High-Fidelity-1956-M

THE MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC LISTENERS

Ïgh .fidelity ®

MARCH 60 CENTS

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The Cover. This month's discography, by Volume 6 Number 3 1956 Alfred Frankenstein, features the music of March the clever and controversial Russian, Serge Prokofiev, and is appropriately presented under a clever (if hardly controversial) AUTHORitatively Speaking 4 cover by Richard M. Powers. His equally clever and even less controversial Bach The Listener's Bookshelf, by R. D. Darrell 8 cover for the September issue, incidentally, was so well received in certain important Letters 15 quarters that Mr. Powers now is under contract to produce a series of jacket designs Swap-a- Record 24 for Music Appreciation Records, the disk series of The Book -of- the -Month Club. Noted With Interest 2`3 This Issue. Everyone has something to As the Editors See It complain about, or nearly everyone. Ber- 4I lioz complains about the lack of choral Music in England 1851, facilities in France, while lauding those - by Hector Berlioz 42 of England. Eric Bentley complains, in An excerpt from Evenings with the Orchestra, translated by effect, that Shakespeare got too many Jacques Barzun. characters into his historical plays to make Whistle them ideal phonographic material. Gordon (Vivaldi) While You Work, by William Weaver 45 Holt complains about loudspeaker makers Italy's pre- symphonists are enjoying a transatlantic boom. who make for us the choice of whether The Haunted we'd rather have the concert hall in our Loudspeaker, by J. Gordon Holt 47 living rooms or vice versa. George Jellinek Is there a mysterious "presence" in your listening room? complains that artistic rectitude in the opera house threatens to drive the glamor Poor Richard's Soundtrack, by Eric Bentley 5o out of singing, a mournful prospect if Some comments on recorded Shakespearean drama. ever we heard of one. In fact, the only In unmitigatedly happy note in the issue Defense of a Voice, by George Jellinek 52 seems to come from William Weaver, as Dramatic know -how vs. virtuoso singing in opera. well it should. Nothing to do except Ways ramble around sunny Italy and listen to Thirteen of Listening to a Record (Verse), by Philip the contadini whistling Vivaldi, that's his L. Miller 53 situation. No further comment. Music Makers, by Roland Gelatt 57 Record Section 61-104 CHARLES FOWLER, Publisher Records in Review; Dialing Your Disks; Building Your Record JOHN M. CONLY, Editor Library; Prokofiev on Microgroove, by Alfred Frankenstein. ROY H. HOOPES, JR., Managing Editor Tested in the Home 107 J. GORDON HOLT, Assistant Editor Ampex Stereophonic System; Pilot Ensemble Phonograph; Leak ROY LINDSTROM, Art Director Pickups; Brociner Mark so Amplifier; Brociner Mark 304 Ampli- fier; Astatic 55 -TJ Cartridge; GE 85o Editorial Assistants Speaker, and AI -off En- closure; Hallmark Amplifier Kit; Beam Stentorian 12 -inch Speaker. MIRIAM D. MANNING; JOAN GRIFFITHS ROLAND GELATT, New York Editor FM Directory 23 Contributing Editors Audio Forum C. G. BURKE 12 7 JAMES HINTON, JR. CORA R. HOOPES Trader's Marketplace 130 ROBERT CHARLES MARSH Professional Directory I 32 WARREN B. SYER, Business Manager SEAVER B. BUCK, JR., Circulation Advertising Index Director 13 5

