 -7144 HOUSE OF HI -FI 2915 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland 15 THE HI -FI CENTER, INC. 606 Plandome Road, Manhasset, L. I. Phone: CHerry 1.5560 TEN CATE ASSOCIATES 1236 West Capitol Drive, Phone: M 7 -1376 6128 Morton Street, Philadelphia -11 Milwaukee 16 PIONEER ELECTRONIC SUPPLY CO. Phone: GErmantown 8 -5448 Phone: UPtown 1 -2113 ARROW ELECTRONICS, INC. 2115 Prospect Ave., Cleveland 15 65 l:ortlandt Street, New l ork 7 Phone: SU 1 -9.410 RADER & FASIG, INC. T'hrrn, 111 chs 9-1730 704 Walnut Street, Reading RICHARD J. SAUER Phone: 4-7831 CANADA CORP. ASCO SOUND CUSTOM ELECTRONICS, INC. PAYETTE RADIO LIMITED 115 West 45th Street 13rd Floor), 1000 South Main Str. :. Dayton 9 730 St. James Street, W., Montreal 3 New York 36 RHODE ISLAND Phone: ADams 3158 Phone: UN 6 -6681 Phone: JUdson 2-1750 AUDIONICS COMPANY CUSTOM CLASSICS NEW ENGLAND'S HI FI CENTER H. R. SAVARD RADIO LTD. HARVEY RADIO COMPANY, INC. 13421 Euclid Avenue, 790 North Main Street, Providence 910 St., Montreal W. 43rd St., 1123 6th Ave., Bleury 103 East Cleveland 12 Phone: DExter 1 -4242 Phone: UNiversity 6-9202 New York 36 Phone: GI. 1 -0256 GERTZ, INCORPORATED Phone: HUdson 2 -1500 CROBEL, LTD. COUNTERPOINT 257 Adelaide Avenue, Providence 7 790 East Blvd. Charest, Quebec City LEONARD RADIO, INC. 20971 Westgate Phone: STuart 1 -4200 LAfontaine 4 -5201 "AUDIO MART" (Westgate Shopping Center), Phone: 69 ( nrtlandt Street, New York 7 Fairview Park 26 TEXAS MAGUIRE ELECTRIC LTD. Phone: CO 7-0315 Phone: ED 1.6448 MELODY SHOP 1330 Maguire. Sillery R.S.T. LABS Phone: MU 1.2333 SUN RADIO & ELECTRONICS CO., INC. 466 Pine Street, .Abilene 1 1511 (:ranger Road, Maple Heights o50 Sixth Aenue, \ew 1 rut, I I Phone: 4 -4848 ALPHA ARACON RADIO CO., LTD. Phone: ORegon 5 -8600 Phone: Montrose 2 -3213 TOWN NORTH MUSIC CORP. 29 Adelaide Street, West, Toronto 1 Phone: EM 6 -1591 TERMINAL RADIO CORPORATION OREGON 5328 W. Lovers Lane at Inwood Rd., S, tortlandt Street, New 1 urk Dallas 9 Phone: ELmhurst 6477 SHOPS THE HIGH FIDELITY SHOP Phone: WOrth 4 -3311 SANDY'S CAMERA 635 S.W. Alder, 714 S.W. Washington, WRYE CO., LTD. 557 Mount Pleasant Rd., Toronto 7 CONCERT -CRAFT, INC. Portland 5 2410 W. Alabama, Houston 6 Phone: HUdson 8 -6443 P.O. 66, Brandywine Station, Phone: CApitol 8-1345 Phone: JA 3 -7874 Schenectady 4 Phone: FR 4 -0720 PENNSYLVANIA UTAH HAWAII

W. G. BROWN SOUND EQUIP. CORP. BAKER COMMUNICATIONS DAYNES MUSIC CO. TELCO LTD. 349 East Onondaga St., Syracuse 2 9 South 12th Street, Allentown 15 East 1st So., Salt Lake City 605 -607 South Queen Street, Honolulu Phone: 2.8979 Phone: HEmlock 3 -3326 Phone: ELgin 9 -7633 Phone: 50 -2964 your Fleetwood' dealer or write: Conrac, Inc., Glendora, Cal.

www.americanradiohistory.com BOOKS IN REVIEW Continued from page 42

JAJYSZEIV truly serious, disturbingly provocative study is rare. Since Edward J. Dent's little booklet, Opera (Penguin, 1940). and trenchant examination of Mozart's Operas (Oxford, 2nd ed. '947), I can't think of anything which approaches the stature of the just published but already hotly discussed Opera as Drama by Joseph Kerman

( Knopf, $4.50) . This isn't an easy book to read and its unashamedly solid intellectual substance is hardly made more easily digestible by Mr. Kerman's hot -sauc- ing it to his own strong tastes with savage polemics and irritative prejudices. He not only largely ignores singers and singing, but disdainfully throws most of the popular favorite works out of the window as intoler- ably crude melodramas; and the handful of operas he recognizes as valid masterpieces are illumined so as to throw into highest relief facets and structural outlines which often will be shockingly strange even to these works' most devoted admirers. Yet for the reader who is willing to stick with him and who is not intimidated by the task of entirely fresh thinking. Kerman provides a bracingly healthful experience. He is at his best in his driving More than a tweeter-its uncanny smoothness extends insistence on - and monumental ac- through the middle frequency ranges. cumulation of pertinent evidence for - the too -often -forgotten truism that in opera it always is the composer Nine years of research and development have refined this long who must be the animating dramatist; recognized principle into what most critical listeners consider the and in his revelatory analyses of best loudspeaker extant. JansZen's patented design is Mozart's four greatest operas, Wag - ner's Die Meistersinger ( seen in the responsible for this unique achievement in the audio industry. novel light of a drama of "conver- This design plus the necessary hand construction techniques sion"), Verdi's Otello, and Debussy's Pellcas et Mélisande. But in addition virtually assure that it will never be a mass -produced item. he gave me a startling new and expanded understanding of Wozzeck "With the JansZen speaker, the entire apparent sound and The Rake's Progress, as well as more source broadened out ... sparklingly different from other tantalizingly incomplete, yet no less provocative, new perspectives on tweeters. Instrumental combinations which had been baroque music dramas. submerged on other speakers emerged with startling clarity." I wish he had delved much more -The Audio League Report* deeply into the latter and those of the Renaissance, and I wish most of Mahogany, Birch. Walnut and Utility finishes available on request. all he had mounted a better prepared and more conclusive attack on Puccini Send for complete literature on the fansZen 1 -30 Electrostatic and Strauss. My objection is not so as well as the name of your nearest dealer! much to his devaluations as such 'Authorized quotation No. 52. the reader should consult Vol. 1 No. 11 (Jan. 1956) of the ( with which I agree, in the main, Audio League Report, Pleasantville, N. Y., for the complete technical and subjective report. on purely aesthetic grounds), as it is to his failure to examine the actual PRODUCT OF NESHAMINY ELECTRONIC CORP. NESHAMINY, PA.

Export Division: 25 Warren St., New York 7, N. Y. Cable: Simontrice, N. Y. Continued on page 48

-16 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com 1 Most experts hesitate, then take refuge in an old saw when The really remarkable thing about Harman -Kardon high fidel- asked to define high fidelity. "Concert hall realism" is the ity is that it does all of these things in strikingly beautiful and phrase they usually conjure up. Actually, this begs the compact instruments - each with a small number of easy to question. operate controls. The concert hall is one special area of musical experience; The Harman-Kardon Festival II (Model TA- 1040), illus- listening to music in your own home is another. Each has its trated above, is an outstanding expression of high fidelity place for the music lover. thought and design. Here in a graceful compact unit, only 14" deep and 4- 5/16" high is a complete high When you want to listen to live music played by live musicians 16 -1/8" wide, center: Magnificent Armstrong FM with unless you have a home large enough to accommodate an fidelity electronic - Control to insure accurate tuning orchestra there is clearly no substitute for the concert hall. Automatic Frequency - - automatically and Automatic Noise Gate to eliminate noise place of the concert hall. - We don't recommend high fidelity in between stations when tuning; sensitive AM with 10KC whistle live concert but it does not It has certain advantages over a filter; complete preamplifier and 40 watt distortion free, hum home. Nor is high fidelity a bring live musicians into your free power amplifier. mere substitute for the concert hall: it stands on its own as Features include: Dynamic Loudness Contour Control to pro- the best way to create fine music in your home. vide precise balance for your own hearing characteristics; High fidelity is the technique for reproducing music and the separate bass and treble tone controls; selectable record equal- spoken word IN YOUR HOME the way the composer himself ization; remote speaker selector switch; illuminated tuning would wish you to hear it. meter and rumble filter. All this expressed in six simple to operate controls. A symphony, a concerto, any real musical form, is a wondrous and control panel are finished in brushed copper; complex of sound and energy, tonal range and loudness, color The cage and escutcheon frame in matte black. and balance. This incredibly intricate relationship of sound the knobs moved through the composer's mind as he fashioned the music The Festival price is $225.00. (Slightly higher in the West). and it is this complex which must be perfectly recaptured if the listener is to experience all the music Mozart wanted him FREE: beautiful, new, fully illustrated catalog. Describes complete Harman -Kardon line and includes guides on how to hear. and where to buy high fidelity. Send for your copy now. Write: Harman -Kardon, Inc. Department HI1, 520 Main In a concert hall you hear it all if you're fortunate enough to Street, Westbury, New York. sit in the right seat. Harman -Kardon high fidelity does it for Harman -Kardon also manufactures a group of excellent, in- atM cabinets. For you every time in your own home because it takes perfect tegrated high fidelity systems in fine furniture the full story on these instruments write for free catalog H-01. program material, created under ideal conditions, and retells it with authenticity. The special sonorities of the instruments and the coloration and balance among them are completely retained. Adjustment is made for the acoustic conditions in harman kardon your room and for your own hearing characteristics.

JANUARY 1957 -17

www.americanradiohistory.com i or High Fide ha Gr° e 013,e Econornj aj Step at

SPEAKER

B LOC 0 P LAN

Hear the difference Electro -Voice 'Listeneering' makes in your enjoyment of high- fidelity music - before you spend a dime! Unique E -V Speaker Systems Selector lets you listen to the improvement as you dial from a single speaker to a multi -speaker system. You hear in advance how each new speaker component enhances the illusion of musical reality! Electra -Voice Building Block Plan lets you improve your basic system a step at a time, fitting your purchases to your budget. Here's just one example:

Model SP12B Coaxial Loud- speaker Only Net 533.00 Loudspeaker and Aristocrat En- REMEMBER, the Aristocrat cabinet is closure: pre -cut and fitted for each new Mahogany Total Net 5102.00 speaker, each new crossover unit. Blonde Total Net 109.00 Just bolt them in place in minutes. Walnut Total Net 112.80 Or buy only the ready- to -assemble Aristocrat KD6 enclosure kit Net $39.00

Model SP12B Coaxial Loud- speaker PLUS Speaker Build- ing Block 1 Model T35B VHF Driver, Model AT37 Level START with the Electro -Voice Aristocrat corner folded Control and Model X36 Cross- -horn over Net $67.50 speaker enclosure (you'll get an extra octave of bass response) Components and Aristocrat En- and the E -V Model SP12B coaxial loudspeaker (frequency closure: response, 30 to 13,000 cps). Mahogany Total Net 5136.50 Blonde Total Net 143.50 STEP UP your enjoyment by adding driver, crossover and level Walnut Total Net 147.30 control. Now you will hear silky highs, as you step up with Model T35B VHF driver, Model AT37 level control and Model X36 crossover. Prefer more mid -range response? Then step up with Model T10A HF driver with Model 8HD horn, Model SP12B Coaxial Loud- Model AT37 level control and Model X825 speaker PLUS Speaker Build- crossover. ing Block 3 Model T10A COMPLETE your integrated Electro -Voice reproducing system HF Driver with Model 8HD Horn, by Model AT37 Level Control and adding all components listed to your basic coaxial speaker Model X825 Crossover in the Aristocrat enclosure. Separate controls for the Brilliance Net 5116.50 and Presence ranges compensate for room acoustics and indi- Components and Aristocrat En- closure: vidual tastes. Mahogany Total Net $185.50 Every step of the way, you'll be enjoying high fidelity with a Blonde Total Net 192.50 Walnut Total difference -the built -in difference that has made Electro- Net 196.30 Voice famous.

Model SP12B Coaxial Loud- speaker PLUS Additional Com- ponents in both Steps 2A and ELECTRO- VOICE, manufacturer of the most 2B. complete high -fidelity All Components Net 5151.00 product range - Components and Aristocrat En- speakers, speaker enclosures, systems, closure: amplifiers, preamps, tuners, phono Mahogany Total Net 5220.00 Blonde Total Net 227.00 cartridges. Do- It- Yourself enclosure kits gleatrokz® Walnut Total Net 230.80 and microphones. Available everywhere. ELECTRO- VOICE, INC. BUCHANAN, MICHIGAN SEE YOUR ELECTRO -VOICE DEALER TODAY. CANADA: E -V of Canada Ltd., 1908 Avenue Road, Toronto, Ontario LOOK FOR THE E -V SYSTEMS SELECTOR. EXPORT; 13 East 40th Street, New York 16, U. 5. A. Cables: ARLAB

www.americanradiohistory.com AS THE EDITORS SEE IT The Why and Wherefore

ONCE an evening visitor of ours, a woman of poise and Perhaps no beauty can be enjoyed in so much of its wit, ceased her tastefully critical circuit of our living fullness in the living room, though, as that which is in the room in front of my sound system. It is not the tidiest met through the ear. There is music to put iron of sound systems, and it takes up most of one wall. She soul, music to relax the nerves, music to set feet tapping. investigated with interest the tape recorder, the pream- There is even music, involving no human musicians, to with the plifier, the first turntable, the second turntable, the loud- turn a winter's evening into a summer dusk alive too. There speaker enclosure, the FM tuner, the AM tuner, the spare small talk of tree frogs, and this is beauty there are sonic rambles turntable ( these things accumulate) , and even the power are plays, poems, and sermons; amplifier in its dimly glowing den. Then she turned through Scandinavia and through the Australian bush. is more around and asked a one -word question. She said: "Why ?" Sonic recreation, when it is kinetic at all, at least it should I was wise enough not to answer. Earlier conversation kinetic than that enjoyed by eye. Or Music had elicited the fact that the questioner had a weakness for be, and here enters the importance of high fidelity. need not Puccini. Moreover, I knew my acoustico -electronic cohorts meant to serve as background to other activity were in rare shape. So the whole argument was turned be high -fidelity. Music intended to command the attention over to Victor de Sabata, Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di should be, if it is to take anything like the effect its high- fidelity require- Stefano, and La Scalá s inspired musketeers. By the time composer had in mind. And the Tosca had made her improbable leap from the Castel ment is dual. The tonal and dynamic range must be Sant' Angelo into the Tiber, our lady guest was satisfied, great, so that Paganinïs violin is truly a violin, with over- and had no further query. Now she knew why. tones; so that Poulenc's organ pedals are not wasted; so are the But a multitude of people still don't. And though there that Haydn's big bass drum remains big. These we must is a constant procession of books and magazine articles classic requirements, vintage circa 1947. Today that telling us how we may have high fidelity in our homes, add that distortion should be virtually absent, so precious few try to tell us why we should. the violin is not a steel violin; so that the first harmonic Perhaps part, at least, of the reason we should is that of Poulenc's bass note is not louder than its fundamental; we owe it to ourselves. We have been through a quarter - and so that, even when heard loud, the sound as a whole is century of recurrent danger, privation, uncertainty, and comfortable. When you have all that, you have high - incessant strain. This is in some ways abating now. Many fidelity sound, which will not (often, anyway) convey room, of us have found adequate dwellings, long a shortage; a full symphony orchestra into your living but or many have now a little spare money and some leisure at which can quite realistically simulate a live baritone our disposal. Concurrently we have made two other an actual piano. discoveries, or perhaps they are rediscoveries: the pleas- There is more to high fidelity than listening, however, for ures of travel, which are considerable, but irrelevant here, at least for some of us (others are content to settle and the pleasures of staying at home, which are pertinent. aural delectation). There is the opportunity, which can the final Travel is for vacations; home leisure occurs every day. be both obsessive and delightful, of assisting in And it is important. The world outside the home's delivery of the music, through the choice, assembly, and four walls is perhaps no longer - not quite- the almost adjustment of the sound equipment. When I speak here nightmarish place it lately was, but it is certainly no of equipment, I mean of course an array or "rig" of Elysium, either. It still offers more than ample ugliness separate components. This implies no disparagement of and unease. From this, the home must serve as refuge, packaged high fidelity, so- called, as long as it yields and more than refuge; it is where the spirit, if you will true high -fidelity sound. But the eclectic rig can be the permit the expression, is repaired and refreshed and focus of endless adventure - in shopping ( since a rig strengthened against the next day, and the next week, is never complete and never perfect) ; in woodworking and the next month. and finishing; in fitting the sound to the acoustic per- Tranquilizer pills won't do this, and I am not sure sonality of a living room; even in maintenance. For TV quiz shows help much either. Better are avocational solder -steam is not always just solder -steam: sometimes interests involving real activity, mental and /or physical. it is incense, expressing a devotion. -A certain complex But perhaps the best restorative of all is beauty. of sounds is refined for years in a composer's brain. A This is no place to essay a definition of beauty, except musician practices half a lifetime to bring it alive and to make the point that, although it can embody the perfect into the air. A recording crew travels across an fruits of the deepest wisdom, it can also be purely sensuous ocean to capture it. Finally it comes to us, for whom it was or diverting or soothing. It can reside in a passage of created originally. And so my answer to the lady, if I had Shakespeare, a jade chessman, a floral centerpiece, the made one, would have ended with a question: given this sight and smell of a wood fire. perishable treasure, how do we treat it? J.M.C.

JANUARY 1957 51

www.americanradiohistory.com A European musical ramble Halls, Hallowed and Acousticized

BY HAROLD C. SCHONBERG

GENERALLY SPEAKING, opera houses the world ductor with a popular soloist means a sold -out house any- over are alike. They have their individual differences, where in the world. A program of modern music means much as one apple differs from another, but most of them empty seats all over the place. Tickets are easy to get for were built at a time when gold leaf, red plush, classical a chorus singing Bach; but a performance of Don Giovanni pillars, and paintings of the muses in varying states of at the Vienna Staatsoper is liable to be sold out weeks in undress were considered a necessary concomitant to lis- advance if well -known singers are announced. tening. And some events are impossible to get into, even with Nobody has calculated the amount of plush that has a hand grenade. Occasionally, Europe still containing gone into the world's opera houses. This tourist, last royalty, there will be a gala performance involving HRHs summer, equipped with slide rule, logarithm tables, and a from here and there. To be present at these, you will carton of ball -point pens, did some careful figuring and have to pester your ambassador, present a letter from the came up with P = mc'. In concrete terms, the amount of P President of the United States, and wave lots of dollars ( plush) is enough to build a highway fourteen feet wide (American) in sundry directions. That failing, as it from here to Alpha Centauri, plus or minus 3.1416 feet probably will, you go to the concierge or head porter of at a temperature of 167 degrees Fahrenheit ( the prevailing your hotel, which is what you should have done in the temperature inside most European opera houses during the first place. A well -oiled concierge can produce anything. summer months) . In this case he will simply call his fourth cousin who works Concert halls are somewhat different, and vary from the in the box office. Then you trot out your white tie and austere barnlike simplicities of London's Wigmore Hall tails. For a gala performance, the whiter the tie and the to the antiseptic modernism of the Pleyel in Paris. But blacker the tails, the better. This tourist managed to get one thing European opera houses and concert halls share, two tickets (in different locations; wife here, husband and that is a long tradition embodying the great names of there) for the Stockholm gala in honor of Queen Elizabeth music. Who so blasé that his pulse will not beat a little last June. In an audience of some 1,600 elegant creatures faster in the Theater an der Wien, where Beethoven him- in full dress, blazing with stars, garters, and assorted self stood on the podium? Or at La Scala, where Verdi trophies, he was the only proletarian naked in black tie, coaxed his singers? Or at the Musikverein in Vienna, and he sat huddled in his seat during intermission. where the Joachim Quartet addressed itself to Beethoven? There was a time when dress - at least black tie - Otherwise the tourist will find the musical setup geared was de rigueur at the opera in Europe. No more, though and running very much à l'Americaine. A popular con- first nights still attract a very well -dressed audience. These days, even at important premières, a dark business suit will suffice. Europe thinks much too much of its tourist trade to impose barriers on their pleasure. If a couple of Yanks want to go to Die Walküre dressed in knickers and army B -1 jackets, the natives will call them eccentric millionaires and let it go at that. But don't try to act like an eccentric millionaire unless you are one. Americans have a bad enough reputation for manners in Europe as it is. By American standards, ticket prices run somewhat low in most European opera houses, though the best seats are not exactly given away. As you go upstairs there is an immediate, sharp reduction in price; and you can get in the top galleries for a few cents. It is a very good idea to plan your musical activities before leaving America. All the information will be at hand. This magazine, the Saturday Review, the New York Times, and many other fALIAN STATE TOUI+iST OFF publications often provide, early in the spring, a summary Famous Teatro alla Scala in Alilan: its birthday was in 1776. of European musical festivities. Every country has a tourist

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www.americanradiohistory.com stairs if you want comfort. The Communale is more amphitheater than theater, and the upstairs section has all the snug comfort of the bleachers in Lewisohn Stadium on a Belafonte night. Above the orchestra and the first - tier boxes you sit in stone seats in an unpartitioned semi- circle. Cushions can be rented for 3o lire, about 5 cents, and even so well -padded a citizen as this writer was glad to invest the nickel. After three hours of La Valkiria (but sung in German, alas, with the personaggi of Brunilde and Sigmundo taken by the interpreti Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen) those seats got very hard; and even harder were the knobby knees of the Italian Wagner - ite jabbing into the back of the American Wagnerite. To alleviate the distress were venders all over the place at intermission, selling dolce and score cards. No such problems assail the listener in Paris. The Opéra there is one of the great ones in Europe, burgeoning all over with paintings and marble sculpture of the academic, "noble" school. But the sweep of those great stairs, the tremendous chandelier dominating the auditorium, the blinding gold leaf (four kilos of it, says the Opéra, proudly), the graceful lines! The Paris Opéra is one with France - with Rimbaud and Victor Hugo, Clemenceau MUSMANN and Hériot, Malliol and Dégas: a breathing distillate of At the Staatsoper in Vienna, champagne and caviar for $1.20. culture and tradition. (The only thing you really won't And in the buffet you bureau in New York, which gladly will show you com- get there is well -sung opera.) of Coca Cola; plete programs of any musical events on the agenda. They can get, for ioo francs (28 cents) a bottle or a glass of also, in many instances, will book seats for you. They or, for the same price, a snifter of brandy Coca Cola there; will do everything except buy your program ( nearly every- champagne. The French invariably drink And where in Europe programs are not given away, and they the Americans, champagne; the British, brandy. synopses in can run as high as 56 cents). It would be a shame to go where else can you find the unforgettable Othello, we to Vienna and not be able to attend a Don Giovanni or English provided in the official program? rak . Fidelio, or to Rome and miss out on a Bohème with learn, "arriving unexpectedly, deprives Cassio of his .. makes rapid progress in the Moor's head . . . Lauri -Volpi as Rodolfo ( yes, he's still singing - loudly - Jealousy tries to calm the growing presentiments which and is as popular as ever) . Desdemona Europeans take their music seriously and are used to trouble her by prayer." is more expensive at the new a lot of it. London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Rome-all A glass of champagne the same as a of these great centers have longer and fuller music seasons Staatsoper in Vienna. It costs 6o cents, was than can be found anywhere in America. They support caviar sandwich. As you all know, the Staatsoper more musical organizations on a full -time basis, offer a gutted during the war and reopened only a few years greater variety of presentations, and attract soloists of ago. The dignified interior has a décor of gold and cream; international reputation, many of them (especially the the seats and carpets are red plush; and a great doughnut- Russians) unknown to America except perhaps through one or two tantalizing recordings. And now that America is emptying into Europe from May through September, there is no let-up anywhere. And they are more leisurely in Europe, particularly in Italy. At the Rome Opera you can expect the pro- ceedings to start at 9 p.m. or so and run well past midnight. Rome has a fine, impressive opera house, not too dissimilar in shape and décor from the Metropolitan in New York. It also has a bright, active electric clock over the proscenium, an innovation of Il Duce, at which you stare in horrid, hypnotic fashion, waiting for the numbers to change. (It is a number clock, with two rectangles containing figures for the hour and for the minute: 21:31, 2 t : 32, 21:33, and it takes a listener of stupendous will power to keep his eyes on the stage when the clock is blinking at him). BRITISH INF ORMATION SI RVICES In Florence, at the Teatro Communale, you sit down- London's Royal Festival Hall: modernism and a river view.

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www.americanradiohistory.com space inside, the general air of hospitality. But the acoustics in the Royal Festival Hall take some getting used to. Remember those Studio 8H recordings? Well... . Acoustic problems also plagued the relatively new Con- cert Hall -a cozy, rectangular room - in Stockholm. This hall has a few unorthodox features. Running along the two sides of the balcony are, instead of boxes, a series of adjacent armchairs, placed parallel like seats in a railroad car. When the hall was opened, all kinds of acoustic bounces were discovered. In an effort to solve the problem, the designers suspended above the stage a series of rectangular glass frames that can be tilted at various angles. Presumably the arrangement works; at least, one notices a different setup for orchestra than for instrumentalists, and both sound fine. SWEDISH NATIONAL TRAVEL OFFICE Outside the Concert Hall is the magnificent Orpheus Drottningholm Theater, Stockholm: wigs and ruffles for Mozart. of Carl Milles. It is a prodigious conception. The sculpture shaped chandelier throws a gentle light. Everything is must be about twenty feet high and the figure is balanced tasteful and spacious, from the Zauberflöte tapestries in on one foot, ready to take off. The building also boasts the grand foyer to the rich but subdued fittings of the a small auditorium, for chamber music, and it looks as boxes. The only jarring note is the buffet room, with snug and well -paneled as the interior of the Harvard Club very modern lines, as much out of place as a Mondrian - except for the murals, some of them definitely not in a Victorian drawing room. for the Junior League. The Scandinavians are not an in- Modernism has little place in Vienna. The famous hibited people. Musikverein, home of the symphony, represents typical Stockholm and Copenhagen have their opera houses - nineteenth- century Teutonic taste with its academic murals, small, charming, well bred. Between the acts at the Royal its baroque marble sculpture holding up the wall columns, Theater in Stockholm you can be entertained, if you re- its ten crystal chandeliers, its air of well -fed gentility. The main in your seat, by colored advertising slides thrown Volksoper, where operetta is given, is an old hall sadly onto a screen on the stage: ' Holberg och Holmgren - in need of repair - cavernous, with paint flaking from Gardin-specialisten," with a colored slide of a flourishing the ceiling and a melancholy look of having seen better garden. In both houses the pit is too small to take care days. The seats, however, are about the widest of any of a Straussian orchestra; and when large forces are needed theater in Europe. The Redoutensaal, where Mozart operas the timpani overflow into a pair of side boxes adjacent. are given, is nothing more than a large room, seating In both houses, too, as Continued on page 129 about Soo ( and none too comfortably) in the Hofburg Palace. Very bad acoustics and sight lines, incidentally. The oldest theater you are likely to encounter in Europe is Drottningholm, actual home of a royal eighteenth - century theater outside of Stockholm. Built in 1766, it was restored in 1921 according to the original specifications. In an attempt to adhere to the original flavor, the orchestra and ushers wear eighteenth -century dress, complete to white wigs. So does the conductor, who comes out with a shamefaced look, peers over his ruffles, adjusts his horn -rimmed glasses and looks at his wristwatch. But the tourists love it; and it cannot be denied that the smaller Mozart and Cimarosa works sound remarkably authentic here. Not all of the auditoriums are old. You also can encounter brand -new concert halls all over the place. Most impressive is the Royal Festival Hall in London, the hall with the breathtaking location and the skeletonic acoustics. The building is set on the banks of the Thames and has been architecturally designed to fit into its surroundings. Modern, but not aggressively modern, it reflects British contemporary taste at its best, and is one of the most distinctive halls in Europe - infinitely superior to, say, the dated, chromed and cold modernism of the Salle Pleyel in Paris. And there is a graciousness about its interior - SWEDISH NATIONAL TRAVEL OFFICE in the buffet lounges facing the river, the acres of walking Stockholm's Concert Hall: you can buy green goods out front.

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www.americanradiohistory.com The Great Highland Bagpipe

by A. K. P. Wrathall

the following technical AS JOHANN SEBASTIAN stands in relation to the far, they will probably approach curi- Bach family, so is the Scottish bagpipe mightiest of description of the bagpipe in the spirit of morbid of torture. the clan. Other pipes are tame domestic instruments, osity with which we view medieval instruments and is held capable at worst of inducing indifference in unsympathetic The sheepskin bag is a reservoir for air ribs. ( The Scots word ears. The Highland pipe, however, is positive and strong between the left upper arm and in this con- an instrument of love and hate, a source of rapture or "oxter," meaning armpit, is occasionally used - the player horror to the listener. At the risk of raising the hackles text.) Through a valve -controlled mouthpiece is applied of those who hail from Ireland, from Northumbria, or fills and refills the bag so that, when pressure reeds, both from any number of European and Asian communities by the elbow, air is forced through the cane and in who boast bagpipe traditions of their own,' let it be said in the chanter on which the melody is fingered, the left immediately that all further references shall signify the each of three blackwood drones which lie on The key of the Great Highland Bagpipe. shoulder and contribute a harmonic bass. A major, with the C There is a tale of a wounded Jock, lying in a hospital, bagpipe is approximately that of natural G. who was suddenly restored to health by the sound of the and the F only a few vibrations sharp, and a extends pipes, while all the other patients died. These unfortunates Its compass is one octave plus one note and Moreover, doubtless regarded the music as fit to tear a cat in; to from G on the treble stave to A above it. of air make all split." If any of that humor have read thus these notes cannot vary in pitch, as the pressure through the reed is constant. The tenor drones are tuned 'As admirers of Jaromir Weinberger are aware, in Mitteleuropa the term for bagpipes is Dude /jack, rather a horrifying thought. to A and the bass drone to D. On the chanter the holes are uncovered and the fingers of the piper must stop all the notes above the one he wants to sound, as opposed to the technique for orchestral wood wind where the notes are mechanically sealed. Alterations to the instrument are from time to time attempted, usually by the English,- and at present a London firm is manufacturing a chromatic bagpipe capable of rendering the British National Anthem. This is a pointless development, however, for a piper has little desire to play English tunes, being, as he is, heir to a wealth of Scottish music to which only the bagpipe can do justice. This may be broken down into three sections - Little Music comprising marches, strathspeys, and reels; Middle Music being laments and slow marches; and finally the Great Music, known as Piobaireachd -a term Anglicized by Sir Walter Scott into pibroch. This last is the classical music of the pipes, although it expresses the whole predicament of the Highlands. The Macrimmons,' most famous of all piping families, who for seven generations (1 5oo -1795) held the heredi- tary office of piper to the Macleod of Macleod, were pri-

ANGEL RECORDS ,+Or Sassenachs, as you prefer. spelling is MacCrimmon. %I embers of the Scots Guards dance a reel to pipe and drum. "An alternate and permissible

JANUARY 1957 55

JAN UnK7 1957 T7

www.americanradiohistory.com conveniently filters out the unwanted distortion. This idea that stereophonic reproduction might solve the prob- happens to such an extent that we actually need to be lem of directional perspective in the living room, and yield trained to hear the distortion. to us the ultimate (or at least the practical ultimate) in However it has been proven that the faculty of ignoring realistic home music. As was the case with many a past sounds we do not want to hear, and listening only to principle, this now has become an article of faith: if ones that we do, involves strain. The psychological strain you do not subscribe to stereophony, you are low-h, a incurred in listening to different reproductions varies from heretic, and should have one of your ears cut off. individual to individual. This is partly due to differences At the risk of getting involved in a "religious" dispute in individual auditory faculties and partly to differences of this nature, I want here to discuss what a stereophonic in conditioning experience. system is supposed to be able to do, and whether it really But there is nothing psychic about the reproduction of can do it or not, and whether or not the same effect sound. The more faithfully the reproduced sound field cannot be achieved unstereophonically. This is, quite copies the original, the better will be the impression and frankly, an unorthodox approach, and one which may the less the strain involved in listening. cost me an ear if the cult has the requisite cutlery and At one time a flat frequency response was considered initiative. the ne plus ultra in perfect reproduction. Sound waves of First, a few facts. Sound waves differ in size enormously. various frequencies, it was thought, should all be repro- To appreciate this, remember that sound travels at approxi- duced at exactly the same pressure as the original sound at mately 1,100 feet per second. As the number of waves the microphone, to achieve perfection in reproduction. But passing our ears is the same as the frequency of sound when this was (almost) attained, somehow more still was heard, this means that the wave lengths must differ ac- needed to give ultimate satisfaction. cording to frequency, but in inverse ratio. It was noticed, for example, that two systems, with To illustrate, a record- jacket I picked up the other day identical performance under measurement conditions, gave the lowest frequency recorded on that particular would give quite different impressions on various types disk as 16 cycles. Assuming that I get 16 cycles repro- of program material. One would render strings rather duced ( ? ) , then 16 of these waves will occupy i,ioo feet; realistically, but the brasses and wood winds would lack each wave will be almost 7o feet in length. As my living some of their proper brilliance. On the other reproducer, room is nowhere near 7o feet in any of its dimensions, the reverse would be true- the brass and wood winds this means that I cannot hope to have a whole wave of would sound realistic, while the strings seemed to lack this frequency in my living room at one time. The best something. So attention was turned next to the reduction I can expect any loudspeaker to do at this frequency is of harmonic and intermodulation distortion, and to the to produce a general fluctuation in pressure throughout clarity of transients. As success attended, the millenium the whole area of the living room. It will be impossible was hailed once more. to get any sensible impression of direction at this fre- But progress pushes perfectionists always further for- quency. ward, and now we began to hear plaints about the Hole At the other end of the scale, the same jacket assured in the Wall. With a large program source, such as an me that the high frequency limit was 25,000 cycles (! ). orchestra, the use of a small loudspeaker makes the or- Limit, indeed - I cannot hear above something like 15,o00 chestra sound as if you were listening to it through a hole cycles. Taking what I can hear, at 15,000 there will be in the wall, however good the reproduction may be. The 15,000 waves in a distance of 1,100 feet, meaning that use of large multiple unit loudspeakers can overcome this each wave must be a little less than an inch long. Ob- difficulty to some extent, and make orchestras sound more viously at this end of the spectrum my living room can realistic. But when a vocal solo, for instance, comes on, accommodate quite a large number of waves. the realism is lacking for an opposite reason: the singer In the middle of the audio frequency range, say about appears to have developed a split personality in horrifying 1,000 cycles, the waves are about a foot long, since it degree. takes about 1,000 of them to occupy the 1,roo feet they Further, while the multi -unit loudspeaker does give travel every second. a better impression of the size of the orchestra, it does Because of our logarithmic sensory perception, which not give the clear definition that is heard in a live per- makes the frequency scale seem like so many octaves formance -the impression that the strings are over to rather than the ratio of the lowest frequency to the the left, the wind instruments to the right and rear, and highest frequency, this tremendous difference in the size various other groups in specific positions. Rather, the of waves used by different frequencies is not at once ob- multi -unit loudspeaker puts the high frequencies out of the vious. But an awareness of it is needed to understand the tweeter, the middle frequencies out of the mid -range unit, behavior of stereophonic sound fields. and the low frequencies out of the woofer, wherever Some devotees have theorized, using a 1,000 cycle these happen to be located. As some of each of these wave for illustrative purposes, that our sense of sonic sounds come from the strings and some from the wind direction is mainly due to the phase difference at the instruments, and so forth, the spatial distribution made two ears. As the wave length for 1,000 cycles is about by the loudspeakers is quite different from that of the one foot, and the distance between most people's ears original orchestra. is less than one foot, the theory looks quite plausible. But Observation of deficiencies like this probably led to the how about the extremes?

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www.americanradiohistory.com ways. Experiments with Perspecta Sound, At 20 cycles the wave length is 5o feet, so the distance in a number of only one audio channel, but can move between our ears is only about one hundredth of a wave a system that uses around, have proven this fact by pro- length. To get any critical sense of direction at this fre- its apparent source stereophonic illusion. This was quency, we should need to tell the difference in phase, ducing a quite satisfactory on the fact that the sense of between the two ears, corresponding to about one thou- achieved by concentrating from transients only. The relative in- sandth of a wave length or cycle. Our hearing faculty, to direction derives loudspeaker units was switched about detect such small differences in phase, would have to tensity from different transients. According to the stereophonic act as an incredibly sensitive phase comparator. And I rapidly between the follow -through tone should do mean incredibly, for experts agree that the average theory usually presented, drift around, but this second effect could set of human ears is almost totally insensitive to phase have seemed to due to the proclivity of the hearing relations of this order. not be detected at all, ignores the confusing tendency At the other end of the scale, in the region of, say faculty just mentioned, that tones caused by reverberation, and ad- 10,000 cycles, the wave length is a little less than 2 inches. of follow- through its first directional impression. So there will be 3 or 4 waves' difference between the two heres to perhaps more dramatic, experiment that ears when a sound comes from one side or the other. If Another, and to be true, consisted of playing pro- the sense of direction were dependent upon the relative showed this principle separate channels with a few phase at the two ears, there would be considerable am- gram material over two by using separate pickup biguity about the precise position of the sound source at milliseconds time difference, first pickup was amplified and fed to a small such a frequency. If wave and wave 4 exactly coincide heads. The free to be moved about to in their arrival at their respective ears, for instance, how portable radio loudspeaker, later pickup was fed to are the latter to sense a direction? various positions. The slightly unit loudspeakers. And what about standing waves? They never seem to a wide -range system using multiple The impression was that be mentioned in discussions of stereophonics. Standing The effect was extraordinary. was coming from the waves build up in any room or enclosed space, when a the high -quality wide -range sound wherever this happened to be continuous tone is generated, because of reflection from small radio loudspeaker, seemed to be wall surfaces. You can check this by listening to a i,000 at the moment, and the big loudspeakers cycle tone, or some other frequency, reproduced from a silent! from the first sound loudspeaker. While the tone is being emitted contin- In other words, direction is sensed uously, try, with your eyes shut, to locate the position to reach the ear. we're not recom- of the sound source. If you do not know where the loud- What does all this prove? Well, phony stereo - speaker is, you'll find it very difficult to tell because, as mending any Goldbergian devices to produce of course, that can soon as you move your head, the apparent position of the phony. There is no known machine, on your record sound will change. This is because these standing waves predict that the next important transient be emphasized build up the intensity of the sound in the room, or en- will be an oboe note, and thus should of this closed space, to a point where the waves no longer travel from your left -hand loudspeaker. The purpose but produce pressure alternations all through the area and article is simply to show that much that is being said upon these pressure areas are stationary. The hypothesis telling today about stereophonic reproduction is not based us how we sense direction assumes the sound to be valid hypotheses. traveling. Any theory based upon relative phase of continuous So whether we consider our sense of direction to be tones I consider invalid. What the ear uses to determine due to difference in intensity at the two ears, difference direction is not the phase of continuous tones but the time the in phase, or a combination of both, it must be dependent and intensity difference of transient components - upon moving waves and not stationary or continuous ones. wave front where the tones actually begin. Exactly how The only time we encounter definitely moving waves we are to generate in our living rooms a sound field that is at the occurrence of transients, when the individual tones accurately reproduces these particular parts of the original start. As the tones are sustained, the waves build up to a sound field is something for engineers and physicists to standing wave. After the tones cease, the waves die away investigate further. according to the reverberation period of the room. The fact the "classic" hypothesis is not adequate can Now we should have a little better mental picture of be further demonstrated from investigation of the methods how we sense direction on composite program material. used for producing stereophonic recordings. We listeners When the first wave front of a particular sound reaches may fondly imagine that two or three microphones are us, our critical sense of timing, between the two ears, placed in positions representative of the spacing that will comes into play and assesses the direction from which this be used between our two or three loudspeakers in play- wave arrives. As the tone continues, a standing wave back. This is not always true. The microphones are spaced builds up but the hearing faculty seems to ignore any con- farther apart in many instances, and the instrumentalists fusion that the standing wave might cause, and goes on may be grouped around the microphones so as to cause a with the impression conveyed by the initial wave front, bigger- than -natural differential between the sounds re- continuing to imagine that the whole sound comes from corded on the two or three channels. But when the sound the same general direction. is reproduced, it still can give the desired effect, a solid This fact, although not well understood, has been proven array of musicians, not groups Continued on page 133

JANUARY 1.957 59

www.americanradiohistory.com by PHILIP L. MILLER

LAST FALL in Milan, where I found Bauer has known - Frida Leider, Sammarco, Boninsegna myself with only a day to spend, - and Titta Ruffo, who once in his later years invited him there was one thing I wanted to do to dinner, then afterward sang for him, a rarely accorded besides visiting the Cathedral and privilege. The latest excitement in the house was the the Galleria and viewing the Last acquisition of a couple of test pressings of recordings by Supper: look up the author of the Lola Beech, a famous German soprano who had one acoustical record collector's bible, Metropolitan season in the 9os and who was not known Roberto Bauer. I telephoned from to have made any records at all. The selections were the hotel where I was staying, but trifling songs, the one by Karl Goldmark, the other - Roberto Bauer the lady who answered obviously astonishingly - Mascagni ( though to a German text) ; did not understand my carefully constructed questions, but the voice was lovely, the reproduction not bad. Taking and I soon found myself cut off. At this point I wondered my departure, I had reason to hope we would meet again, whether Signor Bauer would have any particular reason for Signor Bauer told me he was to make his first visit for wanting to meet me, and almost gave up in discourage- to the States that season, at the behest of the Metropolitan ment. But there was a way. The young man at the Opera Association. hotel switchboard understood my Italian better than had It perhaps may seem remarkable that during my visit the lady and did not in the least mind getting Signor I learned strangely little about Signor Bauer himself. Bauer for me, after which it was plain sailing. Bauer Every collector on this side of the Atlantic knows as much speaks excellent English, and he was as cordial as I could as I did after a pleasant conversation. And so when we have hoped. did meet for lunch in New York, I made up for lost time. He was so sorry he was engaged that evening; would Roberto Bauer was born in Milan of a German father I care to call at eleven the following morning? I would and an Italian mother. His mother was not a singer, but indeed. Our rented car meant that no timetables had was an opera enthusiast; she held a box at La Scala for to be considered, and the next day I climbed the two many years and knew all the celebrities of her time. flights of stairs to his spacious and comfortable apart- Roberto's first opera experience was at the age of six, ment. My host proved to be a man of average build when he was taken to hear Cavalleria Rusticana with with a suggestion of premature grayness, whose urbane Luisa Garibaldi and Bernardo de Muro - certainly some- manner assorted well with his fine old Renaissance furni- thing to remember. Not long thereafter he heard a Falstaff ture. Our conversation ranged, not unnaturally, from the cast that included Sammarco, Garbin, Mansuetto, Concetti, singers listed in his monumental discography - Historical Fabbri, and surely not least, Lucrezia Boni. He also was Records 1898/1909-to the present great in the opera introduced to Le Donne Curiose, Aida, and Carmen. But world. He knows them all. They come to his home to like all good things, this period of felicity came to an hear his priceless records, for he has one of the great col- end. "I was so impressed,' he says, "that for ten years lections of the world. And he knows their achievements I was not allowed to go to the opera." so well that he has become a representative of our own In the course of time Bauer went to Germany for his Metropolitan in Italy and has been responsible for the schooling, first at Wiesbaden, later at Frankfurt am Main, engagement of more than one important singer. Over where he entered the University. But then, he recalls, glasses of Punt e Mes (a delicious Italian vermouth served "My mother decided it was good for a young man to see with lemon) we talked of some of the older singers the world, so I was sent to England and France for a

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www.americanradiohistory.com do Pinto justice, that the equipment we had could not reproduce her voice adequately." Another incentive to his collecting was his interest in reading. "I used to read everything I could find about singers in countries other than Italy, and then I wanted to get records of them to see how they compared with the day, by chance, in the Mario The compiler of the acoustical record collector's bible tells Italian singers. Then one Levi shop (now II Disco), I found a copy of The Gramo- of the making of a monumental discography and promises that, phone, and there was Collectors' Corner, run by P. G. with luck and labor, the second volume will be on its way. Hurst; so I began to understand that there were other people just as crazy as I was. I got in touch with Hurst, who put me in contact with many other collectors. Since then I have collected and exchanged in many countries. My idea was to find at least one or two disks of every singer of international importance in all countries. This did not prevent me from collecting singers of the present &.,)K2A(01,6 along with those of the past, or from buying symphonies, quartets, etc. Some singers I admired so much that I tried to collect them complete. During the war I lost some 6,000 records, mostly G & T, Fonotipia, etc. My present collection numbers about io,000 78s, and about couple of years. I was about twenty. Then I went back 1,000 LPs. Of course, numerically, it is by no means one to Milan, where I began to attend all the opera perform- of the greatest collections in the world, but I think it is ances. But now mother didn't like the singers at La Scala, a very interesting one, because of the many unusual things. always remembering those she had heard when she was So far as numbers are concerned there are many much young, and so I began to look for records bearing the bigger collections. Fortunately most of the rarities I lost names she talked about. I studied singing for a while with during the war I was able to replace again, though a Giovanni Laura, teacher of Giovanni Gravina, Galiano few very rare specimens, such as the Leffler -Burkhardt Masini, and Giuseppina Cobelli, who was one of the Walküre and the Kousnjetzowa G & T, could not be finest artists I ever heard, though I believe she was not found again. known in America. But I was intelligent enough to "When Hurst's Recorded Memories came out I found hear myself, and I understood I would never become a it quite incomplete, covering only artists known in London. Titta Ruffo or a Josef Schwarz." I thought that also America, Italy, France, and the Scandina- And here he made a confession. "If I were given a choice vian countries would be interested in this kind of book, between an opera and a good concert, I would go to the and it should contain singers who appeared at the Metro- concert." His knowledge of the lieder repertoire is large, politan, La Scala, Stockholm, Paris, Vienna, Berlin. It and he has great admiration for such nonoperatic artists would be helpful also to collect numbers, dates, and pub- as Julia Culp, Elena Gerhardt, Fritz Steiner, and Helge lishers, and so my catalogue was bgrn. I know it is incom- Lindberg. plete; I have enough material for Vol. 2, which will be I asked about his favorite operas. He replied without as big as the first book. hesitation, "Fidelio, Götterdämmerung, Elektra - of Mo- "It may surprise you if I say that I never thought of zart, Così fan tutte. I am fond, too, of Rossini, Paisiello, any date, certainly not 1909, which was the limitation of and Verdi. But in my personal, private view, the most my first catalogue, as ending the period of 'historical perfect opera is Carmen. I can't say I like modern music, records.' I start from the point of view that even modern with a few exceptions, but it interests me very much. records are 'historical,' as in some thirty or forty years I am glad when new operas are performed in Italy or they will belong just as much to the past as the records elsewhere, otherwise how would it be possible for them of the beginning of the century. I feel most strongly to be judged? The best modern opera - that is, of the that collectors of today should bear this in mind, so that postwar period -I consider Peter Grimes. anything of musical or historical value, however common "In 1931 I was back in Milan, where I attended hundreds it may seem today, will not be lost tomorrow. It is re- of performances at La Scala and other opera houses. My grettable that so far there does not exist some kind of mother was less and less satisfied. And so I began my museum where records are available to everybody who is search for records by Litvinne, Terrazzini, Caruso, Battis- interested in them (I mean to listen to them ) and I hope tini, Ruffo, and others. In those days it was possible to that in time at some spot in the world such a museum will get records in junk shops, flea markets, and such out -of- be founded. I seriously intend to leave in my last will the -way places. I succeeded quite well. For a long time my whole collection to some public institution; if the I had hopes of finding records by Amelia Pinto. When I museum exists, surely to it." finally did find one, I was utterly disappointed. I was I asked Signor Bauer who were his favorite singers, convinced that Leider was a better Isolde than Pinto ever agreeing that it would be safest to draw a dateline, and could have been. Mother objected that the record did not consider only those of the Continued on page 132

JANUARY 1957 61

www.americanradiohistory.com Aroint thee, Obtrusive Melody!

by H. W. HEINSHEIMER

Are there times when the Muse should soothe, and nothing more? Mr. Edward B. Benjamin thinks so, and backs his preference with cash.