High Fidelity Magazine is published monthly by Audiocom, Inc., at Great Barrington, Mass. Telephone: Great Barrington 1300. Editorial, publication, Branch Offices (Advertising only): New York: and circulation offices at: The Publishing House, Great Barrington, Mass. Subscriptions: $6.00 per year in the United States and Canada. Single Room 600, 6 East 39th Street. Telephone: each. Editorial contributions copies: 60 cents Murray Hill 5 -6332. will be welcomed by the editor. Payment for articles accepted will be arranged Fred C. Michalove, Eastern prior to publication. Unsolicited manuscripts Manager.- Chicago: John R. Rutherford and Assoc- should be accompanied by return postage. Entered as iates, second-class matter April 27, 1951 at the post office at Great Barrington, Mass., under the of 3, 230 East Ohio St., Chicago, Ill. Telephone: 1879. Additional act March Whitehall 4- 6715. -Los Angeles: entry at the post office, Pittsfield, Mass. Member Audit Bureau of Circulation. Printed 1052 West 6th in the U. S. A. by the Ben Franklin Press, Pittsfield, Street. Telephone: Madison 6 -1371. Edward Brand, Mass. Copyright 1956 by Audiocom, Inc. The cover design and contents of High Fidelity magazine are fully protected by copyrights West Coast Manager. duced in any manner. and must not be repro-

MARCH 1956

www.americanradiohistory.com AUTHORitatively Speaking

In January we asked rhetorically whether Mozart would have been a hi -fi fan. With respect to Hector Berlioz, the question would be unnecessary. Of course he would have been. Anyone who doubts it, read his ecstatic analysis of St. Paul's cathedral as a resonance chamber, on page 44. Ber- lioz was an eminent journalist as well as a composer, hence the brisk and sprightly tone of his writing, which has been preserved almost perfectly in the translation by Jacques Barzun of Evenings with the Orchestra. The book is a collection of news reports and satirical essays, set in a connective "conversational" narrative by Berlioz, all of it extremely amusing. Alfred A. Knopf will bring it out next month, and you should read it. Barzun of course, is also author of Berlioz and the Romantic Century and editor of Pleasures of Music, the latter a collection of short writings about music and musicians by people of note throughout the ages.

Eric Bentley, who discusses the shortcomings of recorded drama on page 5o, is one of the leading drama critics in the world. He is also Brander Matthews Pro- fessor of Dramatic Literature at Colum- bia University and, on the side, something at the LP312 of a dramatic director himself: 12" LOUDSPEAKER time of this writing, he had just launched NET: $49.50 an off -Broadway production of Berthold Brecht's Private Life of the Master Race. in translation by Eric Bentley. He has guest- directed in various European theaters as well. As author he is responsible for A Century of Hero Worship, The Play - u -right as Thinker, Bernard Shaw, and In Search of Theater; as editor, for The Im- portance of Scrutiny, From the Modern Repertoire, and Naked Masks, a collection of Pirandello plays. He is consultant and /or contributor to numerous periodicals on both sides of the Atlantic. George Jellinek, who stands up for bel canto on page 52, was born in Budapest and began playing the violin before he was six, which he says isn't surprising in Budapest. Eleven years later, having convinced his family he was no second Szi- geti, he stopped. At languages he showed TWEETERS COMPONENTS more talent, so that he now makes a side- SPEAKERS line (his main job is with a music agency) When you select a loudspeaker, your ear is the final judge. After you have read of translating Italian, German, and Spanish the manufacturer's claims and specifications, you listen.... Then you choose the librettos for record companies. His wife speaker which gives you the greatest musical satisfaction. is an editor at Prentice Hall, and they have daughter, seven, who is good at water That is why, in a short time, Lorenz Wide -Range Speakers have won unqualified one father says, but sings only approval. No other speakers seem to please so many people, both critic and colors, her He owns, and still uses layman alike. It is a new listening experience, proudly evolved out of 75 years atonal music. an enormous 192o of traditional Lorenz craftsmanship and research. (for acoustical disks) Victrola, which he says makes the pre - Visit high fidelity dealer soon. You'll hear why, when choosing a loud- your electricals sound better than does his high speaker, most people who listen to Lorenz, buy Lorenz! fidelity set. Built for Quality - Amazingly low in price - Write for Catalog Philip Miller, whose charming lines on The Lorenz "Growth Prin- LP312.1 TB.1 L TB.2 listening to a Melba recording appear on page LP208 ciple" permits you to 12" Loudspeaker Tweeter to such on an B " Loudspeaker with coaxial Assemblies 53, usually doesn't listen build your sound system Use as wide -range as tweeter assembly. Coaxial and Di- antique phonograph, but could if he wanted through the years, as speaker, or with axial, Fit across part of your ex- Complete -1 High Pass is music librarian of the space and budget permits, pending system. HP any 12" speaker. to. He assistant Filter TB1 NET: $11.85 with the assurance it will NET: ;22.50 New York Public Library, and has charge NET: $66.90 TB2 NET: $21.69 never become "dated ". of their old recordings and gramophones. *NOTE: The LP312.1 and the LP312 -2 now includes the HP 1 High Pass Filter at no additional cost He is also author of Vocal Music. part of the Knopf trilogy, The Guide to Long- PRODUCTS, Ltd. Playing Records. Exclusive U.S. Distributors IlJINGDO 23 Park Place, New York 7, N Y WOrrh 4-8585 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE 4

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MARCH 1956 7

www.americanradiohistory.com For Every Listener's Bookshelf LISTENER'S by R. D. Darrell BOOKSHELF

HOW MANY regular readers of very attempt has its own rewards. this column have noticed, I won- No matter how clumsily he flounders, der, its neglect, so far, of one of the he can at least learn to follow the most important types of books on main outlines and he is sure to achieve music - that concerned with the basic some working familiarity with the principles and technical practices of terminologies involved, and thus can the art itself? This omission hasn't read further with some general, how- FOR the past four years the most I ever fuzzy, understanding of what the literate and informative writing on been entirely deliberate, for have no the subject of sound reproduction idea just how large, or small, a pro- "experts" are talking about. At the has appeared in High Fidelity Mag- portion of the contemporary audience very worst, the foolhardy novice who azine. Now, for those of you who for reproduced music is seriously anx- plunges into waters far over his head might have missed some High Fi- of ious to learn more about what they often gets an illogical thrill of pleasure delity's articles and for those of you is, merely from his frantic to who have requested that they be hear - beyond, that the back- struggles preserved in permanent form, High ground information normally supplied keep afloat. Even if he's reckless Fidelity's Managing Editor, Roy H. by program notes and specific record enough to venture prematurely into Hoopes, Jr., has selected 26 of them annotations or found in popular books such depths as, say, Dr. Harvey Fletch- for inclusion in a HIGH FIDELITY Speech Hearing in Communi- READER. The introduction was dealing with music "appreciation" and er's and written by John M. Conly. artists' lives. I don't doubt that all cation or Sir George Dyson's The earnest listeners have at least a vague New Music, the experience itself may ALTHOUGH the READER is not hankering to acquire or extend a well be obscurely exhilarating if by intended as a "layman's guide" to personal familiarity with the vocabu- no means completely comprehensible. high fidelity, it tells you everything lary, grammar, and rhetoric of the For myself, some of the most excit- you need to know, and perhaps a "language" of music. But how active ing reading experiences I have ever little more, for achieving good sound reproduction. and deep is this desire? Is the craving had have been with books which at for knowledge strong enough to sus- the time were largely "over my head "; INCLUDED in the READER are tain itself through the undeniably and even although I always had to ad- articles by: formidable rigors of independent mit (like Alice), after I had turned Roy F. Allison Richard W. Lawton home study? the last page: " 'It seems very pretty, Peter Bartók Theodore Lindenberg If you're not sure of your own but it's rather hard to understand.' John W. CampbellThomas ... Lucci to confess, L. F. B. Carini Joseph Marshall answers, perhaps you can judge by (You see she didn't like Abraham Cohen Gilbert Plass comparing your interest in acquiring even to herself, that she couldn't make Emory Cook R. S. Rummell muscial knowledge with your experi- it out at all.) 'Somehow it seems to Eleanor Edwards Paul Sampson ence in audio. If your urge to know fill my head with ideas- only I Charles Fowler David Sarser more about the techniques of sound know exactly what they are!' " Irving M. Fried Glen Southworth don't Chuck Gerhardt Fernando Valenti reproduction has been lively enough Gus Jose Edward T. Wallace to provoke both some serious study of McGuffey's First (Musical) Readers F. A. Kuttner Harry L. Wynn audio principles and some active ex- ONLY $3.So perimentation in building or repair- Happily, few novices want - or need ing equipment, surely a comparable - to remain content with such some- HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE more about music what metaphysical illuminations. As Publishing House "drive" to learn Great Barrington, Mass. itself well may lead to your under- long as eager novices exist, there al- Enclosed please find S taking comparable musical studies and ways will be perambulator manufac- Please send me copies of activities. turers and expert nursemaids to guide THE HIGH FIDELITY READER After all, it certainly isn't any hard- their first steps. Last month and in NAME er for a technical novice to learn how several earlier columns I had occasion to discuss various books designed pri- ADDRESS to read a circuit schematic than to read musical notation and even a full marily to serve as introductions to the orchestral score. And if it isn't any technical mysteries of audio. There easier, either, many a novice has are more coming soon, but meanwhile NO C.O.D.'s please -I discovered that even though his efforts it is high time I made some attempt (PUBLISHED BY HANOVER HOUSE) fall short of complete success, the to sound out this column's reader-