HAVING UNLEASHED on the world Elvis Presley sail up and down the coast from New Orleans to Boston, and an onerous assortment of others who have filled always heaving -to on Sunday afternoons, when all hands the psychiatric wards and the waiting rooms of ear special- on the ketch Indra Ill are sent below deck and told to ists throughout the land, the South now offers an antidote pipe down while the skipper and his lady listen to the not only to the shrieks of its own musical dervishes but broadcast of the Philharmonic Orchestra from New York. to the tensions, strains, and nerve -wrecking hysterics of That a man of such diversified callings and absorbing our time in general. It has introduced to the nation's enterprises would feel the occasional need for relaxation musical scene one Mr. Edward B. Benjamin, a gentle, and rest seems understandable. That Mr. Benjamin turned slender, energetic, and erudite millionaire who has been, to music, and not to golf or bridge or deep sea fishing, and still is, spending a lot of time, thought, effort, and in order to sooth his mind and relax his body when he money to give to this worried, restless world a large and emerged from his labors has been a very lucky circum- still increasing offering of what he calls with prophetic stance and a factor of far reaching consequences. As he fervor "Restful Music." went after everything else in life, Mr. B. went after his Mr. Benjamin spends a few months every year in rest and relaxation in a big way. Greensboro, North Carolina, to look after some 3,000 acres It was not pure accident that he chose music, of course. of family holdings; to approve the building of a few He had been exposed to it from his early childhood, since hundred new homes, a golf course or two, and a couple he came of a family which once -more than a generation of shopping centers; and to ride up and down Benjamin ago - supported the musical life of New Orleans almost Parkway before returning to his native New Orleans where single- handed, subsidizing concerts and importing sym- he gave up his textile, salt, and chemical endeavors after, phony orchestras from St. Louis and Minneapolis. Young as he puts it, "oil came in for us in a very substantial way." Edward took up the cello and spent many an evening At other times during the year Mr. B. and his beautiful as the youngest member of the French Opera Club in wife race their horses in Saratoga and Miami, and gaily the old New Orleans opera house. When he went on to Harvard he was provided with a subscription to the Boston Symphony, to become one of fewer than half a dozen undergraduates who went regularly to hear Karl Muck and his band. And when the family acquired a summer home on the New Jersey coast, fate put it next to a house wherein lived a young member of the Guggen- heim family whose fancy it was to assemble a complete collection of every Victor Red Seal record in existence. Today Mr. Benjamin's attitude towards music has changed slightly from his days at Symphony Hall and the Red Seal fiestas at the New Jersey seashore. One day recently I sat opposite him in the beautiful, restful living room of his Starmount Farm in Greensboro, while the third movement of Hindemith's String Quartet No. 3, one of more than 50o selections of "restful music" which he has put on tape, floated gently from a loudspeaker,

62 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com what made a hidden in a converted pine kitchen sink of early colonial mind, was the common denominator. Just vintage, pleasantly competing with the pretty warble of the piece eligible? I could think of many a tranquil composi- North Carolina birds in the garden and an occasional neigh tion that was missing from the collection. Benja- from one of the horses in the stable down the road. "We are not talking about tranquil music," Mr. it. I "Music," Mr. B. explained to me, is something functional, min said a little testily. "I have nothing against dinner something 'to use.' It is not a sanctification, not just a usually play some tranquil music while I have It part of your cultural heritage and make -up or a result of with my wife. It gives me a feeling of Gemütlichkeit. for example, careful training - it is simply and purely a sensuous acts like a cocktail. A Haydn Symphony, enjoyment, to be used with discretion, lest it become a or Ravel's Mother Goose, or the Classical Symphony by and vice like any other sensual thrill. From its early beginnings, Prokofiev. Tranquil music is music that charms soothes." music has been put to use: it sings babies to sleep, it cheers. But restful music is music that charms and of music he serenades women into submission, boats are dragged up He had thought a lot about the sort experience the Volga and the Yellow River to its relentless sound. It considers restful and had found from his own evaluating the sends armies marching, and teen -agers dancing. It uplifts and by testing and watching and carefully the hearts of worshipers, sets the pace for a funeral pro- reaction of others - his own family, his friends, guests, coming in cession, and lohengrins the bride down the aisle. I, too, a carpenter working in the house, the cook he wish to use music to satisfy my personal functional needs from the kitchen, spellbound with wide open eyes - be defined as and as a mature American I find that my primary need had found out that restful music could best - or marked percussion in the home is not excitement through music, not stimula- soft, slow composition without vocal It might be found tion - my primary need, at home, is restful music." effects and without obtrusive melody. The Hindemith movement came to an end. There was in every period of music, and it could be played by a symphony orchestra, a group a silence of half a minute or so and then -Mr. Benjamin's a string quartet, an organ, within its limitations. tapes of restful music play for over three hours and he of wind players. It had great variety tested restful music to his has about twenty of them! - music from Handel's Pastor Once he had defined and and sincerely to Fido, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham, filled the room. I complete satisfaction and taken it deeply faced with a much began to give in, bodily and mentally, to the soothing sensa- his heart, Mr. Benjamin found himself of thousands tion, to the soft, gentle saturation of the atmosphere with more difficult task: first, how to find, out fitted the pleasant, beautifully reproduced sound. All the strain and and thousands of compositions, the music that piece after piece, effort seemed to go out of our conversation. My host theory and then, after he had found without noticed it and smiled. movement after movement, how to play the music "It was never my idea that restful music should replace constantly changing records, searching for the beginning middle of a the excitement and the uplift of music in the concert hall of a movement on an LP, turning 785 in the that defied or the opera house," he continued, while the shepherd's piece, being kept busy all evening in an activity Mr. Benjamin's lament was filling the house and making me relax deeply the very purpose it was aimed at. And so a man with a stagger- in my chair. "But there are many evenings in my busy tapes came into existence. He found memory, life when, after dinner, I have to look over reports, read ing knowledge of recorded music and an unfailing York, trade papers, work on many matters to which I can give Walter Diehl, then on the staff of WQXR in New the restful no attention during the day. By playing my beautiful who went to work to research and classify all collection of records restful music as a background I give myself a treat that music he could find in the enormous with the assistance of nothing else can give me. I help myself overcome my in the WQXR library. Later, and Sym- fatigue and the tedium of having to work evenings as Eugene Showalter, an oboist with the New Orleans well rota- every busy American has to do, more frequently than he phony, he organized them in pleasant, -balanced I nothing could realizes. The farmer has his farm journal to peruse, young tion and put them on tapes. think that this people have to do their homework, the doctor and the more clearly illustrate the whole principle behind of attorney have to brush up on their professional knowl- ambitious undertaking and the tremendous amount than the edge, the teacher pores over examination pa- constructive work that went into it, Track A pers, preachers prepare their sermons, sales- contents of one of the reels - Reel 9, Restful men work on their accounts. My music, I and B - from the Benjamin -Diehl know, will help them to go through their tasks Music Library: Ele- with a free and easy mind, happily separated ( t) Ture Rangstroem - Divertimento from the blare of television and the noise of giaco for Strings. radio commercials." ( 2 ) Tommaso Albinoni - Concerto for 2 The Handel music had by now been replaced Oboes, 2 movements. Violin Concerto. Noc- by a movement from Massenet s Scènes Al- (3) Shostakovich - saciennes, and as there was so much variety turne (Oistrakh) . even among these few selections - Hindemith, (4) Reger - Three Choral Preludes. Handel, Massenet - and as I could see from (5) Haydn- String Quartet Op. 2, No. 3, the list Mr. B. had handed me, Bartók's String third movement. Symphony No. 4, Quartet No. 5 was to be next, it was only (6) Bernard Wagenaar - logical that I wanted to know what, to his fourth movement. Continued on page 129

JANUARY 1957 63

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www.americanradiohistory.com Heathkit Model FM -3A High Fidelity FM Tuner Kit HEATHKIT SPEAKER SYSTEM KITS -compensated oscillator. Ten Features A.G.C., and stabilized, temperature These speaker systems are a very vocal demonstration sensitivity for 20 DB of quieting. Covers standard FM uy what be done with high -quality speakers in en- mc. Ratio detector for efficient hi -fi $2595* of can band from 88 to 108 to receive them. Power supply built in. Illuminated slide rule closures that are designed especially performance. (With Cabinet) to dial. Pre- aligned coils and front end tuning unit. Shpg. Wt. 7 Lbs. Notice, too, that these two enclosures are designed work together, as your high- fidelity system expands. Heathkit Model BC -1 Broadband AM Tuner Kit Special AM tuner circuit features broad band width, high $2595* Heathkit Model SS -1 High Fidelity sensitivity and good selectivity. Employs special detector Speaker System Kit for minimum signal distortion. Covers 550 to 1600 kc. RF (With Cabinet) Employing two Jensen speakers, Wt. e lbs. and IF coils pre -aligned. Power supply is built in. Shpg. the Model SS -1 covers 50 to Heathkit Model WA -P2 High Fidelity Preamplifier Kit 12,000 CPS within t 5 DB. It can fulfill your present needs, Provides 5 inputs, each with individual level controls. Tone controls pro- and still provide for future ex- vide 18 DB boost and 12 DB cut at 50 CPS and 15 DB boost and 20 DB use of the SS= cut at 15,000 CPS. Features four -position turnover and Ais pansion through $17 is 1600 CPS and the system is rated roll -off controls. Derives operating power from the main IB. Cross-over frequency at 2.5 watts. impedance is 16 ohms. Cabinet is a ducted -port amplifier, requiring only 63 VAC at 1 a. and 300 VDC (With Cabinet) wt. 7 Lbs. type, and is most attractively at 10 ma. Shpg. bass -reflex $3995 Kit includes all components, pre -cut Kit styled. Heathkit Model W -5M Advanced- Design High Fidelity Amplifier and pre -drilled, for assembly. Shpg. Wt. 30 Lbs. This 25 -watt unit is our finest high -fidelity amplifier. Employs KT -66 out- SS Range Extending put tubes and a Peerless output transformer. Frequency response t I DB Heathkit Model -1B Speaker System Kit from 5 to 160,000 CPS at one watt. Harmonic distortion $5975 less than 1 %a at 25 watts, and IM distortion less than This range extending unit uses 1% at 20 watts. Hum and noise are 99 DB below 25 watts. Shpg. Wt. 31 Lbs. a 15' woofer and a super - Output impedance is 4, 8 or 16 ohms. Must be heard to Express Only tweeter to cover 35 to 600 CPS be fully appreciated. and 4000 to 16,000 CPS. Used SS -1, it com- MODEL W -5: Consists of Model W -5M above plus Model Shpg. Wt. 38 Lbs. with the Model Express only pletes the audio spectrum for WA -P2 preamplifier. $81.50 combined coverage of 35 to Heathkit Model W -3M Dual -Chassis High Fidelity Amplifier Kit 16,000 CPS within t 5 DB. This 20 -watt Williamson Type amplifier employs the famous Acrosound Made of top -quality furniture- Model TO -300 "ultra linear" output transformer and uses 5881 output grade plywood. All parts are tubes. Two -chassis construction provides additional flexi- pre -cut and pre -drilled, ready bility in mounting. Frequency response is t I DB from for assembly and the finish of 1% $4975 6 CPS to 150 kc at 1 watt. Harmonic distortion only your choice. Components for at 21 watts, and I M distortion only 1.3% at 20 watts. Out- Shpg. Wt. 29 Lbs. cross -over circuit included with put impedance is 4, 8 or 16 ohms. Hum and noise are 88 Express only kit. Power ra- DB below 20 watts. ting is 35 watts, $9995 MODEL W -3: Consists of Model W -3M above plus Model Shpg. Wt. 37 Lbs. impedance is 16 Express only Shpg. wt 80 Lbs. WA -P2 preamplifier. $71.50* ohms.

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www.americanradiohistory.com by Roland Gelatt mus es malzers

EARLY JANUARY being a tradi- as the Rachmaninoff Second Piano professional musicians as well as for tional time for sober evaluation of Concerto will be of interest to the the majority of lay record collectors, matters of moment, this department public. (2) The record industry will it is a fascinating experience to avail has been eliciting opinions on the continue to find new and better ways themselves in their homes of the vari- state of the record industry from offi- of recording, sound will further im- ous interpretations of multifarious per- cials of several companies. Where do prove, and stereophonic versions of formances. Even the growth or the manufacturers of records find them- the standard repertoire will eventually development of one artist and his selves today and whither are they be very much wanted. (3) New changed approach to one and the same going in the coming year? Is it to be young people are being attracted to piece of music, over the years, is a the mixture as before, or will 1957 music, and they are the ones who are most gratifying experience for the lis- bring cataclysmic innovations? In buying the new phonographs. They tener. Nor is this restricted to old short, how's business? want to know what is the latest, best - established performers. For instance, All persons queried seem agreed sounding version of a Beethoven sym- newcomers like Paul Badura -Skoda that music on records is thriving, phony." have recorded for Westminster one thank you, as never before. More cus- Newness for the sake of newness, piece, such as the Schubert Moments tomers are buying more records for however, apparently does not influ- Musicaux, twice over a period of four more phonographs in more shops, ence the thinking at London Records. years, and the result of those two etc., etc. Still, life in the record in- According to Remy Van Wyck Farkas, different records gives a fascinating dustry these days is not without its director of artists and repertoire: "We insight into the development of the perils. There is, for example, the prob- shall continue to update our catalogue artist. Our established artists will con- lem of repertoire. Beethoven's Eroica in regard to the so- called 'standard' tinue to record all those performances can be heard in twenty-odd different repertoire but we shall do so only which can throw a new and interest- recorded interpretations already, and if we have the right artists for the ing light on a standard piece of music. the question of market saturation right material. We have absolutely At the same time, we shall also en- naturally arises. Is the time approach- no intention of making another Bee- deavor to discover new talent and ing when the record- buying public thoven No. 5 because it happens to bring names before the American pub- simply will not support another new be the Fifth of Ludwig Van. Any lic who previously were unknown." Eroica? The consensus seems ro be company looks foolish if they simply Decca's classical a & r chief, Israel that that unhappy prospect is still a issue a popular symphony or concerto Horowitz, stresses the continuing ad- long time off. regardless of who the interpretive vancement of recording techniques. Lloyd W. Dunn, vice -president of musicians may be, particularly when "If all the elements of the production Capitol Records, can foresee the it is already finely represented by a of musical sound on disks were cal- time when "manufacturers will be in Toscanini, Heifetz, or Horowitz. But culable," he says, "we might then a 'survival of the fittest' situation," if the new artist (s) happens to have eventually look to a product that and this he feels will be "a wholesome something to say, the success of the would consistently please the most dis- state of affairs -good for the public rendition is definitely assured. Look at criminating. But the capture of fi- and, in the long run, good for the Angel redoing the Beethoven Ninth delity is an art as well as a science. manufacturer." "However," he quickly with Otto Klemperer after having only The variables are numberless, and adds, "the growing public demand recently finished with Karajan. This human judgment is constantly called certainly pushes into the distant future surely makes sense because Klemperer upon to temper calculated judgment. any problems concerning this sub- is a truly great conductor, and I would Who can say that the last word on ject." For the present, Mr. Dunn finds expect collectors to support such re- sound has yet been uttered? It would the current sales of hi -fi phonographs leases." As for London's own artists, be a mistake for the record buyer to extremely heartening. He estimates Mr. Farkas mentions the pianists Back - assume that before long any major that each new phonograph owner pur- haus, Curzon, and Gulda as represent- record producer will rest content that chases at least thirty-five or forty al- ative of musicians who "have some- he has finally issued the ultimate ver- bums the first year, and that makes thing to say every time they sit down sion of even the most standard master- for a tremendously expanding market. to play." "I am not concerned about piece." Another vice -president, RCA's the repertoire," he asserts, "only con- Maynard Solomon, of Vanguard, George R. Marek, agrees that there cerned that they give me all the time draws a literary parallel to support will be a growing demand for new we would like to make recordings his contention that the duplication of versions of standard repertoire. "Three with them." standard repertoire on LP has a logical fundamental factors," as he sees them, Westminster operates on the theory rationale. "It is true," he says, "that "are at work: (r ) New young artists that variety is the spice of a phono- there are some magnificent 'classic' are coming into the field whose in- philé s life. Kurt List, this company's terpretations of such a standard piece musical director, writes: "For many Continued from page 69

JANUARY i957 67

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www.americanradiohistory.com appreci- performances which make most others alliance with English Decca (two phonic recording will expand Miss Cozart sound weak, frivolous, or inadequate. Strauss tone poems performed by the ably in the future," but intends And yet, just as each period writes its Vienna Philharmonic under Reiner). does not say when Mercury Van- own histories and reappraisals of the Columbia has some Mozart piano con- to begin wooing this market. is likewise past, so it has its own fresh and valid certos performed by Serkin en route, guard's Maynard Solomon viewpoints about past music. And so also a Messiah conducted by Leonard sanguine about stereo's potentialities we intend to be on the lookout for Bernstein. Vanguard will be pub- and silent about his company's speci- artists who have something fresh, lishing several new Alfred Deller re- fic plans. "There will be," he believes, re- valid, and exciting to say, even about cordings, among them Monteverdi's "a steadily rising interest in stereo of trans- a well -known masterpiece." Il ballo delle ingrate. cording, but not to the extent at least Columbia's president, Goddard Lie - forming the record industry, George berson, in a characteristically whim- STEREO TAPE is clearly due for con- for a decade." Vox's president, stereo sical mood, believes that "there will siderable promotion during 1957. All H. Mendelssohn, looks beyond that continue to be duplication of reper- the major record producers are now tape to stereo records. He believes toire unless somebody can resuscitate planning to jump aboard the stereo "the day is very close when the prob- Beethoven and Brahms and get them bandwagon, at the proper moment, lem of stereo records will be solved. prob- to write a few more symphonies though all of them will not admit as As a matter of fact, I believe the the apiece." Since this eventuality seems much. Angel, Columbia, and Decca lem is solved, and that they are at improbable, he suggests that we accept prefer to keep mum for the time be- present time trying to work out an in- duplication as endemic to the business ing about stereo projects. Others are ternational standardization of the proc- and realize that there is some good willing to talk about stereo, but only ess of making stereo records." and in it. "Records have now trained in general terms; Capitol, London, Two companies, RCA Victor people to listen to music they have Mercury, Vanguard, and Vox fall into Westminster, are delighted to get never heard before-new and old this category. down to cases on the subject of stereo music. The next step will be for these Lloyd Dunn asserts: "Capitol, as a tape. George Marek says that Victor listeners to become more discriminat- major company, is well prepared to be is "already feeling an increase in in- ing, to listen to more than one version competitive if and when stereo tapes terest in stereo tape recordings. This How- depend- of a particular work and to accept the develop a mass market appeal. interest is, of course, directly differences as valid and valuable. This ever, with the tremendous improve- ent on and proportionate to the de- applies both to standard as well as less ment in phonograph records, and the velopment of good stereo tape players familiar modern works." growing sales of record players, we at a reasonable cost. RCA is working feel that - at least for the next few on this problem. All important re- years-stereo tape will be a luxury cording sessions are now being done ANGEL's Dorle Soria prefers to be item for those who have the time, in- in stereo. However, don't give any- specific rather than general regarding terest, and money to obtain the finer body the idea that stereo will replace future repertoire. In 1957 the EMI disks. Not for years to come. It is affiliate intends to issue no less than a question of cost." Cost notwith- five complete operas with Maria Cal- standing, Victor plans to issue an in- las: Bohème, Trovatore, Ballo, Turan- creasing number of Red Seal record- dot, and Barbiere. Also promised is ings on stereo tape during 1957. Like a Karajan- directed Rosenkavalier with Mercury, Victor is now making three - Schwarzkopf and Edelmann. Sir channel recordings (on half -inch Thomas Beecham will provide the tape), but only for the purpose of Angel label with Die Entführung the ultimate mon- (Mozart), highlights from The Bohe- better controlling aural and binaural products; no three - mian Girl (Balfe), The Seasons channel commercial issues are contem- (Haydn), Song of Destiny (Brahms) , plated. and "albums of ballet music of various "Westminster," Kurt List tells us, kinds." Two contemporary German "will certainly do all of its recording composers are to be well represented in the future stereophonically as well -Carl Orff with his celebrated Trip- as monaurally, and will make a cer- tych and the opera Der Mond, Paul tain number of stereophonic tapes Hindemith with a composer- conducted nuances in reproduced music." Lon- available on Sonotape. Obviously the album of six major works. don's Remy Farkas has no comment market is still limited, partly because Particulars were vouchsafed by a to make on stereo "save that we are many stereophonic efforts have fallen few other companies. RCA Victor at least as well prepared for all even- far short of expectations. However, will dip into its backlog of Toscanini tualities as the next company." initial successes of Westminster stereo- tapes for a two -LP album called Verdi Wilma Cozart, vice -president of phonic recordings, as released by Sono - and Toscanini as well as for the long- Mercury Records, explains that "all tape, already prove that a quality tape awaited Aida. The last fruits of the Mercury Living Presence sessions have meets a wide demand." expiring alliance with HMV will be been done in both three -channel stereo coming before May I (Boito's Me f is- and binaural form for two years now" indicate tof ele, Brahms's German Requiem, and adds parenthetically that Mercury ALL OF WHICH seems to to Gay's Beggar's Opera, Puccini's Il Ta- was "the first company to record three - that the record companies expect barro, Stravinsky's L'Histoire du sol- channel stereo." "We feel sure," she stay solvent in 1957 -and to keep dat), also the first fruits of the new concludes, "that the market for stereo- the rest of us in poverty.

JANUARY 1957 69

www.americanradiohistory.com Opera Highlights

"CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA" and "PAGLIACCI" Highlights from La Scala recordings, conducted by Serafin Starring MARIA MENEGHINI CALLAS (Santuzza and Nedda), GIUSEPPE DI STEFANO (Turiddu and Canio), TITO COBB! tTonio). One 12" record Angel 35345 Previously Released: "NORMA" Highlights, La Scala recording with Callas in title role (35379). "CALLAS SINGS LUCIA ", Scenes from Florence May Festival recording, with The Gieseking Legacy Di Stefano and Gobbi (35382). BEETHOVEN SONATA SERIES From Ireland : Walter Gieseking had planned to record all the Beethoven Another Great Play Sonatas. When he died in London he had completed 23, THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD , including the first 20 - except for Opus 31, No. 1, which he was to have done the day after he was taken ill, and the last by John Millington Synge I movement of Opus 28, which was to have been recorded the Synge wrote in his preface: "ln a good play every speech night of his fatal attack.... should be as fully flavoured as a nut or an apple ".. . January Release Dublin recorded, this album preserves all the "flavour" of the Celtic masterpiece. "Tempest" Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 SIOANStarring CYRIL CUSACK as Christy Mahon and Sonata No. 18 in E -flat major, Op. 31, No. 3 BH McKENNA as Pegeen Mike One 12" record Angel Previously Released 35352 in roles they have richly and eloquently interpreted from Dublin to the International Theatre Festival in Paris. "Moonlight" Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 Also: Maire Kean and Harry Brogan "Pathétique" Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 Angel (of the Abbey Theatre ), 35025 Seamus Kavanagh. Thomas Studley. "Appassionata" Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 Two 12" records Angel Album 3547 8 (35357 -8) "Waldstein" Sonata No. 21 in C major. Op. 53 Angel 35024 Factory -Sealed Gala Coming in March Edition contains illustrated booklet with essay by poet Louis MacNeice, pictures and biographies of Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 cast, excerpts from play, etc. Sonata No. 31 in A -flat major, Op. 110 Reminder: Angel's magnificent recording of Sean O'Casey's Oistrakh and Fournier "Juno and the Payeock" with Cyril Cusack and Siobhán :McKenna (Angel Album 3540 B). DAVID OISTRAKH plays Tartini: "Devil's Trill" Sonata in G minor "I Musics" - Early Italian Music Mozart: Sonata No. 32 in B flat, K.4S4 Pianist: Vladimir Yampolsky (recorded in London) CORELLI: CONCERTO GROSSO NO. 1, OP. 6 One 12" record Angel 35356 VIVALDI: CONCERTO IN A MAJOR FOR Note: Angel has released a dozen Oistrakh albums, includ ing Oistrakh Encores (35354), Beethoven Concerto (35162) VIOLA D'AMORE AND STRINGS Soloist: Bruno Giuranna. Bruch Concerto No. 1 and Prokofiev Concerto No. 1 (35243) Taneiev Concert Suite (35355). Write for complete list. CONCERTO IN D MINOR, OP. 3, NO. 11 PIERRE FOURNIER plays ( "L'Estro Armonico") Schumann: 'Cello Concerto in A minor MARTINI: CONCERTO IN F FOR PIANO, STRINGS Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme Soloist: Maria Teresa Garatti. One 12" record Angel 35253 Philharmonia Orchestra Conductor: Sir Malcolm urgent Angel's 5th album recorded by Italy's group of superb Note: This is Fournier's first Angel recording. musician- virtuosi whose name is "The Musicians ". One 12" record Angel 35397 Previously released: Four Vivaldi Concertos (35087) ; Music Karajan - Klemperer - Markevitch of Rossini, Tartini, Galoppi, Marcello (35086) ; of Albinoni, Gabrieli, Marcello, Vivaldi (35088) ; Pergolesi two -record MOZART: CLARINET CONCERTO (soloist: Bernard Walton) album including 6 Concertini for Strings (Album 3538 B). SYMPHONY NO. 39 IN E FLAT, K.543 Herbert von Karajan, conductor. Philharmonia Orchestra. "Angels In Pigtails" One 12" record Angel 35323 Karajan and Philharmonia have also recorded Mozart's Eine OBERNKIRCHEN CHILDREN'S CHOIR in Kleine Nachtmusik and Sinfonia Concertante in E flat FOLK SONGS AND FAIRY TALES (35098) ; Four Horn Concertos, soloist Dennis Brain (35092) Side One: 6 numbers including The Elfin Friend (Freund BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 7 Husch), Wiegenlied, Vespergesang, The Echo, and Medley Otto Klemperer, conductor. Philharmonia Orchestra. of German Children's Songs. Side Two: "The Bremen One 12" record Angel 35330 Town Musicians", delightful musical fantasy based on Klemperer and Philharmonia have also recorded Beethoven's Grimm Fairy Tale, sung in English ... this new recording " Eroica" Symphony No. 3 (35328) ; Overtures "Fideliu" and ends with "America the Beautiful" with which the Obern- "Leonore" 1. 2, 3 (35258) . kirchen Children's Choir salutes its friends all over the country who have listened to its songs in concert and on SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONY NO. 1 Angel Records. One 12" Blue Label record Angel 65031 PROKOFIEV: SCYTHIAN SUITE Also available: ; Igor Markevitch, conductor. Christmas Songs (65021) The Happy Wan- derer (64008) ; The Little White Hen (64012). Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française. One 12" record Angel 35361 Markevitch and Orchestre National have also recorded Haydn Symphonies 101 "Clock" and 102 (35312) ; Schubert "Unfin- ished" and Mendelssohn "Italian" Symphonies (35309) ; Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite and Divertimento 135143) ; Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. Moussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, Borodin's Polovtsian Dances (351441._ feeorc15

ANGEL RECORDS, ELECTRIC & MUSICAL INDUSTRIES (U.S.) LIMITED, 38 WEST 48 ST., NEW YORK CITY a subsidiary of Electric & Musical Industries Ltd., Hayes, Middlesex, England

70 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Reviewed by PAUL AFFELDER NATHAN BRODER C. G. BURKE JOHN M. CONLY

RAY ERICSON ALFRED FRANKENSTEIN ROLAND GELATT JOAN GRIFFITHS

JA MES HINTON, JR. HOWARD LAFAY ROBERT C. MARSH MURRAY SCHUMACH JOHN S. WILSON

Classical Music 71 Dialing Your Disks 84 Advertising Index 72 The Music Between 86 Recitals and Miscellany 8o Best of Jazz 88

more effective in terms of sound alone, al- rightness. Unless you are a stickler for though there is none now, but the quality the longer original version of this sym- CLASSICAL of conducting does not improve in the phony, as restored in recent years, the certain way of scientific progress. present recording is a compact, economical, In both performance and sound the and highly satisfactory edition, in the ultra - newest version seems the most desirable clean, vivid sound we have come to ex- of the thirty recorded. Much of its emi- pect from Capitol- Pittsburgh collaboration. BACH: Concerto for Violin, Oboe, and nence derives from the conductor's re- P.A. Strings, in D minor; Concerto for pudiation of a personal style. This is DELIBES: Sylvia Flute, Violin, Harpsichord. and not a fast Eroica, nor a slow one, nor an Strings, in A minor, BWV 1044 eccentric. The vertical structure is in gen- Philharmonia Orchestra, Robert Irving, Solisti di Zagreb, Antonio Janigro, cond. eral more adjusted to beauty than to blaze, cond. VANGUARD BG 562. 12 -in. $4.98. and the few departures from regularity of RCA VICTOR LM 2036. I2 -in. $3.98. pace have the authority of logic and con- The D minor Concerto is an attempted viction. This praise is directed primarily at Sylvia is here presented as complete as it I be the ver- reconstruction, by Max Seifert, of the the first allegro, for the other three move- need be in what gather to supposed original of the Concerto for Two ments have demonstrations on records sion of the 1952 revival by the Sadler's Harpsichords in C minor, BWV Io6o. If quite comparable with Mr. Jochum's; but Wells company at Covent Garden. Robert the original were ever found, it would in the maturity of the steadfast phrasing, Irving is, of course, one of the most expert very likely differ in detail from this re- the mellow nobility of the shape given of ballet conductors, and he has at his superior orchestral reconstruction, but the music is so glorious 0) the allegro con brio, there is no com- disposal here the that it can be thoroughly enjoyed in its parison entirely adequate. Here the in- sources of the Philharmonia. The result present state, and it is warmly recom- tensity of aspiration is under the restraint is very agreeable listening, since the mended to anyone who prefers the com- of doubtlessness. Under this leadership the score has ample musical interest to with- bination of violin and oboe to two harpsi- Berlin Philharmonic glows as it has not stand the visual loss of dancing. The re- chords. The soloists are satisfactory, though often done on disks, and the sound is cording is resonant, but not to excess, hardly of the caliber of Stern and Tabuteau excellent in scope, timbre, and dynamics, richly colored, and full of the refined effects in the Prades Festival series on Columbia, outstanding in bite and balance. C.G.B. and robust ensemble passages that char- but the recording is more lifelike here. acterize a well -trained English orchestra. The triple concerto is another fine work BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4, in E- In the opening of Act III this yields moments I have well performed, but suffers from improper flat ( "Romantic ") some of the most stunning balance: the harpsichord is generally too heard from a record in recent months. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William weak in relation to the flute and violin. R.C.M. N.B. Steinberg, cond. CAPITOL P 8352. I2 -in. $3.98.1' FAURE: Requiem, Op. 48; Cantique de BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3, in E- This is one of the most polished of re- Jean Racine, Op. zz; Madrigal, Op. flat ( "Eroica "), Op. 55 corded Bruckner performances. Using the 35; Pavane, Op. 50 of Ferdinand Löwe with its several Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, E4en edition Françoise Ogéas, soprano; Bernard Demig- Steinberg is able to get the whole Jochum, cond. cuts, ny, baritone; Chorus of Radio-Télévision symphony onto one disk without rushing des DECCA DL 9865. 12 -in. $3.98. Française, Orchestre du Théâtre or squeezing. His conducting is plastic, Champs -Elysées, D. E. Inghelbrecht, cond. This is Deccá s third version. She will not always interesting, never heavy and stodgy, LONDON DTL 93083. 12-in. $4.98. soon surpass it. Nor is it easy to see as so many Bruckner interpretations are how and where another conductor and or- apt to sound. He takes a few liberties; but The Fauré Requiem is not lacking in fine chestra can contrive a better performance. they are always in good taste and the recorded performances; all six of those In the course of time there will be Ernicas music benefits from them -a test of their already on the market are more than ac-

JANUARY 1957 71

www.americanradiohistory.com RECORDS

ceptable, and so is this latest one from period in clarity of line, and the in- of its Adagio, and a little restrained in London's Ducretet- Thomson branch. It is formality in the subordination of rhetorical the Turkish revolt which turns the Minu- interpreted with reverent intimacy, but effect to natural expressiveness. Neat and etto upside down. The Adagio in No. 3 at the same time is endowed with bright precise reproduction at any sensible vol- loses nothing in refinement while it is sound that has a good deal of hall reso- ume, even for the four horns in the Di- permitted to muse prettily in a relaxed nance. Could it have been recorded in a vertimento, sustains the pleasure in a skill- luxury of sleek strings, and the Rondo, church, where it belongs? If not, it creates ful and unpretentious record. C.G.B. scoring a number of happy points, seems that desirable illusion without the muddi- more successful than any other recorded ness that so often accompanies such re- example. Some enterprising features of cordings. The solo voices, good though Department phrasing in which soloist and conductor hardly outstanding, of Fuller are not pushed to the are as one, an orchestral clearness in foreground, as so frequently Homage to Mozart happens, but which details are manifest for the first seem to come from the body of the chorus. In December Nathan Broder reported time, and a warm blessing of assured tone, What may decisively give this disk an that RCA Victor's gala album, Homage distinguish this "unimportant" but en- edge over its six competitors is the extra to Mozart, offered, among other selec- chanting movement. In both concertos the bonus of three short Fauré choral works. tions, the first movement of the Horn solo legato is something to applaud, and The Cantique de Jean is Racine a beautiful, Concerto No. 3, played by Aubrey it may be that a disinclination to disturb simple song of religious devotion. The Brain. This was true, but was not it influenced the manipulation of No. lovely Madrigal has the 5. charming lilt of RCA Victor's intent. Buyers of the C.G.B. a serenade. And the Pavane, presented here set now will find it contains the entire with its ad -lib choral part, sounds even concerto. Mr. Broder, too, has received MOZART: more enchanting than in Divertimentos: No. r, in the straight or- a revised version of the recording. E-fiat, chestral version. PA. K. rr3; No. 7, in D, K. 205; Minuets with Contretinze, K. 463 HOVHANESS: Prelude and Quadruple MOZART: Concertos for Violin and Mozarteum Orchestra (Salzburg), Ernest Märzendorfer, cond. Fugue - See Sessions: The Black Orchestra: No. 3, in G, K. Rr6; No. S, Maskers. in A, K. 219 LONDON LL 1427. I2 -in. $3.98. Reinhold Barchet, violin; ro Musica Or- Alertness here fills three voids in the IBERT: Suite symphonique ( "Impres- chestra (Stuttgart), Rolf Reinhardt, cond. repertory. Only K. 205 has been recorded sions of Paris") VOX PL 10050. 12 -in. $4.98. before, and the single version was re- tRieti: Madrigale moved from the catalogue after a very The sound is of a kind in which Vox short life. K. 113 at last on a disk means M -G -M Chamber Orchestra, Arthur Wino- has become a specialist for her Stuttgart that all the Mozart divertimentos are now grad, cond. product, close and strong for a small available. This was composed two years M -G -M E 3414. 12 -in. $3.98. ensemble, with little noticeable reverber- before No. 7, which is the work of a ation. This gives a sting of actuality to Jacques Ibert has a remarkable ear for mature craftsman of seventeen, and both the chamber music and to music proportioned sounds of ordinary experience the noises, have the freshness of invention and un- - like these two concertos, which are not rustlings, rumbles, and cheap music which equaled fluency in decorative thought chamber music and to music proportioned we hear about us constantly without paying which make of the lighter Mozart produc- in a large space. The engineers also are much attention and an gift tion a mystery of beauty. K. 463, a much - equal for to be congratulated for having supplied transcribing these aural observations into later and more serious work, consists of a butter for the solo strings, the Barchet short, satirically descriptive pieces. That pair of slow, inquiring minuets each with bow dripping with it, and for having is what he does in Impressions of Paris, a flashing contradance as trio, nothing preserved a realistic scale of force for the the movements of which describe a subway like them in dance music. It is pleasant violin confronting the rest. The musical rush, a park, a sidewalk café, an excursion to note that the conductor has full knowl- value is greater in No. 3 than in No. 5, boat on the Seine, a mosque, and a edge of their value. street coolly detached here from the melancholy parade. The spirit of the whole is quite In fact the playing of all these seductive like that of René Clair's famous film frivolities is distinguished by an under- comedies, with their "types" and their standing of their nature. The diverti- vertiginous chases. ADVERTISING INDEX mentos disengage an air of informality Rieti's Madrigale on the without being unkempt, and in giving other side is Angel Records a delightful little charm -piece in four -() broad expression to the main design the Audio Fidelity Records 83, 85 movements mingling archaic and modern conductor reminds us that for all their Bradley Mfg. Co. .. 104 idioms in an archly amusing way. Record- Capitol Records refinement of construction these pieces are 8o, 81 not ings and performances could scarcely be Chambers Radio Corp. 1o4 exquisite, that people talked through improved upon. A.F. Concord Record Co. 90 them, and not with bated breath. The Contemporary Records to i dynamics and contrasts sought are the ob- Dauntless International vious ones, the colors are persistently LO PRESTI: The 83, 85 ripe, Masks-See Ses- Decca Records, Inc. 75, 91 and a general impression of good sions: The Black Maskers. health Dyer -Bennet Records 104 casually enjoyed is not a detriment to the Elektra Records 104 enjoyment of hearers. Esoteric Records MOZART: Cassation No. 2, 104 The sound is best when in B -flat, K. Jazztone Society 92 volume is low 99; Divertimento to maintain a smooth No. 2, in D, K. 131 Leslie Creations 104 blend of the orchestral choirs, the American Chamber Orchestra, Livingston Electronic Corp. ro5 texture coarsening notice- Robert ably with added Scholz, cond. London International 78 output, a commonplace of London reproduction particularly invidious WESTMINSTER 18261. 12 -in. $3.98. Records 77, 94 here Mercury Record Corp. 89 where the low- volume texture is particu- The Divertimento is the more warmly Nuclear Products Co.. Io3 larly pleasant. C.G.B. welcomed because the other three editions RCA Custom Division lot RCA Victor Division .. 79, are markedly less satisfactory, while 87, 92 the Record Market 104 RACHMANINOFF: Sonata for Cello Cassation has had good treatment on Epic Record Review Index 103 and Piano, in G minor, Op. 19 3043, in a more symphonic production Replica Records 102 Zara Nelsova, cello; Artur Balsam, piano. than the close and close -knit one here. Robins Industries Corp. 104 LONDON LL 1480. 12 Although the Divertimento is by far the Smith, H. Royer Co. Io4 -in. $3.98. better piece, both are admirably repre- Unicorn Records _ 88 Rachmaninoff's lengthy but frequently Vanguard Recording Corp. 99 sentative of the informal music of music's seductive Cello Sonata, a product of the most Vox Productions, Inc. 96 formal period. It is in realizing the same period as the Second Piano Concerto, implicit dualism that the American Cham- Walco (Electrovox Co., Inc.) zoo Westminster Recording Co. 98 is here recorded for the third time, though ber Orchestra makes its mark, giving the the initial one -by Edmund Kurtz and

72 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com list of thoughtful, restrained interpretation, but I William Kapell has already been with- that places it at the head of the - work. The new believe Sanderling's whole-souled, yet dis- drawn. Zara Nelsovás ardent, rhapsodic recorded versions of this praise criminating, ideas come to best terms with style and Mr. Balsam's brilliant collabora- release fully supports the advance of this the work. R.E. tion make this new version comparable in heaped on the sound and technique over -all quality to that of Joseph Schuster Russian ensemble, and Kurt Sanderling's to the See Ibert: Suite and Leonard Pennario (on Capitol), whose full -blown interpretation is as close RIETI: Madrigale- It has playing is a little more fine -grained. The ideal as we are ever likely to get. symphonique. bright, forward, intimate tone of the Lon- the spaciousness of Steinberg's version, last two move- Maskers, Suite don disk is superior to the more distant, if being even slower in the SESSIONS: The Black mellow, sound of the two- year -old Capitol ments, and the detail in melodic inflection tHovhaness: Prelude and Quadruple seem- recording. R.E. characteristic of Ormandÿ s, without Fugue ing artificial or fussy. fLo Presti: The Masks somber glow of the climaxes is par- RACHMANINOFF: Symphony No. 2, The Eastman -Rochester Symphony Orchestra, memorable, and the mournful in E minor, Op. 27 ticularly Howard Hanson, cond. beauty of the opening clarinet solo in the Kurt MERCURY MG 5oto6. 12 -in. $3.98. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Adagio shows a blend of sensitivity and cond. Sanderling, taste that is characteristic of the solo work With each new record it becomes more and DL 9874. t2-in. 53.98. DECCA throughout. The engineering, as a matter more apparent that Howard Hanson is one seems to favor the solo instrumen- of the present This is one of four Decca issues featuring of fact, of the truly great conductors not at the expense of the sup- one of the the Leningrad Philharmonic of which talists, but day. Thanks to him, and to and the massed sound is Mercury is Roland Gelatt gave a preview in the porting sections, world's ablest technical staffs, if not ideally transparent November issue. The Rachmaninoff sym- rich and resonant still prefer Steinberg's more Continued on page 76 phony is given a truly superb reading, one Some might

To RCA Victor - Gratitude for a Gift of Extraordinary Rightness introspective sonatas, though that of the century ago, even if WAS a quarter- early Opus to, No. 3 also responds mira- IT a young man it does not seem so, that culously to the treatment) with such pro- who worked for named Walter Legge, tracted exactness of beat that when he did to sell phono- HMV, thought of a way want to steal a microsecond from the in the midst of the worst graph records metronome for an inflection ( which is per- depression of modern times. missible), the effect was so subtle as to was His idea, a splendidly simple one, be at once unaccountable and overpower- to put forth some records so desirable that ing. It has been said also that he tended to own certain music lovers would have to exaggerate the brusque and structural as- larceny. them, even if doing so involved pects of Beethoven's music, perhaps in re- To preclude wasteful overproduction, he action to a century of romantic lily -gild- devised an advance -pledge subscription ing. Maybe so; I think not. When one plan, whereby the pledged buyers became hears the various versions of the finales of a "Society." His first project was a Hugo the Tempest or Waldstein sonatas, it is Wolf Society album, of Wolf songs sung Schnabel's urgent gallop that one wants to by Elena Gerhardt. His second, and largest, stay with; the others begin to sound was the production, in fifteen albums, of labored or playful. all the major piano works of Beethoven, The day last month on which RCA played by Artur Schnabel. Victor reissued on microgroove the com- Mr. Legge's plan worked. I happen to plete Beethoven sonatas in Schnabel play - know, because it worked on me. I cannot ings was a day I (and many another) had recall now what the slightly special price awaited for nine years. I shall not corn - of the early Beethoven Society Limited Schnabel reads Beethoven's intent. plain because their enormous album -pack- Edition albums was, in dollars and cents. age won't fit record shelves. It incorporates, Mr. Legge's I can remember, however, the rosy day later effect on our digestions. after all, its own little sliding shelf, as well I him for it without when it burst upon me that all had project - and we loved as the Simon & Schuster Schnabel- edited first to do to possess one of them was to ab- knowing his name -was one of the scores of the sonatas. And Victor's engi- stain from lunch for a mere eight weeks demonstrations of the enormous service neer, Mr. Daniel Slick, has done a mag- for music. I have (it figured almost exactly) , an expedient that records can perform nificent job of transferring to microgroove which was no sooner conceived than com- spent about forty hours, in the fortnight the almost incredibly fine job done by menced. past, listening to the Beethoven sonatas HMV's engineer, Mr. Fred Gaisberg, in by others. In only Neither was I alone in this enthusiasm, played by Schnabel and capturing the sound of Schnabel's piano instances have any of the other and again I speak from knowledge. My a few to begin with. ( It is very difficult, lis- able to yield vacant lunch hours I spent being a ka- pianists' performances been tening, to believe that some of these rec- of rightness dory. This is a term (of disgust) coined up the extraordinary sense ords were made in 1932. It may not be interpretations have. by Remy Van Wyck Farkas, now a London that the Schnabel hi -fi, but it is beautiful.) Mostly, I am done so, Records executive, then a record shop When some of the others have still suffused with gratitude and admira- in some salesman. A kadoty is a person who comes I suspect the performers of having, tion toward Walter Legge, for bringing hearing Schnabel to listen but not to buy. If I was then degree, benefited by to this task the pianist of our generation And, oddly, some of them (and I think I was) the most proficient themselves. who could so unerringly read the intent of by Beethoven sonata kadoty in Greater New arbitrary urongnesses demonstrated Ludwig van Beethoven. by York, it was not for lack of competition. younger pianists I am sure are caused RCA Victor plans to issue the sonatas Schnabel. Rarely was my booth uninvaded by a fel- their fear of seeming to imitate on separate disks in the course of time. The man's virtues and shortcomings as a low devotee during a sonata. And most of I wouldn't wait. JOHN M. CONLY else- these, as was disclosed in fiercely whispered pianist have been pointed up amply conversations, were saving as sedulously where. His fingers sometimes failed his those of his left hand: as I for the day of ownership. My final head, especially BEETHOVEN: Sonatas (32) for Piano if any one is curious, was five al- there are slurs. His sense of time was, score, Artur Schnabel, piano. bums not bad for a period when $18 apparently, rather marvelous. Critics have - slow RCA VICTOR LM 9500. Thirteen t2 -in. a week was considered an enviable wage. remarked on his ability to play We were right, of course, whatever the movements (especially those of the late, $80.

JANUARY 1957 73

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Charpentier's Louise - the Heart and the Gutters of Paris ONE of the most glaring gaps in the titude. Echoes of Die Aleistersrnger complete -opera recorded repertoire has abound. which is not strange when you finally been filled with the appearance of consider that Wagner, too, created in un- Epic's brilliant production of Gustave Char - forgettable and lofty fashion the heartbeat pentier's Louise. The opera is presented in of a town and the dewy freshness of spring- full except for several minor cuts, now in time lovers. There is also a debt to use at the Paris Opéra -Comique. Charpentier's teacher, Massenet, from It was at this historic theater, on Feb- whom he learned the inner secrets of ruary 2, 1900, that Louise first thrilled Gallic grace and elegance. Charpentier an audience. André Messager conducted, never denied these influences during his and the cast included Marthe Rioton. long life (he died at the age of ninety- Blanche Dechamps -Jehin, Adolphe Maré five on February 18, 1956). chal, and Lucien Fugère. Since then, Char - It would be more than easy for austere pentier's evocation of la ville lumière has and rigid purists to criticize many pages never been off the billboards of the Opéra- of this long and varied score as being ob- Comique. On June 23, 1956, its 1,000th vious and commonplace. Julien's song out- performance was duly celebrated, and the side the atelier and the rowdy celebration Mlle. was creatrix, Rioton, brought back on the summit of the Butte Montmartre FRENCH GOVERNMENT TOURIST OFFICE for a touching ceremony. are cases in point. But Charpentier was Montmartre With the emergence of Mascagni, Leon well aware of his materials; his instinct cavallo, and Puccini in Italy, during the in dealing with humble people was unerr- ably today's leading exponent of the role Nineties, there was much talk about the ing, and it is the voice of the people he of the Father. There is still plenty of new verismo school. Louise, with its man- knew best that speaks with such sincerity. quality and power in Musy's voice, and sard roofs and scenes of everyday life in As against banal passages, there are others he sings with dominating authority. I Paris, is surely an opera of the French of charming sentiment, of dramatic ap- wish, however, that there was a greater verist school; its problems and working positeness, of a sensitivity to the poetry aura of paternal tenderness in Musy's people are even more down -to -earth than and passion of life, that can make Louise delineation of the role. André Pernet, in those envisaged by the Italians. Further- a rewarding experience. the Columbia excerpts, is far more human more, the Italian verismo seemed never Epic's recording of this kaleidoscopic and sympathetic, if vocally less massive. possible without violence and bloodshed. score is very good and should refute the Praise is in order for the lovely singing Louise sings of the heart and of the gutter, belief, prevalent in America, that there of Andrea Guiot in the brief but im- rather than of blood and dagger. are no fine voices in France today. Here, portant role of Irma; for Gérard Serkoyan's The opera was composed at the very it would seem, we have some of the best. dramatic account of the ragman's lost apex of what Parisians fondly refer to as The vocal level remains surprisingly high daughter; for Louis Rialland's finely sung la belle époque. This was at the turn of in the twenty -odd supporting roles that Noctambulist; and for Pierre Giannotti's the century - thirty years after the Franco- give valid character to the score. Ameri- negotiation of the difficult, sustained meas- Prussian war, and fourteen years before cans; trained to dislike any kind of metallic ures assigned to the King of the Fools. the brutal jolt of World War I, from vibrance in the voice, may find some sounds Jean Fournet conducts with a blend of whose repercussions the world of Char - placed too far forward for their taste; but, refinement and passion that well becomes pentier never fully recovered. The Paris whatever their reactions, they must also this opera. His is a vital knowledgeable of this period has been celebrated by many admit that the Comique singers are right performance. The orchestra of the Opéra- - painters, poets, novelists, composers - for this particular opera. This is an au- Comique (one of the best in Europe) but none has better succeeded in getting thentic performance. gives the impression that its present mem- to the city's very marrow than Charpentier, Berthe Monmart (aptly named) is a bers have been involved in many of the a real child of the Montmartre streets. lovely Louise, young and vibrant. Her one thousand performances Louise has re- Paris was part of Charpentier's blood and pulsating voice, well equalized throughout, cently attained. The Comique chorus con- bone. Here in Louise is her very sub has little trouble in riding the orchestral tributes impressive moments in its sonorous stance - her derelicts, her nocturnal flood at its height. Her command of tackling of the festival on the top of wanderers, her midinettes, her street cries, pianissimo in the highest register makes Montmartre. her preoccupation with love and sensuality. the celebrated "Depuis le jour" - after a Epic has given its Louise up -to -date, April is also here, bringing new desire and nervous start -a thing of beauty and brilliant sound, but more attention might expectation to the great city, after the grip meaning. Only at the close of the first have been payed toward giving the listener of the long winter. act, when Louise tearfully reads the news- the illusion of an actual performance. Charpentier's opera is not only a vast, paper to her father, do I regret that her Distances are only occasionally observed, comprehensive canvas, microscopically alive final "Paris ..." does not suggest all the and Louise's tears and other stage sounds in its countless detail; it is also a work pent -up longing and frustration that can are bypassed. filled with turbulent excitement, with a make this an unforgettable moment. Else- Nevertheless, these regrets are minor shrewdly calculated theatrical impact in its where, Mlle. Monmart is ever expressive. ones, and if your heart doesn't beat a bit depiction Ilf a city, an era, and an at- André Laroze, who sings the role of faster during the tumult and turbulence Julien, is less satisfactory. He is the pos- of the operas finale, as Louise openly sessor of a splendid, clarion instrument at defies her father and is thrown out on the the service of a rather stolid, unyielding streets, you will have missed a true theat- temperament. His middle notes often rical thrill. MAX DE SCHAUENSEE sound hard in timbre, and in romantic appeal he must bow to Georges Thill of CHARPENTIER: Louise the old Columbia -Entré excerpts. Would Berthe Monmart (s), Louise; André that Thill had been young enough to ap- Laroze (t) , Julien; Louis Musy (b) , the Father; pear in this version! Solange Michel is Solange Michel ( ms) , the Mother; Andrea a virago of a mother, which is as it should Guiot (s) , Irma; Louis Rialland (t) , the be, but I would have liked a little more Noctambulist; Pierre Giannotti (t), King dignity and poise during her sudden joy - of the Fools; Gérard Serkoyan ( bs) , the quelling appearance at the revels of Mon - Ragman; and others. Chorus and Orchestra martre. Louis Musy, who made his debut of the Opéra- Comique, Jean Fournet, cond. Jean Fournet at the Opéra -Comique in 1925, is prob- EPIC SC 6o18. Three 12 -in. $11.94.

74 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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Continued from page 73 same title by Leonid Andreyev, but it is TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5, in Sessions' music which gives viable ex- E minor, Op. 64 producing the most consistently distin- pression to the irony, lyricism, and demonic Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du guished series of modern American disks conflict at which the Russian author aimed. Conservatoire de Paris, Georg Solti, cond. in existence; and this may well be the finest As performed and recorded by Hanson, the LONDON LL 1506. 12 -in. $3.98. single item in that series. suite is altogether overwhelming. Here A good case could be made for the one makes contact with one of those corn- This is a Tchaikovsky Fifth for people view that American music came into its pletely authentic creative spirits which (like myself) who are apt to turn green own as a major creative force with the appear seldom in any society or era. when it is played in the usual hearts -and- composition of Roger Sessions' Black Mask The Hovhaness is one of the few re- flowers manner. Solti does a very musician - ers in 1923. To be sure, there had been corded works by that composer which have like job, supporting my high opinion of an Ives, but he had worked in isolation nothing to do with the folklore of the Near him formed during the Chicago opera and obscurity; the stream that burst forth East. It is a masterly study in intricate season last fall. In deciding whether or with The Black Maskers, on the other counterpoint, but it flows along with the not this version is for you, remember that hand, has never ceased to grow in power utmost ease and grace. The pair of short the tempos are usually on the fast side, and breadth, and it was itself responsible pieces by Ronald Lo Presti introduces a that the manner is brisk and direct, and for the discovery of Ives. recent graduate of Hanson's Eastman that the hyperemotional aspects of the At all events, this is one of the earliest School who clearly has something to say score are completely played down. In the American orchestral compositions that is and knows how to say it, but has yet to slow movement this approach seems un- indubitably a work of genius. It was orig- develop an idiom of any special individu- sympathetic. !fete, I think, the conductor inally written to accompany a play of the ality. A.F. Continued on page 78

Landowska's Mozart: Music Ornamented by Mastery THE GREAT OUTPOURING of re- IN sings. Not with the cold purity of a Giese - is leaps with embellishments. This is not corded homage to Mozart during the king, nor with the erratic emotionalism of the disdain of a grande dame for the bicentennial year, his piano music did a Lili Kraus, but with the warm nuance tyranny of the printed page; it is basically not as well fare as other categories of of a sensitive artist who, coming from a a perfectly sound practice. We know that his output. This was not surprising. Mu- lifetime of immersion in baroque music, Mozart himself, an inveterate improviser, sicians well are aware that the keyboard can see the novelty and freshness in was accustomed to do the same, and to pieces, which any child who has studied Mozart. regard the written form of some of his the piano a few years can play in a fash- Mme. Landowska knows that, unlike pieces as merely a kind of outline to be ion. are extremely difficult for expert per- modern pianos, the pianos of Mozart's time filled in in performance. The only ques- formers to project convincingly. What is were so constructed that there was a sharp tions here are whether Mme. Landowska's needed is a rare combination of qualities difference in tone -color among the high, embellishments are convincing, whether -a profound insight into musical rela- middle, and low registers. She knows that they are in correct "taste," whether they tionships, a thorough knowledge of and Mozart carefully calculated his effects with add life to the phrase or are merely fussy true feeling for the Mozartean style, and this difference in mind, and that when a and consequently superfluous. a perfect control of every finger in both melody is shifted from one register to In my opinion, most of them seem hands. Here, at last, is that combina :ion, another it is as though it were shifted plausible and effective. When, as in the in a group of performances that may well from a flute to a viola, or from a violin first section of the opening movement of serve henceforth as a model of Mozart to a soft trombone. Somehow, by delicate the E -flat Sonata, Mme. Landowska first interpretation. A model, however, that in adjustments of arm and finger weight, she plays the music as written and then adds some respects should not be imitated! miraculously manages to achieve such dif- ornaments in the repetition, the result is There is hardly any use of the sustain- ferentiations of color on a modern piano. an enhancement of the music's communi- ing pedal. Even in relatively full textures, The pedant will be shocked by some of cative power. But this is a risky business, as in portions of the A minor Rondo, the things Mme. Landowska does here. and it is not recommended to any pianist everything is clear, as though the sweet She adds ornaments in many places; she who is not as deeply steeped in the Mozart sadness of were this work suffused with may break up a long note into a chain style as Mme. Landowska is. Even she is bright moonlight. Above all, everything of decorations; she sometimes fills in melod- not always successful at it. When, for example, in the corresponding section of the B -flat Sonata, she embellishes some passages both in the first statement and in its repetition, the results seem less happy, especially when ornaments are applied to a left -hand figure that does not appear to need any. One wonders, incidentally, why Mme. Landowska chooses to play a B in the right -hand part of measure r 1 in the Andante of K. 31 t when Mozart clearly indicates a D. But these are small matters in view of the magnitude of the achievement here. The pieces on these disks are like a set of finely cut diamonds mounted so as to bring out every flash of blue -white color. We might wish to remove or simplify a curlicue here and there in the mounting, but the gems sparkle with a unique brightness. NATHAN BRODER

MOZART: Sonatas: in B -flat, K. 333; in D, K. 3t1; in E -fiat, K. 282; in G, K. 283; Rondo, in A minor K. sir; Contretänre, K. 6o6 (arr. Landowska)

ROGER MAUERT Wanda Landowska, piano. Landowska at home in Lakeville: "the gems sparkle with a unique brightness." RCA VICTOR LM 6044. Two 52 -in. $7.96.

76 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com ITALIAN OPERA ARIAS IL TROVATORE (Verdi) HILDE GUEDEN SINGS fors e lul and Sempre libera (Verdi); Gianni Leonora Renata Tebaldi La Traviato -Ahl Schicci -O mio Bobbino caro (Puccini); Turandot- Signore as- Mario del Monaco Manrico colta (Puccini); Turandot -Tu che di gel sei cinta (Puccini); Azucena Giulietta Simionato Falstaff -Sul fil d'ub soffio etesio (Verdi); La Boheme- Musetta's Di Luna Ugo Savarese Waltz (Puccini); L'Elisir d'Amore -Dello crudele Isotta (Doni - libero (Donizetti); Ferrando Giorgio Tozzi zetti); l'Elisir d'Amore -Prendi, per me sei (Verdi); Rigoletto -Tutte le feste al tem- Luisa Maragliano Rigoletto -Caro nome Ines pio (Verdi); Rigoletto- Piangi, fanciulla "Duet" (Verdi); with Ruiz Athos Cesarini Orchestra of Accademia di Santo Cecilia, Rome. Messenger( Conductor: Alberto Erede. IL -1322 $3.98 Old Gypsy Antonio Balbi Chorus of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Director: Andrea Moro. LIEDERKREIS -Song Cycle (Schumann) (Opus 24) sini). L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Conductor: Alberto MÖRIKE LIEDER (Hugo Wolf) Erede. Free -Complete Vocal Score. MA-50 3-12" $14 94 Gérard Souzay (baritone) and Dalton Baldwin (piano). LL -1476 $3.98 EUGEN ONEGIN -Complete Recording (Tchaikovsky) Eugen Onegin Dushan Popovich CO2t4lac4olPt3 Tatiana Valeria Heybalova TOD UND VERKLÄRUNG (Death and Transfiguration) Lenski Drago Startz (Richard Strauss) (Opus 24) Prince Gremin Miro Changolovich DON JUAN (Richard Strauss) (Opus 20) Filipjewna Melanie Bugarinovich Hans Knappertsbusch conducting l'Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris (Paris Conservatory Orch.). Chorus and Orchestra of the National Opera, Belgrade (Chorus LL -1478 $3 98 Master: Milan Bayshansky). Conductor: Oscar ['anon. Free- Russian -English Libretto. XLIA -41 3-12" $14 94 SYMPHONY No. 2 (Opus 17) (Tchaikovsky) Georg Solti conducting l'Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER du Conservatoire de Paris (Paris Conservatory Orchestra). $3.98 (The Flying Dutchman)- Complete (Wagner) 11 -1507 Der Holländer Hermann Uhde Ballet (Glazunov) (Op. 67) Senta Astrid Varnay THE SEASONS -Complete Albert Wolff conducting l'Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts Daland Ludwig Weber du Conservatoire de Paris (Paris Conservatory Orchestra). Chorus and Orchestra of Festspielhaus, Bayreuth (Chorus Mos. LL -1504 $3 98 ter: Wilhelm Pit:). Conductor: Joseph Keilberth. Free -German. English Libretto. MA-42 3-12" $14.94 LYRIC SUITE (Grieg) (Opus 54) FINLANDIA- Tone -Poem (Sibelius) (Opus 26) MARCHE SLAV (Tchaikovsky) (Opus 31) HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY No. 4 (Liszt) Erik Tuxen conducting The Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra. LL -1313 $3 98 VIOLIN CONCERTO No. 1 (Bruch) (Opus 26). ORCHESTRA VIOLIN CONCERTO No. 2 IN D MINOR (Wieniawski) CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FOR STRING for String Orchestra (Frank Martin); Five Pieces for (Opus 22) Passacaille String Orchestra (Paul Hindemith); Serenade for Strings (Len- Mischa Elrean (violin) with The London Philharmonic Orchestra. nox Berkeley); Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber); Karl Conductor: Sir Adrian BouIt. Münchinger conducting The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. 11 -1486 $3.98 11 -1395 $3.98

JANUARY 1957 77

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should have taken his chances with a Strings in F, P. 306; Sinfonia in G, P. 8. cision and plenty of vivacity, and the sound more conventional tempo and given the Solisti di Zagreb, Antonio Janigro, cond. is truly excellent. N.B. music greater opportunity to sing. VANGUARD BG 560. 12 -in. 54.98 The recording is full and resonant, just a little too much so for me, and marred by The D minor Oboe Concerto (No. 9 of some warbling tones. A few of them the set called It Cimento dell'Armonia e may be tape flutter, but I am inclined to delPlnvenzione, Op. VIII) is apparently More Briefly Noted blame one or two of them on the instru- on the way to becoming one of Vivaldi's mentalists themselves - for example, the most popular works, outside of The Sea- WHETHER it is a question of moral ob- first horn, who has quite a tremolo in his sons: this is its seventh appearance on ligation towards the arts or just first big solo of the second movement. In- LP. Three of the other works in the plain garden -variety curiosity, there seems to be cidentally, this recording is uncut, which present group - the F major Oboe Con- among music listeners an interest in is more than can be said for several of the certo, the E minor Bassoon Concerto, and recordings by performers and composers, competing editions. R.C.M. the Alla Rustica have been recorded either - young in years or relatively before, but this seems to be the first unheard, which accounts for some particularly VIVALDI: time for the two sinfonie. The first of interesting Orchestral Music recent releases. A case in these has two gay fast movements and point are the Concerto disks offered by the Louisville Subscription for Strings in G ( Alla Rustica ) . a lovely Andante; the second has a broadly Series. New among these P. 143; Concerto for Oboe and Strings laid out first movement with some fas- is Lou -56 -6. in containing pieces by Henk Badings D minor, P. 259; Sinfonia in C, P. cinating detail, a slow movement that sings (Thc Louisville Symphony), Ben 9; Concerto for Bassoon and Strings in from beginning to end, and an attractive, Weber (Pre- lude and Passacaglia), E minor, P. 537; Concerto for Oboe and dancelike finale. The Solisti play with pre- and Leo Sowerbv (All on a Summer's Day). The sonics are only average, but the Weber work has considerable power and Sowerby's piece a pleasant exuberance. Another example of i.ecor.cte music, if not à la mode at least de siècle. stucïy in 8011X1 Q' is Henry Brant's Angels and Devils. This ne composition (with Fredrick Wilkins, solo flute, and the composer conducting a flute ta p ensemble) is a bit on the tedious side. (but it has its moments of humor; and the overside of this Composers Recordings CONCRET disk (CRI -rob) offers Irving Fine's \ Music for Piano and Mutability), with the author at the piano and Eunice Alberts. contralto - works of considerable elegance. SM Unfortunately the lyrics of the songs are not intelligible, and their texts are not ZN SOUND furnished. To turn from relatively unknown com- 'Musique Concrète" is to high fi- posers to young performers, the already delity what Dali is to art -Saroyan widely recorded but still youthful Russian. Eugene Malinin, is to writing -and Le Corbusier is turns in a beautiful performance of to architecture. the Chopin Nocturne in D- flat, Op. 27, No. 2 on Angel 35396. His The sounds you hear defy rendition of the Rachmaninoff Concerto comparison. for Piano and Orchestra, No. 2, in C minor, leaves something to be desired. The closest comparison is with the especially in his choice of tempos and motion pictures: just as the film is handling of transitions, but Mr. Malinin based on the montage of images, is rare among contemporary pianists in musique concrete "photographs" being a truly lyric virtuoso. Another "young person," sounds, manipulates them by tech- this time the young lady violinist Johanna Martzy, acquits herself niques of slow and high speed admirably in the Dvorak Concerto for "illuminates" them in different Violin and Orchestra, in A minor, Op. ways, and "mounts" them in an 53, with Ferenc Fricsay conducting the artificial order and juxtaposition. RIAS Symphony Orchestra (Berlin). Her Thus, the sound of an instrument assured technique, mellow tone, and sympathetic used in standard music may be interpretation make this one of the best versions of the Dvorak available. I - CLASSICAL: Trifle in C; 2 INSTRUMENTAL STUDIES: given new qualities by separating (a) Drum-Fleeting Percussion; (b) Flute-Mexican Flute; Three encore pieces are also offered on this the attack, the vibration and the (c) Two Aspects of the Piano: (I) Study for Piano; (II) record (Decca DL 9858) -Ravel's Pièce Finale of the Concerto of Ambiguities; 3 EXPRESSION- - termination of the sound and by en forme ISM 1952: Music without a Title - 5th and 6th move. de Habanera and Berceuse sur ments; 4 - PRIMITIVE 1948: Study for Whirligigs; 5 - operating on these different le nom de Gabriel Fauré, and Milhaud's DRAMATIC The CANTATA: Veil of Orpheus; 6 - THREE aspects. t parsema very well played DIRECTIONS: (a) Sound Effects -- Railway Study; (b) - by the pianist Poetic- Pathetic Study; (c) A Single Sound Source; 7 -- Jean Antonietti. MUSICAL BOX. DTL -93090 12" - 3.98 The hope for the future is not, of course. Recorded in the studios of La Radio Television Franca,- always so bright. Le Loup, by the young LONDON INTERNATIONAL, INC. Frenchman Henri Dutilleux, played by 539 W. 25 St., Dept At times you'll find the cacophony of sounds the Orchestre du Théâtre des Champs - New York 1, N. Y. Elysées weird, surprising, unbelievable, eery - under Paul Bonneau, is totally Gentlemen: Please send me DTL93090 devoid of interest; and its accompanying always exciting and most certainly unusual. Enclosed is my check at 3.98 ea. I piece, Inghelbrecht s La Nursery, does not understand the record will arrive prepaid. carry much weight (on London DTL NAME 93086) . The performances and recording are, however, excellent. Douglas ADDRESS Moore's Cotillion Suite (Alfredo Antonini CITY STATE Continued on page 8o

78 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com ' PLAY MELANCHOLY BABY. Here is Matt Dennis with the kind of warm, spontaneous, supper dub entertainment which has made him a favorite everywhere. An exciting array of unhackneyed music: I'm Through With Love, Cottage For Sale, Spring Is Here, Heart of Stone, My Melancholy Baby, and 7 others.

'WONDERFUL ONE. The big -band sounds of Luis Arcaraz and His Orch. featuring the most exciting trumpet section going. Dance tunes, swingin' blues, Latin American rhythms including the fast. paced Merengue. Included in the 12 selections are: Lisbon Antigua. Love Me Or Leave Me, Learning the Blues.

PICA y1CTOR a night at the

In Ygltwe COPACABANA with TONY MARTIN Ethel Merman in 'A NIGHT AT THE COPACABANA. Tony Martin's sensational in- person Album Happy Hunting -bow actually recorded at New York's famous Copa! includes a hilarious performance of "Security ", specially written Fernando Lamas Ger the Copa show, plus such favorites as Begin the Beguine, Let's Book by ace the Music and Dance, Goodnight Sweetheart. Howard Lindsay ,nd Russel Crouse

Directed by ' HAPPY HuNTINO. "Happy Hunting" is a hit! Ethel Merman is Abe Burrows great! Here you have 'em both in this Original Cast recording! Singing with Miss Merman is Fernando Lamas, and together they cavort through a wealth of exciting, new tunes. Long Play, &1.98.

NEW SENSATIONS IN SOUND FOR 1957 from RCA VICTOR

Brilliant New Orthophonie High Fidelity Recordings.* RHYTHM WAS HIS BUSINESS ®;i Only $3.88 for each Long Play; on 45 EP, of course. A SALUTE TO JIMMIE LUNCEFORD GEORGE WILLIAMS AND HIS ORCHESTRA 'BHYTNM WAS HIS BUSINESS. George Williams and His Orch. play a musical tribute to the great Jimmie Lunceford. 12 selections in Jimmie's own swingin' style. For Dancers Only, Lunceford Special, Margie, Swingin' On C, Uptown Blues. Dave Garrelray presents ' WLDE. WIDEWORLDOPJAZZ. Dave Carroway follows the format of RE WIDE, WIDE WORLD QF JAll his popular NBC -TV show by leap -frogging over the map -jazz, swing. modern, Dixie, Latin! Hear unforgettable Lee Wiley and Helen Ward for the first time in hi fi, plus jazz greats like Billy Butterfield, Barbara Carroll, Tito Puente.

To LOVE AGAIN. Mexico's Esquivel and His Orch. with an exciting blend of instruments and voices. Here's electrifying new sound in the big band world. Includes: To Love Again, Siboney, Besame RCAVICTOR Mucho, Jungle Drums and 8 other unusual arrangements. TO LOVE aCAvicrog AGAIN LET'S CHA CHA WITH PUENTE. A great new album by the man who ESQUIVEL started America dancing the Cha Cha Cha. This master of Latin. l AND HIS American rhythm plays 12 delightful numbers including Lindo ORCHESTRA ha Cha -Cha, Cubarama, Cha -Cha Fiesta, It's the Bururu, Habanero. Ileac thew. exciting New Orthophonie High Fidelity recordings best on c a With an RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity "Victrols."® uente

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JANUARY 1957 79

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leading the Oslo Philharmonic) is simply Another record holding its own in heavy American Offenbach, and Avery Claflin's competition is Period SPI. 303, offering Fishhouse Punch ( Vienna Orchestra under Offenbach's Gaité Parisienne, played by È Arrivata F. Charles Adler) is typical "pops" mate- the Lucerne Festival Orchestra with Ernest rial. This disk is, however, considerably Falk conducting. More ballet music is redeemed by McBride's Punch and Judy, provided, again in Westminster reissues, a brilliantly zestful composition designed on XWN 18241 (Delibes' Suite from La Motorboat for Martha Graham in one of her comic Coppélia, Suite from Sylvia, and Nailer moods. This variety - of matter and Waltz from La Source) and on XWN merit - may be found on Composers Re- 1 8278 (Rimsky- Korsakov's Scheherazade, cordings CRT 107. Op. 25). Perhaps less familiar are the To turn back to the classics, the record Weber- Berlioz Invitation to the Dance (P4-/Ptgisuilt buyer is offered a good many bonuses in (Spectre de la rose) and the pas de deux this direction. Westminster on XWN from Minkus' Don Quixote, which, with BACK IN THE 16TH CENTURY, I0,000 18189 has increased the value of its pre- Verdi- Mackerras' The Lady and the Fool, gondolas majestically toured the vious versions of Beethoven's Octet in have been consolidated from two ten - E -flat, Op. 103 and Sextet in E -flat, Op. inch disks LL motor- on London 1518. Anatole canals of Venice. Came the 71 by adding to them on a single disk the Fistoulari and the New Symphony Or- boat (putt, putt, putt). Today, there Rondino in E -flat and Variations on "La ci chestra of London provide crisp, bright are exactly 428 gondolas. Time and daren la mano," played by the Vienna readings of these pleasant tunes. The 4- cylinder engines change all things. Philharmonic Wind Group. This com- same company does less well by Tchai- pany has in general been bountiful with kovsky's Francesca da Rimini and Capric- Only the music of Venice never its favors. Many of its deluxe WN record- cio Italien on LL 1441, the London Sym- changes. Heavy with violins, redolent ings now are available in the XWN series, phony Orchestra under Anthony Collins of mandolins, it is safely harboured at a reduced price. Among these are failing to do justice to the music, and in the hearts of lovers of every age. Beethoven's Quartet for Strings, in D the recorded sound being less than satis- major, Op. 18, No. 3 and Quartet in C factory. minor, Op. r8, No. 4 (pla}+ed by the And for the authentic hi -fi addict, who Barylli Quartet on WXN 18122) and also happens to like Wagner, Westminster Brahms's Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4, under has released an orchestral miscellany ( Sir Adrian Boult on XWN 18132 and LAB 7028) containing, from Die Meister - XWN 18246 respectively. Haydn's Sym- ringer, the Preludes to Act I and III, the ?c+ :..t,NO. OLIVIER' phonies Nos. 93 and 94 (Surprise) and Dance of the Apprentices. and the Proces- Nos. 95 and 96 (Miracle), conducted by rinn of the Mastersingers; and from Lohen- Hermann Scherchen, also are available on grin, the Prelude to Act I (Philharmonic

XWN 18322 and XWN 18323. The same Symphony of London, led by Rodzinski) . company will let you spend your record A triumphant example of the highest high - savings on Mozart's Piano Concerto No. fidelity sound. The man more interested 24, in C minor, K. 491 and No. 27, in in his Wagner than in his hi -fi may, how- B -flat major, K. 595, interpreted by Paul ever, be just as happy with Decca's or- Badura -Skoda and the Vienna Symphony chestral miscellany - providing the same Orchestra ( XWN 18267 ) and on the Eine excerpts from Die Meistersinger and ex- kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525, and Ein musik- cerpts from Die Walkiire, Tristan, and alischer Spass, K. 522, with the Vienna Götterdämmerung, played by the Würt- Konzerthaus Quartet - Josef Hermann temburg State Orchestra under Ferdinand playing double bass (XWN 18292). [Other Leitner, in warm and eloquent interpreta- Italy's famed Dino Olivieri -com- offerings in this series range from Ram- tions. poser, conductor, arranger- proves eau's Complete Harpsichord Works (XWN this beautifully in his first CAPITOL i 8 T 24/ I 81 26 ) to Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kije and Scythian (XWN 18266), OF THE WORLD album. Recorded in Suite and the canny buyer will browse in his RECI'T'ALS AND Venice and called "Two in a Gon- record shop.] dola" (No. 10026) , it's a collection of On the other hand, he will find little MISCELLANY all -time Venetian favorites. It's bra- to interest him in one more version of zenly romantic -but then, isn't Venice? Grieg's Peer Gynt Suites. Decca DL 9869. with Kurt Graunke and the Bavarian ALFRED DELLER: William Byrd and Symphony Orchestra, does nothing that - his Age "HI -FI VIENNA!" Newly recorded in hasn't been done better many times be- ' Byrd: My Sneer Little Darling: Fantasia the city that brought the classic waltz fore. The same is true for Decca's release for Viols in G minor; Ye Sacred Muses: to its most brilliant form. A deluxe (DL 9846) of incidental music to Men - Lullaby, My Sweet Little Baby; Come, Midsummer two- record album of the finest waltzes delssohn's Night's Dream. Pretty Babe. Whythorne: Buy New Broom. performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Or- Anon.: Guichardo: Ah, Silly Poor Joas: ever written, heard now in high fidel- chestra and RIAS Chamber Choir, with O Death, Rock Afe Asleep. Corkine: What ity. Fondly played by 8o of Austria's Fricsay conducting. Rita Streich and Diana Booteth Love?. Nicholson: In a Merry best musicians, it's an ideal gift for Eustrati appear also, and the whole thing May Morn. Parsons: Pandolpho. Ferra - is unfortunate for everyone concerned. If bosco: Fantasias for Viols in G and in F. lovers of the waltz (No. 10049) . one likes Khachaturian, one will. however, Alfred Deller, countertenor; Wenzinger Other CAPITOL OF THE WORLD albums include: want to know of London's release (LL Consort of Viols of the Schola Cantorum THE SOUNDS OF OLD MEXICO -No. 10044 1521) of the Masquerade Suite, played Basiliensis, August Wenzinger, dir.. SWEDISH POLKAS AND HAMBOS -No. 10039 by the Orchestras of the Paris Conservatory VANGUARD BG 557. 12 -in. SPANISH GUITARS -No. 10045 and the Opéra -Comique, under Richard $4.98. Blareau, in a way that defeats the present A fragrant bouquet of Elizabethan pieces. CAPITOL OF THE WOULD competition. The disk includes Messager's Especially attractive to this listener are The Two Pigeons and a couple of Cha- Byrd's tender lullabies, My Sweet Little brier items. Also desirable, even in view Darling and Come, Pretty Babe, and his of the other good recorded versions, is Ko- noble lament for the death of Thomas dály's Häry Janos Suite, coupled with A SERIES OF OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL RECORDINGS Tallis, Ye Sacred Muses. Deller's familiar Stravinsky's Baiser ele la Fee and D:verti- virtues - the purity and flexibility of his mento, played by the RIAS Symphony led !CUM YAM by Ferenc Fricsay, on Decca DL 9855 Continued on page 84

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www.americanradiohistory.com He understands the bookbinder's son

Aram Khachaturian was born in Tiflis, impending violence leading to a fantastic Russia, the son of a bookbinder. Pianist series of climaxes. Not only brilliant, not xhachaturian Leonard Pennario, above, was born in only complex, but a savage test of a met, pianist's competence. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Buffalo, New York. They've never and they probably never will. For the pianist must share the com- Leonard Pennario his piano But listen to Leonard Pennario play poser's sense of high drama, and Aram Khachaturian's Concerto for Piano imagination and brilliance, too. Because and Orchestra. We don't say the book- Pennario does, because he completely have a special binder's son wrote his concerto for Mr. understands his man, you Pennario to play - merely that it sounds treat in store. as though he did when Pennario plays it. And every note of his performance, figuration of sound has been cap- Khachaturian: Concerto for Piano the kind of music it is. every Consider Dimen- and Orchestra. Soloist Leonard Romantic, in the grand manner of tured by Capitol Records in "Full Pennario with The Concert Arts sional Sound," the highest fidelity known Felix Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky, its slow Orchestra conducted by to the recorder's art. Slatkin. Album P5541 movement is pure melody. The Allegro contains oriental moods, rich and colorful The bookbinder's son has a message. and exotic. And through it all, a sense of Mr. Pennario delivers it.

Incomparable High Fidelity in Full Dimensional Sound

JANUARY 1957 I

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The Mapleson Cylinders: A Romantic Heritage Richly Preserved

THE romantic story of the Mapleson made out quite a lot. The first fragment score) and a full- throated trill on the high cylinders, those rowdy but precious is notable for Nordicá s brilliant down- B -flat. Next comes a characteristic Jewel souvenirs of the operatic past, is by now ward scale from the high C; the second Song, which has just moved into the fairly well known. In HIGH FIDELITY for fragment, part of the famous andante (otherwise unrecorded by Melba) "Ache - August 1955, James Hinton, Jr., recounted amoroso section in G -flat major, brings us r'ons la metamorphose" section when the the history of these "live" recordings made the faint but unmistakable sound of the cylinder ends; and lastly an unfamiliar during performances at the Metropolitan great tenor throwing his voice up to the passage from Massenet s Le Cid. This is Opera from 1901 to 1903, and reviewed high C -flat in a noble, distinguished, lei- not, of course, ' Pleurez mes yeux" (which a ten -inch disk (IRCC L 7006) that surely curve. Just after Nordica has en- Melba recorded for HMV), because she effectively transferred several of them to tered with her echo of the same theme, never sang the role of Chimène on the microgroove. Evidently the thrill and fas- the cylinder tantalizingly breaks off - to stage, but the Infantá s "Alleluia" at the cination of these excerpts were widely ap- resume a few pages later, during the stretta, beginning of Act II. It is mostly rather preciated, for Mr. W. H. Seltsam, the from which not very much can be dis- difficult to make out, but again clears up founder of the International Record Col- cerned. The rest of Side s is given over towards the end in time for some brilliant lectors' Club, has now issued a twelve - to Wagner. Nordica sails regally through high B -flats. inch selection, in which only one item (the Brünnhilde's Battle Cry from Die Walküre, Far more effective is the next band, Jean de Reszke -Lucienne Bréval duet from and (with Georg Anthes) crowns the last which brings us Marcella Sembrich in the L'Africaine) is taken over from the earlier page of Siegfried with a vivid high C. latter part of the Queen of the Night's issue. Of the remainder, some had pre- Better recorded is a passage from Act II Act Il aria. This begins just before the viously appeared on 78 rpm; but ten of of Lohengrin, in which Luisa Reuss -Belce passage in triplets, which she negotiates the fragments have never been issued be- sounds a decidedly short-winded Ortrud, with absolute ease (it is the point at which fore in any form. Johanna Gadski a radiant Elsa. The side almost all modern Queens come to grief). As in his previous LP, Mr. Seltsam has ends with the last pages of Die Meister- The famous high F's are not heard (they caused to be printed on the back of the ringer, a fairly well recorded but less in- belong in the earlier part of the aria), but envelope "THIS IS NOT A HIGH FI- teresting choral passage. Mr. Seltsam in- the staccato passages are executed with DELITY RECORD." In this brevity there cludes the name of Gadski in his billing dazzling precision. Sembrich does not end, is wit: perhaps only Dame Edith Evans, of this excerpt; but by this point in the as the score indicates, on the dominant A; in the role of Lady Bracknell, could invest opera neither Eva nor any other character but takes the further leap that was then that little word "not" with all the mean- has any solo music left to sing: they are customary (and was also attempted by ing it must bear. To get the best from the Florence Foster Jenkins) to the tonic high Mapleson records demands much patience D. Then there came several fragments and a degree of aural endurance which from L'Africaine, allowing us to hear more few possess: one must listen for faint of Jean de Reszke (in the final bars of threads of vocal tone through a con- "O parafir ") than is to be heard anywhere siderable racket; one must pore over scores else on these records. By much grimly and be prepared to repeat the same frag- attentive listening to this and the Hu- ment again and again for every scrap of guenots excerpts I have at last arrived at information it will yield. The casual lis- some sort of direct impression of his tone tener, in short, will make nothing of these and style of singing: absolutely smooth, records; but to the student of singing and very leisurely, rather like an heroic en- of operatic history they are priceless. largement of Edmond Clément's lyric tenor. The first four bands of Side t are taken or an upward extension of Pol Plançon's from a 1903 performance of Tosca. with bass; perhaps, at this stage of his career, Emma Eames, Antonio Scotti, and Emilio just a little throaty; yet with real brilliance de Marchi ( the original Cavaradossi ) . Not in the B -flat at the end of "O paradis." much is added to our knowledge of Scotti; A very brief choral episode from L'Afri- but De Marchi's "Vittoria! Vittoria!" rings caine, during which we catch the unmis- out with quite startling force, and Eames takable tones of Plançon at the final displays a more impassioned style than we cadence, leads to the above -mentioned re- find in most of her published Victor dubbing of the Bréval-De Reszke duet, records. The end of her " Vissi d'arte" thus presenting the Africaine excerpts com- shows the expected flawless attack on the plete and in correct sequence. Side 2 ends, three successive high notes; and in the like Side 1, with Wagnerian excerpts final pages of the opera she launches her- which call for little comment: a star - self from the battlements with a perfectly studded "Ride of the Valkyries," and Nor - poised high B -flat. De Marchi appears dica in two overlapping passages from again in two fragments from Cavalleria Isolde's Liebestod. which include some temperamental screams If the Mapleson cylinders are hard to and also some fine singing (including, Jean de Reszke rouses special interest. decipher, the effort will be magnificently surely, an interpolated high B ?) from repaid. No praise can be too high for Calve; but the voice that comes through simply instructed to join in the final the care taken over such points as correct most clearly is the pleasing mezzo of Carrie chorus. pitch; we are fortunate that these precious Bridewell in the offstage song of Lola. Side 2 begins with another of those documents have fallen into the hands of so In these scraps from the past it is the ensembles which are irritatingly apt to scrupulous an editor as Mr. Seltsam. name of Jean de Reszke which always sound better than the more important solo DESMOND SHAWE- TAYLOR arouses the most intense interest; and his passages; this is the passage from Act I presence seems also to give the signal for of Aida immediately preceding ' Ritorna ECHOES OF THE AGE a more than usually furious outburst of vincitor," with Louise Homer prominent as GOLDEN OF OPERA: Volume incidental noises: no doubt his cylinders Amneris and Gadski audible as Aida. The II were played more often than the rest. next three excerpts are all of Nellie Melba. Emma Eames, Lillian Nordica, Marcella There are three excerpts, with Lillian Nor - ' Spargi d'amaro pianto," the cabaletta Sembrich, Nellie Melba, et al. dica as Valentine, from the great duet in from the Lucia Mad Scene, remains very INTERNATIONAL RECORD COLLECTORS' Act IV of Les Huguenots. Oh, for a high- distant until the end, when our patience is CLUB L 7004. 12 -in. (Available from the fidelity tape of this! By dint of constant rewarded by a dazzling down -and -up scale club, 318 Reservoir Ave., Bridgeport 6, listening, my eyes glued to a score, I have passage (more elaborate than that in the Conn.)

82 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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JANUARY 1957

www.americanradiohistory.com Continued from page 8o REGINALD FOORT: Intermission at Emory Cook was one of the first - per- the Mosque haps the first to see that high -fidelity voice, his crystal -clear - diction-are grati- recordings could do justice and give fyingly present. Reginald Foort, organ. re- Owing to the melancholy newed status to theater organs. Reginald nature of most of the songs COOK 1059X. 12 -in. $4.98. (only two of Foort, playing in the Mosque Theater in them are merry), listeners may find this Richmond, Virginia, was his artist at that disk more enjoyable Waltz and Ballet if they play two or time. Now, in the flood of current disks three pieces at a time instead of the whole Reginald Foort, organ. devoted to such organs, come two more by thing at one sitting. 1 N.B. COOK 058. 12 -in. $4.98. Mr. Foort, again on the Mosque organ. (This is not to be confused with the organ in Richmond's Byrd Theater, on Dialing Your Disks which Dick Leibert has recorded, even if the two instruments couldn't be more con- All LP disks are recorded with treble boost following values in the table below: ROLL- fusingly alike.) and bass cut, the amount of which often OFF- 10.5: LON, FRRR. 12: AES, RCA, With popular fare (Intermission at the varies from one manufacturer to another. Old RCA. 53.7: RIAA, RCA, New RCA, Mosque), Mr. Foort is an old smoothie, To play a disk, the bass below a certain New AES, NARTB, ORTHOphonic. 16: as free and splashy as ever in his use of turnover frequency must be boosted, and NAB, LP, COL, COL LP, ORTHOcoustic. special instrumental effects. But the record the treble must be rolled off a certain num- TURNOVER -400: AES, RCA. 500C: entitled Waltz and Ballet is, I'm afraid, ber of decibels at lo,000 cycles. Recom- LP, COL, COL LP, Mod NAB, LON, only for the thick- skinned. Visions arise mended control settings to accomplish this FFRR. 5ooR. RIAA, ORTHOphonic, of elephants dancing at a circus. Luigini, are listed for each manufacturer. Equalizer NARTB, New AES. 500: NAB. 63o: having composed the kind of music he did control panel markings correspond to the BRS. Boo: Old RCA. for Ballet Egyptienne, probably would merely shudder in his grave to hear this All records produced under the following labels are recorded with the indusln - standard RI A.1 curve (500R performance. But Strauss turnover; 13.7rollof(): Angel; tAtiantic; Bethlehem; Classic Editions; Clef ; EMS; Epic; McIntosh; (Richard) would MGM; Montilla; New azz; Norgran; Prestige; Romany; Savoy; Walden. Labels that have used never cease spinning if he heard his other rerordine curves are listed hr(mu. Rosenkavalier waltzes given the "Mighty NI- W 0I.1) Wurlitzer" treatment. Mr. Foort is a RECORD LABIìL Tur,wver Rollgf+ Record No. or Dote: I urn over. R1,I!,r Mighty Technician himself, and for the Allied 500 16 musically nonsqueamish this is an enter- Amer. Rec. Soc. 400 12 taining disk. R.E. Arizona 5(N)R 13.7 To 1955: 400. 12.7 Audio Fidelity 500R 13.7 No. 991 -903: 500, 16 PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA: Vir- Audiophile 500 12 tuosi di Philadelphia Bach Guild 500R 13.7 No. 501 -529:5(X). 16 i * Bartok 500R 13.7 No. 901 -905, 308. 310, 311: 500R. 13.; Paganini-Ormandy: Moto Perpetuo, Op. a r. No. 906 -920, 301- 304. 309: 630, 10 Gabrieli -Fritz Stein: Sonata Pian e Forte Blue N to Jazz 500R 13.7 To 1955: 41X), 12 (Symphoniae Boston 500(' 16 Sacrae). Milhaud: Concerto *Caedmon for Percussion and Small Orchestra. Rich- ¿1008 13.7 i No. 1001 -1022: 630.16 Canyon 5008 13.7 To No. 06160: 400. 12 ard Strauss: Serenade for Wind Instru- Capitol 50OR 13.7 To 1955: 400, 12.7 ments, in E -fiat, Op. 7. Brahms: Serenade Capitol -Cetra 500R 13.7 To 1955: 400. 12.7 No. 2, in A, Op. 16 (Allegro moderato Cetra -Soria 500C 16 and Scherzo). Elgar: Pomp and Circum- Colosseum 500R 13.7 To January 1954: 500,16 stance March, Op. 39, No. 1. *Columbia 511111 13.7 To 1955: 500('. 16 Concert Hall 50OR 10.5 To 1954 : :AM '. 16 Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, *Contemporary :00R 13.7 No. 3501, 2501. 2502. 2505, 2507, 2001, cond. 2002: 400, 12. No. 2504: 500. 16 COLUMBIA ML 5129. 12 -in. tCook (SOOT) 500 12-15 $3.98. Coral 500 16 The Virtuosi di Philadelphia (why not Decca 500R 13.7 To November 1955: 500. 16 Filadelfia?) need to give no further proof Elektra 50OR 13.7 1 No. 2 -15, 18 -20, 24 -26: 630, 16. No. 17, 22: 400, 12. No. 16, 21, 23, 24: 500R, 1 :3.7 of their virtuosity - it is one of the Esoteric 5008 13.7 No. ES 500, 517, EST 5, 6: 400, 12 wonderful things in American music (and Folkways 5008 13.7 To 1955: 500C. 16 occasionally a mixed blessing) but here *Good -Time 1, - Jazz 500R No. 5 -8: 500. 16. 9 -19: 13.7 No. 3. 40), 12 is additional proof in a grab bag of works, Haydn Society 500C 16 not all of which will please HMV SOOR 16 any one Kapp 500R 13.7 No. 100 -103. 1000 -1001: %1X1, 16 person. What the various compositions Kendall 5(X) 16 are designed to show off should be obvi- *London. Loin. Int. 500R 13.7 To No. 846: SOOt'. 10.5 ous: the dazzling first violins in the Lyrichord 500 16 Paganini, the luminous brass in the Gabri- *Mercury 500R 13.7 To October 1954: 4(0, 12 eli, the agile percussion in the Milhaud, Nocturne 50OR 13.7 No. LP 1 -3, 5, XPI -10: 4(10. 12 the pliant winds in the Strauss, the rich Oceanic 51100 16 lower strings in the Brahms, *L'Oiseau -Lyre 500R 13.7 To 1954: 5000, 10.5 the whole sonorous *Overtone 500R 13.7 No. 1 -3: 501, 16 orchestra in the Elgar. A curious Oxford 5000 to collection, superbly played and recorded,

Pacific Jazz 50()R 1 :3.7 No. 1 -13: 400, 12 which is worth investigating for whatever Philharmonia 400 12 values it might turn up for the buyer. tPolymusic 500 16 R. E. RCA Victor 5008 13.7 To September 1952: 50) or SIN), 12 Remington :AN) 16 RITA STREICH: Coloratura Favorites Riverside 5())R 13.7 To 1955: 300, 12 Tempo 500 16 Josef Strauss: Village Swallows. Alabieff: Transradin 500)C 10 The Nightingale. Salvatore Marchesi: La Urania 5018 13.7 No. 7059, 224, 7066, 7063. 7065. 603, Folletta. Delibes: Les filles de Cadiz. 7069: 100, 12. Others: 5110C 16 Vanguard 5008 13.7 No. 411- 442, 6000 -6018. 7001 -7011, 8001- Dell'Acqua: Villanelle. Flotow: The Last 8004: 5610. 16 Rose of Summer. Czernik: Chi sa? Johann

Vox :ANIR r 13.7 500. 16 unless otherwise specified. Strauss: Draussen in Sievering. Arditi: Il *Westminster 5(X3!1 13.7 To October 1955: 000C, 10; or if AES bacio. specified: 400, 12 *Currently re- recording old masters for RIAA curve. Rita Streich, soprano. tBinaural records produced on this label have no treble boost on the inside band. which should be played without any rolloff. DECCA DL 9873. 12 -in. $3.98. Continued on page 88

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TROMBONE BACH FOR PERCUSSION Davis Shuman, Trombonist STRINGS OF PEARL Toccata and Fugue in D Minor compositions by Tibor Serly. Pearl plays a rare Original "Great" Fugue in G Minor Chertok combination of the sophisticated and the primitive Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra Toccata in F Major on harp. Drum rhythms by Johnny Rod- Miniature Suite for 12 Wind Fugue in C Major Instruments riguez. Brilliant Hi -Fil AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 1812 12 -in. $5.95 AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 1811 12 -in. $5.95 AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 1805 12 -in. $5.95

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JANUARY 1957 R5

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The Music Between by Murray Schumach

WOMEN SINGERS have exerted such requires as much artistry as, say, Kathleen matic, serves up false hysteria. Much more extraordinary power as record sellers Ferrier's in Dal Lied von der Erde. pleasurable than Patachou is the sincere, in the "pop" field that they have been In the eleven songs on this record - melodic Jacqueline François, backed up by sought, coveted, pampered, and displayed beautifully arranged by Nelson Riddle, Michel Legrand's orchestra on Columbia's with a magnificence accorded only the who also conducts the orchestra - Miss April in Paris (ML 5091) . most famous of classical artists. The slight- Garland illustrates brilliantly her ability Lower than the lofty Garland- Merman- est hint that a female warbler with a new to do either rhythm song or ballad; to Piaf peak are Giselle MacKenzie and Teddi pop "style" has been discovered touches convey drama as well as melody. Perfec- King - the former on Giselle MacKenzie off among record executives something tionists may quibble that none of these (Vik LX ro55), the latter on To You akin to the old- fashioned gold rush. songs is up to Over the Rainbow. But / from Teddi King (RCA Victor LPM 1313) . Through cellar bistros, obscure night clubs, does one necessarily disdain an Elisabethoft' Both have good voices, taste, and intelli- and small radio stations they course, all Schwarzkopf recording because it does n gence. Though unable to convey Miss in the hope of finding a way to cash in include Mozart's Abendemp/itndung? Garland's deep emotion, they show sym- on the new "trend." If, as is generally Ethel Merman is another illustration of pathy and understanding. They can't the case, the "discovery" is just a fad, greatness among pop singers. Her latest "belt" a tune in the Merman manner, she vanishes within a year or so, leaving album, Ethel Merman, a Musical Autobiog- but they both can be delightfully buoyant. only a vague memory to -be discussed years raphy (Decca DX 153) , will, I think, And both have the good pop singer's re- later by women-or men- laughing at bring happiness to its owners for many spect for lyrics, melody, and rhythm. the curious attachments of adolescence. years. No one would contend that Miss This brings us to the "record voice," But the great stylists in the pop field Merman has a beautiful voice, or even a the sort of singing which is at its best on - and I exclude jazz, though the line good one. It is strident, grating, bellicose. records-sometimes, indeed, no good ex- between jazz and pop is sometimes hazy But, just as Miss Garland can make strong cept on records. Basically, I think, these - can endure as long as famous singers men weep, Miss Merman can bring laugh- singers concentrate on one of two appeals of concert and opera. There is often a ter to the most crabbed of humans with - wholesomeness and sex. tendency - sometimes impelled by snob- her overpowering jaunty joyousness. A Representative of the wholesome cate- bery - to demean all pop singers with world attacked by Miss Merman's belli- gory are Jo Stafford, on Ski Trails (Co- such comments as: "What would she do gerent good nature is suddenly a warm lumbia CL 91o); Rosemary Clooney, on without a mike in her throat ?" or: "The spot in which sentiment and sophistication Blue Rose (Columbia eL 872); Patti sound engineers are her voice." It is true are always in balance; where mischief is Page, in Patti Page in the Land of Hi-Fi that many jukebox divas have little talent the perfect sauce for intellect. (Emarcy MG 36074) ; Ann Gilbert, in and that even good pop singers lack the Miss Merman delivers the thirty -four The Many Moods of Ann (Groove, LG range, breath control, volume, pear- shaped songs on the two records of this well - too4); Vera Lynn, in If I Am Dreaming tones of the opera star. But the elite annotated album with the flawless rhythm (London LL 15to). The best examples among pop singers-such as Ethel Waters, and syllabic purity that have long made are the Misses Stafford and Clooney. Both Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, Edith Piaf her the darling of theater audiences. To have absolute assurance in the stunt of - are fine artists. show her off to best advantage, this col- suffusing a room in contentment. Miss Proof of such artistry abounds, I think, lection of songs has been culled mainly Stafford. I think, could have tried a bit in a few recent recordings by female from the works of the Gershwin brothers, for humor in Baby, It's Cold Outside, and singers in the pop realm, whose triumph Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter. Here Mer- Miss Clooney could learn from jazz singers on disks is all the more spectacular be- man addicts will find such favorites as I to get a touch of the blues in Sophisticated cause they work at a disadvantage. For Got Rhythm (from Girl Crazy); Anything Lady. The former is supported by Paul though most operatic singers profit by not Goes and You're the Top (Anything Weston's orchestra and the latter by Duke being seen, the best of the nonoperatic Goes) ; Ridin' High (Red, Hot and Blue) ; Ellington's gifted group, both richly re- singers have learned to please the eye as Doin' What Comes Natur'lly and I Got the corded. well as the ear. That they are also success- Sun in the Morning (Annie Get Your The war between men and women is ful even when invisible is attributable to Gun). To songs from nine Merman mu- well represented this month by Eartha Kitt, enormous talent, dedicated discipline, and sicals, two bonuses have been added - on Thursday's Child ( RCA Victor, LPM audience -exposure that has guided their Alexander's Ragtime Band and Dearie. 1300 ) ; Sarah Vaughan, on Sassy Sarah instincts into what George Bernard Shaw This last is a gem that pairs her with Vaughan ( Emarty MG 36089 ) ; and Anita meant when he wrote: "To kindle art to Ray Bolger. Ellis, on I Wonder What Became of Me the whitest heat there must always be some American pop singers have a decided (Epic LN 3280). I think Miss Kitt, fanaticism behind it." advantage in the field, but no monopoly. though exciting in the manner of some As Exhibit A in this argument to show This is demonstrated by Edith Piaf, in neon spectaculars, misses true emotion. how artistic pop singers can be, I offer her latest Columbia record, La Vie en Rose Her style seems to commingle the Ameri- Judy Garland's latest recording, Judy (CL 898). This time, singing in English can folk singer, French chanteuse, and (Capitol T 734). Think how many as well as French, the chanteuse is, as night club star. Depending on the song, women have done Come Rain or Come always, basically concerned with enriching I keep thinking of her as a second -rate Shine, I Feel a Song Comic' On, Life It words and music with her own emotion. Piaf, an imitation Pearl Bailey, or a female Just a Bowl of Cherries, and April Show- When she does La Vie en Rose or Autumn Harry Belafonte. Miss Vaughan, despite a ers without making any impression. But Leaves she employs even her faults - the horrible tremolo, tosses in such clever when Miss Garland does these numbers pronounced quaver, for instance, to color vocal gimmicks that at times she sounds on this record (aided, incidentally, by ex- the bittersweetness; the tormented huski- almost artistic. cellent sonics) she transforms them into ness to produce the over -all musical per- Oddly, Miss Ellis, who excited me most fervid emotional experiences that can come sonality of the game grisette. With the of this group, was also the most exasper- only from dedicated study and deep feel- exception of Lotte Lenya, as typified by her ating. She has the voice, training, feeling, ing. For instance, when she sings the Lotte Lenya Sings Theatre Songs by Kurt and provocative style to become a fine usually trite and maudlin Dirty Hands, Weill (Columbia KL 5056), 1 know of pop artist. In her Wait Till You See Me, Dirty Face, she infuses it with a quiet no pop singer in the Continental style who for instance, there is extraordinary know- joy and tenderness that raise it almost to is as dramatically effective as Miss Piaf. how. If only she would forget some of the folk quality. And it is quite possible that Certainly not Patachou on an Audio Fidel- tricks that probably went well when she to evoke the pathos of her rendition of ity recording called Paris C'est une Blonde was a vocal "ghost" for Rita Hayworth Any Place I Hang My Hat It Home (AFLP 1814), who, in trying to be dra- she might become something memorable.

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Continued from page 84 UNICORN UNLP 1037. r2 -in. $3.98. chamber ensemble composed in the early Twenties. Because of their brevity The rising young German soprano Rita A fetching miscellany of modern and pieces, their rather violent polytonalism Streich is as skillful a singer as she is beautifully performed and these gorgeously re- works were regarded enchanting (and vice versa) in these light- corded. as jokes when they were new, and the literature on Milhaud weight display pieces, and she should de- Ives's unanswered question is the riddle continues to treat them in a light vein. But light any coloratura fancier. The tone glis- of existence. The trumpet propounds it; the Fourth Symphony is no joke. tens prettily; the technique seems effort- flutes struggle with it; but throughout the Its Chorale is one of the most powerful things less, the melodies blossoming into roulades entire score the strings sustain a quiet, Milhaud has ever written, and so is its fugal and the cadenzas cascading as smoothly mysterious background because they are finale. A grand as could be desired; the less showy pas- the Druids, who know, piece, previously unavail- see, and hear able on records. sages, particularly in the Strauss waltzes, nothing" -or perhaps everything. This Nikos Skalkottas, the Greek disciple of are meltingly phrased. Of its kind, a is not Ives's most important work, but it Schoenberg, who died in 1942, makes superior disk. R.E. is significant of the transcendentalist streak his debut on records with the Little in his make -up which often came to the Suite, which proves how well the twelve ZIMBLER SINFONIETTA fore in his music but which has in the -tone system can adapt itself to a Mediterranean music so far recorded been overlooked. Ives: The Unanswered Question. Milhaud: temperament and an essentially lyrical The Milhaud is not the Fourth Sym- Symphony No. 4. Skalkottas: Little Suite point of view. phony, or Te Deum, for big orchestra for String Orchestra. Bartók: Divertimento and The famous Divertimento chorus, written to celebrate the liberation of Bartók for Strings. calls for no comment. It is available of Paris from the Nazis, but the fourth in four other recordings, but this is Zimbler Sinfonietta, Lukas Foss, cond. in the series of six little symphonies for one of the best. A.F.

UNLP 1031 "LIGHT MUSIC" Boyd Neel conducting the Boyd Neel Orchestra. Ltd. Composers: Sibelius, Grieg. Handel, Arne, Agrell, Bull. More Briefly Noted UNLP 1040 BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS No. 1, 2, and 4. THE Budapest Quartet's offering of Buda- ALL THESE UNLP 1041 BRANBENBURG CONCERTOS No.3, 5 and 6. Boyd Neel conducting pest Quartet Encores is a record to wax the Boyd Neel Orchestra. lyrical over. Containing single move- NEW Ltd. Soloists: Leon Goosens, G. Gilbert, , E. Hurwitz. Bram Gay, George Malcolm. ments from string music by Tchaikovsky, UNS 1 HANDEL: "MESSIAH" Haydn, Schubert, Debussy, and Wolf - (The first Amer. recording) together with others it forms a near- UN ICORN The Handel and Haydn Society of Boston - and the Zimbler Sinfonietta conducted perfect introductory sampler for the cham- by Thompson Stone ber -music novice, while at the same RECORDS Adele Addison, soprano; Lorna Sydney, time contralto; David Lloyd, tenor; Donald its performances must afford exquisite Gramm, bass. Complete - 3 -12' records pleasure to the serious lover of the art. CARRY A FULL $11.98 This we owe to Columbia (ML 5116) . UNLP 1043 EnrpsItem H 3 n del's "MESSIAH." 1 -12' record. Less inspiring, but expertly performed MONEY- BACK and brilliantly recorded (by Capitol on P 835 1 ) , are a collection of familiar tunes MUSIC AT M.I.T. - Funiculi, Funicular Perpetual Motion; GUARANTEE Barcarolle from the Tales of Hoffmann; UNLP 1031 "THE MODERN AGE OF BRASS" Finale from Tchaikovsky's Cappriccio Roger Voisin and His Brass Ensemble. Ital- If you don't agree they're Composers: Sanders; Dahl; Hindemith; ien; etc. - played by the Hollywood Bowl Berezowski. Recorded at Kresge Auditorium, Symphony Orchestra under Carmen Dragon the finest high fidelity sound M.I.T. Engineered by Peter Bartók. and more or less appropriately available, just return them UNLP 1032 HANDEL ORGAN CONCERTOS entitled with your sales slip and get Lawrence Moe, organist. Nos. 1 and 5, Op. 7; L'Italia. Distinctly for the specialized taste Nos. 2 and 5, Op. 4. Klaus Liepmann is Marcel Mule's The Saxophone, Vol. VI, your money back. conducting Unicorn Concert Orchestra. Holtkamp Baroque organ, M.I.T. Chapel. 'in which this past master of the art of Engineered by Peter Bartók. the saxophone (accompanied by Solange UNLP 1033 BEETHOVEN PIANO SONATAS Robin at the piano) plays some very E- Major. Opus 109; A -Flat Major, Opus 110. Ernst Levy, pianist. Recorded at Kresge ordinary music. Paul Creston's sonata, how- Auditorium. M.I.T. Engineered by ever, is pleasant, and the disk as a whole Peter Bartók. (excellently recorded) certainly affords UNLP 1034 Beethoven Piano Sonatas F Minor, Op. 57, ( Appassionata); C Minor. opportunity for the full study of Mule's Op. 111. Ernst Levy, pianist. Recorded at technique. Kresge Auditorium, M.I.T. Engineered by Peter Bartók. UNLP 1035 Franz Liszt piano works, Sonata in B Minor' Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude. Ernst Levy, pianist. Recorded at Kresge. Auditorium, M.I.T. Engineered by THE BEST OF JAZZ Peter Bartók. UNLP 1037 Bartók: by John S. Wilson Divertimento for String Orchestra; Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question; Darius Milhaud, Symphony No. 4 for Strings; Nikos Skalkottas: Little Suite for Strings. The Zimbler Sinfonietta THE PAUL DESMOND QUARTET conducted by Lukas Foss. Recorded at SymphonyHall, Boston. Engineered by Jazzabeller A Watchman's Carroll; Every- Peter Bartok. thing Happens to Me: Let's Get Au ay from All records are 12 L. P:a at $3.98 each. It All; Look for the Silver Lining; Sacre Blues; You Go to My Head; Line for Lyons. Paul Desmond, alto saxophone; Don Elli- ott, mellophone, trumpet; Norman Bates, bass; Joe Dodge, drums. FANTASY 3235. 12 -in. 42 min. $3.98.

75 STATE STREET, M A S S A C H U S E T T S A couple of months ago, on Brubeck Plays Brubeck, Dave Brubeck proved himself a

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much more interesting performer when he got away from his quartet and played solo. It would be going a little far to say that Paul Desmond, Brubeck's saxophonist, is also a more interesting performer when MERCURY he, too, gets away from the Brubeck quartet - his consistently excellent work has often been the saving grace of that group - but it is pleasant to hear him in sur- LIVING PRESENCE roundings in which there is no danger of an intrusion of Brubeck's Gotterdäm- Chopin merung fetish. Desmond is one of the very few jazzmen who can work out a LES SYLPHIDES really valid solo at some length, a talent which he shows repeatedly on most of these Dukas selections (the too slow, too tedious You LA PERI Go to My Head is the major exception). Don Elliott's mellophone is a fascinating the HALLE in complement to Desmond's alto their ORCHESTRA passages together and he manages some convincingly swinging solos. But he is GEORGE WELDON tripped by his versatility when, on two conducting occasions, he makes unfortunate switches to trumpet. DIZZY GILLESPIE AND HIS OR- CHESTRA: Dizzy Gillespie: World Statesman Dizzy's Business; Jessica's Day; Tour de Force; I Can't Get Started; Doodlin'; Night in Tunisia; Stella by Starlight; The Champ; My Reverie; Dizzy's Blues. NORGRAN MG -N -5084. t2 -in. 4o min. $4.98. This is the band with which Gillespie made his tour of the Middle East under the auspices of the State Department. It is CHOPIN Les Sylphides; DUKAS La Péri. Hailé Orchestra, solidly in the tradition of the great ones George Weldon conducting. MG50117 among the big jazz bands of the past - powerful, flexible, capable of rich sonorities band that has both a and subtle delicacy, a FREDERICK FENNELL 16f.YMP1ANi variety of solo stars and strong group feeling. Most of the selections are rooted MUSIC OF LEROY ANDERSON in a rocking, swinging beat, but occasionally there is a shift to a legato rhythm EASTMAN -ROCHESTER pops -4 Can't Get Started, on which the band creates a rich, smooth sauce for Gillespie's ORCHESTRA tart trumpet, and My Reverie, a showcase for Melba Liston's surprisingly masculine, slightly Kentonish trombone. Gillespie's wa playing, often dazzling but never exhi- bitionistic, is a soundly conceived but highly imaginative extension of whatever basic material is being dealt with. Touched as it is by Gillespie's piquant personality, this is a band that is reminiscent of no other big band, a band which is carving out its own directions instead of poking around in the dead wood of the past. HISTORY OF CLASSIC JAZZ of Abatutsi;l Backgrounds: Royal Drums Abatutsi Girls' Songs; Lobertina; Street Cries of Charleston; Shuckin' Sugar ( Blind Lemon Jefferson) ; I'm Going to Heaven Takes My Life (Rev. J. G. Gates); If It FREDERICK FENNELL conducts the music of LEROY ANDER- Slidus Trombonus (Sodero's Military SON. Eastman- Rochester "POPS" Orchestra, Fr ederick Fen- Band) ; Ragtime Oriole ( Fred Van Eps) . nell conducting. MG50130 Ragtime: At a Georgia Camp Meeting; The Cascades (Scott Joplin); Frog Legs f1d Rag (James Scott) ; American Beauty Rag MOZART Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; Symphony in C Major "Linz." ( Jelly Roll (Joseph Lamb) ; Perfect Rag Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati concucting. MG50121 Morton); Atlanta Rag (Cow Cow Daven- London port) . HANSON Fantasy Variations; ROGERS Leaves from "Thy Tale of The Blues: Titanic Man Blues (Ma TRIGGS The Bright Land. Eastman -Rochester Orches- Rainey) ; St. Louis Blues (Bessie Smith) ; Pinocchio"; I've Got the Blues for Rampart Street tra, Howard Hanson conducting. MG50114 (Ida Cox); Around the Clock Blues (Chippie Hill); Risin' High Water (Blind 89 JANUARY 1957

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Lemon Jefferson) ; Big Bill Bluer ( Big Bill turned when they organized Riverside Broonzy). Records three years ago. By industrious CONCORD New Orleans Styles: Froggie Moore investigation and shopping they acquired JANUARY RELEASES (King Oliver) ; The Pearls (Jelly Roll the rights to masters by such jazz labels Morton) ; Steady Roll (Morton); Liven of the Twenties as Gennett, Paramount, "ALBERT DoCOSTA OPERA CONCERT" Stable Blues ( New Orleans Rhythm Black Swan, and Champion, as well as

Hear the Metropolitan Opera's exciting tenor Kings); Blue Grass . Blues (Original the more recent Solo Art and Circle. With discovery, Albert DaCosta, sing F above High Memphis Melody Boys); Cake Walking these, Riverside began the most ambitious C in FULL VOICE in the Credeasi misera from Puritanil The only recording in the world of Babies from Home ( Red Onion Jazz program of reissues carried out so far in such a feat. Symphony Orchestra conducted by Babies) . this And now, as the Hans Jurgen -Walther. country. ultimate 1. LEONCAVALLO: I Pagliacci: Vesti la Boogie Woogie: No. 29 (Wesley Wal- flower of all this effort, representative ele- Giubba lace) : The Fives (Jimmy Yancey) ; Blue ments of Riverside's resources have been 2. MEYERBEER: les Huguenots: Plus blanche 3. BIZET: Carmen: Flower Song - La fleur Boogie ( Cripple Clarence Lofton) ; Far marshaled to form a magnificent History que tu m'avais ¡etee Ago Blues ( Meade Lux Lewis) : South Side of Classic Jazz. 4. BELLINI: I Puritani: Credeasi misera 5. MEYERBEER: L'Africaine: O Paradis Shuffle (Art Hodes); Lone Star Blues But, to avoid misunderstanding, let's 6. MEYERBEER: Le Prophete: Versez ( Pete Johnson) . qualify "magnificent." First, most of these 7. VERDI: Otello: Dio mi potevi scagliar 8 LEONCAVALLO: I Pagliacci: Un tal gioco South Side Chicago: Oh Daddy ( Johnny recordings were made in the 192os by 9 Preislied WAGNER: Die Meistersinger: Dodds and Tiny Parham) ; Salty Dog #1 small companies limited in both recording 10. WAGNER: Lohengrin: In fernem land 11. WAGNER: Die Walkure: Wintersturme ( Freddie Keppard) ; Afama Stayed Out knowledge and equipment. Several are wonnemond wichen dem ( Barrelhouse Five) ; Careless Lore ( State from the days of acoustical recording and 12. WAGNER: Siegfried: Schmiedelied 13. R. STRAUSS: Der Rosenkavalier: Di Street Ramblers) ; Jackass Blues (Louie even some of the more recent ones ( a rigori armato Austin's Blues Serenaders); The Memphis 1947 Kid Ory, for example) have the Concord 3004 - Long Play 12" Recording - 53.98 Maybe Man (Doc Cook's Dreamland Or- dim distorted fuzziness that bespeaks in- chestra) . expert engineering. This is, therefore, a "OFTEN HEARD OFFENBACH" Chicago Style: Everybody Loves 11h low -fidelity set, and people whose in- Rx for a miserable moodl More bubbly than Baby (Stomp Six); Royal Garden Bluer terests lie with the highest highs and the a glass of champagne. Offenbach, performed (The Wolverines); When Afy Sugar lowest lows should look elsewhere. superbly by L'Orchestre de la Radio -Television Nationale Francaise with Jean Allain conduct- Walks Down the Street (Original Wolver- Second, despite their corner on dead ing. ines) ; China Boy (Charles Pierce Orches- jazz labels, there were a couple of things . La Vie Parisienne: Quadrille 2. La Vie Parisienne: Potpourri tra); Friars Point Shuffle (Jungle Kings); Grauer and Keepnews were not able to 3. La Belle Helene: Overture Up the Country (Wingy Manone). get. One was Bessie Smith, who did all 4. Grand Dutchess of Gerolstein: Overture 5. Tales of Hoffmann: Minuet Harlem: Harlem Strut (James P. John- of her recording for Columbia. Another 6. Tales of Hoffmann: Barcarolle son) ; Mama's Got the Blues ( Fats Wal- was adequate big band representation, pos- 7. Tales of Hoffmann: Valse 8. Orpheus in the Underworld: Quadrille ler) ; Hock Shop Blues (Cliff Jackson) ; sibly because these smaller companies 9. Orpheus in the Underworld: Scherzo Midnight Stomp (Clarence Williams Or- could not afford to record big bands. To Concord 3006 - Long Play 1T' Recording - $3.98 chestra); Rainy Nights (Duke Ellington's give them credit, Grauer and Keepnews Washingtonians) ; Hop OJf ( Fletcher Hen- have shown ingenuity. Bessie Smith is "ORGAN MUSIC OF THE SIXTEENTH AND derson Orchestra). shoe- horned in by means of a sound track SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES" New York Style: Sweet Lorin' Mama from an ancient film, but it is an atrocious Truly uniquel A collector's collection of rare (Original Memphis Five); Street Alan recording. The big bands are represented organ music ... played by Robert Noehren on (California Ramblers); Stampede (Red by a very early (5926), atypical, but the Schlicker Baroque organ. 1. ARNOLT SCHLICK: Organ Chorale: "Maria and Miff's Stompers); Eccentric ( Wild historically interesting Duke Ellington zart von edler Art" Bill Davison) ; Yank's Blues (Yank Law- small group and a stodgy Fletcher Hender- 2 SWEELINCK: Six Varieties: "Mein junges Leben hat ein End" son) ; Lonesome Road (Muggsy Spanier) . son side. A really flawless history of classic 3 SWEELINCK: Fantasia super: Ut, Re, Mi, New Orleans Revival: Weary Blues jazz would have to have access to the big Fa, Sol, La 4 FRESCOBALDI: Messa della Madonna: (Kid Ory); Make Me a Pallet on the companies' files to fill in these two gaps. Canzona dopo l'Epistola Floor (Bunk Johnson); Careless Love Once these points are understood it can 5. FRESCOBALDI: Messa della Madonna: Ri- cercare dopo il Credo (George Lewis) ; Antigua Blues (Lu Wat- be reasserted that this is a magnificent 6. ANTONIO DE CABEZON: Diferencias ters) ; Dann Club Joys ( Bob Helm) ; St. production, right from the attractive sim- sobre El canto del caballero 7. SAMUEL SCHEIDT: Organ Chorale: "Da James Infirmary (Dixieland Rhythm plicity of the album itself to Charles Ed- Jesus an dem Kreuze stund" verses 1 Kings). ward Smith's delightful and informative and 6 introductory 8. PACHELBEL: Organ Chorale: "Vom Him- RIVERSIDE SDP II. Five 12 -in. 185 min. essay (a remarkably merry mel hoch da komm ich hier" piece of scholarship), Orrin Keepnews' Concord 4002 - Long Play 12" Recording - 825.0o. S4.98 complete, explicit discographical notes and The attempts of the past to make classic comments, and, of course, the records them- jazz readily available on records have "'OLD WINE" been selves. marked more often by good intentions Mellow and heady as old wine . . . from the Half of the sixty selections which make best vintage years. Dana Lawrence Orchestra. than by actual releases. George Avakian's up this history have never before been 1. Begin the Beguine great ground- breaking project on the Co- 2. Dancing in the Dark issued on LPs (two or three have never 3. In the Still of the Night lumbia label which produced three multi - been issued at all). A glance at the listing 4. You Do Something to Me disk sets The Louis Armstrong Story, 5. Body and Soul - above will show that one side of each 6. Old Man River The Bessie Smith Story, and The Bix disk is devoted to a particular aspect of 7. The Touch of Your Hand Beiderbecke Story - opened hopeful vistas; early jazz history. It will also suggest why B. Night and Day 9. That Old Black Magic but, having made these three splendid ges- it is impossible to discuss the whole set 10. I Cover the Waterfront tures, Columbia retired to the same spo- 11. You're Devastating in detail. But some of the high points 12. Time on My Hands radic, disjointed reissue basis that also should be noted. There is a pair of prop- 13. Sweet Lorraine has been followed by both RCA Victor classic blues by 14. Who's Sorry Now? erly male singers, Blind Concord 3005 - Long Play 12" Recording - and Decca. Lemon Jefferson's Shuckin' Sugar and Big S3.98 These three companies are mentioned Bill's Big Bill Blues, along with perform- because, until recently, they were the CONCORD RECORDS ances by Ma Rainey and Ida Cox which are only record companies that had in their as . ' The Sound Heard 'Round The Worldf' is notable for the accompanying trumpets files the material with which Every CONCORD Record is wrapped three to document as for the singing - the beautiful tone of ways to protect it from dirt, Oust and finger- early jazz. True, there were many jazz prints ... first in a polyethylene sleeve, second Joe Smith with Ma Rainey and the more in an album container, third in an hermetically recordings made in the Twenties and rugged style of Tommy Ladnier with Ida sealed plastic outer wrapper Thirties, by other companies, but most of At your dealer or wrirr: Cox. There is Jerry Roll Morton flailing these were small outfits and have vanished, out a fleet and powerful ragtime tune, CONCORD RECORD leaving the rights to the recordings scat- larding it with typical Jelly Roll phrases; tered and obscure. superb King Oliver -Louis Armstrong team - CORPORATION However, it was to these sources that Bureau 4, 519 S. Fifth Ave., Mt. Vernon, N.Y. I Bill Grauer, Jr. and Orrin Keepnews Continued on page 92

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José Greco -Ballet; Crquesta Zarzuela De Madrid; Dr. William D. Revelli raises band music to a new HI -Fl Organ Solos With a Beat; Lenny Dee makes 'Viva Castilla', 'El Baile de Luis Alonso', etc. HI -FI; 'On The Esplanade', 'The Showman -March', the organ jump in 'Charmaine', 'I'm Beginning To DL 9757 'Ballet Of Pleasure', etc. DL 8264 See The Light', 'Coquette', etc. DL 8165*

"DL" indicates 331/2 RPM Long Ploy. *Available on Extended Ploy 45. }Recorded in Europe by Deutsche Grammophon DECCA® RECORDS a New Worin of Sounci®

JANUARY 195; 91

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work on Froggie Moore; Art Hodes' angu- lar and very Chicago piano on South Side JANUARY'S Shuffle; the rich earthiness of the Barrel- house Five, Lovie Austin's re'a'red Jackass Blues, Bix playing with sublime sweetness BIGGEST HI FI BUY! of tone on Royal Garden Blues, Fats Waller tearing up a piano roll with Mama's Got the Blues and on down a long new from RCA VICTOR and fascinating list. This set is essential to any comprehensive jazz collection. It will be a well of nostalgia for the gaffers who lived through it and an eye -opener for jazz fledglings. To anyone interested in jazz, now or in the future, it is - and seems bound to remain -a work of tremendous importance in concise, accurate, intelligent, and witty documentation of the beginnings and of jazz. REGULARLY $3.98 establishment THIS MONTH ONLY GEORGE LEWIS IN HI -FI Original Dixieland One Step; Four or Five Times: Struttin' With Some Barbecue; '2.98 Salty Dog: That's a Plenty; Move the Body Over: Don't Give Up the Ship: Didn't He SPECIAL 45 EP Ramble; She's Cryin' for Me; Tishomingo. FORMER $1.49 VALUE George Lewis, clarinet; Thomas Jefferson, THIS MONTH ONLY trumpet; Bob Thomas, trombone; Alton Purnell, piano; Alcide "Slow Drag" Pava- geau, bass; Joe Watkins, drums. '1.29 CAVALIER 6004. 12 -in, 46 min. $3.98. Here's an album that has everything! The great talent of The Three Suns combines From almost every point of view, this is with the world's largest pipe organ, setting a new mood in mood music. Electrifying Lewis' best disk. The recording is certainly sound makes this an adventure in Hi Fi you can't afford to miss ... all at a special the best his band has received, and the low, low price! program, for a change, is not made up of material which it has recorded repeatedly. At your Record Dealer's Now! But the most important differences are the Nationally Advertised Prices. changes which have been made in the personnel of the band. Thomas Jefferson gives the group a more certain, stronger trumpet lead than did his predecessor, S Kid Howard, and he adds color with such Any 3aii:z:A1bums things as his biting growl chorus on Four for 8 or Five Times. Bob Thomas, replacing Jim Robinson, has all of Robinson's gruff Choose the greatest jazz classics ever recorded... in the jazz style you like best! strength plus a more lyric quality. Along with Lewis himself, whose form never seems to vary, they make an exceptionally strong front line. The departure of ban- ri R -7s14-4No joist Lawrence Marrero has loosened up the rhythm section and this, along with allows the amazing .l(' 1 It! the good recording, drive of the sixty- eight- year -old bassist, 4. Modern Jazz: Modern 5. 0001 JAZZ: Great 6. Dixieland: Tiger Rag, 7. Swinging Jazz: Jo sounds by Mulligan, sounds by Charlie other Dixieland clas- Jones and Basie alumni Alcide Pavageau, to become evident. Con- others. Summertime, Parker and Stan Getz, sics, with P. Barbarin, swing Embraceable You, sidering the physical requirements for I Hear Music, etc. kings of "modern" sax. J. McPartland. Caravan, etc. playing the bass, particularly in a band a lot of long, TO INTRODUCE YOU to five days! Return any you don't want. like this which features these superb high- fidelity Pay the special Member's price of just fast numbers, Pavageau stands as one of each ( plus shipping for those Stow 52.98 most amazing men in jazz. y jazz recordings, The Jazztone you keep') And you may resign any the time after three selections SAMS Society offers you any THREE - buying coiner during the first year. Agttfc SOW hi -fi jazz concerts shown alcove THE LUCKY THOMPSON QUINTET for only $2.98! Not one record, Don't miss this opportunity to get 3. Big Band Jazz: Good- 3 hi -fi jazz "concerts" - for only Thin Ice: Blues for Frank; A Minor De- man, Dorsey, Baste, but three 12 -inch, quiet surfa:e, $2.98. Mail coupon. Shaw, St. Louis Baby, long-playing vinyl recordings light: Takin' Care o' Business; Sophisticated Flat Foot Floogie, etc. containing up to 36 of the great- The ,J azztone Society, Dept. 3002 Lacy: These Foolish Things; When Cool est -1 Fifth Ave., New York 3, N.Y. jazz classics ever recorded! Send three Long -Play Jazz Al- Night. All the Jazz Styles and Big Names bums circled below: tenor saxophone; Em- 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Lucky Thompson, Here are today's outstanding jazz- If I keep them, I'll pay only 52.98 Berry, trumpet; Henri Renaud, pi- ïOfI men of our time interpreting all mett , - plus shipping) for all three. r/il.r the great styles. ano; Benoit Quersin, bass; Dave Pochonet, You'll find the big Also, enroll me as a Trial Mem- 2. Intimate Jazz: The band jazz of Goodman and Dorsey. ber. Privileges: advance notice of drums. the coot sounds of Parker and Getz, soft, breathy voice of releases; 5 day free trial on any DTL 93098. to-in. 28 min. Lee Wiley sings My the modern. progrelrire jazz of Gerry discs. I may reject records before LONDON Romance, My Funny Mulligan and mans others. or after hearing them: may cancel $2.98. Valentine, etc. membership at any time after Build o Great Jazz Collection at buying 3 monthly selections. Huge There is a good presentation of Lucky ius Is JAZ Cosh Savings Future 11" long -play discs are With the albums, you'll also ob- only $2.98 each plus shipping Thompson's easy, smooth tenor saxophone :i tain a Trial Membership in Name throughout this disk, recorded in Paris the Jazztone Society. Each Address 1. Fun In Jazz: Fats monthly selection will be City State last year. With each of his recent ap- Waller, the "Cheerful descr bed in advance. You For info. on Can. service!: pearances on records, Thompson has Little Earful" doing can AUDITION, any or all 105 Bond St., Toronto 2. Ont. his greatest numbers. the Society's releases for strengthened the impression that he has,

92 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com the point by riding lightly through of all the full- voiced, masculine, essentially foil for Thompson, and Henri Renaud score made famous by an earlier, less pre -bop tenors, most fully realized his contributes several able piano passages. tunes Armstrong. There are spots of bet- talents. No other tenor but Coleman Haw- static average Brubeck on his disk along kins has improvised with such a steady ter -than- Other January Jazz good playing by Paul development of ideas as Thompson consist- with consistently The J. J. Johnson -Kai Winding ently shows, and Thompson's playing today Concert Jazz: In addition to the two Desmond. finishes out one side of this disk has a definite edge over much of Hawkins' disks made at the American Jazz Festival Quintet typically slick, rhythmic but current routine work. Thompson's im- featuring Buck Clayton and Duke Elling- with three performances. provisational abilities are at peak form on ton (q.v.), two further disks were taped unemotional Orleans appearance by George the superb Thin Ice on this disk. On this there, Louis Armstrong and Eddie Condon A New and His New Orleans Five, selection, he plays with only bass and drum at Neu (Columbia CL 931. 12 -in. Girard at the Famous Door (VIK LX accompaniment (a format with which he 44 min. $3.98) and Dave Brubeck and Jay Stomping 12 -in. 49 min. $3.98) brings the showed himself to be very happy on his and Kai at Newport (Columbia CL 932. 1063. holds sad intelligence that Girard, a young trum- recent ABC -Paramount disk) , evolving a 12 -in. 43 min. $3.98). Armstrong who has shown flashes of long, uninterrupted solo that never falls to his policy of playing only things which pet player past, is now missing the into banality. The other originals are he has alreaiy played to death, while promise in the His playing here is a mostly swinging, medium -tempoed riffs on Condon's blithe boys (Wild Bill Davison, mark woefully. flashiness. Two excerpts which Emmett Berry serves as a capable Peanuts Hucko, Bud Freeman, etc.) under- mass of careless

Initiate and Uninitiate React to Bernstein's Jazz Lesson the mys- Leonard Bernstein undertook to explain jazz on BERNSTEIN here sets out to elucidate LEONARD who have long suffered WHENthe Omnibus television program last year, there seemed teries of jazz; and to those of us before them, what a benevo- to be general agreement among his jazz- oriented listeners that from an acute sense of inferiority I recall exactly when all the he had pulled off a difficult trick with impressive success. How- lent act of charity this is. don't stopped taking one ever, there was similar agreement that, when he wound up his bright young men of one's acquaintance Preludes through his hair discussion by playing a jazz composition of his own, he was "to hear the latest Pole /transmit the an evening with the pressing both his gifts and his luck too far. and fingertips" and substituted instead magazine" began to feel On this recorded adaptation of his Omnibus talk, Bernstein has late Art Tatum; or when every "little essays on such theses as allowed discretion to prevail. His own performances are limited a moral obligation to publish learned bop and Existentialism; or to brief illustrative piano and vocal passages (including a the intellectual parallels between interested in cultural delightfully rowdy rendition as a blues of a few lines from when so many people never previously on the Afro -Cuban Macbeth to point up the iambically pentametric nature of blues anthropology started suddenly to discourse been going on lyrics). Without his own composition tagging along to raise heritage of Dixieland. In any case, all this has music has been blurred anticlimactic doubts, he comes through on the disk as a man for some years now - and perhaps the who knows his subject well and has an unusual ability for dis- by the talk. this situation by a cussing it with lucidity, discernment, and wit. Mr. Bernstein has determined to rectify both those who His explanation of the blues and the specifically jazz elements labor of love, cleverly conceived to seduce original kind of found in the blues, is as clear and comprehensive as anything would genuinely like to share in a "uniquely by the real humor of "play" I have heard or read on a subject that is often misunderstood emotional expression" characterized those who might derive even by relatively sophisticated listeners. Although there is a (in the literal sense of that term) and In fulfillment good deal of showmanly humor in the purposefully exaggerated pleasure from joining in a musical avant- garde. lecture demonstration stiffness of his piano version of Empty Bed Blues as it might of his self -appointed task, he provides a isolated, explained sound without blue tonality and of Sherry Ostrus' "straight" sing- in which the various components of jazz are jazz performers. ing of this Bessie Smith classic, it is not really necessary to go verbally, and illustrated by various leading harmony are all to comic lengths to make the point. The difference can be Melody, rhythm, tonal coloration, form, and of blue heard in almost any classically trained singer's attempts at the treated; and particular emphasis is given to analysis sacred idol of jazz- blues or, as a particularly pat illustration, in Paul Robeson's notes and syncopation. Improvisation, that with Mozart's variations on efforts on a 1941 Count Basie record, King Joe. men, is given due consideration, of its On the second side, with Sweet Sue as the base of operations, "Twinkle, twinkle little star" being offered as examples demonstrated Bernstein touches on simultaneous improvisation, big band jazz, classic respectability. The various forms of jazz are a enlightening cool jazz, progressive jazz, and the future of jazz. He is in brief excerpts, and blues receive particularly somewhat less successful here than on the first side, largely interpretation. bluntly is, however, because he directs his attention to recounting developments in To state the contents of the record thus Mr. Bernstein lacks jazz instead of explaining them. This is especially apparent when to consider its pedagogical function only. schoolmaster and the he gets to modern jazz which simply because it is newer the high seriousness of the pedantic - cause. He and stranger than anything else in jazz, once the basic elements wearying intensity of the crusader in a righteous of his own re- have been assimilated needs the kind of explicit description simply likes jazz, all kinds, and something - Furthermore, his that Bernstein has just given to those basic elements. As sponsiveness is communicated to his listeners. The rendition of an Bernstein says, the line between serious music and jazz is disk conveys its own intrinsic pleasures. Bernstein's own "horrid growing less and less clear; but when he tells us that a per- African Swahili tune (in Leonard illustrate the note for formance of Sweet Sue by the Don Butterfield Sextet, which voice") may or may not adequately but it surely has "borders on serious concert music," is really jazz because it is which the jazz pianist is constantly searching; this morning with an played on jazz instruments by jazzmen and has roots in the its own grotesque humor. "I woke up tenth -rate prima donna soil of jazz," he leaves more things unexplained than he awful aching head," sung in conventional whatever it demon- explains. What, for instance, is a jazz instrument? How does fashion, achieves the fine art of parody, wood to Dunsinane one distinguish a "jazzman "? And how does one recognize the strates about jazz. And when Birnam comes alienation among the arts are jazz roots in a performance in which they are not readily ap- in blues style, the barriers of parent? completely undone. The listener is undone too. will come knocking at This leaves ample room for a sequel which might be called I don't know how many postulants jazz as a result of this record; "What Is Modern Jazz ?" If Bernstein can explain that with the the rather formidable doors of if not to the open same simple, direct clarity with which he has handled basic jazz, but certainly any hostility must give place, and the potentially under- nothing less than a statue in his honor at the entrance to Bird - heart, at least to the listening ear land would be adequate recognition of his achievement. standing mind. JOHN S. WILSON JOAN GRIFFITHS

LEONARD BERNSTEIN : What Is Jazz COLUMBIA CL 919. 12 -in. 48 min. $3.98.

JANUARY 1957 93

www.americanradiohistory.com RECORDS

from a 1955 "Jazz at the Philharmonic" ® full frequency range recording concert are available, Jazz at the Philhar- monic (American Recording Society 416. 12 -in. 44 min. By subscription) and Jazz 4 special HIGH FIDELITY releases at the Philharmonic, Vol. zi. (Clef MG Vol. II. Two 12 -in. 104 min. $9.96) . London ffrr, has created these These are primarily for that special audi- four twelve -inch recordings ence which responds to the long, empty especially for hi -fi enthusiasts. Find out how good your solos which are a JATP hallmark, al- \equipment really is with these masterpieces in sound. though there is relief in the more rationally J developed work of Oscar Peterson's trio. represented by three identical selections on both disks. Big Bands: Pete Rugolo's i%fu.ric for Hi -Fi Bugs (EMARCY 36082. 12 -in. 37 min. $3.98) is quite definitely that and at times it is interesting big band jazz, too. although the band is heavier than a good jazz band ought to be. Something closer to the optimum level is produced by Elliot Lawrence's band on Stringing at the Steel Pier (Fantasy 3236. 12 -in. 39 min. $3.98), a collection of finger- snapping Al Cohn arrangements highlighted by one of the best Cohn solo performances I know TED HEATH SWINGS IN HI -FI MEN OF BRASS of, a broad, brooding tenor saxophone development Kings Cross Climax, Boomerang. When a Bodgie Nightfall in Camp. Introduction to Act 3 of Alone Together. Meets a Widgie, Dance of the Dingoes, Mala. "Lohingrin ", The Whistler and his Dog, March Ted Heath's band continues its explora- Buena, Ballyhoo, Barber Shop Jump, Lullaby of "Medallion ", 1812 Overture. The Mill in the tions Birdland, Walking Shoes. Dig Deep, Peg O' My Dale. Cornet Carillon. Grand March "Queen of of popular composers with Rodgers Heart. Bell Bell Boogie Siboney Cloudburst. Sheba'. Spanish Gipsy Dance. Cornet Trio for Moderns (London LL 1500. 12 -in. 32 LL 1475 'Bugler's Holiday" LL 1456 min. $3.98) and offers a more varied col- Here are fourteen selection, chosen especially to This unusual recording offers an amazing audio lection on Ted Heath Swings in Hi-Fi demonstrate the scope of band sounds. The excep. treat, no woodwinds, no strings -instead sixty -nine tional driee the Heath band (London LL 1475. 12 -in. 32 of highlights the sound pieces of brass (with percussion) provide an excit. min. $3.98). of each instrument and make, this rng, a must for hi -b different kind of hi -iii sound than you've even Both disks have the bright precision, addicts heard before the showmanly qualities, and the superior recording that are usually present on Heath disks, but they also have that bland, anony- mous quality that dogs most of his work. This feeling also permeates a pair of Heath offspring, English Jazz by Johnny Keating's All -Stars (Bally 12001. 12 -in. 35 min. $3.98) and Swing Me High by Reg Owen and his orchestra (Bally 12006. 12 -in. 29 min. $3.98). Keating and Owen are both Heath arrangers. Their bands are made up mostly of Heath sidemen and, with a more careful adjustment of recording balance and some judicious pruning, much of CHRIS HAMILTON IN HI -FI Pipes and Drums of the what they play might as well be Heath. Dizzy Fingers. Temptation Rag. Canadian Ca. EDINBURGH CITY POLICE PIPE BAND Small and Modern: Paul Chambers, a pers. Honky Tonk Rag, Tinkle Box Rag. South young bassist, is tremendously impressive Rampart Street Parade, Tritsch Tratsch Polka, The Road to the Isles Angus MacKinnon, Wade's Cavaquinho, Whistling Rufus. Thunder and Welcome to Inverness, Miss Elspeth Campbell. on Chambers' Jazz (Jazz West 7. 12 -in. Lightning Polka, Amour Amour. Mexican Mad. Shepherd's Crook. Rejected Suitor, Bonnie Dun- 33 min. $3.98), leading a quartet includ- ness. LL 1437 dee. Royal Polka. Scots and 26 others LL 1484 ing John Coltrane, tenor saxophone, Kenny No previous recording has harnessed the wide range for years, the bagpipe. with its simultaneous highs Drew, piano, and Philly Joe Jones, drums. and multiple sound elects of the organ as success. and lows and sadden variances of both. has chat Chambers fully as does Hl -FI with Hamilton lenged faithful recording by audio engineers. here joins the exclusive com- It's acoustical brilliance and crystal clarity will Now, for the first time. a hi -F recording of this pany of Jimmy Blanton and Oscar Petti- astound you. Listen especially to band one. side one annent musical instrument, with the percussion of ford as a bassist who can also band lour side two many drum, thrown in for good measure make a solo something to listen to. His facility and grace with the bow is astounding on a relatively fast version of Easy to Lore, and his plucked passages are clean. definitive, and full of melodic imagination. 01710 OAT His colleagues are not on the same level. RECORDS The Jazz Messengers (Columbia CL 89-. r 1 12 -in. 47 min. $3.98) is attractive when pianist Horace Silvers is playing pro- LONDON RECORDS INC. or viding the composition, but at other times 539 -0, W. 25 St., N. Y. C. 1 it is simply a series of long solos prodded Gentlemen: Please send me the records indicated. by Art Blakey's implacable drumming. On Musically Yours-Sam Most (Beth- LL. 1484 LL. 1437 LL. 1456 LL. 1475 lehem 6008. 12 -in. 42 min. $4.98), Most concentrates on flute although his occa- Enclosed is my check at 3.98 ea. I understand the records will arrive prepaid. sional appearances on clarinet are far superior. Another clarinetist, NAME Tony Scott (billed as A. J. Sciacca) is the saving ADDRESS element on A Message from Garcia (Dawn 1106. 12 -in. 36 min. $3.98), played by CITY 7ONE STATE several different groups led by the guitarist, L J Dick Garcia.

HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com The Beethoven Symphonies Reconsidered by C. G. Burke

HIGH FIDELITY DISCOGRAPHY NO. 31

position since the time of two CRITICISM reflects the aesthetic prejudices of its A few changes in relative ANY may be noted. Almost all of these reflect author, and a discography expresses in large measure the previous surveys in the reproducing equipment of the discographer. prejudices of some author's phonograph. Neither may be changes more sensitive apparatus discloses defects previously completely trusted, but the intelligent reader can by interpret- The brings out of obscurity positive values as well. ing the prejudices find some usefulness in discographies. hidden, and of space a few common, self- explanatory ab- Trustworthy or not, they are indispensable. To be thrifty have been used. The preferences expressed or Every record noted here was newly compared and estimated, breviations refer only to the symphony under discussion and not not to establish a championship fundamentally illusory, but implied to other material on the same record. Absence of discussion to provide a guide for people who would like the most pre- denoting only that the slighted record, good possessing editions of the Beethoven Symphonies. Here the is a spacesaver bad, is unimportant in comparison with the first five or writer's favorite is at the top of each list, but brief characteri- or in a list. zations are affixed to other versions which may easily be more six edition there are five by one conductor highly esteemed by other prejudices. The line dividing a No complete - - is recommended in toto for exclusive presentation of the list into two parts is meant to show that the versions below nine symphonies. The great Weingartner performances in are less desirable than those above, and patently. These divi- their old sound are for students, and the others, made over sions are not absolute but relative to each other, and many of of years, naturally cannot maintain even values the versions below the line are good versions. Records offi- a period throughout. The basis of judgment for the Toscanini records cially withdrawn are listed because many of them will be was the complete edition of seven in RCA Victor LM 6901, restored to circulation, because many are good records, and which appeared in the spring of 1956. These disks are from because owners of such records may be helped in their wish revised and improved masters, but for sale separately they to have the best by observing the listed position of their same numbers as earlier disks sonically inferior. present property. Naturally, however, there is no exactitude bear the should insist upon receiving the latest pressings. of comparison in the relative position of the poorer records. Collectors A jury might find that number 23 is in fact better than 17, 23 containing something poisonous to number number At press time these were scheduled by Columbia for reissue on the Entre the discographer but not to the jury; but who cares? label as a seven -disk, $14 album.

JANUARY 1957 95

www.americanradiohistory.com RECORDS

THE NINE SYMPHONIES is the tracing of a design, not the reading Alone in its concept, the Fricsay disk of a biography. Sensuousness is alien to proffers opera buffa, quick and breezy in No. 1, IN C, OP. 21 (21 Versions) this scheme, and the sweet romantic song short bouncing strokes and imperious of the Andante is austere in the short sforzatos, a succession of shining epigrams The peculiarities of four versions thwart phrasing given to it by the Italian con- in shining and exhilarating sound. Like an objective evaluation. Three are unusual ductor - hurtfully, if the movement is the Toscanini records, this one can by concentrates of style, and the other has regarded as an absolute to be enjoyed with- the decision of its style provoke strong a sound to stir the vitals even of those who out reference to the rest; harmoniously, attraction or repulsion. do not like it. This last is the André, when it is observed how neatly this cool Two versions of prime merit do not a plain, competent performance from an Andante slips into the inclusive symphonic risk incurring abuse. The Karajan, force- orchestra with every instrument close to pattern. The version with the NBC Sym- ful but with a fine lift and smooth nicety the hearer, giving some impression of a phony, originally shallow and dry in re- of shading, capped by a finale of unusual freshly painted billboard within touching production, has had for the latest pressings strength, matches the bland and sunny range. With volume up and treble down injections of bass, color transfusions, and Scherchen record in over -all worth. The the enveloping sound will not leave a applications of heat from the RCA doctors, latter, whose fluency may cover the delicacy listener indifferent, and the proximity of and is now highly satisfactory although of the workmanship at first hearing, has this instrumental life strengthens an effect not strong in sound, notable in its reve- a particularly engaging naturalness of of bucolic sport in the performance. lation of the fineness of the instrumental motion. Both have suave and powerful Both Toscanini versions are shining adjustments. The BBC record, not bad, sound of higher inclusive quality than jewels of classical organization. Light, now shows definite inferiority in the new that attained by any other edition. They taut, quick, and symmetrical, their progress light thrown by the NBC. would be challenged by the lively, imaginative, and glossy achievement of Mr. Munch, the Boston orchestra molding beautiful blocks of tones, if the very agreeable sound bestowed on that performance included more bite. Closer to them sonically is the big, juicy, uncontrived sort of sound bearing the breezy and cheerful essay of Mr. Pritchard, a record with lots of appeal and no particular refinement. Jolly is the word for it. Sharply less interesting in performance or sound or both, but serviceable, are the versions conducted by Walter, Schu- richt, Anon. for Vox, Ansermet, Goehr, and Weingartner, although the sound of the last would bar a lesser interpretation. The rest are decidedly poor. The order of the first three below is alphabetical, in the absence of a pre- ponderance of superiorities for any. The The world's most beloved piano works fourth in its lightheadedness ought to be ashamed of so high a place; but where it does not affront too strait an antipathy. it does give a tingling pleasure. -H. von Karajan, Philharmonia Orch. ANGEL 35097 (with Overtures: Egmont, Leonore No. 3) . $4.98 (or $3.48) . -H. Scherchen, Vienna Staatsoper Orch.

WESTMINSTER 18308 (with Sym. No. 2) . $3.98. (5 other couplings.) -A. Toscanini, NBC Sym. RCA VICTOR LM Goo9 (with Sym. No. 9). Two 12 -in. $7.96. -F. Fricsay, Berlin Philharmonic Orch. DECCA 9626 (with Sym. No. 8). $3.98. JUST RELEASED! -C. Munch, Boston Symphony Orch. RCA VICTOR LM 1 zoo (with Haydn: Sym. No. DEBUSSY: PRELUDES, BOOK I PL 10.180 103) , retired. PERFORMED BY NOVAES ON HER CURRENT U. S. CONCERT TOUR/ -J. Pritchard, Vienna Symphony Orch. EPIC 3095 Sym. . MOZART: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 20, D MINOR, K. 466 PIANO CONCERTO NO. 9, (with No. 8) $3.98. E FLAT MAJOR, K. 271 PL 8430 -F. André, Belgian National Radio Orch. TELEFUNKEN LGX 66042 (with Schubert: GRIEG: PIANO CONCERTO, A MINOR, OP. 16 Sym. No. 8) . $4.98. DE FA L L A : NIGHTS IN THE GARDENS OF SPAIN PL 8520 A. Toscanini, BBC Orch. RCA VlcroR LCr BEETHOVEN: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 4. G MAJOR. OP. 58 SONATA NO. 14. C SHARP 1023 (with Brahms: Haydn Variations), or : NO. 2 "MOONLIGHT" PL 8530 retired. B. Walter, New York Philhar- monic- Symphony Orch. COLUMBIA ML SCHUMANN: PIANO CONCERTO, A MINOR. OP. 54 SCENES FROM 4790 ( with Sym. No. 5) . $3.98. Same CHILDHOOD. OP. 15 PL 8540 perf. on COLUMBIA ML 2027, ro -in., retired. C. Schuricht, Vienna Philharmonic CHOPIN: rTUDES, OP. 10 & SCHERZO NO. 1. OP. 20 PL 9070 Orch. LONDON LL 825 (with Sym. No. ETUDES, OP. 25 & TROIS NOUVELLES ETUDES PL 7560 8) . S1.98. Same perf. on LONDON LS for sound rusons 631, to -in. 52.98. Anon., Bamberg Sym- phony Orch. Vox 9120 (with Sym. No. 7) $4.98. E. Ansermet, Suisse Romande Orch. LONDON LL 1493 (with Sym. No. 8). $3.98. W. Goehr, Frankfurt Opera

96 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Orch. MMS 2034 (with Syms. No. 8 & by the orchestra adjusted for sparkle is Orch. CAMDEN 157 (with Sym. No. 8) . 9). Two 12 -in. $5.00. F. Weingartner, clearly exhibited in the revised sonics of $1.98. P. Schubert, Hamburg Symphony Vienna Philharmonic Orch. COLUMBIA the later pressings, commendable in spite Orch. REGENT 5010, to -in., retired. ML 4501, retired. W. Furtwängler, Vienna of narrow dynamics and occasional in- Philharmonic Orch. RCA VICTOR LHMV cursions of background noise. No. 3, IN E -FLAT, " EROICA," OP. (25 700 (appended to Fidelio) . Three 12-in. After some troublesome measures in the Versions) $14.94. W. Mendelberg, Concertgebouw introduction, where deliberation and A number of records in this towering pile Orch. CAPITOL P 8079 (with Sym. No. weight are employed for majesty and pro- are admirable and others are admirable 8) , retired. E. Ormandy, Philadelphia duce strain, the Karajan record proceeds in part. The distinction of many is their Orch. CAMDEN 241 ( with Jena Sym.) . through an energetic and fluent statement badness, and if the last are disposed of $1.98. Anon., Austrian Symphony Orch. darker in color than most, thoroughly cap- quickly, appraisal of the good and the REMINGTON 199 -156 (with Leonore Ovt. tured by the engineers and notable for part good is facilitated. These are fit for No. 3) . S1.98. H. Ledermann, Sonor the solidity of the orchestral mass. This quick disposal: Orch. PARADE 2010, retired. A. Rother. is the most forceful version, interesting to Both by Koussevitzky, tiresome monkey- Berlin Philharmonic Orch. URANIA MI compare with another big outpouring, Dr. ing with tempos in dull reproduction. (with Sym. No. 9) . Two 12-in. 57.96. Schuricht's, plump and amiable, and soft in Schubert, flabby accent, moribund spirit. Same performance on URANIA RS 7 -17 contour. The inseparable warmth of the Ledermann, vies with Schubert. Horen- (with Sym. No. 4), retired. A. Rodzinski, Vienna Philharmonic is a rich contributor stein, slow and shapeless, exaggerated dy- Cleveland Orch. COLUMBIA RL 3047 to the persuasiveness of this most mellow orchestra not up to the special (with Mendelssohn: Excerpts from A Mid- edition. In a prior survey the sound was namics, the demands made on it. The sound is strong Night's Dream) . $1.98. criticized adversely, unfairly in fact, for summer but stirring. Some the judgment came from the evidence of and echoic, unrefined very episodes have more interest a defective disk, and a replacement offers effective last three disks all the confuting evidence of deep and ex- than the whole. These NO. 2, IN D, OP. 36 ( II Versions) for the turn of pansive reproduction, a little astringent in split the Funeral March Neumark. despondent performance Some of the most inviting performances the violins but at high volume imposing. sides. and echo. Mendelberg, fancy are badly compromised by inferior sound. The weakness of the record delays its ad- confusing alternating splendor and The ailments of sonic senescence obscure vent until the finale is well under way. performance bathos, in musty reproduction. Albert, un- or coarsen the infectious, lively spontaneity when we slowly realize that there is no orchestra and unbalanced reproduc- of the Reiner leadership, the mannered but culmination but only a conclusion, that easy telling refinements of the Kleiber, the the jocularities of this movement are not tion. Aspiring upward from that unprepos- artful simplicity of the Weingartner, and tempestuous but tepid. sessing octet, we find a group not sus- the disciplined exuberance of the Kousse- The remaining record. Scherchen, is to dogmatic classification. Here vitzky. A more satisfactory product than free of aberration anywhere and offers no ceptible good ravaged by the in- these four, which are better than they Achilles' heel or Siegfried back to invite the are the basically cidentally bad and the generally bad trans- sound, is the Monteux edition, hearty, stab of criticism. It follows a natural and in part by superb interludes or rather rough and unconcerned in a cheer- a steady course with a kind of spry refine- figured superb aspects. Here are also a few vir- ful performance whose reproduction is ment, the orchestra organized to radiate neither touched by high glory still fair although the years are veiling it. brightness, and adroitly responsive to tuous ones by deep error. There are some chubby tonal felicities in episodic niceties inside the substantial nor marred died too soon for the the registration of the crude and flaccid scheme. The sound, best of all in bite and Weingartner Eroica he conducted to sound playing by the Hamburg orchestra. discrimination, is decidedly appropriate for wonderful records. Columbia's resuscitation The foregoing disks have been with- a performance so explicit in details. The right on year-old sound has a certain drawn, no need to weep for them. The writer's strong conviction gives first prefer- of the twenty- effectiveness, but is overbassed, remainder are all equipped with good ence to this version, by a wider separation corrupt distorted, unfair to the quick, sound and issue impressive proof of high from the best of the rest than any version thick and of an imperious performance orchestral quality. Some of the conductors of any other Beethoven symphony can clear vitality never loses grace. Mr. Bernstein gives are restive, particularly Dr. Walter, under demonstrate or imply. that a well -proportioned statement, naturally the demands of the too -plain prescripts ` -H. Scherchen, Philharmonic- Symphony and even in tempo, but weak and of the Second Symphony which confine Orch. of London. WESTMINSTER 18308, phrased in a reproduction that the scope of a conductor's personality. 18312, 18313, or 18314 (with Syms. No. rather colorless will be adequate only at high volume, In one of his unhappiest displays for the I, 4, 5, or 8, respectively) . S3.98. noises become too ap- phonograph. the venerable director dis- when collateral An older Decca conducted by Carl tends the shape and disjoints the motion parent. piles up too many little sonic of the Larghetto by a heavy curb on the Schuricht in timbre, articulation, gait. The beauty is removed from a disappointments - not to produce a sonic ravishing movement deftly, it is true, body and force- - for the Eroica. This for the orchestra follows the strange direc- total disappointing the Busch split the Funeral tions with loyalty and address. If, in ex- version and from a sound tenuation of the limp inflicted, it be urged March, and the latter suffers compelling and usually that Dr. Walter draws a true larghetto, only occasionally the reply must be that not only does a inclined to roughness. The performance forceful quicker pace sound better but was ob- -H. von Karajan. Philharmonia Orch. is honorable and smooth, less liquely recommended by Beethoven. In ANGEL 35196 (with Coriolan Overture). than most. and both Furt- the Walter projection the last two move- $4.98 (or $3.48). The Beecham record af- ments are excellent, the finale the most -C. Schuricht, Vienna Philharmonic wangler records are burdened by sad but are compelling on records, but the opening Orch. LONDON LL 629. $3.98. fectations of tempo and force, Allegro emphasizes its muscles at the ex- -A. Toscanini, NBC Sym. RCA VICTOR in part redeemed by supple orchestral pense of its pert facility and is disappoint- LM 1723. $3.98. obedience and good reproduction, especi- ing when compared to other versions. The ally of the deep, dark curtains of the Columbia registration is big and bland and P. Monteux, San Francisco Symphony Orch. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the Furt- agreeably accurate although five years old. RCA VICTOR LM 1024, retired. F. Reiner, baronet. The Urania sound for The Larghetto is also the least becom- Pittsburgh Symphony Orch. COLUMBIA ML wangler is brighter and less commanding for ing part of the Toscanini interpretation, 4085, retired. F. Weingartner, London than the rich sonorities of the HMV its because of its swiftness, which congeals Symphony Orch. COLUMBIA ML 4502, Furtwängler, and the latter amidst what is tender and belittles what is rap- retired. E. Kleiber, Brussels Radio Orch. tortured tempos presents the complication turous. Nevertheless, this fits well into the CAPITOL P 81 i6, retired. B. Walter, New of a Finale in its best moments electrifying vivid, tidy design given to the whole sym- York Philharmonic- Symphony Orch. CO- beyond that of any other edition. The phony, and does not incite discomfort as LUMBIA ML 4596 (with Sym. No. 4) Funeral March is split by HMV but totters the Walter lagging does. Limpid playing $3.98. S. Koussevitsky, Boston Symphony uninterrupted to its conclusion on Urania,

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www.americanradiohistory.com where the first two movements are a little In the clarification of subsidiary material less deliberate. the Toscanini edition has no equal, with Establishing an indubitable absolute of the Scherchen and Reiner records vying it's on IN disjunctivity in his staccato, Mr. van Kem- for a distant second. Orchestral skill is -LAB! pen evicts joy from the Scherzo and de- most conspicuous in the Reiner, Toscanini. faces a record in other respects praise- and Klemperer versions; but this could be worthy, excellent in its first two move- a feature of the sonic method, and in no ments and impressive throughout in its event ought polish to be overesteemed in massive re- enactment of regimented sym- this symphony. phonic opulence. Now objectivity must cede place to Nine are left, free of patently dis- proclivity. Some rhetorical inventiveness qualifying error. Except to accord with could compose a tidy brief for any of the individual tastes their performances can- nine versions as leader, but the conclusion not be arranged in a hierarchy. Sonic of sensory response has the virtues of values are less pliant and personal, and candor and humility, and has not been the following general characterizations of contrived. The viscera conclude for the the records as orchestral exhibits are based Leinsdorf record, more strongly moved by on careful and repeated hearings: the brusque urgency of that performance Klemperer - the newest and the best, in its brawny sound than by the tauter. everything considered; expansive, substan- neater urgency of the smoother Reiner tial and good in detail, with very little disk or the immaculate vitality of the stress. Steinberg - very pure and clean, Toscanini performance in reproduction less unspectacular but indubitable, smaller than seizing. After those, opinion wavers, ex- the Klemperer sound. Reiner - beautiful cept for the Karajan record relegated to blend of choirs, detail subordinate to mass, ninth position by its not -quite -real sound. imposing at high volume. Leinsdorf - For the moment, the Walter version, a strong, outward, bold and raw, with a per- warm heroism somehow more human than vasive bass and demonstrative timbres. the rest, follows immediately after the first Scherchen - the most noticeable articula- three. The Kleiber is not helped by a tion, and commendable in other respects, divided Funeral March. but needs treble reduction much sharper -E. Leinsdorf, Rochester Philharmonic than that of the RIAA curve recommended. Orch. COLUMBIA RL 3069. $1.98. Kleiber - mellow in a smooth wall of -F. Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orch. fat sound, and pleasing in tonal values RCA VICTOR LM 1899. $3.98. when played through instruments capable.' -A Toscà 1ni, NBC Sym. RCA VICTOR of compensating for the old London curve. LM 1042. $3.98.

Toscanini large " - not a sound, and still -B. Walter, New, York Philharmonic - a little dry, in the revision found in RCA ,1 Symphony Orch. 'COLUMBIA ML 4228. VICTOR LM 6901, "The Nine Symphonies" $3.98. (and perhaps by now also in the latest -O. Klemperer, Philharmonia Orch. pressings of LM 1 042) , but warmer and ANGEL 35328. $4.98 (or $3.48). brighter than the old pressings. Basically -W. Steinberg, Pittsburgh Symphony adequate, and felicitous in the capture of Orch. CAPITOL P 8334. $3.98. the episodic minutiae ordained by the con- -IT Scherchen, Vienna Staatsoper Orch. LEINSDORF ductor. Walter - remarkable for its age WESTMINSTER 18315. $3.98. and still better than most of the recordings CONDUCTS THE -E' Kleiber, Concertgebouw Orch. LON- of the Eroica. Forceful and deep, satis- DON LL 239. $3.98. factory in detail, better in substance than -H. von Karajan, Philharmonia Orch. "JUPITER" in bite, it is a sturdy vehicle. Karajan - ANGEL 35000. $4.98 (or $3.48). eminent in the fine gradations of force in a potent, striding registration, but with its P. van Kempen, Berlin Philharmonic Orch. The GIANT of Mozart's symphonies ... timbres uniformly altered by the hall. EPIC 3016. $3.98. L. Bernstein, Stadium Where familiarity is able to cajole the ear Concerts Orch. ( New York ) . DECCA into accepting the tone as natural, there 9697. 33.98. F. Weingartner, Vienna read by the GIANT of Mozart's inter- the record will be accounted excellent. Philharmonic Orch. COLUMBIA ML 4503, preters... The Eroica, like all the major orches- retired. C. Schuricht, Berlin Philharmonic tral works of Beethoven, is intolerant of Orch. DECCA 9534. $3.98. F. Busch, played by the Philharmonic wide deviations from its tempos, which Austrian Symphony Orch. REMINGTON Sym- must be sensed. It is so sensitive that even 599-21. $1.98. W. Furtwängler, Vienna phony Orchestra of London especially within permissible limits its character Philharmonic Orch. RCA VICTOR LHMV for WESTMINSTER LABORATORV changes. Given a beat a little quick, it 1044, retired. T. Beecham, Royal Phil- sounds urgency, combativeness. A little harmonic Orch. COLUMBIA ML 4698. SERIES recording... W -LAB 7022 slow, it veers to majesty, to Olympian 53.98. W. Furtwängler, Vienna Phil- contemplation. The nature of the accen- harmonic Orch. URANIA 7095. $3.98. W. tuation employed will re- enforce or weaken Mengelberg, Concertgebouw Orch. CAP- how could your New Year the dominant mood, and thus the Stein- ITOL P 8002, retired. R. Albert, Turin berg projection, which is neither fast nor Symphony Orch. TEMPO 2070 & 2072, start more brightly! slow, inclines more to majesty than to two I2 -in. (with excerpts from Mozart and combat, through the considered measure Handel) . $1 0.14. I. Neumark, Utrecht of the conductor's stroke; and the Kleiber, Symphony Orch. MMS 2031. $2.50. J. no faster than several others, sends out a Horenstein, Pro Musica Orch. (Vienna). worry of tenseness by a stinging accent VOX 8070. $4.98. S. Koussevitsky, Boston seldom relaxed. The other rapid pro- Symphony Orch. RCA VICTOR LM 1145, ductions are the Reiner, Toscanini, and retired. S. Koussevitsky, London Philhar- Leinsdorf. The most contemplative are the monic Orch. CAMDEN 102. $1.98. H. Klemperer and Scherchen records. The Ledermann, Sonor Orch. PARADE 2005, Walter and Karajan disks are more flexi- retired. P. Schubert, Hamburg Symphony ble - but not tricky - in the matter of Orch. REGENT 5007. $3.98. tempo, abd are at no disadvantage for f A few days after this study was com- that. pleted, a new version from Decca arrived

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www.americanradiohistory.com the Krips record and trumpeted its superiority over most tainly the champions - VANGUARD for extraordinary RFCOROINGS FOR THE CONNOISSEUR of the others. A preliminary hearing sug- can evoke no praise ii in the easy ride of that this is the best Eroica. Confir- aspects or effects, but gests interadjustment mation or disproof will be found else- its rich choirs in beautiful by evenly ex- where in this issue. The disk is Decca DL through grooves polished incisive, it ex- 9865, entrusted to Eugen Jochum and the cellent sound, full and weaknesses. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.) poses a minimum of The Solti version, constantly fluid in shape and color, is sportive and muscular, rougher than its outstanding competitors, No. 4, IN B -FLAT, OP. 6o (18 Versions) unanswerable in the foam and bluster in this, A number of these have poor sound by of its Finale. Good standard sound present standards, among them several not disgraced that three are better. Care- satisfactory according to the standards of fully reworked sound in the late pressings con- a previous survey. The attenuation of gives new value to the crystalline wallets by technical improvements to struction of Mr. Toscanini's wizardry with records is no doubt a doleful thing to line and light. The sound is not arresting 17 wallet owners, but like the martyrs in but is clear, strong enough, and very the lions' jaws they may take a brief com- kind to the violins. It is appropriate to PURCM 9L in knowledge that their immola- the uncontaminated classicism that keeps I fort the even tion is a requisite of progress. Here are each movement a pure abstraction, Ode for the records whose sonics are ailing: the seraphic felicity of the Adagio, here St. Cecilia's Day Weingartner: Fluid grace and regulated an infinitely serene tracing of perfect con- more attrac- ALFRED DELLER, counter -tenor, the Deller Consort, force in a performance of consummate tours. The fast Trio, assuredly never- Ambrosian Singers, Kalmar Chamber Orchestra naturalness, inadequately expressed in a tive in itself when allowed to relax, of London, Michael Tippett, conductor. into the Toscanini reproduction tolerable at best, fair in the theless slips gracefully A Bach Guild release 1 -12" BG -559 tutus but inexact and foggy for the in- scheme of lightness. The consolidated ordinary dividual voices. Sze11: A lively and corn - poise of the orchestra baffles manding presentation -one of the best - praise. 18 IC The Six Last records are by conductor and orchestra, in thor- The Walter and Monteux oughgoing, lusty sound whose harshness commendable, the former strong and Symphonies of the latter is more conspicuous and less venial than steady, its Adagio a little fleshy, to avoid it was eight years ago. Beecham: The bland and pleasant, underworked Walter sound registration is too sober to permit more hazard and greatness. The Nos. 99 (E flat) and 102 (B flat) VRS -491 are satisfactory. than dull allusion to the refinements in is brighter, but both disks Nos. 100 (Military) and 101 (Clock) VRS -492 not Mercury's best, the playing. Harry: This disk revives the Good sound, although Nos. 103 (Drum Roll) & 104 ( London) VRS -493 Dorati effort up first electric recording of the Fourth Sym- lifts the undistinguished MOGENS WOLDNIE phony, made in 1926. It is something of several rungs. The Perlea performance and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra (Volks- no lift, while very Available singly or complete in slip -cover. a marvel that it is as good as it is al- has no élan and gives oper). the stuffy though of course it is not good, without good reproduction bares cruelly 3 -12" VAS-491/2/3 Karajan and Furt- a true piano, with acrid colors and ineradic- pretentiousness of the th able noise. It has the merit of distinct- wangler ( HMV) leadership. 19 The Slavonic ness, and the singing appeal of the per- -A. Toscanini, NBC Sym. RCA VICTOR formance is evident. Furtwängler: A Vox LM 1723 (with Sym. No. 2). $3.98. Dances of production from a dreadful public per- -G. Solti, London Philharmonic Orch. formance in the dreadful Germany of LONDON LL 316. $3.98. 1945, the strange recording seems focused Krips, Concertgebouw Orch. LONDON -J. Op. 46 and 72. on the timpani. Singer: Clear and substan- LL 915. $3.98. tial with a good bite, but obdurately Symphony Complete on one record for the first time! -H. Scherchen, Philharmonic- MARIO ROSSI scrawny violins are fatiguing. Abendroth: Orch. of London. WESTMINSTER 18309, and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra (Volks- Painful violins. 18312, 18316, or 18317 (with Syms. No. oper). 1.12" VRS -495 ex- - Jumping from the negative sonic I, 2, 5, or 8, respectively). $3.98 each. re- treme to the positive, we find salient -B. Walter, New York Philharmonic - production in three versions far above Symphony Orch. COLUMBIA ML 4596 and for the standard for this symphony ( with Sym. No. 2) . S3.98. records in general: André, Scherchen, and Monteux, San Francisco Symphony in -P. Krips. The first has sensational vitality Orch. RCA VICTOR LM 1714 (with Schu- a compound of high output, nearness, and mann: Sym. No. 4), retired. strong reverberation, the two final features remarkably compatible in effecting Radio Orch. the startling synthesis of depth, spacious- F. André, Belgian National F. ness, and transparent discrimination. The TELEFUNKEN LGX 66o1o. $4.98. Philharmonic Orch. performance is many cubits lower than Weingartner, London A. Dorati, its vehicle: this is playing of hasty, ener- COLUMBIA ML 4504, retired. MERCURY getic competence, serviceable, but short of Minneapolis Symphony Orch. . G. grace. 50100 (with Sym. No. 8) $3.98. ML Dr. Scherchen benefits from the fine Szell, Cleveland Orch. COLUMBIA Perlea, Vienna State etching, the exactitude of detail, bestowed 4008. $3.98. J. The Tone Poems of 8740 (with Sym. on his splendid orchestra. The pp's are Philharmonia. Vox Harty, Hallé Orch. something to note here, and the transparent No. 8 ) . 54.98. H. T. Beecham, SIEELIU RL 3034. $1.98. representation of subordinate currents in COLUMBIA En Saga, Finlandia, Swan of Tuonela, Lemmin- Orch. RCA VICTOR the symphony attests the delicacy of the London Philharmonic käinen's Return, Pohjola's Daughter, The Bard, Austrian Tempest, delineation and the engraving. It is less LM 1026, retired. G. Singer, Nightride and Sunrise, Prelude to The REMINGTON 199-51 Oceanides, Tapiola. a cause of satisfaction that the fine em- Symphony Orch. Philharmonia SIR ADRIAN BOULT broidery tends to obscure the chaste line S1.98. H. von Karajan, ANGEL 35203 (with "Ah! and the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra of of the Adagio, which seems overworked Orch. London. De -luxe album, fully illustrated, notes by . W. Furt- and far less natural than the other move- Perfido") . $4.98 (or $3.48) A. Veinus. 2 -12" VRS- 489/90 Orch. RCA ments in this projection. Compared to wängler, Vienna Philharmonic For Complete Catalogue, write to H. Aben- INC. this edition and to the fiery Solti, the VICTOR LHMV 1059, retired. VANGUARD RECORDING SOCIETY, - New York 19, N. Y. Orch. URANIA RS exquisite Toscanini, these four being cer- droth, Leipzig Radio

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www.americanradiohistory.com 7 -17 (with Sym. No. t), retired. W. needed except sonic bulk. The Mercury Furtwängler, Berlin Philharmonic Orch. is initially effective with its brilliant treble Vox 7210, retired. and deep bass, but the torso between them is frail. Three notable and notably

Walpo No. 5, IN C MINOR, 67 different performances, OP. 27 Ver- by Messrs. Klem- sions ) perer, Von Karajan (Columbia) , and Kon- PROnucrs tit witschny, ought not to be denied honor The vastness of the Fifth Symphony has because of outmoded sound. always been compressed and reduced by Three versions Munch, Page, and the phonograph since the first version in - Wolf knock themselves out by the 1914. It is not a question of loudness - omis- sion of the repeat of the exposition in the but of depth: the Fifth in good public first movement, one of the concert suggests the oceans, mountains, few in sym- ut+-Coti phonic literature absolutely indispensable multitudes and the groove is unable - to to establish proportion. The Ormandy absorb them. The groove gives back shal- record has moments of trouble, but the lower waters, silhouettes of a mountain Finale is impressive. Sir John Barbirolli's range, and a crowd. Certain places in the is an honest product without flash. score never fail to sound thin on records: Both Toscanini records are dry in reproduction the fl exordium at the very beginning, 41ie, and perfervid in leadership. There is no record bars 1 -5, entrusted to strings and clarinets pleasure in the reworked old sound alone, an asseveration of inexhaustible given to Weingartner and Koussevitzky strength and determination; the impetuous (Cam- den), and the others are variously faulty. outburst of the horns instigating the devel- WALCO The ordination of the first four in opment, and the horns again, fl, roaring the following list reflects their relative an insistence on the four -note pattern at STATI - magnetism for this writer, whose enthusi- CLEAN bars 19 -25 of the scherzo, fighting back asm for any of them is well under ANTI -STATIC at the menace of the oozing, insidious pp control. Their superiority over the field is more theme that opens the movement. Besides RECORD SPRAY obvious than over -all these difficulties, there superiorities among is a tumultuous life themselves. STOPS STATIC DUST. Walco behind the broad patterns of the first and - -E. Jochum, Berlin Philharmonic Stati -Clean is your best final movements, made of thematic Orch. defense against dust -major frag- EPIC 3002. 33.98. ments and lively interjections, that trans- cause of record and needle -H. von Karajan, Philharmonia Orch. wear. Stati -Clean spray cleans the disc mits a sense of cosmic ferment, but not ANGEL 35321 (with Fidelio: "Abscheu!- surface, stops static electricity that necessarily on records. Only attracts dust. Handling four of the ichert "). $4.98 (or $3.48). and "dusting" disks in the heap devoted to the Fifth no longer builds up static. Stati-Clean -E. Kleiber, Concertgebouw Orch. LON- improves Symphony manage to give out a fairly fidelity, eliminates static DON LL 912. 33.98. "crackle." Lasts dozens of plays, no continuous semblance of three dimensions, need to -G. Szell, Cleveland Orch. EPIC reapply each time. Tested safe - and by ill luck all four have one or more 3195 thousands sold. Complete with special (with Schubert: Sym. No. 8). $3.98. applicator cloth. points of insecurity. These are Page binaural, best in meeting W. Steinberg, Pittsburgh Symphony Orch. the requirements of sonic depth, WALCO and awful- CAPITOL P 8292 (with Sym. No. 8). ly far from the best in musical persuasive- $3.98. O. Ackermann, Zurich Tonhalle ness; Jochum, huge rolling sound diffused Orch. MMS 22, Io -in. 31.89. A. Dorati, with boldly colored detail, with but the Minneapolis Symphony Orch. MERCURY PROTECTIVE bass emphasized beyond probability SLEEVES and 50017 (with 3 Overtures). $3.98. H. to distraction; Kleiber, FOR RECORDS the sturdiest ma- von Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic Orch. sonry, overlaid with a mosaic of good Walco DISCOVERS COLUMBIA RL 3068 ( with Mozart: Sym. color, indisputably the electronic vehicle -now with the new No. 39) . $1.98. O. Klemperer, Vienna contoured ( "monaural ") best fitted for its bottom -are Herculean Symphony Orch. Vox 7070. $4.98. H. the perfect answer to record freight; and finally Furtwängler, where the protection. Scherchen, Philharmonic Symphony Orch. You slide your records into imposing weight is in part the DISCOVERS, then contribu- of London. WESTMINSTER 18310 etc. (5 into the original tion of echo, given plenty jacket. No more scratches, mois- of time to re- couplings available). $3.98 per record. ture or finger enforce the individual marks from handling. chords far from A. Toscanini, NBC Sym. RCA VICTOR DISCOVERS seal out dust, protect each other in a performance of astonish- LM 1757 (with Sym. No. 8). against extremes of temperature, acci- ing sluggishness. $3.98. dental spillage of liquids. They keep the B. Paumgartner, Camerata Accademia sound safe Anyone who can put out and sound! Packaged 12 of ear the ex- (Salzburg) . GA 319 ( with Haydn: Sym. 12 -in. sleeves or 15 10 -in. sleeves, cess in the Epic bass will find the Jochum No. 45) . $3.98. J. Barbirolli, Hallé presentation a more nearly complete Fifth Orch. RCA VICTOR LBC 1018 (with Mo- WALCO than any other, not only for its grand zart: Sym. No. 41). 52.98. E. Ormandy, canopy of brass, its fat and forward wood, Philadelphia Orch. COLUMBIA ML 5098 REPLACEMENT but in the varied, galvanic leadership and (with Mozart: Sym. No. 40). $3.98. W. authoritative NEEDLES playing. The Kleiber ver- Mengelberg, Concertgebouw Orch. CAP- sion, free of large fault, would normally ITOL P 8110, retired. B. Walter, New FOR LONGER RECORD LIFE be given precedence, but the reviewer con- York Philharmonic- Symphony Orch. COL- fesses both an indifference to that interpre- UMBIA ML Osmium and sapphire- tipped styli are 4790 ( with Sym. No. 1 ). rated only about 20 to 60 hours of play, tation and an inability to analyze the $3.98. C. Schuricht, Paris Conservatory after which cause they develop chisel -edged of the indifference. Orch. LONDON LL 7. $3.98. S. Kous- flats. These flats shear highs from your Estimable records, ruin groove performances abound, several sevitzky, Boston Symphony Orch. RCA walls. Periodic needle carried replacement is an absolute necessity for the by estimable sonics. In general VICTOR LM 1021. $3.98. A. Toscanini, serious music lover You replace with the merit the Karajan (Angel) and Szell edi- NBC Sym. (1940). RCA VICTOR LCT finest when you replace with Walco tions lead a larger group by a discernible needles (and 1o41 ( with 2 Overtures and 2 movements the superb Walco Diamond) margin, with the former preferred here - first choice of major cartridge manu- from Quartet No. 16) . $ 3.98. F. Kon- facturers. because of the quickness of the latter's witschny, Leipzig Radio Orch. URANIA Finale, which is not, however, nearly so RS 7 AT LEADING MUSIC DEALERS EVERY- -6 (with Leonore Overture No. 3), WHERE hasty as the dash with which the otherwise retired. F. Weingartner, London Phil- Send For Free Sample Discover and Strobe very beautiful Scherchen record terminates. harmonic Disc To Test Your Turntable Accuracy Orch. COLUMBIA ML 4505, re- Two reliable editions are the Ackermann, tired. S. Koussevitzky, London Philhar- Trod. Nome of Metrovox Co., Inc. a foursquare performance supported by monic Orch. CAMDEN 103. $1.98. W. Ulalco 60-H Franklin SI., East Orange, N. J. big sound a little too echoic, and the Furtwängler, Vienna Philharmonic Orch. Steinberg, well equipped with everything RCA VICTOR LHMV 9 ( with Fidelio Over-

I00 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com ture). $4.98. C. Munch, Boston Sym- Steinberg -Szell trio average about the LCT 1042, retired. B. Walter, Philadelphia phony Orch. RCA VICTOR LM 1923 (with same in over -all worth. Orch. COLUMBIA ML 4010, $3.98. W. Schubert: Sym. No. 8). $3.98. W. Page, -O. Klemperer, Vienna Symphony Orch. Goehr, Netherlands Philharmonic Orch. Orch. Society of Boston. COOK Binaural Vox 696o. $4.98. MMS 2001 (with Prometheus Overture). 1067. $5.95 H. Wolf, Austrian Sym- -A. Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic Orch. $2.50. H. Scherchen, Vienna Staatsoper phony Orch. REMINGTON 149 -9, to -in. ANGEL 35350. $4.98 (or $3.48). Orch. WESTMINSTER 18318. $3.98. F. $.89. W. Page, Orch. Society of Boston. -A. Toscanini, NBC Sym. RCA VICTOR Weingartner, Royal Philharmonic Orch. E. Kleiber, COOK 1067, to -in. $3.98. LM 1755. $3.98. COLUMBIA ML 4506, retired. -W. van Otterloo, Vienna Symphony London Philharmonic Orch. LONDON LL Orch. EPIC 3011. $3.98. retired. T. Beecham, Royal Philhar- No. 6, IN F "PASTORAL," OP. 68. (23 33, Kleiber, Concertgebouw Orch. LON- monic Orch. COLUMBIA ML 4828. $3.98. Versions) -E. DON LL 916. $ 3.98. W. Furtwängler, Vienna Philharmonic The trouble is that an old registration -W. Steinberg, Pittsburgh Symphony Orch. RCA VICTOR LHMV 1o66. $4.98. showing its faults carries the most heart- Orch. CAPITOL S 8159. $3.98. C. Munch, Boston Symphony Orch. RCA felt Pastoral, one with an eloquence of -G. Szell, New York Philharmonic-Sym - VICTOR LM 1997. $3.98. P. Paray, De- sentiment throughout which none of the phony Orch. COLUMBIA ML 5057. $3.98. troit Symphony Orch. MERCURY 50045- others can continuously maintain. Dis- -H. von Karajan, Philharmonia Orch. $3.98. K. Wöss, Symphony Orch. REM - torted and artificially balanced (to good ANGEL 35080. $4.98 or ($3.48) INGTON 199-7. $1.98. D. Mitropoulos, effect), the reproduction is relatively poor Minneapolis Symphony Orch. COLUMBIA in this company, but the tender shaping A. Toscanini, BBC Orch. RCA VICTOR RL 3009. $1.98. H. Ledermann, Sonor of phrase, the aspiring cantabiles, the in- RETY4 . Me stinct for natural inflection, and an ob- ' Tp5 scure but real emanation of humbleness E30pA LR seoeK CY+E,t mingle to give the Klemperer edition a 10 TgLJX matchless sentimental expressiveness in the new 10, first two movements, and equaled, not rteT 1-13 of it . surpassed - the conductor's part - .,rtì)c in the eloquent statement of the last two. releases p. T Only Mr. Klemperer makes much point of the parody in the central scherzo, the SO others giving expert assurance to the rustic of big -name band. t4 Nearly as persuasive in the first two recordings movements is the luminous warmth of . moo the Toscanini -NBC record in much better r sound, although not strong enough on for % Side t to do justice to the delicacies of the playing. The last three movements are A with and sound, just the big -name dramatic buy for anyone stunners in performance an eye for value! Complete per- a bit below the splendor of the Szell and formance of Verdi's OTELLO Kleiber records. The most dazzling only $1.98 for each 12" Long Play; featuring Apollo Granforte u price Iago, and the La Scala Opera scherzo is Szell property, the most tem- only 790 for each 45 EP Company, Chorus and Orch. pestuous Storm is Kleibers. Three - Carlo Sabajno, cond. 3.12" Long Kleiber, Szell, and Cluytens - have con- Play (CCL- 101) $5.98 and very good tinuously the best sonics, (C.MUEN) (C. aMÓ.N) they are, a trifle cleaner than the big sound, with strong bass and lucent woods, THE GREAT JAZZ REEDS to be found in the excellent Van Otterloo ART version. This and the Cluytens impress GREAT ARTIST AT THEIR BEST by the ease and simplicity of their delivery. OF votNt more contentedly pastoral by the brook rj CODUCTORS ea than the Szell and Kleiber. The Steinberg EUZABETH disk is excellent in every particular and RETHBERG outstanding in none. The Karajan refuses to be ensnared by the sentimentality required in the first two movements but is splendid in the remaining three. One of the Met's most celebrated A sort of -V.11, f Increase your collection of fine Thereafter, sonic or interpretational sopranos performing an exciting table concerts: 9 of the greatest jazz at a fraction of the usual quality patently droops. Toscanini -BBC cross. section of operatic litera- conductors of our time, each with cost. 12 tunes by Sidney Bechet, ture. Hear 9 different works by a famous orchestra, play selec- Bud Freeman, Charlie Parker, has pleasant but murky and unsymphonic Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, J. tions especially associated with Pee Wee Russell, Coleman sound. The Walter sound is far below the Strauss, Von Suppe, Gounod. 12" their careers. 12" Long Play Hawkins, and other jazz greats. current Columbia standard. The friendly, Long Play (CAL-335) $1.98 (CAL -336) $1.98 12" Long Play (CAL -339) $1.98 of Mr. Goehr satisfies unforced delivery want to own without being notable. The Scherchen de- Other releases you'll Ted.r's Hits. The fabulous Tex prives itself of fluency by artfulness. The Mutiny in the Parlor. Gene Krupa. On 4 of the 12 tunes his ensemble includes Benny Goodman, Jess Stacey, Roy Eldridge, Chu Berry. Beneke, his big orchestra play is and bumpy. The Beecham contrived 12" Long Play (CAL -340) $1.98; 4- selection 45 EP (CAE -379) 790 Hey!Jealous Lover, Singing The Munch is devoid of sentiment. Mr. Paray Blues, Petticoats of Portugal, cat. wean. Mood music with a Continental flavor and in "New flees in an agony of gnats. ... Tra La La. 45 EP (CAE-400) 7W the countryside Orthophonic" High Fidelity! 12 mellow songs, inspired by Vienna, Mr. Mitropoulos is inventive and inter- played by Franz Heller and his Orch. 12" Long (CAL -341) $1.98; esting and poorly recorded) but not for 4- selection 45 EP (CAE -378) 794 one minute bucolic. Dr. Stokowski, that Dinah shore. Sings 4 immortal songs with the famed NBC Chamber child of nature, is laughing at us: for his Music Society of Lower Basin Street - need we say more! Sophis- Camden brookside he gives a painting of ticated Lady, Body and Soul, Mood Indigo, Star Dust. 45 EP Houris at the Bath, and with the NBC (CAE -376) 794 orchestra a Swooning at Schiaparelli's. Swingle' Marches. Arrangement inspired by the late great Glenn The Klemperer disk, first in the list be- Miller, played by Tex Beneke and His Orch. St. Louis Blues March, weak, and its appeal Blues In the Night March, Meadowlands, Bye, Bye Blues. 45 EP low, is technically (CAE -377) 7W is perhaps personal to this writer. Among the next three one seems as good as an- See your nearest record dealers tea these great values. other. Right below them the Kleiber- Nationally Advertised Prices

JANUARY 1957 I I

www.americanradiohistory.com Orch. PARADE 201 I, retired. L. Stokow- tures. The Kleiber calls for a special word: MORE ski, NBC Orch. RCA VICTOR LM 1830. bold, positive, and controversial in per- $3.98. L. Stokowski, New York City formance, it has vast sonics in the main Center Orch. CAMDEN 187. $ 1.98. muffled and distorted, but with repeated punctuations of full -throated fortes blended NO. 7, IN A, OP. 92 (20 Versions) into a glory unheard from any other of these disks. Note to students: Thirty years ago the -P. Paray, Detroit Symphony Orch. MER- Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Sto- CURY 50022. $3.98. kowski committed to records a Seventh -E. Leinsdorf, Rochester Philharmonic Symphony beautifully shaped and propor- Orch. COLUMBIA RL 6622. $1.98. tioned, and enchanting in an effect of per- -B. Walter, New York Philharmonic - petual freshness. Sadly disfigured, this has Symphony Orch. COLUMBIA ML 4414 found its way to a Camden disk which per- S3.98. mits occasional glimpses of the qualities -P. van Kempen, Berlin Philharmonic that made a great performance. This is Orch. EPIC 3026. $3.98. truly terrible sound, and presumably -H. von Karajan, Philharmonia Orch. nothing better could be done to perpetuate ANGEL 35005. $4.98 (or $3.48). an achievement whose like has not yet -F. Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orch. appeared on a modern disk. RCA VICTOR LM 1991. $3.98. The modern disks are not in truth very impressive except in the names of the H. Scherchen, Vienna Staatsoper Orch. conductors. The Paray version owes much WESTMINSTER t8319. $3.98. O. of its eminence to the successful capture Ack- ermann, Zurich Tonhalle Orch. MMS 33. by the engineers of a tramping bass vital 10 -in. $1.89. A. Toscanini, NBC Sym. in the Seventh if its revels are to be male RCA VICTOR LM 1756. $3.98. C. Munch, and stormy. This Paray record is power- Boston Symphony Orch. RCA VICTOR LM ful and inclines to roughness, but it is 1034, retired. E. Jochum, Berlin Philhar- nowhere ambiguous and ends with a monic Orch. DECCA 9690. Finale of convincing savagery. Without $3.98. F. Weingartner, Vienna Philharmonic Orch. the interference of our old enemy Echo, RIE LThC1A COLUMBIA ML 4507, retired. W. Furt- post and ante, the Leinsdorf edition, just R EC O R DS wängler, Vienna Philharmonic Orch. RCA as powerful but smoother and subtler, the VICTOR LHMV 1oo8. $4.98. A. Toscanini, cleanest of the strong recordings, would be Is This Melgard? New York Philharmonic- Symphony preferred by collectors capable of closing Orch. Indeed it is breaking through the RCA VICTOR LCT 1013, retired. A - their ears to the whispered intrusions be- Gal- frequency response barrier to new di- liera, Philharmonia fore and after the roars. Orch. COLUMBIA RL mensions of sound entertainment. 3035. $1.98. J. Perlea, Vienna State Again Melgard, but this time so dif- The most sophisticated and efficient Philharmonia. VOX 9120 ( with Sym. ferent in pattern and touch display- sound has been given to Dr. Reiner, whose - No. r ). $4.98. E. Kleiber, Concertgebouw ing a new virtuosity on the exclusive poised and polished performance is ad- Orch. LONDON LL 240. $3.98. K. Wöss, Replica "King of Instruments," the mirable most of the time, but manages to Symphony Orch. REMINGTON 199-8. unit orchestra; everything from Glock- imply sometimes the interaction of shining enspiel to Wah-wah trumpet S1.98. E. Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch. -a com- gears instead of a tangle of arms and legs. plete orchestral panoply and then COLUMBIA ML 4011. $3.98. L. Stokow- Emulating, with Mr. Galliera, the inno- some ski, Philadelphia Orch. CAMDEN 212. vation of a more celebrated Italian con- $1.98. Fabulous Eddie Vol. 2 ductor, the Reiner baton bats out a frisky A super -sonic organ romp by the hit trio from a tune of deep and simple devo- No. 8, IN F, 93 record performer of the '55 -'56 Hi -Fi tion. Comparison with this excellent OP. (23 Versions) Show series - performing for the first Reiner sound puts the Walter record up The Eighth Symphony will tolerate more time at the first of the last great some notches and drops both Toscaninis than the other eight. It rebels Wurlitzer at dullness pipe organs, the only one of lower. Old now, the Walter sound is rich and preciosity, its kind and delicacy must be ever installed in a special and resonant and surprising in detail, and high fidelity sound studio. Actually handled with delicacy; but extravagances two great organs skillfully combined the fiery reading -to which episodic ex- of vehemence and antithesis nicely placed into one and played by Eddie Osborn ception will usually be taken - is cal- are welcome, and a literal reading no mat- as though a Maestro before a 100 culated to overwhelm criticism in a breath- ter how expertly read risks eclipse by one piece symphony. Here's organ music less, tumultuous Finale. The Toscanini- more fanciful. Parody is not obedient to excitement thought dead since the NBC sonics lack guts, and the same con- convention, and while the amount of it advent of talking pictures - stirring ductor's famous performance with the New frolicking in the Eighth is not accurately trumpet fanfares, a frenetic reed chorus, York Philharmonic now sounds faded. ascertainable, melancholy there is enough to encour- distant chimes, the daz- A robust performance in moderate tem- age zling snap of military snares. conductors to play it unbuttoned, as the pos, enriched by resonant sound with a composer said he composed it. When the hi- fimonics - sturdy bass, digs an elevated position for rules are elastic, eccentricities are not mis- You'll never believe that three har- the Van Kempen record by sheer power. takes, as the recordings demonstrate. monicas, a guitar and bass viol could The violins have not quite enough edge to Among them eccentricities teem, and yet create such special sounds - bongos, dig it out. A delicately fashioned intro- there are a dozen versions of high appeal, maracas, drums, clavas all pop out duction and a subdued first movement dis- and only a handful with performances and are caught by new, ingenious tinguish a Karajan record elsewhere tradi- truly distasteful. Even the duller ones are sound engineering and miking tech- tional and estimable. The deliberation of pretty lively. niques. Sparked by the "aces" of the Scherchen first movement becomes So other harmonica acts Lee high a level of merit makes the - Jenner, more John Thompson, Earl (Red) Engel, unattractive with familiarity, and upthrusting four eminent indeed. Masterly Casey Duda, Billy Garbor - this per- other conics now have a superior actuality. registration plays a large part in the eleva- formance is bound to be a delightful Mr. Ackermann makes a pretty effective tion of three; and the sonics of a fourth, musical treat. record of odd ingredients -moderation, the old Monteux, far surpass the common- These, and many other fine Replica Record; soft accents, imperfect unison - and a ality of its era, are consistently agreeable at your local High Fidelity dealer - or steady avoidance of anticlimax, the whole and forceful, and are notable even now for write to: expanded by a roominess of sound de- the unblemished richness of the winds in cently clear in spite of considerable rever- fortes. There is a great gusto of foolery R A beration. in this performance without self- conscious- RECORDS Des Plaines, Ill. The rest are mediocre or bad although ness, which suggests the roaring gambols naturally many have commendable fea- of a Newfoundland puppy, formidable but

! HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com RECORDS

benevolent. It is more endearing than the Scherchen projection, technically above it musical 1955 in orchestral sophistication and Shelly Manne & his Friends' architecture, but the endearingness is forgotten when the Westminster sound is modern jazz performances properly reproduced. This is the most of songs Higk fidelity effective reproduction to be found of a from Beethoven symphony, clean in huge masses MY of sound and in delicate interlacements of FAIR s4;- RECORD REVIEW isolated timbres. The electronic responses LADSq to the musical demands are so apt that INDEX one is sure that the conductor also acted as recording director. A complete index to all classical, The Toscanini record is impressively semiclassical. jazz, and spoken ap- with a performance of blazing word record reviews which endowed, HIGH FIDELITY rectitude and the most accurate sonics ac- peared in Magazine in 1955. corded to this conductor in a Beethoven symphony. The closely woven orchestral Arranged alphabetically by com- texture that makes a Toscanini performance '` Y poser or by collection- title, with always pure and often curt, and gives a the issue and page on which you finality of authority to the smallest chords, if you don't buy will find the review you wish. and the articulation is constantly evident, ONLY SW EACH of the strings cannot be unnoticed. The another jazz album sport is a little severe in the intensity of 1954 INDEX also available its drive and the comparative symmetry all year, you must at 5o(' per copy. of its course, but there is a compensating reminder that the virtue in the obvious buy Shelly Manne & his HIGH FIDELITY Magazine Eighth is very much a classical symphony. Dept. R24, Publishing House Mr. Dorati's work is deft and flip, with MY FAIR LADY Great Barrington, Mass. brightness and deep clear thud Friends* a flashing Enclosed find Please of sound to imply the gay tin swords and onrushing chargers in a titanic battle over It's the end ! send me copies of the a jelly bean. Andre Previn & Leroy Vinnegar 1955 Record Review Index Any taste, except one for (relative) Is., HI -FI LONGPLAYINO C3527 Name tranquility, should find satisfaction in one can If not available at your local dealer -order it Address of those four editions. The tranquil postpaid. 14.98, from a registration with- take the Ansermet, in CONTEMPORARY RECORDS out a sore. Nervous and alterant, comfort- No C.O.D.a or charge orders please. ably resonant, the very commendable Fric- 8481 melrose place, los angeles 46, california say record shows how to be urgent without being fast. The Karajan, with extremes of burliness and refinement, recorded with full value to both, is tonally a little hard. Among the acceptable but not outstanding versions it is wise not to confuse the Bruno Walter in Columbia SL 186, amazing for its origin in 1942, with an earlier ten -inch resuscitation of the same performance, inferior in sound. The invulnerable Allegretto scherzando escapes from every record a jewel of incom- parably self- possessed art. -H. Scherchen, Philharmonic Symphony Orch. of London. WESTMINSTER 18314 (with Sym. No. 2; 4 other couplings available). 33.98 per record. -P. Monteux, San Francisco Symphony Orch. RCA VICTOR LM 1799 ( with works by Bach and Berlioz) . 53.98. -A. Toscanini, NBC Sym. RCA VICTOR LM 1757 (with Sym. No. 5). $3.98. -A. Dorati, Minneapolis Symphony Orch. MERCURY 50100 (with Sym. No. 4)

F. Fricsay, Berlin Philharmonic Orch. DECCA 9626 (with Sym. No. 1) . 53.98. H. von Karajan, Philharmonia Orch. Remove static elec- and static -attracted ANGEL two 12 -in. (with Sym. No. tricity 3544, dust and lint from your ) ( ) . E. Ansermet, 9 $9.96 or 56.96 treasured high fidelity records. Suisse Romande Orch. LONDON LL 1493 Protect their pure sound and (with Sym. No. 1). $3.98. A. Wallen- increase their length of life. Greatly stein, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orch. improve the reproduction on your DECCA 9726 (with Mendelssohn: Sym. "collector's items." Use the efficient No. 5). 33.98. B. Walter, New York atomic tool of our atomic age. Philharmonic- Symphony Orch. COLUMBIA STATICMASTERS only $14.95. Available at direct. Sent SL t 86, two 12 -in. ( with Sym. No. 9) . your Hi -Fi shop, music store, or order $7.96. W. Goehr, Winterthur Symphony postpaid-cash with order. Orch. MMS 2034, two 12 -in. (with Syms. No. t and 9). $5.00. W. Steinberg, NUCLEAR PRODUCTS CO. 10173 E. Rush St. El Monte 1, Calif.

JANUARY i957 IJ3

www.americanradiohistory.com Pittsburgh Symphony Orch. CAPITOL P Record Market 8292 (with Sym. No. 5) . $3.98. F. Weingartner, Vienna Philharmonic Orch. SET A RECORD COLUMBIA SL 165, two I2 -in. (with Sym. player atop this table - No. 9), retired. K. Böhm, Vienna Phil- sized black wrought harmonic Orch. LONDON LL 825 (with iron cabinet, and ZABALETA Sym. No. t). $3.98. T. Beecham, Royal you'll have a com- Recording Philharmonic Orch. plete COLUMBIA ML 4681 music center! (with Mendelssohn: Two shelves and 12 Anthology Sym. No. 4). $3.98. H. von Karajan, individual compart- of Vienna Philharmonic Orch. COLUMBIA EL -5I, two 12 -in. (with ments to file over 250 HARP of your long -playing Sym. No. 9) . $ 3.96. C. Munch, Paris record albums. Top MUSIC Conservatory Orch. LONDON LS I I I, IO- accommodates largest in., retired. J. Perlea, Vienna State - Vol. 4 Phil player made! Sturdy, harmonia. Vox 874o (with Sym. No. 3o" high x 22" X 17 ". 17th A 19th 4) . $4.98. F. Busch, Austria State Sym- Please remit $14.95 Centuries with order; shipped phony. MASTERSEAL 39 (with Haydn: express charges col- Sym. No. lot ) , retired. P. van Kempen, lect. O Leslie Crea- Berlin Philharmonic Orch. EPIC 3095 tions, Dept. 2o9D, (with Sym. No. t). $3.98. S. Kousse- Lafayette Hill, Pa. ESOTERIC vitzky, Boston Symphony Orch. CAMDEN 238 EAST 26th ST., N. Y. C. 10 157 (with Sym. No. 2) . $1.98. B. Walter, New York Philharmonic-Sym - FIRST REVIEWS OF RICHARD phony Orch. COLUMBIA ML 2001, IO -in., DYER -BEN retired. H. Ledermann, Sonor Orch. NET #1: PARADE 2003, retired. W. Mengelberg, "Without a doubt, this is the finest album he has yet recorded. Singing is tops. Engineering is Concertgebouw Orch. CAPITOL P 8079 superb. A masterpiece its Kenneth of kindl" Gold- (with Sym. No. 1) , retired. stein, The Record Changer. Send For Our /11 "His best recordings . . . I cannot recommend it too highly." . . . Elinor Hughs, Boston Herald. No. 9, IN D MINOR, WITH CHORAL WONDER VALUE I "The best recording (he has) done to date. I hope there will be more." Max de Schaunsee, Philadel- FINALE ON SCHILLER'S "ODE TO JOY,' phia Bulletin. 1 OP. 125 (14 Versions) CATALOG RICHARD DYER -BENNET #1 includes "Lonesome OF LONG PLAYING Valley", "Oft in The Stilly Night ", "Joys of Love ", No two performances of the Ninth Sym- CLASSICAL RECORDS "Bonnie Earl of Morey ", "So We'll Go No More A Roving ", and others $4.95. (DYB -1000) phony are alike, and from the praise given One Of The Largest Selections >4 RICHARD DYER -BENNET #2 (Just released) in- by the same critics to extremely disparate In The Whole Country cludes "Cock Robin "Blow the Write ", Candles Out ", Dept. H "Garden Where the Praties Grow ", ",:ockle- interpretations it is apparent that there is CHAMBERS RADIO CORP. shells", and others $4.95. (DYB -2000) no clear critical point of view on what a Sold at leading record shops. If not 97 available at performance should be like. Doubtless the Chambers St., New York 7, N. Y. your dealer, send $4.95 per record no postage necessary within U.S.), check or money order, to: composer felt strongly about it, but we Dyer- Bennet Records, P.O. Box 235, Woodside 77, do not know in what direction; and many N.Y. parts of the public with musical cultivation have no public voice to declare their senti- HOLDS the newest and finest ments. In conversation the opinions most FOLK SAMPLER strongly held about this music are actuated comes from ELEKTRA- featuring by personal reflex, and there are more con - eighteen complete selections from tradictions than agreements. the extensive ELEKTRA catalog. The choice among records is 200 Folkmusic from England, Spain, easier than Ireland, France, The United Stares, it looks, because half the candidates for Zululand, Mexico, Haiti, Italy, consideration can be ruthlessly eliminated RECORDS Nova Scotia and Israel performed by these outstanding ELEKTRA ar- for inadequate sonics. We want no puny, tists. Josh White, Susan Reed, Jean obscure, disproportioned, or wiry repro- Black wrought -iron cabinet Is just waiting for your Leon Destine, Gordon Heath, Lee collection to grow into) "Shows-off" over 200 Payant, Theodore Bikel, Suzanne duction of this music. At the first few bars long- playing record albums of either 10" or 12" Robert, Los Gitanillos de Cadiz, the Abendroth and Koussevitzky records size; or numerous 78 RPM albums. Ten individual Cynthia Gooding, Clarence Cooper, compartments to file your collection by sympho- Jean Ritchie, Oscar Brand and Ed are dismissed, the former because its sound nies, operas, ballets, jazz, folk and show music! McCurdy. is hideous, the latter because the sonic Substantially constructed and fully -assembled, it measures a 12" High Fidelity Long Playing fabric is tattered. Two of the four Colum- 25 "X22"X10" with vinyl tipped legs. Record with full notes and complete Please remit $9.95 with order; shipping charges texts only 52 00 from your ELEKTRA bian go next, the overage Weingartner are collect. Every sale bears our famous dealer or postpaid from AIR -MAIL MONEY -BACK GUARANTEE! $935 (with regret for its unsalvageable beau- O LESLIE CREATIONS Dept. 211E latayemM Hilt Pa. . -e.f2..tk°' RECORDS 361 Bleecker St., New York City Protect Your TRIAL OFFER GIBSON GIRL TAPE SPLICERS LP Records 12 for S1 00 Twelve -Inch Record NO SCISSORS' COVERS NO RAZOR IMAMS' shinned prepaid .-tees. ,.n tee -M, N ,...., . .N Nee. Money Bark GUARANTEE At Your Dealers Made of Polyethylene Plastic. Slips Inside Original Jacket H.R.S. LP CASE No. 7 AUTOMATIC CHANGER NEEDLE BRUSH Deluxe dust -proof cases to hold 10 LP records. Avail- Keep your valuable records free II from dust. able in Red, Blue, Green end Tan and in two sizes wretches,, finger marks, spilled liquids, etc r, . K Lee NceDLE for either 10" or 12- reccrds. Rich book -like bind- Introductory ing of simulated Levant leather is stamped with SAMPLER DOZEN and KLeeNeeDLE automatically keeps genuine gold. See your dealer; if not available is SURPRISE BONUS 51.00 Prepaid record changer needles clean. order direct. Please specify size and color. 10 -inch "ti It is designed to remove the 52.75 and 12 -inch 52.95 (10 -inch 53 and 12 -inch Dealer Ittquir,es Incited familiar "dust- blob" from under S3.25 W. of Miss. and in Ala., Fla., La., Miss., Minn.). the needle point. At Your Two or more cases postpaid in U.S.; add 25c for one MRAD[WY MM. INC. Dealer case. No COD's please. 11 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, Calif. ROBINS INDUSTRIES CORP. Baysid 61, N H. ROYER SMITH CO. Dept. H, Philadelphia 7, Pa.

I 04 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Sym. Two 12 -in. Orch. COLUMBIA SL 165 (with Sym. No. ties) , and the Ormandy, which is nearer LM 6009 (with No. 1). Furtwängler, realism but dull in comparison with the $7.96. 8) . Two 12 -in retired. W. best. Finally we drop the early Columbia -H. von Karajan, Philharmonia Orch. Bayreuth Festival Orch., 1951. RCA Vic - Karajan because its sound is thick and ANGEL 3544 (with Sym. No. 8). Two TOR LM 6043. Two 12 -in. $7.96. H. von CO- reverberant and a little dangerous, in that t2 -in. $9.96 (or $6.96). Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic Orch. not being repellent it can accustom lis- -B. Walter, New York Philharmonic - LUMBIA EL 51 (with Sym. No. 8) . Two teners to a Ninth Symphony without the Symphony Orch. COLUMBIA SL 186 ( with 12 -in. $3.96. E. Ormandy, Philadelphia Leonore liveliness of light. Nine are left after this Sym. No. 8) . Two 12 -in. $7.96. Orch. COLUMBIA SL 50 (with purging, and after a careful comparison it -H. Scherchen, Vienna Staatsoper Orch. Overture No. 3) . Two 12 -in. $7.96. J. Symphony (Vi- is pretty plain that the Angel Karajan WESTMINSTER 2213 (with Sym. No. 8; Horenstein, Pro Musica W. combines impact and accuracy more thor- 4 other couplings available). Two 12 -in. enna) . Vox 10,000. $4.98. Goehr, oughly than any other. The best sound is $7.96. Netherlands Philharmonic Orch. MMS there, and next come the Toscanini and -E. Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic Orch. 2034 (with Syms. No. 1 and 8) . Two Leipzig Scherchen disks notable for cleanliness LONDON LL 632 -3. Two 12 -in. $7.96. 12 -in. $5.00. H. Abendroth, and detail. The Kleiber sound makes an -B. Walter, New York Philharmonic - Philharmonic Orch. URANIA C lot (with immediate impression by its bigness and Symphony Orch. COLUMBIA SL 156 ( with Sym. No. 1) . Two 12 -in. $7.96. S. breadth and real grandeur in fortes, but Brahms: Song of Destiny). Two 12 -in. Koussevitzky, Boston Symphony Orch. Over- after the ear has cleared it will notice a $7.96. RCA VICTOR boot (with Egmont deficiency in articulation, and a stridency ture) . Two 12 -in., retired. (All editions of the violins when they are loud. These F. Weingartner, Vienna Philharmonic have vocal quartet and chorus.) sonics are imposing without being first - class, and the less assertive but sleeker Here are a few of the out- Furtwängler registration is better. The standing additions to our Walter records were admirable when they Stereophonic Catalogue in Largest are commendable in various categories: appeared and still First in monaural ... first in their power, depth, and facility of adjust- Tape stereophonic ... always the ment. Backed by a long reverberation, the CLASSICAL quality leader in recorded a feeling MOZART: Concerto No. 2, 3 Horenstein disk imparts great for French Horn and Orch. tape for home music of strength, but there are oddities of timbre (K.447,417), James Stagliano Treasury performance, LIVINGSTON to compromise its early attractiveness. The and Zimbler Sinfonietta is rapidly adding to Boston 7.4 BN Goehr recording also is insecure, with the its library of new winds generally excellent and the violins in stereophonic releases. generally shrill. These sonic considerations CHORAL STRAUSS, JOHANN: Voices have neglected the chorus, which in no edi- from Vienna, Vol. 1, incl. tion has been captured as we would hope. Blue Danube, Sweets from Vienna, Thunder and Light- However, the Karajan sonics again have ning, featuring the 106 voice the advantage here. In summary, if one Vienna Choir with Orchestral Accompaniment. PHONIC an on sonic values, the STEREO chooses edition Audiosphere 706 BN Karajan, Toscanini, Scherchen, Furtwäng- ler, and - in a meretricious way - Kleiber The LIVINGSTON catalogue contains versions are the ones of first appeal. ORGAN the greatest diversity of recorded works BACH, J. S.: Toccata and ranging from the monumental Interpretatively, Mr. Goehr has not the Fugue in d minor, Kurt Rapf classics to Jazz and Dixieland, from music. He cannot extort playing Piaristenkirche Or- works for the Organ to the folk exigence for this gan; also contains Mendels- Bach's cosmic snarls in the first movement, and sohn's Sonata _2, Franck's ballads sung by Josh White. Included in the LIVINGSTON it is impossible to be comfortable while he Chorale in E major Audiosphere 711 BN listings is the finest material from such labors through the third. In this movement famous independent labels as: Vox conductor too has one stumble the POP after another never, in fact, manages - LENNY HERMAN: Music in AUDIOSPHERE BOSTON ATLANTIC A spectacular to get the cantabile going. Motion, Vol. 1 - Standard EMPIRICAL ESOTERIC LIVINGSTON dance favorites with striking 7 reels, first movement and vigorous scherzo can- ALL LIVINGSTON tapes are 1200 , splice -tree, on stereo effects. All tapes come in attractive not redeem the long subsequent inade- Livingston T1088 BN fully guaranteed. individual boxes, immediately identifiable and quacy. with complete program annotation. Furtwängler's is a consummate enter- FOLK List Prices prise in a direction no one else will ever JOSH WHITE COMES A- VISIT- take. Beautifully organized but often in- IN', Josh White with instru- 5" Monaural Dual -Track $6" mental and choral accom- $1195 credibly slow, it is a work of awe and paniment in You Know, Baby; 7" Monaural Dual -Track reverence, recorded from a ceremony of She's Too Much For Me; Bury 51195 Me High; Come Along, Charlie Stereophonic (Stacked or Staggered) consecration, and best restricted to such and others usage. Livingston T -1085 BN The Walter performance in COLUMBIA SL 186 is for the first three movements HAMMOND identical with the performance in SL 156, ORGAN but the finale in the later version was BILL THOMSON GOES LATIN, ViMOS TON melodies i outstanding Latin recorded four years later than that in including Brazil, Poinciana, the first, and is a more vital production. Carioca, Orchids in the Moon- light and others. One of the Both these sets are forceful, warm, and most delightful tapes by this convincing, and with the still more force- highly versatile artist! Livingston T -1091 BN ful Angel Karajan represent what we would call the norm for the Ninth Sym- And for superb Monaural LIVINGSTON AUDIO PRODUCTS CORP. Livingston,N. J. phony if we believed in such a thing. The listening: late Erich Kleiber's exposition is the most MELODY CRUISE TO LATIN LIVINGSTON of all, and Mr. Toscanini's CARL SANDBURG SINGS NEW FLORENCE MAY FESTIVAL diversified - AMERICA (OC 5 -1); TO ITALY tapes can be au- SONGS FROM THE AMERICAN ORCHESTRA in ORCHESTRAL (OC 5 -2); TO PARIS (0C 5-6); ditioned at your tight, intense, swift, and breathtaking - Boll SONGBAG, including GEMS, VOL. 2. Vittorio Gui TO SPAIN AND MEXICO (OC High Fidelity - is the least diversified, the most classic. Audio Dealer or Weevil, Foggy, foggy dew, conducts symphonic selec- 5 -7); TO ISRAEL (OC 5 -8). Dr. Scherchen's studious intellectualization Careless Love, The Horse A sparkling tape spotlight- Record Shop. tions by Mussorgsky, Boro- ing the fabulous fingers of Send for our depends for its proper effect on appreci- Named Bill, I'm sad and I'm din, Massenet, Debussy, Du- Irving Fields and his trio in complete cata- ation of subtleties which may not after all lonely, and other ageless many well -known and loved logue and the favorites. kas and Rossini. songs of each country. name of your be important. Nevertheless, this is not a (all dealer. Lyrichórd LY 5-4 (5 ") Audiosphere AUD -2 (7") Oceanic 5") nearest version that loses interest on rehearing. -A. Toscanini, NBC Sym. RCA VICTOR

JANUARY 1957 Ios

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age, come close to Note: as usual, all tapes reviewed are that ?) , and I'm not at all sure that Georges spite their considerable more recent Moonlight in solid 7.5 ips and unless specifically noted Tessier doesn't play a conventional violin that of the - of piano tone and purity of 2 -track single-channel rather than a violino piccolo in the First. authenticity as stereo -are the two bigger recordings. The symbol prefixed Of course a high trumpet (Roger Dal - sonic coloring. Originally were released by themselves on a review indicates stereo tapes. If a motte) is used in the Second, and a harp- sonatas to while the Moonlight in parenthesis is appended to the sichord (Ruggero Gerlin) as soloist in the Vox LP PL 6270, date Fourth Piano review, it refers to the issue of HIGH Fifth as well as in the continuo role was coupled with Beethoven's PL 853o; and the same coup- in which the corresponding throughout. Yet the effect of these is Concerto on FIDELITY made available on disk review appeared. arrestingly novel: the brilliant trumpet is ling also has been placed so far back that its tones are per- Phonotapes -Sonore PM 12I (7 -in., 58.95). fectly integrated in the over -all sonority, The Novaes idolator will hardly boggle at BACH: Brandenburg Concertos. No . while the seemingly smaller -than -usual the sonata duplication in order to get the z-6 (Complete). BWV Io46 -5r (/ harpsichord displays a scintillating glitter taped concerto too, but others will find Cento Soli "Orchestra,' Hermann Scher - rather than the usual jangling clatter. The it easier to pass up since, despite some chen, cond. authenticity, then, is to the spirit rather delectable details in the soloist's perform- OMEGATAPE OT 8o06 and OT 3010. Two than the letter of the score: I never have ance, Hans Swarowsky's orchestral accom- 7 -in. $20.90. been made as keenly conscious of the paniment lacks comparable delicacy and chamber nature of these works as by the sweetness. (Vox PL 853o, Feb. 1955) Phono- When (in reviewing the Horenstein present quite distant microphoning of the months ago) I tapes Brandenburgs two extremely small, equably poised, and crys- HAYDN: Symphony No. zoo, in G of another version in preparation by spoke tal- clearly articulated ensemble employed ( "Military ") the "unpredictable" Scherchen, I scarcely here. Perhaps stern analysis may expose would Orchestra of Lon- realized how apt that adjective more questionable elements in Scherchen's Philharmonic Symphony startled cond. prove to be. I was prepared to be treatment, but it will be hard indeed to don, Hermann Scherchen 7 -in. $7.95. by stylistic idiosyncrasies and unconven- belittle his superb lucidity and inexhaus- SONOTAPE SW 1042. tional tempos. but in actuality I am more tibly communicative relish for delicately questionable whether the thunder startled by their absence, except for what Its yet firmly shaping every phrasing and crashes of this work's "Turkish" passages at first seems like an indefensibly slow pace coloristic detail. Whatever the final ver- can galvanize the incredulous for the last movement of the Sixth and ever again - dict may be, I for one cannot imagine a with which they astounded our with each rehearing I'm less certain that delight more exciting new approach to the Brand - back in 1951 when Scherchen's orig- even this is really indefensible. For the ears enburgs. version (Westminster WL 5045) first outstanding characteristic of Scherchen's inal to the top of the demonstration- readings is their persuasive conviction, not burst best-seller lists. Indeed, it wasn't long so much of "rightness" perhaps, as of disk of us retired this work to suitability to their prime purpose of re- before many document collections not vealing unsuspected insights into music our historical- - because its great moments had which many of us have thought held no so much impressive, but that other as- further surprises. Over -all, this is one of become less recorded performance began those rarely electrifying performances pects of the much less admirable. It must which reshapes our whole musical thinking to appear so been this very reason which prompted and reinvigorates the most jaded listening have to try again: certainly it is the taste: a miracle all the more remarkable Scherchen string tone, the brisker tempos of in that it is achieved here without recourse richer and Finale, and the far finer to such extra -musical technological aids as the Minuetto of the work as a whole which stereo sound. integration the new version ( Westminster W- After any such galvanic experience, I make LAB 7024 ) more musically satisfactory always fear that I may have been carried over -all. Happily, it is this version which off my feet by the intoxicating immediacy is taped here, and while the "Turkish" of a reading whose weaknesses eventually are more incisively crisp and shat- may be disclosed by time and restudy. And episodes ERICA. LONDON than ever before, they are para- it is on this score I must postpone my un- tering triumphs anew. less overpowering in that they qualified endorsement of Scherchen's Scherchen's Haydn doxically overbalance the effectiveness Brandenburgs until I've lived with them no longer Sonatas: No. 14, in C- symphony as a whole. Now the a lot longer. But meanwhile they have BEETHOVEN: of the ( "), Op. 27, makes not only a more valid and less come closer to overshadowing, if not dis- sharp minor "Moonlight work 17, in D minor ( "Tem- claim to technical- display placing, Münchinger's LPs than I ever No. 2; No. sensational No. 2; No. 26, in a far more lasting would have thought possible, and I'll be pest"), Op. 31, and honors, but commands "), Op. 83a appeal as one of the finest anxious to learn whether my initial enthu- E -flat ( "Les Adieux and substantial recorded interpretations of the whole siasm is shared by other Bachian devotees. Guiomar Novaes, piano. Haydn repertory. (Oct. 1956) ( For better or worse, though, anyone eager PHONOTAPES -SONORE PM t 17. 7 -in. to check his own reactions will have to find $8.95. some access to tape reproduction, for there LEHAR: The Merry Widow is no immediate prospect of these record- If anyone can restore the time -tarnished (Highlights) on domestic disks.) lyric innocence and freshness of the Moon- ings appearing Uta Graf (s) and Kurt Herbert (t) ; view, Scher - light, it is Novaes, and while other pianists From the purist's point of Opera Society Orchestra, Walter Goehr, the line of disclose more of the passion and depth of chen doesn't hew rigidly to cond. the larger-scaled Tempest and Farewell completely authentic scoring: flutes rather HALL CHT /BN 17. 7 -in. sonatas, her poetic eloquence gives them CONCERT than recorders are used (but after hearing 511.95. Lucien Lavaillotte's solo in the second especially heart -warming appeal. More movement of the Fifth, who can regret surprisingly, the two latter recordings, de- Continued on page 109

JANUARY 1957 I 07

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I oS HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com TAPE DECK Continued from page 107

One of the unexpected minor virtues of stereo is its ability to reinvigorate routine pops materials, such as the present potpourri (or Querschnitt, in the expressive German term) of Lustige Witwe excerpts. Goehr helps out with lusty, if hardly Wiener gemütlich, readings, and the two soloists help out even more with delightfully fresh, steady, and animated voices. Yet it is primarily sparkling, champagne - charged stereo sound which gives this performance the zestful appeal of good light music heard out-of -doors on a breezy summer evening. Later recordings of similar fare probably will exploit the medium more extensively (probably by "spreading" the duettists and surely by adding ensemble and choral passages, which thrive so much better still in stereo), but this release at least clearly points the way to a new and more enlivening era in light -classical home listening.

MENDELSSOHN: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, in E minor, Op. 64 f Tchaikovsky: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, in D, Op. 35 Ivry Gitlis, violin; Pro Musica Symphony Orchestra (Vienna), Hans Swarowsky (in the Mendelssohn) and Heinrich Hollreiser, conds. PHONOTAPES- SONORE PM I13. 7-in. $8.95. Despite the somewhat frenzied attempts to tout the young Israeli violinist as a modern Paganini, his disk debut in the present works (Vox PL 8840) was largely ignored a couple of years ago and it was only with a later Berg concerto release (PL 866o) that Gitlis attracted favorable attention from either critics or discophiles. But while the presumed general verdict that his performances of the two popular war- horses cannot meet the severe competition is fair enough as far as it goes, a single hearing of the present tape is enough to convince me that connoisseurs of violin playing are missing some real thrills if they overlook Gitlis' work here. His "tone," to be sure, is rather small -scaled, O thin, but it also is exquisitely STE if not frankly fine spun, and his playing combines effort- less virtuosity with a beautifully poised and restrained expressiveness. Certainly, he the ultimate achievement in music systems demonstrates here that he has the "makings," and I don't know any other The new Ampex Console Music System offers the startling experience young violinist whose future development of stereophonic sound on tape ... a complete two -speed, half -track interest. I shall follow with livelier tape recorder ... AM -FM tuner ... three -speed record changer .. , and two amplifier- speaker systems - each the finest component of its kind, PROKOFIEV: Lieutenant Kije Suite, superbly integrated in the most complete sound system obtainable. Op. 6o; Scythian Suite, Op. 20 the stereophonic player -tape recorder is available in handsome ,Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Hermann Separately, with amplifier- speaker systems. Hear an VScherchen, cond. table -top or portable cases matching SONOTAPE SW 3005. 7 -in. $9.95. Ampex Stereo System today ... you'll never be satisfied with less. Symphony No. I, in D ( "Classical "), Op. 25; The Love for Three Oranges: Or- chestral Suite, Op. aga Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of Lon- don, Artur Rodzinski, cond. SONOTAPE SW 5038. 7 -in. $7.95. Continued on next page IIII A602

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www.americanradiohistory.com TAPE DECK high fidelity 4 great Continued from preceding page tape recorders from a name There are few of my favorite "display" disks which I'd be happier to have reissued that stands for precision... on tape than Scherchen's Kije (Westmin- ster 'I. 5091, or currently WN 18266), for although I never dared go quite as far as C. G. Burke in boldly hailing it "the DeJOR best orchestral recording ever made," I believed from the first that it contained tape deck Íor the components owner a number of passages which are ideal il- portables for people on the go lustrations of transient -response cleanliness consolette music lovers and sonic- detail authenticity. But in the course of time and incessant use, the disk grooves have become badly cluttered up with gremlins; so it is with special relish that I now play and replay the immacu- lately taped transfer of the original recording-and am reassured that all the technological miracles of later years haven't dimmed its incomparable vitality. The more heavily orchestrated barbaric terrors of the Scythian Suite may present an even greater challenge to the engineer, and one which has been perhaps even more tri- umphantly mastered, but this is a work too intense for even my long- toughened TMB -- :, nerves to undergo except at rare intervals. "Dual Professional" Basic Tape Recorder (Winter 1951) Push- button, custom -installation tape deck ready to combine with present sound system. At 7I/ equals Except for the extraneous crackles of or exceeds performance of "professional" machines dirty grooves, I couldn't distinguish any operating at l5" /sec. Also 3%"/sec. speed. Push- button track reversal. Heavy -duty hysteresis syn- substantial differences between the disk chronous motor. and tape versions of these works, and - $329.50 again in direct comparison - there were TR -820 "Dual none at all between the Rodzinski coup- Professional" Portable lings heard first via turntable (Westmin- Same controls and specs ster W-LAB 7017) and then via tape deck. as the TMB -820 but com- (Which strikes plete with HI -Five Speak- me as controverting both er System in travel case. the pessimists who have held that no 7.5- Acclaimed by experts as ips tape can match the high -frequency in- finest portable under $500! $399.50 candescence of the best LPs, and the op- timists who automatically assume the overall superiority of the tape medium.) CR -820 "Consolette" But while the Rodzinski works may be more PTR -90 with HI -Five Speaker System sensationally brilliant in some respects "Dual Professional" basic "Embassy" Portable than Scherchen's, his orchestral tone unit housed in furniture - Three -speaker port- quali- weight Korina cabinet. able dual track with ties are by no means as admirable. And HI -Five speaker system all the classic DeJUR although his acidulous reading is appropri- in special acoustical features: superb audio chamber gives magnificent quality, 7%" and ate enough for the Three Oranges excerpts, audio 3%" quality. $499.00 speeds, magnificent his touch of pompousness and lack of zest- performance. $299.50 ful wit are too heavy a burden for the Classical Symphony. Even at its best here, this version makes me regret all the more bitterly that Koussevitzky's never was captured with comparable technical skill. (April 1956) You're always sure with PROKOFIEV: Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Five Excerpts DEJUR -AMSCO CORPORATION. LONG ISLAND CITY 1, N. Y. Members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra, CHICAGO. ILL. Leopold Stokowski, cond. BEVERLY HILLS. CALIF. RCA VICTOR DCS 18. 7 -in. $12.95. DEJUR INTERNATIONALE. D GMBH. WEST GERMANY edUR Drawn from all three of the published Audio Equipment orchestral suites, this group of excerpts coheres more consistently than many of -----SEND COUPON FOR COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS - - - - - Stokowski's once -famous "symphonic syn- t theses," and, although I've never seen the DeJUR -AMSCO CORPORATION, Dept.HFI, 415 -01 Northern Blvd., L.I.C. 1, N.Y. complete ballet either on the stage or in Please send me, without obligation, complete specifications. films, I venture to say that the quintessence of the work is distilled here. It may be Name a somewhat bodiless brew, if compared with a younger Prokofiev's lusty music, yet it commands a delicacy of fragrance, Address a nostalgia, and a bitter -sweet tenderness which reveal new insights into that prodi- City Zone State gally gifted composer's later years. Lis- tening to this tape with its almost ghostly

I IO HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com evocations of Romeo at the Fountain, Juliet, Romeo and Juliet together, Romeo at the Tomb of Juliet, and the Death of Juliet. a half -forgotten line reverberated insistently in my mind: ". . . a poise, a wounding, a beautiful suppression . . ." But when I searched vainly to trace it in e. e. Cummings' works ( where I'm sure it originates) , I came across other lines which are perhaps even more ap- posite: ENÇN

it is the autumn of a year When through the thin air stooped with fear across the harvest whitely peer empty of surprise death's faultless eyes

The flute of morning stilled in noon - noon the implacable bassoon - now Twilight seeks the thrill of moon, washed with a wild and thin despair of violin Perhaps for all its poignance Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet score is - in the best sense - "background" or atmosphere -setting music which for more overt drama must be experienced as an inseparable part of the danced ballet. Yet restrained and remote as it may seem when heard without the accompaniment of visual spectacle its feather -light touch quite possibly may be better remembered by some sensibilities than the more powerfully "moving" M raw emotionalism of other, quite different, STEREO- dramatic works. I'm sure of one thing, anyway: the sparse, open -weave tonal tex- RECORDING tures here, and the constant sense that PHONIC infinitely more is implied than what is and directly stated, imperatively demand the PLAYBACK unique qualities of stereo reproduction. PLAYBACK I'm fully aware that so perceptive a critic as Alfred Frankenstein unhesitatingly found the single -channel LP version (issued so far only as part of a larger Romeo and Juliet miscellany, RCA Victor LM STEREO -MAGIC 6o28) as "the finest single orchestral re- CONVERSION KIT cording" in his entire Prokofiev discography, but I still doubt whether other listeners Adapts any Pentrpn tape can ever realize the full beauty of Stokow- recorder sold in the past 5 years ski's performance here until they can know it in the magically expanded yet ethere- for stereophonic tape playback. alized aural vistas of stereo sound. There it is very possibly Stokowski's supreme List: $1695 sonic masterpiece - and I haven't forgotten for a minute his great Philadelphia days! STEREO -MAGIC The RESPIGHI: The Pines of Rome; STOCK PENTRON MODELS Fountains of Rome Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Argeo These regular in -stock models Quadri, cond. offer stereophonic playback plus SONOTAPE SW 3006. 7 -in. 39.95. monaural recording and playback. Like the Scherchen Prokofiev coupling, T -90S: $219.95, list this is another war -horse release of several HF -400S: S269.95, list which LPs did much to estab- years back, HFW -500S: $319.95, list lish the fame of Westminster engineering (WL 5167, recently reissued as WN 18271), but here the tape version clearly PENTRON CORP., 7$ S. Tripp Are., Chicago 24, I0. details on Stereo -f' g c .. . is more faithful to the original recording Send in its superior freedom from high -end urne shrillness, its cleaner crispness, and far more equable and better- blended sonorities. Address

Continued on next page in Canada: Atlas Radio Ltd.. Toronto City State

JANUARY i957 ]11

www.americanradiohistory.com TAPE DECK in concerted numbers, and (even more regrettably) there is an unimaginative re- Continued from preceding page liance on bringing the soloists as close to Travel the the microphone as would be necessary in Yet these very virtues make all the more conventional recording. Hence, the latter glaring the innate sterility of the works sometimes sound disconcertingly "forward" complete Sound (and perhaps the performances) them- and disengaged from the orchestral background, rather as selves. I used to think there was consider- than closely integrated able poetic atmosphere in the Fountains in it as they can be in stereo and still maintain distinctive individual spectrum with at least, but today I find it only somewhat clarity. But less intolerable than the gaudy scene such quibblings are quite minor TANDBERG painting and bombastic emotionalism of considerations, for future reference only. ... the the Pines. The vital fact is that the Requiem as a whole seems made for stereo-and stereo expressly designed to enable the Requiem world's finest VERDI: "Requiem" Mass to be heard and absorbed as never was Corry Bijster (s); Elisabeth Pritchard possible before on records. I can't resolve the aesthetic dilemma in which a critic tape recorder! (ms) ; David Garen (t) ; Leonard Wolov- sky (bs); Netherlands Philharmonic Choir finds himself: caught between the choice of and Orchestra, Walter Goehr, cond. a Toscaninian performance, say, and the CONCERT HALL CHT /BN 18. Two 7 -in. aural beatitudes of Goehr's stereo sound. $23.90. I can only chronicle its existence-and hope that many other listeners find them- At last I'm given tangible proof of my selves in a predicament as fascinatingly conviction that of all types of music it delicious in practice as it is perplexing in is the large -scale choral -and- orchestral theory. form which most imperatively demands - and profits by - the stereo medium. Per- REEL MUSIC NOTES haps operas will exploit its potentialities even more dramatically, but at least they ALPHATAPE: The difficulty of utilizing have fared better hitherto in single -channel in a jazz manner a predominantly violin recordings than choral works, which never ensemble is indicated by the very titid (Music to have been fully satisfactorily captured. I What By ?) of a miscellany by can't imagine why stereo -tape manu- Paul Nero and his Hi Fiddles. The live- facturers are so backward in demonstrating lier pieces, like Scherzo -Phrenia and Just what now can be done in freeing choral a Minuet are diverting, escapist chamber - textures from the cramped bondage to music fare (making the most of the bright, which disks have condemned them in not -too -close recording), but the slower seeming perpetuity. But don't take my ones, for all their desperately ingenious word for it: just compare any LP of the arrangements, are hardly satisfactory for Manzoni Requiem with the present tape either background listening or actual - (AT and you'll find out for yourself what it dancing 24, 5 -in., 83.95). Four means to add an entirely new dimension Moods for Orchestra is more consistent in style, but here Herbert Pawlicki's attempt 3 SPEEDS 1 7/8, 3 3/4, (in aesthetics as well as sonic technique) to emulate the glistening richness of a Kos - 7 1 '2 I.P.S. to your experience. Granted that Goehr, for all the skill- telanetz or Mantovani isn't quite within his STYLED TO FIT ANY DECOR ful musicianship and sincere feeling he the powers of Vienna Amusement Or- exhibits here (more effectively than in chestra. However, he should satisfy the romantic yearnings of listeners who can BALANCED PLAYBACK, AM- any of his previous releases I know) can't PLIFIER AND SPEAKER achieve the interpretative stature of Tos- languish to the lush strains of Drigo's canini or De Sabata. Granted too that the Serenade, Fibich's Poème, and the like (AT ABSOLUTELY NO WOW OR soloists here hardly can match many more 13, 5-in., 83.95) FLUTTER AT ANY SPEED famous singers who have essayed these roles on LP (although Pritchard's is one BEL CANTO: I don't know Dave Reming- You too can experience the wonder of of the finest young voices I have come ton's standing among jazz cognoscenti, and complete sound dimension with the to my ears his band's Chicago Jazz "Re- world famous Tandberg recorder. Off across since Ferrier's, while Bijster's is nearly as admirable and possesses more born" sounds more like a modernized the air recordings made . . . "just fool- ing around at home," are truly mir- dramatic "personality"; only the tenor and refinement of New Orleans styles. But rored by the wonder of electronic faith- bass are nondescriptly "adequate ") . Never- whatever his authority and stylistic deriva- fulness, built right into this amazing theless, this tape marks the first time I tions, I found this surprisingly long pro- tape recorder. ever have wholeheartedly responded to gram (for a 5 -in. reel) consistently in- Verdi's deeply moving music outside a vigorating. There is a fine perky anima- 3 The versatile speed Tandberg concert hall, and I ascribe that less to the tion throughout, achieving a really jubi- will more than pay for itself in fine playing of the orchestra here and lant drive in China Boy and Mandy; the tape savings as you discover the even finer singing of its unfortunately arrangements are imaginative, with dis- the superior performance of rather small companion chorus than to tinctive piano, fiddle, and percussion solos, this recorder at its lower the superb spaciousness and "lift" with brilliantly recorded; and the combination speeds. which their composite sonorities are both of rambunctious spirit and sophisticated integrated and differentiated in stereo re- treatment is for once effectively reconciled production. (503, 5 -in., $6.95). Ask Your Dealer For A. Demonstration Curiously enough, it is not necessarily Write For Full Information To: the most obviously dramatic passages ( like CONCERT HALL: The effectiveness of a the almost Polovstian pounding rhythms real barrelhouse piano or band used to of the "Dies Irae") which benefit most, depend - when heard in situ - as much TANDBERG but the more serene moments and such on beer- and smoke -induced soddenness lilting ones as the dance -like double fugue in its listeners as on its practitioners' 10 East 52nd Street of the Sanctus. No attempt has been made lung power and muscularity. But now, New York 22, N. Y. here (rather to my regret) to capitalize thanks to stereo, the first two pieces in Plaza 9 -7190 further on stereo possibilities by antiphonal Barrelhouse and Blues by Sam Price and placement of choir sections or the soloists his Kaycee Stompers can batter even the

I I 2 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com soberest and most alert hearer into appropriate stupefaction. I don't think I've ever heard a more heavily played and recorded piano than Price's here, yet while he and most of his sidemen (except for Dickenson on trombone and Hinton on string bass) may be short on imagination and subtlety, they certainly can achieve ON TAPE tremendous swinging momentum. Human MUSIC flesh and blood can't maintain this pile - driving racket long, and after Jumpin' on JOIN THE for $ 2 98 57th and Jonah Whales Again the remain- ONLY ing three pieces slow down to a shuffle, STEREOPHONIC also good of its kind, but with the blowsy - bluesy clichés showing more plainly. A MUSIC SOCIETY Phonotapes -Sonore, leader in the terrific tape of its kind - but definitely not field of recorded tapes, breaks the for delicate sensibilities or easily over- and enjoy these loaded CI -IT /BN 16, price complete mu- sound systems ( barrier to offer 7-in., $11.95) sical selections, 7% speed - dual - benefits: track, at a bargain price. These are JAZZTAPE: The box- labeling doesn't make 20% SAVINGS ON not samplers. it clear whether The Sextet from Hunger STEREOPHONIC TAPES is the program title or the performing band's name, and there are no personnel RCA, HMV, Hi -Fi, AV, details; but from the first rowdy bars of Livingston, Concert Hall, The CAMEO Series the music itself, no one can doubt that Sony Sterecord and others ,,,,,,N\.NNN., this is a group which clings unashamedly to the old Dixieland traditions -ener- 20% SAVINGS ON getically strummed banjo, trumpet wa -wi s, MONAURAL TAPES trombone slides, plugging piano, and all. Yet staccato, brash, and raucous as the UP TO 50% SAVINGS ON playing is throughout, even its oldest BACH cliché's are animated with honest gusto - RECORDING TAPE TOCCATA AND FUGUE IN D MINOR achieving at its best (as in Harmony Rag)

Chor.I.- P,.L.. an infectiously exuberant lift (yr 4009, FREE MUSIC MAGAZINE COME. SAVIOR OF THE GENTILES 5 -in., $6.95) . But after so much high SUBSCRIPTION

THE CADET CHAPEL ORGAN DE WEST POINT spirit, it's hard to react sympathetically to ' Claim Coa. o,y.m,l the coyer of the New Animal attempts NO MINIMUM PURCHASE Crackers Band to reproduce (or is it REQUIREMENT satirize ?) the dance styles of the Twenties in Cinématographe. A Club Francais du ONE CENTRAL SOURCE FOR PHONOTAPES -SONORE Disque recording, and a very bright one is enough EVERY RECORDED TAPE; IRUU('F:RS E,1' MUSIC ON IA PE technically, this perhaps corny to remind French listeners of a very dis- EVERY STEREO TAPE tant Dixie; but for others it is likely to AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY Cameos now available: arouse queasiness (JT 4015, 5 -in., $6.95) . $6.00 -Half year membership MOZART: EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart, Rolf PHONOTAPES- SONORE: A welcome change $9.00 -Full year membership Reinhardt, conductor PMC 1001 of pace for a who thought he reviewer USE THIS HANDY PROKOFIEV: CLASSICAL SYMPHONY had heard almost everything, but who MEMBERSHIP Concerts Colonne Orchestra, Jascha Horenstein, never before had directly encountered th APPLICATION conductor PMC 1002 "new" quasi -folk style in children's ree FORM BACH: TOCCATA AND FUGUE IN D MINOR ords, is provided by Songs to Grow On. "COME, SAVIOR OF THE GENTILES" Vols. r and 2, long and immensely popular The Cadet Chapel Organ of West Point, Claire TO: STEREOPHONIC MUSIC SOCIETY, Inc Coci, organist PMC 1003 on Folkways LPs FP 5 and FP 20. I like 303 Grand Avenue, Palisades Park, N. J. best Woody Guthrie's completely unmawk- GRIEG: NORWEGIAN DANCES, Op. 35 GENTLEMEN: Please enroll me for a ish songs and delivery on the first track Bamberg Symphony, Edouard van Remoortel, con- 6 month period ductor PMC as a member of the 1004 ( Nursery Days) , and the Pete Seeger and 1 year HOLIDAY IN NAPLES (7 Selections) Cisco Houston contributions to School Stereophonic Music Society. I under' Gianni Monese and His Orch. PMC 1005 Days on the second track, but perhaps stand that I am under no obligation to BORODIN: POLOVETSIAN DANCES the kids of today are catholic enough also purchase any specified minimum of tapes CUI: TARANTELLA to go both for Leadbelly at one extreme under the Society's group purchase plan. Bamberg Symphony, Jonel Perlea, cond. PMC 1006 and Charity Bailey and Adelaide van Wey As part of my membership I am entitled at the other. Even the last are still a long to a free one -year subscription to Hi -Fi way from the mealy -mouthed Tinny Tunes Music at Hone magazine, as well as 71 SPEED DUAL -TRACK quarterly listings of all recorded stereo- $298 for Tiny Tots of an earlier era -and a EACH phonic and monaural tapes currently on good thing too! I have never approved of the market. records as such, but the honest "children's" FT Check El $6.00 Tapes in the Cameo Series are dup- My for is tunes and words here, however naïve, are C Money Order $9.00 licated on Ampex equipment and something else again: I relished my present enclosed herewith (payable to the Stereo- blue Audiotape, maintaining the single hearing and I can't imagine any phonic Music Soc., Inc ) same high standard achieved in the child likely to exhaust their fascinations NAME regular Phonotapes- Sonore series. even in the interminable repetitions he ADDRESS is sure to demand. Old as the recordings CITY ZONE .. STATE must be, the present transfers to tape are MAKE OF RECORDER surprisingly satisfactory (if of course far Stereophonic Staggered PHONOTAPES INC. from wide range) and surely should dup- Stacked Monaural 248 West 49th St., N. Y. 19, N. Y. licate their LP successes (PM 039, 7 -in., Please send additional information $8.95 - and admirably including a leaflet concerning the Society. of the complete song texts) . L J

JANUARY 1957 I=3

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HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Equipment reports appearing in tbls section are prepared by members of HIGH FIDELITY'S staff, on the basis of actual use in conjunction with a home music system, and the resulting subjective evaluations of equipment are expressed as the opinions of the reviewer only. Reports are usually restricted to items of general interest, and no attempt is made to report on items that are obviously not designed primarily for high- fidelity applications. Each report is sent to the manufacturer before publication; he is free to correct the specifications paragraph, to add a comment at the end of the report, or to request that it be deferred ( pending changes in his product ), or not be published. He may not, however, change the report. Failure of a new product to appear in T1TH may mean either that it has not been submitted for review, or that it was submitted and was found to be unsatisfactory. These reports may not be quoted or reproduced, in part or in whole, for any purpose whatsoever, without written permission from the publisher.

Gray AM -50 Amplifier unusually high, the maker has taken the precaution of overrating some of the components, thus lengthening the SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): a single- chassis self- expected life of these parts. powered power amplifier. Input: one, at high -level high- impedance. The AM -50's sound, through my reference system, re- level; bias adjust. Outputs: 8 and 16 ohms to speaker. Controls: input at all volume levels Power rating: 50 watts continuous; 100 watts peak. IM distortion: mained clean, smooth, and transparent below 0.25% at 30 watts output; below 1.0% at 50 watts output. up to what I deemed the limit of tolerability. Like other Power response: ± 1.0 db, 20 to 20,000 cycles at 50 watts at less top -quality amplifiers I've heard, the AM -50 seems to add than 1.0% harmonic distortion. Square wave response: 20 to 20,000 no coloration at all to the sound. Even with a heavily cycles, essentially undistorted. Sensitivity: 1.5 volts in for 50 watts to it ( which is a out. Damping factor: 15. Two AC convenience outlets; one switched, capacitive electrostatic tweeter connected one unswitched. Power supply outlet socket for non -powered pream- very severe test of high- frequency stability ), the Gray main- plifier. Metering terminals for bias setting located on front of chassis. tains its smooth listenability, and still reproduces musical Fuse receptacle located on front of chassis. Tubes: 2 - 6CA7, EL -34, timbres with remarkable accuracy. or 6550; 6AN8; 5U4GB or GZ -34. Dimensions: 8 in. deep by 12 wide Bass performance is equally good deep, solid, and ex- by 101/2 high. Price: $129.50. MANUFACTURER: Gray Research and - Development Company, Inc., 658 Hilliard St., Manchester, Conn. tremely well controlled, with a definition and body that reflects the very high stability it exhibits in instrument tests. becoming increasingly popular among Fifty -watt amplifiers are Further evidence of its stability is the disarming ease with AM -50 is an outstanding ex- perfectionists, and the Gray which it handles high -volume musical passages. This amplifier is one I could live happily with ... one cannot say "forever after" in this business, but I will say long enough to be well worth what it would cost me.- J.G.H.

MANUFACTURER'S COMMENT: This amplifier has been designed to provide exceptionally good transient response with a wide variety of output loads, as well as very low distortion. The total harmonic distortion at full 50 watts output is well below 1% to below 20 cycles.

Concert Cabinetry Turntable Base SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): wooden pre -cut turntable bases for all popular transcription tables. Finish: two styles, standard and deluxe. Deluxe models have all plywood edges veneer bound; available in Mahogany, Blonde, or Walnut stains. Standard models do not have ply edge veneer, and are available only in clear lacquer on natural plywood finish. Dimensions: 201/2 wide by 171/2 deep; height as below. MODELS - TT -R: 4 5/8 in. high. TT -H: 6 5/8 in. high, for hysteresis motors. Prices: TT -R -DLX $20.00; TT -R -STD $16.50; TT -H -DLX $22.50; TT.H -STD $19.00. MANUFACTURER: The Gray AM -5o 90 -watt power amplifier unit. E. and R. Scheller, 1630 W. Granville Ave., Chicago 26, III. This turntable base is made by the same company which ample of why such amplifiers are gaining wide acceptance produces the sturdy equipment rack described in an earlier despite their cost. TITH section. It is equally sturdy; the wood is 34-in. thick, A single input connection is provided, and an input level - throughout. AM to be used with set control allows the -50 either The novel feature here is the felt linings used on the average low -output control units or with those that require Professional and Deluxe models. The vertical sides of these lower -gain power amplifiers. It has two auxiliary AC outlets, bases are grooved along their top edges. Strips of felt, 3/8 in. one switched and the other unswitched, and the fuse wide and 3/8 in. thick, are glued into the grooves. A matching receptacle is readily accessible on the side of the chassis. Since the B+ supply voltage in the Gray amplifier is Continued on next page

JANUARY 1:957 irá

www.americanradiohistory.com TESTED IN THE HOME the same fashion as a window curtain), and these are free to slide along the parallel rods atop the rack. Thus, disks Continued from preceding page in the Aud -O -File are stored vertically suspended in dust - proof protective sleeves and are relieved of the pressure groove is cut into the top piece or motor board. This then that is exerted on them when a large stack is stored in a simply rests on the strips of felt; it is not screwed down to conventional record cabinet. They are protected from damage, the sides. Result: acoustic insulation to minimize the danger while the clear plastic of the sleeves allows the labels to be read without pulling the disks from their sleeves. Really an ingenious idea, and one of the best schemes I've seen to date for storing disks that have outlived their envelopes or whose envelopes had no pertinent information on them. - J.G.H.

Metzner Starlight Turntable

SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): MODEL 60 - a transcription turntable having continuously-variable speed control and a built -in stroboscopic speed indicator. Speed range: 16 to 83 rpm, continuously variable within a single operating range. Wow and

The Deluxe model base with turntable and arm. of acoustic or mechanical feedback. The Standard models have the motor boards fastened to the base with concealed screws, and are not felt- mounted. Felt- covered adjustable -height feet are provided, and - at least, with the base for the Garrard 301 furnished us -a small spirit level for attachment to the motor board. The motor boards, by the way, are cut out to the specifications supplied by the manufacturer of the turntable; you order a base ( and motor board ) for a specific turntable, and it is delivered cut for that turntable. This is another piece of fine cabinetry, and is a fitting companion for the Rack 55 described in the November TITH The Starlight variable -speed turntable. section. - C.F. flutter: less than 0.2% RMS. Rumble: over 40 db below NARTB standard 7 cm /sec recording level. Drive motor: 4 -pole induction. Dimensions: 131/4 in. long by 113/4 wide. 33/4 in. required below top of motor board. Turntable height: 11/4 in. Price: $59.50. MAN- Robins Aud -O -File UFACTURER: Metzner Engineering Corporation, 1041 North Sycamore Ave., Hollywood 38, Calif. DESCRIPTION: a record storage rack holding up to 50 disks in sus- This is one of the few turntables I have seen to date which pended plastic sleeves. Dimensions: 15! 2 in. long X 151/2 wide X 141/2 high. Price: $24.99, net. MANUFACTURER: Robins Industries provide completely variable speed control throughout their Corp., 214 -26 41st. Ave., Bayside 61, N. Y. entire operating range. This means that it can be used not to for speed inaccuracies in disks It is a long time since a really new idea in record storage only correct that should has come along, but this certainly fits that description. be 331/3 but aren't, but that it can also provide accurate speed settings for any of the early collector's items that were disked The Robins Aud -O -File consists of a frame of wrought iron and steel rods supporting 50 heavy, clear plastic record before the 78.26 rpm speed became standard. Add to this the fact that the Starlight's speed control range extends down to that of the new 16 -rpm talking books and we begin to get some idea of this turntable's versatility. The heart of Metzner's variable -speed drive is a neoprene - coated flat drive disk that is driven directly by a worm gear on the motor shaft. At the bottom of the turntable spindle, The Robins Aud -O -File a knurled aluminum wheel mounted by a spline arrangement stores fifty records in contacts the surface of the drive disk. As the speed- change suspended plastic sleeves, lever above the motor board is varied, the aluminum wheel minimizing warpage and is moved up or down on the turntable shaft, and the point contamination from dust. of contact between the wheel and the drive disk changes, from the center to the outside of the disk, providing a wide range of "gear" ratios. At the slowest speed, the idler is running near the hub of the drive disk, so the high ratio between them revolves the idler ( and hence the turntable) at its slowest speed. As the speed lever is turned up, the idler moves toward the outer edge of the drive disk, increasing the speed up to its limit of about 83 rpm. To facilitate accurate speed setting, sleeves having curved bottoms conforming to the shape of the disks. Each sleeve is threaded over two hanger rods (in Continued on page 118

IIG HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com ...... _, m \uI . I3 \l1111 T :..-~ I® ijLr%NHì::!!!lIIIIIIN ;11 H. H. Scott Model 210 -E 30 watt complet. amplifier 15 i§ x 5 x 12.l,¡ in mahogany case $179.95 IIII!Ia-í..`..w.r w ,..... I higher west of rockies. . (Mahogany prices slightly 1111 , IIIIIII Case $19.95) All 111111; .r: îillil 1111I1/m._'+z= -': _ MIMI 1!:íll111.Il.4.111. 151111= IIII1111111ilìtl Exclusive dynamic noise suppressor ... 11Ì11111=====1111111111111I1 new green -dot controls ...

Dynamic Noise Suppressor Most Versatile ...Most Complete Knocks Out Noise . NOT Music! Some manufacturers offer fixed filters to remove record Today scratch and turntable rumble. But these cut off music as Combination Amplifier Made well as the noise. H. H. Scott's exclusive Dynamic Noise Suppressor works differently. On quiet and low level musical passages, when noise is noticeable, the suppressor cuts off at noise frequencies. When music Includes 30 watt power amplifier, com- Green Dot Controls simplify your high becomes loud enough to mask noise, the suppressor plete preamplifier, and Dynamic Noise fidelity installation by marking each con- automatically and instantaneously lets all the music Suppressor. trol with the best average setting. Any- through. If you are playing a noisy record and have one in your family can enjoy your music two piano notes with silence between, the suppressor Noise Suppressor makes old and system . they just turn to the green lets the notes through, but filters out the scratch and Dynamic dots and play! rumble in the silence between. worn records sound new again, protects investments in precious record libraries. Many More Exclusive Features Complete tape facilities: Two special tape Separate three -channel Bass and Treble Controls output connections that let you record so you can adjust the sound to room acoustics with or without the noise suppressor in Loudness Control lets you enjoy all the music WHAT LEADING AUTHORITIES SAY even at low volume levels Frequency response the circuit. A Scott owner reports "The flat from 19 cps to 35,000 cps Harmonic Dis- ABOUT H. H. SCOTT COMPONENTS noise suppressor lets me record noisy tortion less than ru radio broadcasts on tape with perfect . ty,tenr ,hu rdd any true hrgh pdelrry Writ. for Complet. Technical Specifications! dude dynamic noise suppression when the ultim.rc results, because with the suppressor I in record reproduction is required." get rid of all the background noise on Harold \r'eiler. Authrn the broadcast ". NARTB pre- recorded HIGH FIDELITY SIMPLIFIED tape play -back channel lets you play hack direct from tape heads. the 310-A secar, as dole to per /e, non .0 n practical at this time." Tested in the Home Report Two magnetic cartridge inputs so you can HIGH FIDELITY Magazine connect both a changer and a turntable to the 210 -E. Front -panel switch lets you select between the two. . it is the selectirio of the new Scott. its competence in choosing among the many the one station scanted. that has exorted the greatest admira- Damping Control assures a per- tion for that unit." Variable SATURDAY REVIEW fect match between speaker and ampli- Home Book, 2nd Edition fier. 385 autnam Avenue, Cambridge, Mass.

www.americanradiohistory.com TESTED IN THE HOME larger cone cannot follow. The result is significantly improved high- frequency range. Continued from page 116 Five Norelco twin -cone speakers were submitted to us for testing, along with the three models of FRS enclosure. Since the underside of the turntable is marked with three concen- the enclosures were specifically designed for use with these tric rings of stroboscope dots, visible in a small mirror re- speakers, all speaker tests were conducted in the recommended cessed under a cutout in the mounting plate. When the motor enclosures, and the comments about them which follow are is switched on, the stroboscope rings are illuminated by a based upon their performance in the FRS enclosures. neon bulb, which also acts as a pilot light. I must admit that I was taken aback by the published The whole idea is quite ingenious and well executed. The frequency response curves on these speakers until I realized unit I tested had extremely good speed regulation, and was that they represented the speakers' response without baffles. comparable in this respect to the best of the turntables I have The 9762M's published curve, for instance, shows very smooth tested. Its -40 db rumble level is not as low as that of the response between 2,000 and 12,000 cycles, but below 2,000 most expensive transcription tables, but is fairly close to the cycles the curve drops off fairly sharply, being at 1,000 cycles practical limit set by the rumble level on many disks. And about 10 db below the 2,000 cycle level. From there down, the nature of the Starlight's drive system suggests that its it slopes off at about 4 db per octave down to around 80 rumble is not likely to increase with prolonged use; there cycles ( where it is 25 db below the 2,000 cycle level) . It are no critical drive surfaces to develop flat spots, and the then rises about 6 db at 50 cycles ( the cone resonance fre- entire drive system ( including the turntable) is shock - isolated quency) and drops out sharply below that. On paper, these from the motor board on floating rubber mounts. A 45 -rpm spindle insert is permanently installed over the turntable spindle and is lightly spring loaded, so that it retracts to below turntable level when a 10- or 12 -in. disk is placed over it. A cute idea. The whole unit is smartly styled and is about as compact as a turntable of this type can be. All in all, an excellent buy for a medium -cost high -quality system. - J.G.H.

Norelco Speakers and Enclosures

SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): MODEL 9762M - a 12 -in. wide -range speaker. Frequency range: 35 to 18,000 cycles, without baffle. Power capacity: 20 watts continuous, 30 watts program. Impedance: 6 to 8 ohms. Efficiency: 14% at 400 cycles. The Norelco 9760M and 975oM loudspeakers. Flux density: 11,000 Gauss. Price: $59.97. MODEL 9760M -a 12 -in. wide -range speaker. Frequency range: 35 to 18,000 cycles, without baffle. Power capacity: 20 watts continuous, 30 watts program. curves look unpromising, since in terms of frequency response Impedance: 6 to 8 ohms. Efficiency: 7% at 400 cycles. Flux density: they would show ±-12 db from 35 to 18,000 cycles, but 8,000 Gauss. Price: $32.97. MODEL 9710M - an 8 -in. wide -range I'm glad to be able to say that they do not represent the speaker. Frequency range: 40 to 20,000 cycles, without baffle. Power capacity: 10 watts continuous, 15 watts program. Impedance: 6 to 8 way the speakers sound when properly baffled. ohms. Efficiency: 5% at 400 cycles. Flux density: 8,000 Gauss. Price: Due to their high midrange conversion efficiency (see $23.97. MODEL 9750M - an 8 -in. wide -range speaker. Frequency Specifications) , these speakers work best when horn -loaded range: 50 to 20,000 cycles, without baffle. Power capacity: 6 watts or baffled in bass reflex enclosures such as the FRS units. continuous, 10 watts program. Impedance: 4 to 6 ohms. Efficiency: the Model 9762M 10% at 400 cycles. Flux density: 13,500 Gauss. Price: $22.17. MODEL When used in its recommended enclosure, 9770M - an 8 -in. wide -range speaker. Frequency range: 75 to 19,000 speaker ( whose "unusual" response was described above) cycles, without baffle. Power capacity: 6 watts continuous, 10 watts produces clean, transparent sound. On musical program program. Impedance: 4 to 6 ohms. Efficiency: 6% at 400 cycles. material, its bass is full, deep, and well defined, and the Flux density: 11,000 Gauss. Price: $9.90. ENCLOSURES FRS -1: bass - is is reflex enclosure, for 9762M. Dimensions: 34 in. high by 24 wide by middle range smooth and remarkably clean (which more 17 deep. Price: blonde $119.95, mahogany $109.95. FRS -II: bass unusual than it may at first seem). The high range is reflex enclosure, for 9760M, 9750M, or 9710M. Dimensions: 301/2 markedly accentuated ( reflecting the 10 db rise above 1,000 in. high by 161/2 wide by 15 deep. Price: blonde or mahogany cycles), but extends at that level all the way out to beyond FRS -III: bass reflex enclosure, for 9770M. Dimensions: 21 $52.50. 10,000 cycles. Thus, its brightness affects not only the so- in. high by 12 wide by 91/4 deep. Price: blonde or mahogany $33.75. MANUFACTURER: North American Philips Co., Inc., 100 East 42nd called "presence" range, but the full range of overtones as St., New York 17, N. Y. well. This gives the 9762M, like the other Norelco speakers that were tested, a brilliant sound that many people like These are unusual loudspeakers both in construction and very much. performance. They are essentially single -cone units, in that The 9762M's efficiency is very high for a direct radiator; they use only a single voice coil and magnet assembly, comparing it with speakers with which I am very familiar, although their high- frequency response is comparable to that I would estimate its efficiency to be in the vicinity of 8% of many true two -way speaker systems. throughout most of its range. In the usual large -cone speaker, the voice coil actually re- The 9760M's sound is quite similar to that of the 9762M, sponds to higher frequencies than the speaker is capable df although it is a little less clean at the low end and its highs fully reproducing, because the very slight elasticity of the lack some of the smoothness of the more expensive unit. It cone paper prevents the most rapid voice coil vibrations from has lower efficiency than the 9762M, which is to say that its being converted into cone vibrations. The voice coil is efficiency is just slightly higher than that of average high - vibrating, but the motion is not fully passed on to the cone, fidelity speakers. so it is not converted into air vibrations. Philips meets this Cone resonance on both of the 12 -inch speakers measured problem by the addition of a second small cone, which is identically 51 cycles in free air. This probably accounts attached to the perimeter of the voice coil assembly and which ... is light enough to respond to the rapid vibrations that the Continued on page 120

I18 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com -~ H. H. Scott Model 310 -B FM Tuner 13% x 5 x 93 $159.95 Other H. H. Scott tuners from $119.95 (Mahogany Case $19.95) All tuners suret FCC radiation specifications. AU prices slightly higher west of rorkie.. Exclusive wide band design ... new silver sensitive front end .

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www.americanradiohistory.com TESTED IN THE HOME are concerned. The tone controls vary the bass and treble balance ( variable slope) rather than affecting the frequency Continued from page i r8 extremes ( variable turnover or inflection ), and phono equalization is quite accurate. to some extent for the fullness and definition of their bass. Hum is very low. It is the PCP -20's sound, however, that The 8 -inch speakers tested exhibited more differences in distinguishes it. Among the available compact, single -chassis sound than did the 12 -inch units, and the main differences amplifiers this is one of the very sweetest- sounding I have were observed at the low -frequency end. They have in corn - heard. The bass is full and solid, and the over -all sound mon an over -all cleanliness that is unusual in speakers of their is pleasantly unforced and uncolored at all levels up to its price and size, and their high- frequency range is really re- overload point. In this respect also it behaves very well, markable. All of them extend to well beyond my 17,000 - having excellent overload recovery characteristics and a high cycle hearing limit. degree of bass and treble stability on a wide variety of loads. The 9710M is less bright than the 12- inchers, and seems These are probably some of the reasons why, despite its to be a little smoother at the top, even though it exhibits a rating of 1% IM distortion at 15 watts, the PCP -20 sounds rising response all the way out to about 10,000 cycles. The like a much higher -powered amplifier than it actually is. free -air cone resonance on this speaker was so slight that it Three input receptacles on the Tri -Amp amplifier accept was difficult to determine, but it seemed to occur at around four input facilities. Two switched high -level inputs are for a 54 cycles. tuner and TV sound (or tape recorder); the third input is The 9750M is about mid -way between the 9710M and the 12 -inch units insofar as brightness is concerned, and seems to be somewhat smoother in its middle -to- treble range than the higher -priced units. Its cone resonance is higher than the other units, occurring at about 80 cycles, and while this gives its low end a slightly fuller sound, the speaker obviously does not extend as far down as do the others. The 9770M, though, was a real surprise. For a S I O loudspeaker, this is really much better than anyone has a right to expect. Despite its 90 -cycle cone resonance and rather unimpressive-looking published response curve, it produces surprisingly full -bodied and wide -range sound. It has a small response peak in the middle- high- frequency vicinity which tends to accentuate the flaws in unclean recordings, but in direct comparison with the higher- priced speakers, this unit fares very well. It is, like the other Norelco speakers, quite The 20 -watt Tri -Amp in its cabinet. bright- sounding, but this is nicely offset by a fairly heavy low end. Used in its recommended FRS III enclosure, this for a magnetic pickup or a high- impedance is an ideal small speaker that represents a very good dollar cartridge microphone. buy. As a matter of fact, the Norelco 9770M when used The selector- with a 4,000 -cycle crossover network would probably make equalizer switch provides four equalization positions for the magnetic - a fine tweeter for use with a budget-priced two- speaker phono input, while the fifth high system. gain position removes the bass boost and treble rolloff so None of these speakers use standard American mounting a microphone can be fed into the high -gain input. The phono is centers; the 9710M and the 9750M mount by means of input receptacle terminated in 47,000 ohms resis- three holes drilled at 120 -degree intervals around the perim- tance, which is optimum for most cartridges, although the load resistor is readily eter of the speaker frame, while the others attach by means accessible should another value be called for. of small clamps around the speaker's edge. There is, of Two panel course, no mounting problem if the speakers are used in their front volume controls are provided, one of which FRS enclosures, and since these are precisely matched to the functions as a regular level -set control and the other as a loudness speakers' characteristics, and are very ruggedly constructed contour control. With the contour control set in its full and handsomely finished, they are the logical enclosures to "up" position, the VOLUME control alone can be use. - J.G.H. used for uncompensated level adjustment; if loudness compensation is desired, the VOLUME control and LOUDNESS COMPENSATOR are used together, with the setting of the LOUDNESS control determining the degree of compensation and the VOLUME control determining the over -all listening Pedersen PCP -20 Tri -Amp level. The VOLUME control then operates exactly as would Amplifier a rear -chassis input level -set control. SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): a single- chassis con- A glance at the chassis construction of the Tri -Amp sug- trol amplifier. Rated power: 20 watts. Frequency response: ± 0.5 gests that real thought was devoted to ease of servicing. db, 15 to 30,000 cycles. IM distortion: below 1.0% @ 15 watts The entire rear of the chassis is detachable, out; below 0.25% 10 watts out. Inputs: Tuner, TV, Mag. Phono. exposing the @ of with Controls: selector -equalizer (Radio, TV, Phono . AES, COL, RIAA, underside the tube sockets along all the internal NAB, Microphone); volume and AC power; bass (± 15 db, 50 components. Since the two output tubes on the unit are cycles); loudness compensation; treble (± 15 db, 10,000 cycles). mounted very close together, one above the other, care should Outputs: 4, 8, 16 ohms and Tape. Inverse feedback: 12 db. Excel- be taken when installing the Tri -Amp to lent transient response. Two switched AC convenience outlets. Tubes: insure adequate 2 - 12AX7, 12AU7, 2 - 5881, 5Y3 -GT. Dimensions: 4 in. high by ventilation; otherwise excessive heat may shorten the life 141/2 wide by 7 deep. Price: $112.50. Cabinet: $10.00 extra. MAN- of the upper tube and the electrolytic capacitor mounted UFACTURER: Pedersen Electronics, 3667 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, next to it. Calif. The Tri -Amp would be a good buy at a higher price. At In operation, the Pedersen Tri -Amp behaves much like S 1 12.50, it is an ideal starting point for a moderately-priced several of the better compact amplifiers on the market, as system designed to sound like an expensive one.- J.G.H. far as freedom from noise and smoothness of tone control

I20 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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tarlI Base HIGH FIDELITY TURNTABLE Tjrntable Tra.çrIptIon A n Complete ;94.50 Ire . Fed. Ta> Stars in her eyes ... romance in her heart ... music in the air ... and not even a whisper from the Starlight Turntable to dis- snuff out delicate turb her reverie! Mechanical noises that * Illuminated Stroboscope - reads while the record is playing. a past when you own the pianissimo passages are thing of the * Continuously variable speed control with exact settings for 162i. fabulous Starlight with exclusive center -drive system! No slap- 331/3, 45 & 78.26 RPM. ping belts -no noisy pulleys -no growling idlers ... nothing to * Rumble and noise more than 40db below NARTB standard reference mar the sheer enjoyment of the music you love to hear. level of 7 cm /sec. at 500 cps. * Wow and flutter less than 0.2% RMS. * Exclusive double wrist action transcription arm with instant adjust- See Starlight today...you'll learn why it is the first ment from 4 to 14 grams. choice of discriminating music lovers ! in Blond or Decorator * Massive base of 1 inch laminated hardwood Black finish. Sold by Leading Hi Fidelity Dealers ... EVERYWHERE! Turntable $59.50 Arm $22.50 Base $17.50

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L I F L . Y W O O D 38 C A . H O N O R T H S Y C A M O R E A V E

JANUARY i957 1 'I

www.americanradiohistory.com ] LAU]. AY ;',111.[ um do-in y00 sot OUR DIRECT IMPORTATIONS tre ?Roy , PROFESSIONAL TRANSCRIPTION TURNTABLE AND VISCOUS- DAMPED TONE ARM THE FINEST TRANSCRIPTIfN TURNTABLE AND TONE I ARM FOR THE PROFESSIONAL USER AND THE AUDIOPHILE I PK -100A TRANSCRIPTION TURNTABLE I New 3 -speed instrument with built -in stroboscope and viewer for exact speed determination, and magnetic I brake for instantaneous speed variation. Precision engineered 4,4r- - PK -100 TURNTASLF, to meet professional standards for wow, rum- I ble and flutter content. Heavy 12" cant aluminum rim- driven turntable. PK -90 TONE ARM ± Variable speed control permits I AND G.E. CART- adjustment of each speed within 75`c using efficient frictionless magnetic brake. Heavy -duty constant speed 4 -pole induction motor freely suspended and isolated by hock- mountings I RIDGE WITH GEN- transferral. to eliminate vibration UINE DIAMOND R -C filter network suppresses "pop" in speaker. Truly a delight for tEe connoisseur. Sire: I tat'_' x 14" and requires 2.t :1" clearance above and :t'u i" below motorboard. For 110.130V and AND SAPPHIRE cycle AC. 60/50 I STYLI. Power consumption 12 watts. Handsome hammy rtone gray finish. Shpg. wt., 20 lbs. PK-100-A I Net 49.50 I 72.50 This transcription arm manures dependable and stable operation. utilizing the "floating action" principle of I ' "viscous- damping." The arm is supported at a single point by a pivot and jewel bearing having negligible I friction. Damping is accomplished by a silicone fluid occupying the gap between a ball and socket. This damping control permita high compliance and negligible tracking error, and I record or prevents damage to either stylus should the tone arm be accidently dropped. Low frequency resonance, skidding and groove - I jumping are likewise minimized. The tone arm accepts all records up to 16" and accommodates virtually all hi -fl cartridges by means of precisely engineered adaptera which simplify installation and provide proper I stylus pressure. I This tone arm is a quality companion to the PK -100 with PK matching finish. Shpg. wt., 2t/3 Ibs. -90 Net 15.95 I aNIN ======sass MMMIIND aWIMIIIM =1 1a- i J METAL HIGH FREQUENCY TWEETER -CASED CONE TYPE HI -FI TWEETER FREQUENCY RESPONSE 2000 - 16,000 CPS ' HANDLES 20 WATTS OF POWER WITH ACOUSTIC LENS Highest quality cone type high frequency tweeter acing No! a range from 2000 to 16,000 cycles. Especially efficient DIRECT IMPORTATION at higher end of audio spectrum where other cone type MAKES THIS PRICE tweeters tend to lose clarity and volume. Entirely closed POSSIBLE! in a metal case with a base so that it can stand by itself or be mounted on a flat surface with mounting bracket supplied. Rated to handle 20 watts of power. A cross- FREQUENCY RESPONSE FROM 2000 over network is required: the Lafayette LN -2 in ideal. CPS TO BEYOND AUDIBILITY Voice coil impedance 8 -16 ohms. Size: 31/s" .x 21,s" LOUVERED ACOUSTIC LENS FOR it 3" Diam. Shpg. wt.. 3 lbs. UNIFORM SOUND DISPERSION 14K-3 .._...... Net 5.95 HANDLES 25 WATTS OF POWER ROSSO VER CaPACItIvE- INDUCTIVE NETWORK 14.95 PRICED EXCEPTIONALLY LOW ITH CPS ETWORK BURTIN CLEVELOBRILI ANCE New high frequency tweeter featuring a louvered acoustic lens for uniform sound The frequencies above 2000 cycles are chan- dispersion and capable of handling up to 25 watts of distortion -free power. The neled to the high frequency tweeter by means of directional tendency of high frequency notes is overcome by the natural wide the high -Q inductance and capacitance compris- dispersion angle of the short horn and the acoustic lens which disperses and ing this efficient crossover network. The highs radiates the high notes smoothly throughout the entire listening area. The lens is and lows are brought into acoustic balance by detachable for panel mounting. with a separate base for the tweeter furnished means of a continuously v riable level -brilliance for external mounting where desired. Aluminum voire coil has 16 ohms impe- control. Control has a 2 t ft. long cable for re- dance. Size: 41/4" long x 3" diameter, lens extends 2 1/2". Requires a crossover mote mounting. Network matches 8 -16 ohm network, preferably one speakers with insertion loss reduced to a mini- with a level control, such as the L` -2. With full instruc- mum. tions. Shpg. wt., 5 lbs. 8.75 Inclosed in metal case 6" I, x lem" II x D. ttith hull i ray. Shrug. HW-7 Net liar tis,.. wt.. 6 lbs. a LN -2 ======mom mm mammmm s. mamma. ======i Net 3.75

Carefully designed and engineered to FREQUENCY RANGE 30 -15000 CPS I,afayettcs own specifications. Insertion HANDLES WATTS loss Is well below the acceptable min- 20 OF POWER imum. Crossover is at 310 and 5000 COMPLETE WITH LEVEL cycles. Permits full enjoyment of any CONTROL 3 way system. Properly balances woofer - POWERFUL TSK -5 MAGNETS mid range speaker and tweeter Inputs. Complete with 2 continuously valuable SPECIAL SHEEPSKIN -EDGED CONE "presence" and "brilliance" controls for tonal adjustment and full Instructions. A Lafayette exclusive import and ex- 8 "L z 3%a "H z 2Ta "W. Shpg. wt., 7 lbs. ceptional value. Consists of a 12" woof- LN-3 Net 14.95 er, coaxially mounted 21/2" tweeter and a built -in crossover network. The specially processed fibre cone has a sheepskin edge to suppress unwanted nodal vibrations and insure beautiful tone quality. Highly efficient TSK -5 magnets. Level control provides variation to 6 db cut. Maximum input 20 watts. Impe- dance 8 ohms. Rugged all -metal frame. If made in this country, would coat at lent 849.60. Shpg. wt., 11 lbs. 5K-5$ Net 29.50

/if71,e 165 -08 Liberty Ave. DEPT WA R JAMAICA 33, N. Y. SEND SK74 NAME------FREE LA FAYETTE ADDRESS 55,50 CATALOG A complete 3 -way system capable of performance heretofore found only In systems CITY----- at many times this price. The compo------15" Woofer with 31.5 oz nents were specially selected by Lafayette Magnet sound engineers to offer the maximum In audio fidelity at the lowest price ZONE------8" Mid -range speaker possible. Includes continuously variable presence and brilliance controls. Offers Acoustical Lens Tweeter superb reproduction across the entire STATE------3 -Way Crossover Network audio spectrum. Shpg. wt., 25 lbs. SY93 Net 55.50

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I22 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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HIGH FIDELITY RECORD ANNUAL: 1956 HIGH FIDELITY Edited by ROLAND GELATT. The second volume in the planned series of High Fidelity Record Annuals. Included in this new A Practical Guide collection are reviews of classical music and the spoken word FIDELITY Magazine which appeared in HIGH FIDELITY Magazine from July 1955 By CHARLES FOWLER, Publisher of HIGH through June 1956. Comparisons with recordings of previous years are emphasized. A performer index is included. S4.50 Whether your budget is small or large, whether you are 237 a beginner or a devotee from way back, this complete and definitive guide can help you get the most enjoyment MAINTAINING HI -FI EQUIPMENT out of your high -fidelity system. much needed book on the specialized By JOSEPH MARSHALL. A Here is the practical, expert advice needed by everyone necessary to service high -fidelity equipment. The approach a high -fidelity system. Starting author discusses not only electronic faults, but the mechanical who has, or expects to have, and acoustical defects which cause a hi -fi system to function with an introduction to sound, the author then describes less than perfectly. Hard cover, $5.00 232 Soft cover, $2.90 233 the various links in the hi -fi system, explaining their features and specifications so as to provide the most help- THE FORMS OF MUSIC ful criteria for evaluating, and for selecting and matching components. $4.95 234 By SIR DONALD FRANCIS TOVEY. Written by one of the most literate and profound of modern interpreters of music - its theory and history, these essays are all drawn from those articles on TAPE RECORDERS AND TAPE RECORDING music which Tovey prepared for the Encyclopaedia Britannica. the best-selling There are in all twenty-eight articles on different kinds and By HAROLD D. WEILER. Written by the author of the amateur and elements of music aria, chamber music, concerto, harmony, mass, High Fidelity Simplified, this book supplies - factual melody, opera, programme music, sonata, symphony, and others. semiprofessional tape recordist with sound, practical, and microphones Paper, $1.35. 239 information about all aspects of tape recording - and their placement for both indoor and outdoor recording, room acoustics, sound effects, recording from disks and off- the -air, THE REAL JAZZ OLD AND NEW maintenance, etc. Paper, $2.95 225 Cloth, $3.95 243

By STEPHEN LONGSTREET. This big, lavish book by the most readable of American writers" (Time) tells the whole exciting OPERA AS DRAMA to Brubeck in the words of story of jazz from Beiderbecke - new book Mr. Kerman rejects - By JOSEPH KERMAN. In this the men who made it. Thirty on -the -spot drawings by the the common partial views that opera is a musical score author. $5.00 240 hoisted on the stage or a play with musical adjuncts. He affirms that it is an art form with its own integrity, a type MAN OF HIGH FIDELITY: of drama in which the essential imaginative articulation is provided at every step and in the totality by music. Through EDWIN HOWARD ARMSTRONG penetrating musico- dramatic analyses of many central works in canon, Opera as Drama evaluates the successive LAWRENCE LESSINO. The first full account of the life of one the operatic By solutions to the problems of operatic dramaturgy. $4.50 235 of the great American inventors of our time and the single most important creator of modern radio - the man who gave Of this book, Eric Bentley wrote: the world FM radio. $5.00 241 "I can only say I had dreamed of writing such a book myself, and contemplate Mr. Kerman's fine work with a sweet, painful blend of envy and admiration." THE GROWTH OF MUSIC A STUDY IN MUSICAL HISTORY

By H. C. COLLES. This work, first published over 40 years ago, Book Department and now revised and brought up to date by Eric Blom, is generally HIGH FIDELITY Magazine agreed to be among the best of all short histories of music. It Great Barrington, Mass. provides a sound and lucid guide to the history of European I enclose $ for which please send me, postpaid, the music. 3 volumes in I, $7.00 242 books indicated by the circled numbers below. (No. C.O.D.s or charge orders, please.) Foreign orders sent at buyer's BOOK risk. Add 550 per book for postage on foreign orders except HI -FI YEAR Canadian. Edited by MILES HENSLOW of Hi -Fi News Binder 6b $2.95 each The first complete, authoritative handbook about hi -fi in England. 225 238 only the basic concepts of high -fidelity sound reproduction Not 232 239 but complete descriptions of all major British hi -fi components. NAME 233 240 Percy Wilson in The Gramophone says: "1 know of no other ADDRESS 234 241 book like it, or one that is so full of up -to -date and highly in- 235 242 formative technical matter." $2.25 238 237 243

JANUARY 1957 123

www.americanradiohistory.com the HIGHLAND BAGPIPE Fort William and Glenfinnan. In the Magnificent Seaforth Collection' the tune is de- Continued from page 56 scribed as a funeral salute and the volleys of the firing party are indicated "Hiundratatateriri" of the closing sec- errvrap in conjunction with it. tion. Canntaireachd is now obsolete, Finally, the Little Music. Straths- but the fact that it existed not only peys and Reels are the basis of Scottish Model 3A /N ensured the survival of the pibroch national dances, and the traditional, (portable) during the period after the when with built in '45 intricate steps have their equivalent speaker. Highlanders were forbidden sword 3 % -7% ips in the gay, nimble music to which and bagpipe, but also makes it safe to $379.50 they are danced. In city and hamlet, assume that we hear the older pibrochs wherever there are Scotsmen, dancing and some date back to about t,00 - takes place. One finds the same care very much as they were originally - in the execution of the prescribed played. The eighteenth -century habit steps at a ball, where the men wear among singers and instrumentalists of The world's finest formal Highland dress, complete with adding their own fioriture to the music lace jabot and buckled shoes, and the hi-fi tape recorder they performed did not, it appears, ex- ladies sashes of clan tartan across their The ultimate in high- fidelity tape tend to the Highlands, though no recorders home gowns; and in the village hall where for and professional use. doubt it was known in Edinburgh. Dual -speed, dual -track FERROGRAPH Big Tam sports shirtsleeves with his The Middle Music of the pipes is recorders are also available in custom kilt and Wee Jean a jumper and tar- models (tape decks available, a difficult category to determine. It tan skirt. Your foreigner, meanwhile, from $195.) and with 7% might be defined as abridged pibroch, and 15 ips speeds. Independent field is conspicuous in tails or gray flannels. denoting music of similar serious char- performance tests rate Frequency The accompanying music needs to Response at ± 2 db between 50 and acter but without its length or form. be correctly accented and, for this rea- 10,000 cycles with wow and flutter Among laments, those usually heard at less than 0.2% at 7% ips. son, fiddle and accordion bands, with civil and military ceremonies of burial Quality standards have restricted our a rhythm section to emphasize the production and unforseen demand may delay or commemoration are Lochaber No delivery, write TODAY for literature. beat, are commonly found instead of a More and The Flowers of the Forest. solo piper, whose tapping foot is a ERCONA CORPORATION The former dates from the days when (Electronic Division) metronome for himself and not for 551 Fifth Ave., Dept. 45, New York 17, N. Y. Jacobites found themselves obliged to /n Canada: Astral Electric Co. Ltd. take exile knowing that they would 4This book containing standardized settings, for 44 Danforth Road, Toronto the Seaforth Highlanders, of a comprehensive i3 selection of pipe runes is widely used among not again see Lochaber, the area about pipers. If You're a Connoisseur... you'll want a

S N04P 041 SQc $» 000 Compare the Connoisseur with any High Fidelity speakers turntable and you'll marvel at its need not and should not be performance. Non- magnetic, 12" lathe -turned table; precision ground complicated. They must, how- spindle; phosphor bronze turntable ever,lw be designed as complete systems bearing. ±2% variation provided for all 3 speeds; hysteresis motor. including the enclosure rather than be a collection of individual TURNTABLE: Rumble-better than 50 units and cross -over db down; Wow -less than 0.15% of networks, with the increased possibility of error rated speed; Dimensions: 13%xlb% ". BASIC and the lack of necessary equipment for tests PICKUP: Frequency Response - 20- 20,000 cps ±2 db at 33% rpm; Effec- SPECIFICATION in the home when finally assembled. tive Mass mg; Impedance -400 -4 12 and I S models Few people would obtain a motor -car by buying the ohms at 1000 cps. engine, chassis, body Frequency response etc. and assembling it at 30- 20,000 c.p.+ 3dB. home. They would rightly regard this as a job for expert engineers -and so with loudspeakers, where Polar Distribution for "Dynabalanced" tone arm with 60' inc. angle -4dB. naturalness not novelty is the desired result. Mark II super -lightweight pickup at 10,000 c.p.s. w /diamond stylus $49.50. . w /sapphire atyuus $34.50. Intermodulation DUAL ERCONA CORPORATION Products CONCENTRIC ( less than 2% Electronic Division) \TANN0y/ SPEAKERS 561 Fifth Ave.. Dept. New York 17 . . In Canada, write Astral Electric Confining TANNOY AMERICA, LTU. 38 PEARL STREET. NEV, YORK, 4. N.Y., U.S.A. Limited. 44 Danforth Road. Toronto 13 TANNOY (CANADA) LTD. 36 WELLINGTON STREET EAST, TORONTO 1, ONTARIO, CANADA

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www.americanradiohistory.com STRAIGHT TALK the dancers. Jimmy Shand of Dundee Encore! Encore! are from Lectronics on and Tim Wright of Edinburgh You applauded the first volume two who have achieved well -merited of reviews from High Fidelity .. . Power Amplifiers fame with their Scottish country dance Now here's the ALL -NEW 1956 Many music lovers are terribly confused bands. But let Captain Topham, an ANNUAL - the only up- to -the- concerning the power requirements for high qual- English visitor to Scotland in the early minute book of Long -Play re- ity reproduction in the home. One common misap- prehension is expressed: "I would like the quality eighteenth century, have the last word: views of a high powered amplifier, but my speaker is "When the company tired of conver- rated at only twenty -five watts." sation they began to dance reels. They There is, in fact, no direct relation between HIGH FIDELITY speaker ratings and total amplifier output. For will sit totally unmoved at the most instance, I have found that my own speaker, airs of an English country which is rated at six watts continuous power, sprightly only begins to give real dynamic impact on a true dance but the moment one of these Record fifty watt amplifier -one capable of furnishing the tunes is played, which is liquid lauda- short duration, dynamic musical pulses that give num to my spirits, up they start . . . color and power to music. It is, then, not so much Annual: a matter of how many watts one uses continuously, and you would imagine they had been or can on test equipment; as it is a matter of abil- 1956 ity to handle faithfully the dynamic power peaks bit by a tarantula."

that are part of music. Indeed, I have already And the March ever since kilted - Edited by ROLAND GELATT. Now you measured (by certain new techniques) very short warriors strode in broken file across invaluable volume peaks up to fifty watts going into my six watt can have the second speaker! the hills to settle, with broadsword and in the planned series of High Fidelity Annuals. The first volume, Regardless of the technical controversies, the shield, a difference with another clan, Record bigger amplifiers produced more musical quality which went with a crescendo, was made with any loudspeaker. Every listener, even the the bagpipe has been the surest means up of reviews that appeared in High casual one, comments on the improvement, on the of lightening exhausted limbs for ex- Fidelity during 1955. HIGH FIDELI- greater solidity of bass passages, and the TY ANNUAL: 1956 brings you the smoother, sheenier, string sound. Even the experts tra, impossible miles and for summon- reviews from your favorite magazine who publicly argue for moderate powered ampli- ing the final reserves of strength and for the current year. These reviews fiers, on a technical basis, will privately concede courage in war. On the battlefield cover both the performances of the that, with a big amplifier, "It sounds better." of the record- No artists and the quality The Custom Series amplifiers were designed it achieves mystical stature. bugle ings. All types of serious music - for better listening, rather than as technical tour can urge men to deeds of valor as the vocal, chamber, orchestra - are re- de forces. With no gadgets or gimmicks, they recordings of the pipes do. In the blood and spirit of viewed, as well as definitely fulfill their purpose, to give the music spoken word, drama and poetry. lover better listening at a moderate price. The a man they sing the proud song of music lover can now enjoy his system more fully, independence and fortitude. Perhaps INDISPENSABLE AND UNIQUE without bankrupting himself for the sake of use- less gadgets that contribute nothing to the musi- the most effective of all fighting tunes Edited, and IA ith a foreword, by Roland cal result. The Custom Series Brochure describes is The Black Bear, which has in it Gelatt, High Fidelity's New York edi- the reasons in greater detail. The Custom "56" tor, this is the only new and up- to -the- has been proven time and again on all kinds of pauses to be filled with shouts. minute collection of record reviews of music to outperform any other known amplifier. Nor is the effect of the pipes lim- the year. HIGH FIDELITY RECORD The Custom "100" is designed expressly for the ited to terra firma. In 1795, when H. ANNUAL: 0956 contains reviews by perfectionist who will always insist on the final such well -known and authoritative con- refinements. Its unique dual chassis construction, M. S. Colossus, with a Highland regi- tributors as C. G. Burke, Alfred Frank- oversized power and output transformers, comment aboard, was in action with a enstein, Paul Affelder, John M. Conly, plete laboratory quality of design and construc- Nathan Broder and Max de Schauensee. tion show that it is intended to provide final French ship, a piper played for three Comparisons with recordings of pre- quality under home conditions for years to come. hours, precariously perched in the rig- vious years are emphasized, and there Indeed, each of these amplifiers is covered by a is a handy preformer index at the back guarantee, parallel ging. two year unconditional without of the book. in the industry! Napoleon, that archperpetrator of Distribution is naturally restricted to the kind SURE OF HAVING BOTH ANNUALS of dealer who is equipped to give you fully per- military maxims, remarked that in war MAKE sonalized attention, and completely experienced morale was to manpower as three is When you have the HIGH FIDELITY technical assistance -the kind of service for which to one. Many a Scot has felt the same ANNUALS for 1955 and 1956, you LECTRONICS has become famous. You can be sure won't have to go to the trouble of look- that your franchised CUSTOM SERIES dealer is way. For example there was Fhairshon ing up back issues of the magazine or the kind with whom you will want to do business who fret about mislaid copies. You'll have in general! Sincerely swore a feud all the brilliant criticisms (your tested ... guide to buying Long -Play records) Irving M. Fried M'Tavish, A brief resume of specifications. More complete speci- Against the clan right at your finger tips. We are so fications are available in the CUSTOM SERIES Brochure. Marched into their land sure of the value of these ANNUALS to The Custom "56" $119.95 you that we offer either or both of them Power: 50 watts continuous at .5% I.M. or lower To murder and to ravish; rapidly decreasing lower powers to you on a MONEY -BACK GUARAN- at For he did resolve mail the Response: Plus or minus t db. from 6cps to 60KC, with TEE. You take no risk - just gradual roll -off beyond, for stability on large electro- coupon TODAY! static systems To extirpate the vipers Stability: Virtually absolute four twenty men At your bookstore, or mail the coupon for Tubes: 6BA8, 6550(2), 5U4GB With and Hum and Noise: less than 2mv. absolute, referred to And five and thirty pipers. TEN DAYS FREE EXAMINATION open circuit The Custom "100" $199.50 Power: 100 watts continuous at .5% I.M. or lower J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, E. Washington 50 watts at .2% I.M. or lower The poem, by W. E. Aytoun, is called Sq., Philadelphia 5, Pa. HF -J Response: Same as above, with marginally Improved Macpherson, who stability on the larger electrostatic systems The Massacre of the Please send me: RECORD ANNUAL 1956 Tubes: 6BA8, 6550 (4), 5U4GB(2) was quietly done in after his men HIGH FIDELITY Hum and Noise: same as above at $4.50 O Construction and weight: dual chassis, with separate had deserted to round up the local HIGH FIDELITY RECORD ANNUAL 1955 power supply. All transformers fully encased. 8 7 at $4.95 D 16 leads fused against continuous speaker ohm livestock; one supposes that M'Tavish ten days I will mail you the price of the overload. Bias and laboratory quadri- balance controls Within , a few cents postage, or will sealed against tampering. had right on his side, or more pipers. book( s) plus return the book( s) postpaid dealer, At your franchised CUSTOM SERIES Nevertheless, Macpherson's signal fail - / or order direct. Name ure must be regarded as a phenome- Address non, for the value of the pipes in sus - EClRON/G'S City Zone State CITY LINE CENTER, PHILA. 31, PA. SAVE: If cash accompanies order. we pay Continued on next page 6 postage!

JANUARY 1957 125

www.americanradiohistory.com cad6,,wr HIGHLAND BAGPIPE Continued from preceding page eOlateig- raining fighting men is widely recognized. This accounts for the special position held in Scottish ( including Low- land ) regiments by the Pipes and Drums. They are in a sense guardians of the regimental tradition, since their music, recalling incidents in peace as How to understand well as war, is a more tangible, per- and listen to the sonal link with the past than the world's greatest battle honors on the colors. In fact, it conductor harks back further to the clan system on which the original formation of Highland regiments was based. r To belong to the Band is a jeal- ously guarded privilege, and no day OSCANINI in a Highland unit without the passes AND THE ART OF sound of the pipes. Even if there is ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE NORELCO no parade they can be heard interpreting for Scotsmen the standard SERIES camp -duty calls which punctuate the By ROBERT CHARLES MARSH day, from reveille to lights -out. Then FULL RESONANCE bring all the pipes together and give Alone in Toscanini literature, this them drummers too, and the most volume is certain to be a useful and TWIN -CONE routine parade becomes a stirring refreshing addition to the library of event, even in days of peace when the anyone interested in the musical genius of Toscanini. It presents an SPEAKERS emotions are less vulnerable. On the aesthetic and technical critical study order to march, the drums` beat up of every Toscanini recording, per- for eight paces while the pipers blow ceptively analyzes Toscanini's mu- the bag full. As the elbow applies sicianship and technique, and com- pressure, there is a brief wail up to pares his interpretations with those the correct pitch, and suddenly the of other conductors. tune is launched. It is an illustration of the temperamental nature of the Selected Press Comments: instrument that sometimes in winter, . a work of prime importance" when the drums have started, not a - Ernest Newman in The Sunday sound emerges from the pipes - the Timer ( London) reeds have frozen in the interval be- . . a complete and well -docu- tween tuning in the band room and mented survey of Toscanini's re- Norelco's twin -cone speakers are de- corded music with a perceptive criti- signed to meet the problem of high getting on parade. cal appraisal of each record." - and low frequency dispersion in a On formal evenings in the Officers' The New Yorker single speaker. The large (heavy) cone is designed to produce good Mess, music belongs as much to the one of the sanest and most bass while the small (light) cone radi- occasion as the loyal toast. During rewarding portraits of one of the ates higher frequencies. century's greatest artistic geniuses." dinner, three or four pipers play -The Baltimore Sun Eliminating operating inefficiency ex- marches, shuffling round the table perienced in multiple speaker cross . . the sum total here introduces over systems, Norelco's twin -cone is with their characteristic loping gait. some perspective, for once, into the driven by a single voice coil-produc- They halt to introduce a strathspey Toscanini picture . . Library Journal - ing a flat response with exceptional and reel to their selection. From each reproduction of transients. Based on economy and value any one of the set of pipes hangs a banner bearing Norelco FRS twin -cone speakers is the arms of the senior regimental $4.50 your best choice. If your neighbor- Later the Pipe Major hood dealer does not stock Norelco officers present. write direct to North American returns alone to give his pibroch in Philips Company, Inc. giving your the silence always accorded to the HIGH FIDELITY Magazine dealer's Great Barrington, Mass. name and address. Great Music. His performance ends I enclose S . Please send abruptly; it is invariably so for the ADD TO me, postpaid, Toscanini and the ... and improve any elbow comes sharply away from the Art of Orchestral Performance. postage sound system withNore of any tune. The Add 55c for on orders outride /co" bag at the end the U.S. 6 Canada. *FULL RESONANCE SPEAKERS ritual is completed only when the L NAME Mess President has offered a quaich Write today to Dept. K -1 for bro- ADDRESS chures and prices of these unique of whisky to the Pipe Major who speakers. North American Philips Co., Int. &Drum settings vary and an expert can distinguish I No C.O.D., or charge orders, please.) 100 E. 42nd Street between bands by the drumming figure used in a New York 17, N.Y. particular tune. L.MM OEM MEW _

1 26 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com drinks, salutes, and departs to take IT'S THE BEST... up again the military responsibilities AN ULTRA- LINEAR of his rank. One of these is the training of young pipers. Unfortunately the Pipe Major does not have the opportunity to keep his pupils under tuition for seven years as the Macrimmons did at their "college of pipers" in Skye. His preoccupation is often to push the The circuit that is used in more and more learners as quickly as possible, to fit amplifiers to insure high power and excellent them in the Band, and to qualify them stability with minimum distortion. Ultra- Linear is the ultimate in high fidelity reproduction, for sharing in the daily piping duties but.. in a unit. But it is he who instills in the young players the principles ARE YOU SURE of breathing, of fingering, of tuning the drones, and of caring for the bag. IT'S ULTRA -LINEAR? The last may seem relatively unimportant but if the pipes are not regularly played, the bag must be treated with diluted treacle or sweet thick tea to prevent the sheepskin from splitting through dryness. The Pipe MARK 100 EQUIPMENT CONSOLE Major is often found surrounded by learners, each at a different point in Many manufacturers are claiming Ultra- An outstanding achievement in deign. the Mork 100 and Linear operation of their amplifiers, even houses a complete audio system except speakers his training. One will be picking out on a screen tapped output transformer store. over 100 records Designed to capitalize on the chanter his first tune, probably showing attractise self contained control units now available. in the schematic as proof . .. but this does The Mork 100 is furnished in the same distinctive The Nut Brown Maiden or the most not guarantee Ultra -lineor performance. 27" h. 16" d. finishes an the Mork 8 and 12 speakers of Jacobite tunes, The Skye 36" w. $97.50 celebrated Boat Song. Even at this elementary stage the teacher insists on the correct HERE'S HOW grace notes and allows none of the YOU CAN TELL substitutes or omissions which make for tinkie piping. Another will be playing the goose- a bag and chanter without drones, on which the control of air pressure is first practiced. At the same time the more advanced pupil will be red in the face from his first encounter with the complete Look for the black and gold "K" symbol instrument. showing that the amplifier is a "Licensed Besides those with service connec- Ultra -Linear." This circuit . covered by to pro- hundreds of civilian patent . . . is specifically designed tions there are vide minimum distortion at both high and MARK 12 bands. The post -1918 generations low levels, high efficiency and good damp- can be ob- Two way 12" bus driver matched to two 5" cone have been encouraged to play by ing. The optimum conditions tweeters Cnity coupled to horn at base of unit fathers who in the war discovered for tained only when the output transformer is Rigid construction F'...entialh Rat 50 to audible topped within a specific range for the output limits 23" h. 14" d. 27" w In Sandalwood. Teak. themselves the power and attendant tubes .... pentodes or triodes ... used in Mahogany. Walnut 16 Ohms. 30 Watts $97.50 symbolism of pipe music. Conse- the circuit. If the transformer is tapped out- Scot- side of the specified range, it is not Ultra - quently it has spread throughout Linear, nor can it be claimed as such. The land. It is paradoxical that the band "K" symbol then is your guarantee of true which today wins more prizes in com- Ultra -Linear performance. petition than any other, the Glasgow Police Pipe Band, comes from a city Get the full story on which is actually in the Lowlands. By ULTRA- LINEAR the whole world now, of course, from knows the pipes, and no doubt they 0 KEROES ENTERPRISES frequently enliven the campus at the owner of U.S. Pot. No. 2,710,312 MARK II State University of Iowa, whose Scot- ACRO PRODUCTS CO. Two nay Matched 8" bau driver and 3" cone tweeter Sole Licensing Agent Slotted grid phase inverter Essentially flat 60 to tish daughters made a great hit over 10" h. 12" d. 24" I In Sandalwood. Teak. 12.000 not long ago. Acro Products, 369 Shun Lam, Phila. 28, Po. Mahogany. Sable 16 Ohms. 20 Watts 149.50 here At this point one should mention 1 am enclosing 25c for your new booklet "Theory and Operation of the Ultra-Linear the Dagenham Girls; unusual in being Circuit." AMERICAN LOUDSPEAKER first girls' pipe band, in being pro- Nome DIVISION OR CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN RHIN INC the Address 725 SOUTH LA SAITE ST City State CHICAGO 5 ILLINOIS Continued on next page

JANUARY 1957 I 27

www.americanradiohistory.com HIGHLAND BAGPIPE Continued from preceding page

fessional, and in drawing its members from an English town. It is both a band and an entertainment troupe. Immediately after they had given a first -class demonstration of concerted playing during a village fete in Hamp- shire, with others from the crowd I joined them in dancing Latin- Ameri- canized reels to some highly unorthodox piping. On one of their trips across the Atlantic, the Washington Post made headline reference to "the Mad Band." Maybe "adaptable" is a more accurate description. Following the improvement in communications over the last fifty KEEP RECORDED years, there has been a marked trend towards collective playing in bands. MUSIC IN FOCUS .1, Some anxiety is felt in case this should lower the level of individual accomplishment, and great pains taken WITH D are to keep alive solo piping competitions. DFF brings your recorded music out of the shadows - into clear focus. Just Unlike the band contests, these are as a fine camera lens sharpens a picture. DFF is Duotone Fidelity Focus and often part of the games which abound exclusive. It ends the fuzzy distortions caused by many ordinary needles. Pro- tects your records, too. Test your present needle. Is it robbing you of the best in August and September - Braemar of your recorded music? Get a free DFF Home Needle -Tester Card today at is the best known. The games in- your dealer's or write: clude other traditional Highland pas- DUOTONE COMPANY, INC., KEYPORT, N. J. times such as dancing, caber- tossing, and wrestling, as well as ordinary track events, and are nowadays primarily a spectacle for the entertainment of TRUE HIGH FIDELITY BEGINS natives and visitors alike. The scene with a is vibrant with movement and sound, yet the crowning glory is not the parade of massed pipes and drums which the world applauds, but the WEATHERS much more significant solo piping, taking place half- noticed. FM PICKUP the ONLY Various categories exist in individual competition - march alone; SYSTEM PICKUP march, strathspey, and reel; and, of DESIGNED course, pibroch. Competitors submit a list of tunes and are called upon to for a play one of them. This year at the stylus force Skye Games, pipers in the pibroch of ONE GRAM! class had to offer any four Macrimmon compositions, a choice as appropriate ONLY with a Weathers Pickup can you enjoy full - Follows to the setting as the decision to do range true fidelity sound reproduction. The moving every recorded mass and motional impedance of the stylus force are detail faithfully with- without massed bands. Instead, at the to low, it reproduces full- recorded range without out damaging delicate end, the competing pipers marched tearing the delicately engraved record grooves. record engravings. around the gathering ground together. You can increase your record effectiveness by thou- Widest frequency Perhaps their music carried across the range response. sands of plays by using a Weathers FM pickup island to the western shore where a system -the most significant Hi -Fi achievement for Lower distortion than simple stone cairn commemorates the the record collector and discriminating music lover. anything previously Macrimmons and, in their name, the known. bagpipe. Hearing is A sapphire stylus lasts believing. Ask a 1000 plays longer your dealer to demonstrate a -a diamond stylus Weathers Pickup. forever!

Barrington, New Jersey

2`{ HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com HALLOWED HALLS Continued from page 54 in others in Europe, the orchestra seats have no center aisle. As a matter of fact, they have no aisle at all. If you come in late, you have to tramp over many pairs of shoes. Every concert hall in Europe has its own flavor, no matter how similar they may be inside. There is the Concert Hall in the "promenadepavillonen" of the Tivoli in Copenhagen - brand - new, ultramodern, with glass sides so that while listening to Brahms you can look out and see the merrymakers and flirting. There eating ice cream preamplifier with cabinet $168* is good old Covent Garden, just a shade decrepit these days, with its strange green dome, its gloomy correctness, and its solid, spacious quality. There is the Théâtre des Champs - Elysées, with its frightful ceiling murals and unusual seats ( something like plush wicker chairs). In Paris *slightly higher west of the Mississippi also is the Théâtre de Chaillot, the only hall in existence where you have to walk down to get to the balcony. write for literature maraniz This writer could go on and on, but company suggests that the reader go on and 44-15 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City 1. N. Y. on - on to London, Paris, and Vienna, on to Berlin, Munich, and Wiesbaden, on to Rome, Milan, Stockholm, and Copenhagen. And from beyond beckon Moscow, Leningrad, Peiping. As they say, you only live once. But get your tickets in advance, if possible.

OBTRUSIVE MELODY 0 Continued from page 63 (7) William Schuman - Symphony for Strings, second movement. (8) Haydn - String Quartet Op. 2, Are you Boom Conscious? .. No. 4, third movement. Most people know by this time that many, are impressed by expensive advertising and high - (9) Albert Roussel Concerto for if not most, loudspeaker enclosures ... regardless pressure sales promotion. - . of size or price . boom. Boom is that dull. And so it goes, even though, actually, no one Small Orchestra, second move- heavy, toneless thud often heard at low fre- ever heard boom from a live orchestra. And since ment. quencies. Boom is also called "one -note bass" or a live orchestra is not a boom -box, why should "juke box bass." It is an inherent characteristic anyone want a boom -box in his home? Fortunate- ( ro) André Jolivet - Andante for of so-called "resonant' enclosures. Boom is noth- ly, no one has to buy a boom -box. String Orchestra. ing but distortion, and any speaker system that To those who want live -music facsimile instead booms is not high fidelity. of boom, competent sound engineers unequivo- ( John Blow Venus and Adon- recommend THE BRADFORD PERFECT II) - Notwithstanding this, and believe it or not, cally is. there are still people who will spend hundreds, BAFFLE. IT DOES NOT BOOM . . . EVER. and even thousands, of dollars for prime ampli- The result is clean. true bass. This is accom- ( 12 ) Boccherini String Quartet Op. - fiers, tuners, etc., and then go out and buy a plished by a new, patented device based upon a 58, No. 2, second movement. boom -box. Why? scientific principle. It is not a bass -retlex or folded horn. A noted psychiatrist undertook to find the an- (13) Vivaldi Violin Concerto No. it satisfies of the - He found that ( 1) some people mistake Moreover. every other criteria swer. discriminating audiophile: Compactness; 12" x II, Op. 8, second movement. mere loudness ( so-called "augmented" bass) for Albinoni Oboe Concerto Op. true bass; (2) others are unable to tell the dif- 12" x 9" for Ss and 10s; 17" x 17" x 14" for (14) - ference between true bass and boom; ( 3) some 12s and 15s. Finest COAftrt,ctio,t and Finish; 9, second movement. think boom is bass; (4) others think boom is 3/aet, genuine mahogany, korina blond, walnut bass because it comes from large and /or expensive ( ) Nielsen Masquerade, and ebony veneers; and unfinished birch. Econo- 15 Carl - enclosures; (5) others have a fixation for ex- Prelude to Act II. piring myths, such as, the bigger the box the my; from $34.50 to $69.50. better the sound "; (6) some innately resist If you are boom conscious, want lire -music fac- (16) Jacques Stehman - Symphonie progress and never seem able to adjust themselves simile instead of those dull, heavy, toneless thuds, de Poche, third movement. to better things as they come along; (7) others hie to your dealer or write for literature. BRADFORD & COMPANY 21 East 38th Street New York 16, New York Continued on next page

JANUARY 1957 I 29

www.americanradiohistory.com OBTRUSIVE MELODY

Continued from preceding page

COMINGto your city (17 ) Spohr - Violin Concerto No. 7, HIGH FIDELITY MUSIC SHOWS second movement. (18 ) Schoenberg - Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16 No. 3. See and hear the latest in HIGH FIDELITY from (19 ) Gabrieli Canzone No. 2 for leading high fidelity manufacturers .. . - Double String Orchestra. ( 20) Delius North Country Sketch- Don't miss these public showings of Hi -Fi Equip- - es No. 1. ment ... from the most economical units for the budget- minded to spectacular home music theatres ( 2I ) Giuseppe Torelli - Concerto in A . compare and enjoy them all. Components and Grosso minor, Op. 8, sec- complete systems will be displayed. ond movement. ( 22 ) Widor - Organ Symphony No. Io, third movement. THREE FULL DAYS OF CONTINUOUS DEMONSTRATIONS (23) William Byrd - Pavan: The 1 P.M. to 10 P.M. Earl of Salisbury. (24) Beethoven - String Quartet No. Minneapolis -St. Paul January 11, 12, 13 Dyckmann Hotel 15, Op. 132, third movement. Detroit February 1, 2, 3 Statler Hotel (25 ) Ibert Flute Cleveland February 22, 23, 24 Hollenden Hotel - Concerto, second Pittsburgh March 8, 9, 10 Penn -Sheraton Hotel movement. Cincinnati September 20, 21, 22 Sheraton- Gibson Hotel (26) Mennin - Symphony No. 3, Miami October 18, 19, 20 McAllister Hotel second movement. DaIlas November 15, 16, 17 Adolphus Hotel (27) Alfven - The Mountain King, St. Louis November 22, 23, 24 Statler Hotel Excerpts. (28) Templeton - Quartet "Pastor- ale," third movement. Rigo Enterprises, Inc. 500 North Dearborn Street, Chicago 10, Illinois (29 ) J. S. Bach - Organ Fantasia in C major, Adagio. (3o) Torelli- Violin Concerto Op. 8, No. 12, second movement. The pieces on these reels average between four and eight minutes. Each reel, with a track of about one hour and forty-five minutes on each side, plays approximately three and a half hours of music. It sounds a little for- bidding - but these are all isolated, complete -in- themselves selections and the reel can be stopped ( and re- Twenty-four leading phono pickups have now been tested by The Audio sumed) at any time without disturb- remain in first place. League. The ESL Professional and Concert Series ing its effect. Mr. B. even has an These Audio League tests show that ESL electrodynamic cartridges electric time clock and an automatic switch attached to his player, and are tops in smoothness, clarity, and naturalness of reproduction.* when he goes to bed he sets them so In addition, record and stylus life are greatly extended by the ESL, that the player will shut off just when which in this way saves the purchaser many times its own cost. it is time for him to roll over and go to sleep. Join the musicians, engineers, and music lovers who have switched to the Mr. Benjamin has culled about world's most advanced cartridge. Write for details and, even better, sixty-five hours from the pages of corn- hear the difference at your dealer's. posers of three centuries, which may sound like an awful lot of restful music to the ordinary, restless listener. It doesn't sound so to Mr. Benjamin. F O R L I S T E N I N G AT ITS BEST "What are fifty or sixty hours of music ?" he argued, rewinding Reel Electro- Sonic Laboratories, Inc. No. 6 and looking, longingly, at No. 7. "Translated into the field of opera Dept. H 3 4 Thirty-sixth Street Long Island City 6, N.Y. 5-5 that would be equivalent to the three popular Puccinis, three or four of Soloist Series from $14.95 . Concert Series $35.95 Professional Series arm and cartridge $106.50 the Massenets, a few Verdis and, perhaps, The Ring. It will never be *Authorized quotation No. ç 7. Please consult The Audio League Report. Vol. t, No. 6-7 (March-April 95 5) for the complete technical and subjective report. Subscription: r } issues S. front P. 0. Bos :6:. Mt. Vernon, N. Y. enough for a lifetime. It will strangle

I 30 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com itself by repetition. I want to feel restful, not bored." The So what are you going to do about it? "Plenty," says Mr. B. A few years ago he began offering awards for the composition of restful music. He gives prizes - substantial prizes - to the composers who win for Realism, Beauty, Compactness these contests and, even more im- An integrated acoustical system with full range natural reproduction of sound. portant, has seen to it that these compositions are also assured a public per- Engineered to produce extraordinary presence, clean dynamics and transients,: formance. The Benjamin Awards for voice reproduction with startling realism. the Restful Music are offered through Cabinets finished by master craftsmen. North Carolina Symphony, the East- All done by the same technical magic man School of Music, the Juilliard which produced the world's finest School, and the University of Miami, pickup . . . the famous Florida, which maintains a large or- phonograph WEATHERS FM 1 -gram pickup. chestra. All these institutions have musicians formed juries of competent Idea for limited space: Weight 42 lbs., and per- to select the winning scores only 83/s" deep, 32" long, and 26" high. form them in one of their regular concerts. ,4cc Ó e Wet : Natural Mahogany Mr. B. played some of these works $135.00, Blonde $139.30. for me ( from tapes he had made when Write for full information. they were broadcast by NBC) . All of of them were by young American 66 E. Gloucester Pike, composers, some of them newcomers Barrington, New Jersey to the field and unknown to me. I found not only the titles - Christ Looking Over Jerusalem, Serenity, Export: Joseph Plasencia, Inc., 401 Broadway, New York 13, N. Y. Autumn Leaves, For Catherine in April-appealing and suggestive but was impressed with the skill and inventiveness displayed by the composers within the limited framework COLBERT ELECTRONIC 3- CHANNEL permitted by the nature of the award. FREQUENCY DIVIDER This, Mr. Benjamin says with justified pride, is only a beginning. There will As orpt Ors Hl be more awards and a larger crop of TESTED IN THE HOME MODEL 3 -CFD $154.50 November 1956 issue new restful music in the years to come. Decorator style cose in blonde or Over-all output is excellently clean; cut -off rotes And while he still looks with sus- mahogany formica finish... s' 5 are 6 to 9 db per octave; levels change somewhat and with adjustment of crossover controls; hum and noise picion on "tranquil" music Shghtly higher in .-est and deep south are not audible - which is quite an accomplishment for an electronic crossover. Just proves it con be done if eh attention it paid to design and manufacture. All in all, highly commendable. if anyone doubts the value of an electronic frequency divider, this should convince them. - C.F.

fri"\Ì//[}- colbert LABORATORY, INC. V . A. SPECIFICATION SUMMARY in it, Mr. doesn't have his restful heart Eliminates speaker impedance and efficiency B. has taken up a suggestion made by mismatches Eliminates resonant filters (fixed crossover networks ) the late Olin Downes and enthusiasti- For full specifications see your Three channel operation results In lowest over.oll cally seconded by Alexander Hilsberg, dealer or write to Dept. HF17 distortion the conductor of the New Orleans Affords optimum damping of individual loudspeakers Features variable cross -over controls for low, mid Symphony. He offers annually a com- and high ranges mission of $1,000 through the New LABORATORY. INC Provides individual level controls for each sound 160 -09 Hillside Avenue channel for use on two or three way systems Orleans orchestra for a tranquil score. Jamaica 32, New York Designed and Eliminates distortion due to higher frequency Paul Nordoff got it last year harmonics Virgil Thomson is now working on a For use with regular or electrostatic loudspeakers, which will be or combinations tranquil composition Includes high quality 10 watt ultralinear amplifier of great stability Continued on next page

JANUARY 1957 131

www.americanradiohistory.com GET BETTER HIGH OBTRUSIVE MELODY FIDELITY RESULTS Continued from preceding page at less cost! introduced by the orchestra during its Whether you specialize in current season. high fidelity service, custom building or simply want to Being only tranquil, the piece will, build a top -notch outfit for of course, not be included in Mr. Ben- yourself. this big 512 -page book will guide you every step of jamin's restful tapes. But it will prob- the way. Helps you get better results ably be played at dinner together at less cost. Shows what to do with Haydn, Prokofiev, what mistakes to avoid. Ravel, and Gives you a full understanding some other restless ( though tranquil) An Instrument of the many different methods. circuits, designs. equipment. fellows. Having shared a couple of for Music Lovers! components and other subjects that are debated whenever hi -fi meals at Starmount Farm I can say fans together BOHN Phonograph- Radios have High get with conviction that Virgil Thomson CASH IN ON HI -FI been created for those who demand the Fidelity Techniques SERVICE AND CUSTOM need to have neither regrets nor mis- finest performance from both AM -FM by John H. Newitt BUILDING PROFITS! givings. If his music contrives to be radio and today's Hi -Fi records. Power- The book that High Fidelity Techniques is half as tasty, mysterious, and in- ful Professional Components are fea- says goodbye to complete, authentic and easy to tured. Yet these sets guesswork in choos- understand. From beginning to triguing as the stuff they send in from are among the ing, building and end, it is chock full of how-to - most compact High Fidelity Instru- servicing hi -fi do-it tips, service data, charts the kitchen, it will be a very delicious equipment. and diagrams of the most help- ments made: The End Table unit is ful sort. The ideal book either score indeed. only 25" high! A superb Bohn Loud- 512 pages for the hi-fi hobbyist or profes- 203 pictures sional. speaker System in separate cabinet com- pletes the set. Five finishes available. 10-DAY FRE E EXAMINATION! Editors Note: Any one interested in BOHN Phonograph -Radio -$1290 l a complete listing of the Restful Music Dept. HF -17, RINEHART 8 CO., INC. (other models: $1075 to $2000) 232 Madison Ave., New York 16, N. Y. contained in Mr. Benjamins tapes Expertly Crated, Shipment Worldwide Send HIGH FIDELITY TECHNIQUES for 10- (Composer, Title, and indication of day FREE EXAMINATION. If I like the book, Ask Your Dealer or Write: I will then promptly send $7.50 (plus a few the recording cents postage) in full payment. Otherwise, from which it was will return book postpaid and owe you nothing! taken) may obtain one by writng to TRUE HIGH FIDELITY Name Edward B. Benjamin, P.O. Box 6o, I Address Greensboro, N.C. and including $t.00 I City, Zone, State ... for postage and preparation of the OUTSIDE Price $8.00 cash U.S.A. - with MUSIC SYSTEMS COMPANY order only. Money back il book it returned material. ,_in 10 dayr. 550 Fifth Ave., New York

GOLDEN AGE HI-FI LAB Continued from page 6i FOR A SOUND ORIGINATORS OF past. The most beautiful voices I INVESTMENT... DO YOURSELF ever heard -IT- HI FI ! - one of which I never USE A QUALITY CRAFTED heard in person, another only late in his career - were Caruso, Ruffo, DIAMOND STYLUS Toresella, Journet, Selma Kurz, Medea Mei- Figner. My later favorites were Frida Leider and Meta Seinemeyer. I heard Seinemeyer, actually, very little, only $ but I knew Leider well. Her reper- 1 0 toire was fantastic, a fact little known Our skilled diamond craftsmen convert your present outside Germany. She was great in OF HI -FI needle to a genuine, uncon- COMPLETE STOCK operas like Tosca and Trovatore. It ditionally guaranteed dia- EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENT is remarkable that she made her mond needle! Send or bring debut your replaceable needle, AT P as Brünnhilde. Other recorded favor- check or money order for Sto. Specify either 33 or 78 WHOLESALE PRICES! ites are Sammarco, Magini- Colletti, Kruscieniuski, and the early Marconi." rpm. If desired, new shaft supplied, $2.75 additional. ELECTRO- VOICE As a final question I put the one SPEAKER CABINET KIT ARISTOCRAT uppermost in the minds of all his- MODEL KD -6 $39.00 torical collectors: is Audiophile net folded When Volume horn corner enclosure fin- 2 coming out? The answer was given ished size: 29S/g" h. x 19 "w.x 15Y4" d. thoughtfully: "This all depends on finding a publisher willing to print it. Besides it is very hard work, and will HI Fl LAB Mass. take a long time. At present I am 1069 Massathusetts Avenue, Cambridge. DIAMOND Fi Catalogue: I STYLUS CO. Please send me your free Hi Kit too busy, though keep working at DEPT. Hi NAME it continuously; therefore it is im- 31 WEST 47 STREET STREET possible to fix any date. The best N. Y. 36, N. Y. ZONE STATE CITY answer I can give you is that the second volume is on the way."

I 32 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com STEREOPHONY

Continued from page 59 W World's Most Distinguished STEREOPHONIC of instrumentalists separated by a con- High -Fidelity Family siderable distance and clustered around separate microphones.* MATCHLESS! BROADCASTING Sometimes - deplorably - the differential effect between the channels EACH SUNDAY 2:05 P.M. is further augmented by "riding" the gain controls during recording, increasing the intensity of sound in one channel at one time, that on the other channel at another. These and other tricks are fairly regularly used to produce the striking- MIRACORD XA-100 recording 2 -irr -I Pushbutton Record Changer ly "realistic" stereophonic and Manual l'laser with Exclusive that we hear in the living room. What "Magic Rand" Spindle this implies is that the "classic" stereo- 5 pushbuttons proside complete control at the touch of a fingertip. Instantly converts to phonic principle, according to which an automatic Manual Player by inserting short spindle. Famous "Magic Wand" spindle one simply places two microphones intermixes 10' and 12' records, protects in the right positions, makes a your finest recordings. Complete with plugs and leads attached. straight recording, and then repro- $fr7.50 Iesr cartridge duces it over two loudspeakers in MARVELOUS' similar positions, has not proven, as a practical matter, entirely adequate ( and perhaps not even wholly rele- FM 1330 AM 102.5 vant) to the production of three - dimensional home music. Boston's Of course, there is nothing sinful, these various Concert Music Station however deceitful, about tricks in recording if they give us a MIRAPHON XM-110A A Good Music Broadcasters Affiliate better listening experience. But, real- Transcription Quality izing that they are sometimes neces- Manual Player sary to a satisfactory illusion, we look The perfect performer: Embraces true High TRADER'S MARKETPLACE Fidelity construction features usually found back to the cause, discussed in this only in very expensive units. the place to buy, swap, or sell article, and cannot help wondering Complete with plugs and tend, attached Here's cartridge audio equipment. Rates are only 35e whether there may not be a simpler $37.50 less a word (no charge for name and ad- method of achieving stereophonic real- will dress) and your advertisement ism, one that does not involve the reach more than 75,000 music listeners. Remittance must accompany copy and use of two or three complete separate insertion instructions. channels; something that will give us the necessary differential on the all- TAPE RECORDERS, lapes, hi -fi components at WHOLESALE prices! FREE catalogue. CLARSTON, important transient effects, without 215 E. 88 St., New York City 28. bothering about incongruous phase FREE MONTHLY HI -FI BULLETIN. Write for quoto- and intensity differences on the fol- tion on any components. Sound Reproduction, Inc., 34 New St., Newark, N. J. Mitchell 2 -6816. low- through tones, which don't matter. Is it absolutely certain that we must Brings Out The Best Iry LEARN WHILE ASLEEP with your recorder. Amaz- A.1'Y Hi -Fi System ing book gives full instructions. 52.00. Guaran- go to the trouble and expense of - wide range magnetic cartridge - An extremely teed. Research Association, Box 610, Omaha. using two or three completely separate that recreates all the brilliance and realism of the original sound. Turnover unit consists WRITE FOR SPECIFICATIONS, prices, and sample channels of recorded sound, if the of two separate and non -reacting movements. deal on truly high fidelity DUBBING, RECORDING, Mirati. in cartridges remain unaffected by and PRESSING. Helffrich Recording Service, recording people still feel obliged to temperature and moisture conditions. Fits all R #1 Wescoesville, Pa. the effects to make them Standard Tone Anns. Instant Fingertip Stylus exaggerate Replacement. Stylus replacements available from stock. 6 ELEMENT BROAD BAND FM antennas. All convincing, and if the effects that seamless aluminum, $10.95 ppd. Wholesale Sup- really matter, in the first place, are AST-ID- Single Diamond Stylus ...... , 334.50 ply Co., Lunenburg, Mass. MST -1S- Single Sapphire Stylus $12.50 dependent only on a fractional quan- MST -2D-Tumover Sapphire Stylus HIGH FIDELITY SPEAKERS REPAIRED. Amprite I don't and Diamond Stylus 345.00 7. BA7- tity of the recorded material? Speaker Service, 70 Vesey St., N. Y. C. MST -2A- Tumover Sapphire Styli 322.50 2580. know the answer, but the question, it me, is food for thought. FAR AHEAD >THE FINEST BY FAR TEST YOUR RECORDER' PERFORMANCE. Excerpt seems to Dubbings D -110 Test Tape 5.98' Blank recording Write for Complete Brochure tape 3" reel: 3 reels 51.00.' Free catalog! 'Add NI 1280 -B Mr. Crowhurst concedes that this is nor common postage. AMERTEST PRODUCTS CORP., among major tape- and -disk pro- Sheridan Ave., Dept. HF 4, New York 56, N. Y. practice, especially L AUDIOGERSH CORP. ducers, but points out that it is sometimes done, and successfully.-Ed. 514 BROADWAY fl NEW YORK 12.N. Y. FOR SALE: Garrard 301 turntable, guaranteed new condition, with all accessories, S65; Brociner WORTH 8 -0800 unit, recently factory over- Mark 30C control in Canada. Atlas Radio Corp., Ltd. Toronto hauled, 6 mo. use, $50; Heath IM -1 intermodulo- McINTOSH 30 Watt Amplifier. Used 50 hours. lion analyzer, built up, 90 -day guarantee, SSO. Excellent. 5100.00. Box RS., Publishing House, Box HG, the Publishing House. Great Barrington, Mass.

JANUARY 1957 133

www.americanradiohistory.com PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

CALIFORNIA MINNESOTA CANADA

EVERYTHING IN HI -FI SOUND EQUIPMENT IN MONTREAL . . . IT'S STYLI INSPECTION MICROSCOPES WORLD'S FEATURING FINEST GSSMS 1 AMPEX TAPE $25.00 GSS MS 2 $12.50 PECK'S IeAGllmc KOaYFY RECORDERS See "Tith" report, and ad, High Fidelity FOR HIGH FIDELITY Magazine for October 1956 All the better high fidelity components at SANTA MONICA SOUND net prices. Also a wide selection of Equip- THE GENERAL SCIENCE SERVICE CO. ment Cabinets and Speaker Enclosures. 12436 Santa Monica Blvd. P.O. Box 8423 St. Louis Pork West Los Station TREVOR PECK CO. LIMITED Angeles 25 GRanite 8 -2834 Minneapolis, 16, Minnesota 1498 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Que. NEBRASKA In the finest in. Hi -Fi Omaha ... it's the CANADA'S FIRST "House of Hi -Fi" HIGH -FIDELITY featuring gle.CZ yOkt e Fine High Fidelity Components RADIO, PHONOGRAPH, RECORD AND Custom Installation TELEVISION CENTRE HIGH FIDELITY COMPONENTS Guidance Personalized Recording Service Stromberg -Carlson "Custom 400" Brociner - FreedEisemann - Bogen Wbfi "House of Hi Fisher Radio - Concertone Tape Recorder -Fi" All Makes of High Fidelity Records SOUND I 4628 Dodge Street 4441 C O R P O R A T I O N Ra LIT Omaha, Nebraska euá.Ion Sosd.gdawd vtdio. Ltd. Phone Glendale 4434 390 EGLINTON WEST TORONTO, 120 W. Olympie Blvd. LA. 15, Calif. ONT. RI 1-1211 OR STOP AT WORLD RADIO LABORATORIES Phone Hudson 9-2117 34th 8 BROADWAY COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA NEW YORK GREAT BRITAIN Since 1944 DON'T EXPERIMENT .. . HIFI CONSULT A SPECIALIST IN HOLLYWOOD ELECTRONICS from Britain HI -FI COMPONENTS EXCLUSIVELY TRUE HIGH FIDELITY We stock the finest British Hi -Fi equipment featuring available, and export it to all parts of the world. The cost of this precision SYSTEMS DESIGNED BY MAIL built equipment will amaze you. Send for our Special Export Catalogue. Gf:f/ifryDÌCi TO YOUR NEEDS AND BUDGET. 7460 MELROSE AVENUE BOHN MUSIC SYSTEMS CO. Los Angeles 46, Calif. WE 3 -8208 ELECTRICAL CO. LTD. 550 Fifth Ave., New York 36, N. Y. 352.364 Lower AddiscombeRd., Croydon, Surrey, England OHIO

send for famous Bulletin G IN CINCINNATI Nn '1'111'. its free! TRI -STATE AREA 3IUSICRAFT Can supply the HIGH -FIDELITY * COMPETENT ENGINEERING all leading British HOUSE * COMPONENTS AT NET PRICES Hi -Fi Products Most complete stock of Audio + SERVICE ON ALL HIFI COMPONENTS Agents for the amazing components in the West Spectone Stereophonic Reproducers aahlonchaiiva, 9fric. Trade supplied Phone: RYan 1 -8171 2259 Gilbert Ave., CA 1 -3153- Cincinnati 2, Ohio 536 S. Fair Oaks, Pasadena 1, Calif. 20/22, High Street Southall, Middx., England "A Component or a Complete Spstcm" 13 King Street Richmond, Surrey, England ILLINOIS PENNSYLVANIA CABINET MAKERS in the PHILADELPHIA area Just published YOUR WE SPECIALIZE IN THE DESIGN COMPLETE SUPPLIER is AND CONSTRUCTION OF FINER 1956 FURNITURE FOR HIFIDELITY

SERVICE CO. OF PENNA . INC. HIGH FIDELITY HIGH FIDELITY 8 COMMERCIAL CONTEFAPORARY AMEpCAN IURNITUmS CO. RECORD ANNUAL 77S s. IA SAM ST., CHICAGO SOUND STUDIO WI AAA r-a1M 709 Arch St., Philadelphia 6, Pa. see page 123 for details Phone: LOmbard 3 -7390

DELAWARE VALLEY HDQTRS. ALLIED HI -FI STORES HI- FIDELITY ALLIED RADIO CORP. FOR CHANGE [ Riot i COMPONENTS 100 N. Western Ave., Chicago 80, III. CONSOLES OF S-c EVERGREEN ALLIED HIGH FIDELITY, INC. & hear all models from $169.50 to $1050. ,,r build them yourself with famous Pilot ADDRESS 2025 W. 95th St., Chicago 43, III. .mponents. VOICE AND VISION, INC. Large Record stock Terms Trade -ins If you plan to move 921 N. Rush St., Chicago 11, III. I'nlimited parking. Open Mon. Wed. & soon, please I rt. eves. Free catalog. We ship anywhere notify us six weeks in advance. ALLIED HIGH FIDELITY STORES, l' S A. INC. Give old address as well as new, 602 Davis St., Evanston, III. EST. SHRYOCK RADIOEI. TV CO. clipping stencil imprint from wrap- WEST SUBURBAN ALLIED HIGH FIDELITY, INC. IONWIT- TELLER BLDG Midway 2 -1920 per of last copy received. 7055 W. North Ave., Oak Park, III. Opp. Wanamaker's. WYNNEWOOD. PA. (Phila. Suburb)

134 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com TERMINAL'S History Making Hi - Fi Buy !

the I PLASSIC' SYSTEM with 30 WATT AMPLIFIER and GOODMANS 2 -WAY SPEAKER SYSTEM water pipe) New! Fully Guaranteed! SIR: to a true ground (cold Every Item Brand * when I have a question regarding your makes no change in the hum Complete system consists of: "Dialing Your Disks" chart. the phono input is connected, and phono My amplifier has only three com- aggravates the hum when the REGENCY the pensation settings, for LP, RIAA, and is disconnected. Disconnecting HF350P ` r, to the main Eur., without separate rolloff and turn- shield of the audio input PRE -AMPLIFIER Í at either the preamp or the ultra high quality audio over controls. How can I use my amplifier A handsome, clean -lined preamplifier with complete equalization flexibility. brings no change. The hum with sep- equalizer to obtain other compensa- amplifier Makes the perfect audio control center for volume -on -off, loudness, bass, I control has been carefully set. arate controls fol- tion values? For instance, can get treble, input selector, equalization. Cathode location anywhere. Frequency re- by using one T. Grusec lower permits from the AES characteristic sponse 20-40,000 cps with 1% distortion 16" W, Toronto, Ont. 40 -7,000 cps. Handsome wood cabinet my compensation settings and my Net of 47/4" H, 71" D Regular $154.50 tone controls? Canada Richard A. Patton REGENCY 350A HI -FI Willow ick, Ohio The fact that your hum problem per - AMPLIFIER sists with the pickup disconnected but ' An extremely high can be used in disappears when the preamp tube is fidelity 30-watt Your tone controls separate power conjunction with the equalizer settings removed indicates that the hum is amplifier representing the backbone of this bril- close match to any originating in the preamplifier stage re- to obtain a fairly liant "Classic" system. Full range frequency Also, your obser- from -20. 40,000 cps. brings the complete equalization characteristic. of your control unit. sponse 2% orchestra Into your living room. Less than For the AES curve, set the equalizer vation that it is more severe on the distortion at 30 watts, 60 watt peak output. mike input Controls: Volume-AC Switch. 8-16 ohm outputs. to Eur. and turn the treble control phono setting than on the Handsome gold anodized. Dimensions: o Net " x 8" down to give about 8 or so db of position suggests that the hum is orig- x 7" cut at 10,000 cycles or until the disk inating before the equalization section COLLARO sounds like others of the same brand of the preamplifier stage. RC -456GE which are known to be correctly If the hum is a recent development, 4 -SPEED equalized with the positions you have. it is probable that the preamplifier RECORD Disks requiring straight Soo -cycle tube in the control unit has become CHANGER bass turnover and 16 db rollog can defective and developed a severe Plays every speed record elec- including 162/3 rpm. Operates best be matched by using the RIAA heater -cathode leak, or that the manually, intermixes all size records, has rapid last record. a slight trolytic capacitor in that tube's plate 6- second change cycle, shuts off after position and then introducing Heavy 4 -pole motor, weighted turntable. Wow and amount (about 2 db at 10 kc) of supply has become open - circuited. flutter factory checked for less than 0.25% rms at 33' 3 rpm. Net treble cut. Early London disks can If, however, the hum has existed With GE Dual- Sapphire Styli $41.46 be equalized by setting your control ever since the kit was assembled, the GOODMANS AUDIOM 60 SPEAKER to the LP position and then adding trouble may be almost anithing from 12" WOOFER A beautifully performing woofer for slight (5 db at 1o,000 cycles) treble a ground loop around your input re- rich, full bass response for yo ur home music system Response down boost. ceptacles to a dry -soldered joint. Care- to 20 cycles in recommended en- fairing in the preamp closure. Handles a full 30 watts Of fully inspect the power from the amplifier wi th per- fidelity Net $50.00 SIR: to make sure that all soldered joints fect 8" TWEETER SPEAKER I am bothered by too high a hum level are sound and that no ground con- GOODMANS AXIETTE The perfect complement to the Au- my system, and have thus far nections have been made which were diem 60 Woofer, supplying the com- from to unit's plete upper frequency range MI determined the following things: not specified in the control 15,000 cycles. Produces silky highs instructions. without piercing harshness. 10 watt When I disconnect the phono input wiring power handling capacity...Net $23.20 is no change in to the preamp there GOODMANS X0750 CROSSOVER NETWORK the hum. But when I disconnect the SIR: Efficiently divides the sound from the amplifier at 750 cycles, sending the bass to the woofer audio input from the preamp to the Can you please tell me the cause of and the treble to the tweeter. Full half-section L/C network with 12 db /octave roll -off above main amplifier, the hum completely the loud pop or crack heard through 750 cps. 15 ohms Net 225.00 vanishes. Also, removal of any one my speaker whenever the record The "CLASSIC" Total Regular Net $428.66 tube in the preamp completely elimi- itself off after play- COMPLETE with all changer switches tubes, cables and S 66 nates the hum. ing the last record? simple instructions READY TO PLAY ... ONLY this localizes the source A. Edwards 259 I believe YOU SAVE $169.00 of hum to the control unit, which is Toronto, Ont. TERMS: Prices do not include transportation costs. Send at least $25.00 deposit with order. We will a kit model, and to a particular sec- Canada ship express C.O.D. for balance and transportation thereof. The hum, I find, charges. SAVE C.O.D. CHARGES -Send full remit- tion tance and pay for transportation only on delivery. and mic. exists only on the phono The popping noise created by a record MAIL ORDERS SHIPPED PROMPTLY channels, and predominantly on phono. changer or turntable when it shuts off The arm is grounded to the turn- is caused by the sudden interruption table, and the latter to the preamp. CORO Connecting the preamp or amplifier Continued on next page TREET NEW YORK 7 N. Y.

JANUARY i957 135

www.americanradiohistory.com AUDIO FORUM Continued from preceding page of the AC supply current through the drive motor. It can be prevented by bridging a 0.05 or as mfd capacitor across the switch connections. The charge left in the capacitor when the switch contacts are opened will minimize the audible effect of the current interrup- ,'.`'t tion. 1l'A ANTENNAE SIR: -. 69xde,rna z6G tc1t tam " I have a very fine loudspeaker system L. F. B. Carini. Ph.D. in my living room, which measures 20 Noted F.M. Authority by 20 feet with a 15-foot ceiling. Both for optimum sensitivity and quality of construction, the FM /Q Antennae offer I am persistently bothered by a truly outstanding performance that is unsurpassed by any other. tremendous, bass resonance booming Don't limit your tuner's sensitivity by that seems to occur at about too using an inefficient antenna. Listen to the many other Good Music Stations on the If you're cycles. No matter how I try reinforc- air and enjoy the full capabilities now dormant in your FM tuner. Obtain in- ing the cabinet or changing its loca- creased signal strength and the long EMOTIONALLY distance reception that only an "FM /Q" tion in the room, I cannot seem to System can provide. get rid of the resonance. I am con- For advice and information write our con- MATURE sulting correspondent who will be happy to vinced that the trouble is due to the advise you regarding the solution of your particular problem. Send twenty -five cents You 'll realize at once that Stereo 3 -D shape of the room, since its square for our valuable book, entitled "All About Sound is not music alone it's a dis- shape would be expected to give FM Antennae and Their Installation." - which also includes a complete Directory tinct and exciting emotional experience. standing waves of the same frequency of All FM Broadcast Stations. You thrill now to hi -fi music from in both directions. APPARATUS DEVELOPMENT tape or discs; when you hear stereo What I would like to ask is, what measures can be taken to correct the sound on tape, the tingling icy fingers COMPANY,INC. resonance? Would hanging drapes or will run up and down your WETHERSFIELD 9, CONNECTICUT spine. treating the walls with acoustic tile Here's your opportunity to get ac- help, or am I stuck with an insoluble quainted, under a low price money- problem? Karl Leicester saving offer, with the country's leading Philadelphia, Pa. Introducing recording magazine, starting with a Special Issue devoted exclusively to A member of HIGH FIDELITY'S staff The stereo sound. has been bothered with exactly the same problem in a square listening NIT ' _ -I ;'1` issues for only $100 room, and while we would like to be 4 able to offer some help we cannot Starting with Special suggest anything that would affect the room's behavior at such a low fre- Issue on 3 -D Sound quency, without making it look like In this Special Issue: io Ways to Enjoy a broadcast studio. Stereo; Stereo Sound in the Round; Drapes and acoustic tile will not efficiently absorb anything Stereo Why Bother? also a com- below the 13ti. - - middle range plete directory of stereo tapes now of sounds. The only thing that might do so would be large, available and in addition, a directory of heavy baffles built out TAPETONE stereo equipment including recorders, at an angle from two adjacent walls, or large areas playbacks, amplifiers, etc. No u, of so- called peg board set along one Hear your favorite television pro- USE THIS COUPON - GET PROMPT ACTION or more walls. These may not help grams in high fidelity sound the décor of the room, though, and Using your existing Hl -FI TAPE RECORDING would probably be verboten in a mar- high fidelity equipment Severna Park 15, Maryland. ried household. You might refer to The MUS -ET input is direct from the television antenna. The MUS -ET output is Here's my dollar. Send me four issues of the chapter on Room Acoustics in direct to the ampltf :er of your high fidelity system insuring the most /y Hi -Fi Tape Recording beginning with your Charles Fowler's book, High Fidelity. enjoyable listening pleasure S6 .95

Special Stereo 3 -D Sound number. Also, readers' suggestions about EXCELLENT FOR TAPE RECORDING acoustic treatment of square rooms Name would be welcomed. TAPETONE INC. Address 10 ARDLOCK PLACE, WEBSTER, MASS. City and State +44+014++4444a4ola

136 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com ADVERTISING INDEX /11 FOR HIFI AND TAPE RECORDER FANS! Acoustic Research, Inc. to Acro Products, Co. 127 HOW TO SELECT h USE YOUR TAPE Allied Radio Corp. 9, 134 RECORDER Altec Lansing Corp. 31 by David Mark 1o8 Written for the user of magnetic tape recorders American Electronics, Inc. a ma- -and to serve as a guide in selecting her in- American Loudspeaker 127 chine that most suitably eets his or Ampex Corporation 113 dividual requirements. For all those who have Angel Records Indexed on 72 little or no formal training in the science of electronics. Co., Inc... 136 Illustrates Apparatus Development Its a hook which "shows you how "! Audak Company 138 .ctual "set-ups" for the many different applica Audio Devices, Inc... Inside Front Cover arms of tape recorders ... Read this book before . It will save you ADD HOLT STEREO! sou buy a tape recorder Audio Exchange 27 n any dollars! NO OTHER BOOK IT! Records Indexed on 72 5i /2 in. illus.LIKE improve any Hi h Audio Fidelity No. I79. 150 pages 2x8i Guaranteed to Audiogersh Corp. 133 over 52.9t or money back. Fil -FI LOUDSPEAKERS and ENCLOSURES monaural source, ( ra- Bell Sound Systems, Inc. 24 by Abraham B. Cohen Works from 28, 29 ordinary single track records Bogen, David, Co., Inc. THE "CLASSIC" IN HI -FI LITERATURE! dio, Co. 132, 134 and tape.) Bohn Music Systems Itere is a long -needed book. Every question Book -of- the -Month Club, Inc 7 schich any hi-fi fan may ask about hi6delity See "Tested in the Home" re- T., Co. 38 loudspeakers and enclosures is answered. Bozak, R. is supremely authoritative and bril- port in the Nov. 1956 issue of High 129 This book Bradford and Co. liantly written! The author is a recognized au Fidelity magazine. Bradley Mfg., Inc. Indexed on 72 thority - musician - an engineer. Room acoustics are explained and advice is yours today or send for British Industries Corp 35, 114 Order 6 given ... A MUST book for all hi -fi and audio folder. $62.00 prepaid in U.S British Radio Electronics enthusiasts and technicians. No. 176. 360 pages, 51/2 x 8t/+- in. Leather Cabinart 137 finish MARCO cover. Hundreds of illustra- Capitol Records Indexed on 72 tions Only $4.60 STEREO by HOLT Chambers Radio Corp. Indexed on 72 No.176 -H. Cloth Bound Only $5.50 Classic Electrical Co. 134 RIDER BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE AT ELEC- PARTS DISTRIBUTORS AND IN 4712 W. Magnolia Blvd. Colbert Laboratory, Inc. t3z TRONIC 66 TECHNICAL BOOK STORES. IF UNAVAIL- Burbank, California. Collaro ABLE THERE, ORDER DIRECT. LP Record Club, Inc. 5 Columbia F. RIDER Publisher, Inc. Concord Record Co. .... Indexed on 72 JOHN 1 1 , N. Y. 1 1 6 W. 1 4 St., N. Y. Note: Due to the demand for this unit Inc. 44, 45 Conrac, In Canada: Jales will be restricted to the United States z26 Connoisseur Charles W. Pointon, Ltd. notice. until further Contemporary American Ave., Toronto, Ontario Furniture 127, 134 6 Alcina Customcrafters 134 Custom Sound & Vision, Ltd. 134 If you're Dauntless International Indexed on 72 interested Decca Records, Inc. Indexed on 72 K DeJUR -Amsco Corp. IIO in true prefinished Diamond Stylus Co. 132 Duotone Company, Inc 36, 128 high fidelity III Kits Dyer -Bennet Records Indexed on 72 Electro -Sonic Laboratories, Inc. 130 1 Electro- Voice, Inc. Inside Back Cover, 12, 13, 5o YOU NEED THIS! PFK-120/150 Elektra Records .. .. Indexed on 72 Ercona Corp. 124 ...The authoritative, easy - 72 Speaking designed by PFK-500 Esoteric Records Indexed on to- understand story of how a hi -fi loudspeaker works. about Paul Klipsch Fairchild Recording & Eqpt. Corp. II Tells you how to judge a 126 Loudspeakers Ferrograph good loudspeaker . , PFK-300 Now you need only a screw- Fisher Radio what to look for, listen driver to put together a furni- Corp. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 32 pages, .4 ture- finished Klipsch speaker enclosure, indis- for. fascinating tinguishable from factory -assembled Rebel 3, 4 or Fleetwood Television including dozens of dia- 5. Also available as conventional, unfinished kits. ( Conrac, Inc.) 44, 45 grams and delightful car- toons. Only book like it! A wonderful guide Garrard Sales Corp. 35 for everyone who has a hi -fi system. A must for Write for Complete Catalog! General Electric 37 who plans to purchase one! Service Co. everyone kits . . General Science 134 36 pones . 16 other h-fl N Yours FREE -just send a dime to cover cost . _.. 25 equipment cabinets...4 matched speaker Goodman's Loudspeakers of mailing. systems ... 20 hi -fi accessories. Gray Research and Development Co. 33, 34 University Loudspeakers, Inc., White Plains, N. T. c-at,inas,.t 'a7 Harman -Kardon, Inc. 47 Heath Co. 64, 65 - : Hi Fi Lab 132 High -Fidelity House 134 Hollywood Electronics 134 UNIVERSITY LOUDSPEAKERS, INC. Desk P -11 Holt Radio 137 80 South Kensico Ave., White Plains, N. Y. House of Hi -Fi 134 Gentlemen: Please send me my copy of "Speaking about Loudspeakers." Enclosed JansZen _ 46 is Dime to cover the cost of mailing. Jazztone Society Indexed on 72 Jensen Mfg. Co. I NAME Cabinart Kierulff Sound Corp. 32, 034 99 North 111h Street Kingdom Products 42 ADDRESS Brooklyn 11, N. Y. Klipsch & Associates 48 CITY_ STATE t mono facture, of cabinets and kits for hi li o division of Ga-H Wood Products Co., Inc. Continued on next page

JANUARY 1957

www.americanradiohistory.com Continued from preceding page AUDAX TONE ARM for NOW IN KIT FORM Lafayette Radio 122 Anyone can assemble it in about 10 minutes Lansing, James B., Sound, Inc. 41 - and save 50 %! Exactly duplicates changer Audax "Compass- Pivoted" transcription Lectronics 125 arm long recognized as top 'blue Q Leslie Creations Indexed on 72 chip ". 'Selector-Index" permits Lippincott, J. B., Co. 125, 126 instant adjustment for any stylus convenience pressure. Newly- designed car- Livingston Electronic tridge housing permits all- ' Corp. Indexed on 72 and important stylus -to- groove London International .. Indexed on 72 alignment at a glance. Accommodates ANY make London Records Indexed on 72 cartridge. Lorenz Speakers 42 turntable KT -12 $14.55 NET factory-assembled Marantz Company 129 KT -16 $17.55 NET performance $24.00 NET. factory -assembled McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. 22, 23 $30.00 NET Mercury Record Corp. Indexed on 72 Metzner Engineering Corp. z 21

Music Box . Indexed on 72 the direct -drive Music Listener's Bookshop 223 LISTENING QUALITY MusiCraft 30 IS EVERYTHING! Musicraft ( England ) t 34 THOINS Impartial Lab reports on the Neshaminy Electric Co. 46 new Audax Hi -Q7 magnetic Newcomb Audio Products Co... 32, 49 cartridge: North American Philips Co., Inc. 526 A leading recording studio: Nuclear Products Co. Indexed on 72 "Because readings showed an amazing total lack Peck, Trevor, Co., Ltd. 134 of distortion, check - Pentron Corp. iii tests were repeated 3 Phonotapes, Inc. Io9 times" Pickering & Co., Inc. 2 Consumer sheet: Pilot Radio Corp. 43 "Good frequency Professional Directory 134 and transient re- Pye, Ltd. 6 sponse. Practi- cally no high RCA Custom Division Indexed on 72 frequency distor- RCA Victor Division Indexed on 72 tion. Low inter - R -J Audio Products, Inc. 114 modulation dis- Radio Electric Service 134 tortion." Radio Wire Television 122 the only changer with Listening quality is everything - and Record Market Indexed on 72 complete published Audaz Hi -Q7 has it to a degree not Record Review Index Indexed on 72 equalled by any other pickup. But - Rek -O -Kut Co. 8 wow, flutter, rumble HEAR it yourself ...there is no other Replica Records Indexed on 72 way! Net $47.70, with 5 Chromatic Rider, John F., Publisher, Inc. . 137 performance figures Diamond and a Sapphire . . . Other Rigo Enterprises, Inc. 530 models as low as $20.70 Net. Rinehart & Co., Inc. 532 Robins Industries Corp. Indexed on 72 Rockbar Corp. 25, 66 RUMBLE: for E 53 N motor mounted on CD -43, CBA -83, CB -33 Santa Monica Sound 534 and E -53PA units. (Reference level: Sargent -Rayment Co. 40 2.6 cm /sec., 1000 cps.) Scott, Herman Hosmer, Inc... 517, 119 Sherwood Electronic Laboratories, Total 100 low Inc. 26 rumble cycle frequency Shure Brothers, Inc. 4 level rumble rumble Shryock Company 134 Best units -52 db. -53 db. -55 db. STYLUS- BALANCE Smith, H. Royer Co. Indexed on 72 Sonotone Corp. 68 Average _. -50 db. -51 db. -53 db. "This really works ." (Audio Maga- Stephens TRU -SONIC INC. lower limit zine) Stop deformation of record for all units grooves! Only Audaz Stylus -Balance Back Cover can Stereo by equipped -48 db. -49 db. -52 db. give you the all- important certainty of Holt Ii7 Stereophonic Music Society with E 53 N correct stylus pressuse -ALWAYS. Pre- I09 Stromberg- Carlson 54 motors cision- calibrated like a pharmacist's balance. Works with any arm and Tandberg 112 FLUTTER: Less than 0.1°0. cartridge. Gold Finish. Net $4.80 ( add 250 if shipped from N. Y.) Tannoy, Ltd. 124 Tape Recording Magazine 136 WOW: Less than 0.3 %. Tests LISTENING QUALITY Tapetone, Inc. . . 1 ;r made with the standard 12" turn- Terminal Radio Corp. 535 table weighing 21/2 lbs. CUTTERS Thorens Co. x38 Flat to 14,000 cps. Trader's Marketplace 133 These measurements are minimum Distortion o.6% at quality control standards which Unicorn Records Indexed on 72 loon cps. Fully must be met or exceeded by every modulates groove University Loudspeakers, Inc. 137 with input of about THORENS RECORD CHANGER, 16 db with 220 Vanguard Recording Society, PLAYER AND TURNTABLE! lines. Z's up to 500 Inc.._ _. Indexed on 72 ask your dealer to ohms. Two models: Viking of Minneapolis 5o6 H -5 Net $111.00 Vox Productions, Inc. Indexed on 72 demonstrate THOF N H - 4 Net $75.00 Write for Thorens Catalog. $1.00, 22 -page. 1957 ref- WCRB . 133 FREE erencecopy of guide, ELECTRONIC Walco (Electrovox Co., PHONO FACTS" by pioneer Maximilian - Inc.) Indexed on 72 Music lo.es Weil your dealer, or write us. -at Weathers Industries, Inc. x28, 131 sells HI Fo THORW WDE SWong Powered Shavers AUDAK COMPANY Westminster Recording Lighters 500 Fifth Ave., dept. H, New York 36 Co. Indexed on 72 nt HYDE PARK h[YI YOeI{ Fine audio- electronic apparatus over 30 years World Radio Lab. 134

138 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com There is a difference in high -fidelity speakers Hear the Difference! Enjoy the Difference!

ty0k. In the trP BLS* ENCLOSURE

A hi -fi system is only as good as its loudspeaker system and its enclosure. You're sure of the very finest when you insist upon Electro- Voice. In the EMPIRE, E -V speakers, like magic, open a whole new world of listening pleasure. You hear the full musical range -the vibrant, deep bass; the silky, shimmering treble -all the realism and dynamics of a "live" performance. The thrill of high fidelity with a difference is rap- turously yours with Electro -Voice Speakers! 'Bilinear Lenticular Slot Enclosure. An acoustically correct principle used to extend and augment louer bass range. Enclosure fits in corner or against wall.

Hi -Fi on a Budget? Do it a step at a time with the economical Electro -Voice Speaker Building Block Plan!

Model SP15B 1 Start with the EIectro -Voirc 11u11e1 11'1:/1{ 1:3 -111. Tv," Way I{:ulax Coaxial Rados Coaxial Loudspeaker (response, 30- 13,000 cii) and the EMPIRE Enclosure. 15 -Inch Speaker 2A Add, as your budget permits. Speaker Building Block I (T35B Super -Sonax VHF, X36 Crossover Network, and AT37 Level Control with wiring harness). Now, you have a separate 2 -way system that gives you those smooth, silky. shimmering highs. 2B OR, Add, Speaker Building Block 3 (T10A HF Driver with 8H13 Diffraction Horn, X825 '4 - section Crossover Network, and AT37 Level Control with wiring Model T10A HF harness). This gives you a separate 2 -way system with more mid -range response. Driver with 8HD Diffraction Horn 3 A Complete separate 3 -way system is yours when you have added both Speaker d Building Blocks 1 and 3 to the SPI5B Coaxial Loudspeaker in the EMI'lItE Enclo- sure. Note, you haven't obsoleted any of your original components. The Speaker Building Block Plan is the flexible, easy -on- your -budget way to acquire the finest in high fidelity ... Electro- Voice. EMPIRE Enclosure only: Mahogany Net $85.00 Model T35B Blonde Net 91.00 Super -Sonox Walnut Net 95.55 VHF Driver Model SP15B Radai Coaxial Speaker Net $43.00 Model 881 Speaker Building Block Kit Net 34.50 Hear the Differen.:e before Model 883 Speaker Building Block Kit Net 83.50 You Buy... See your Electro -Voice Hi -Fi Dealer Today! Write for Catalog No. 118 -F71 Unique E -V Systems Selector ets you hew before you choose! Without smnding a cent you can listen to the improvement as you Electro- Voice, manufacturer of the most Electra- Voice, Inc., Buchanan, Mich. dial from a single speaker to o multispeak- - complete high -fidelity product range- Canada: E -V of Canada Ltd., 1908 er system. You hear in advarce how each speakers, speaker enclosures, speaker sys- A Road, Toronto, Ontario new speaker component enhances the illu- gieret7ificc tems. amplifiers. preamps, tuners. phono sion of musical reality. Your Electro-Voice cartridges. do-it-yourself enclosure kits Export: 13 East 40th St., New York hi -f dealer will be happy to demonstrate. and microphones. Available everywhere. 16, U.S.A. Cables: ARLAB

www.americanradiohistory.com QUADREFLEX

A new sight in sound. A revolutionary new loudspeaker enclosure designed by Charles Eames and the Stephens TruSonic engineering staff. The backloaded coupling on this instrument actually extends the bass response far below the natural resonance of the speaker system itself ... without distortion of the mid or high ranges. Attains a tru -bass down to 30 cycles per second. In handsome, rare hardwood finish or naugahyde. Available in two sizes: one to house Stephens Tru -Sonic 12" coaxial speaker, and the other a 15" coaxial speaker. Your choice of cast alumi num swivel or fixed hase. Listen ... you'll always hear more from: STEPHEN TRTT- :SONIC 8538 Warner Drive, Culver City, California

Cable Address: "MORHANEX" Export Address: 458 Broadway, New York 13, N. Y.