8 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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MARCH 1956 9

www.americanradiohistory.com BOOKSHELF

Continued from preceding page

Hall, $7.65 ), which strikes me as coming very close to just what begin- ners need as an introduction to the I rudiments of musicianship. Instead tielv of concentrating on listing, defining, and illustrating the multitudinous ele- The nearest thing to ments that go to make up all kinds of music, Tischler concentrates on individual pieces of music, calling attention NOISELESS as he goes to whatever elements they particularly demonstrate. He divides the musical repertory into categories PERFECTION based on the relative length and com- plexity of the compositions, beginning in Hi -l=i Turntables... with Short Single Pieces; going on to "Composite" Works ( i.e., those made up of several more -or -less loosely the new linked short pieces ) ; advancing then to D R -12 A Larger Single Pieces; and concluding and D R -12 B with the Largest Instrumental Works PRECISION TURNTABLES ( comprising several closely linked large pieces or "movements ") . In the various subdivisions of each category he selects characteristic illustrative examples ( parts of which are shown in musical notation, but all of which are given references to recorded performances) for fairly detailed, if very elementary and simplified, technical analysis. And it is only incidentally, as it were, that in the course of these analyses each new technical term is defined and explained as it is encountered for the first time. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? And while it may shock the orthodox, Here's the latest step towards the ultimate goal! simply because it departs from corn - The new D & R 12A and 12B precision turn- mon practice, this treatment should be tables are excellent examples of design sim- an extremely effective one for the lay DARhas plicity. They are carefully engineered and listener. If the actual sequence in reduced flutter, constructed with emphasis upon their most wow and vibration important function -the playing of LP records which the technical terms and devices to the vanishing in those installations where the highest degree themselves are discussed is quite arbi- point . -. of perfection is desired in the reproduction of fine recorded music. Speed -change to 45 and trary, it hardly is more irrational than 78 has been provided without compromising in most textbooks where they too performance on LPs. often seem to be presented as im- D & R's NEW 12B PRECISION by the use of simple TURNTABLE, incorpo- portant for their own sake rather than rating a new -design hysteresis synchronous speed- change and as conventions and symbols of some speed -drive mechaiisms motor -for the ultimate in high -quality performance; mounted on board . . . . $108.00 utility. by careful factory speed D & R's 12A MODEL with the regular carefully Anyway, I heartily approve of adjustment; no conical balanced four -pole induction motor; mounted speed -variation surfaces on board $87.00 Tischler's general scheme of attack; by holding component CHANGE -OVER KIT FOR 12A OWNERS (including his sense of proportionate values and dimensions to micro hysteresis motor, capacitator, speed- change the emphases he gives them; his re- tolerances bushings) and simple installation instructions for common tools $49.50 fusal to acknowledge the usual phony MAHOGANY MOUNTING BASE for either 12A or compartmentations between very old 12B $15.00 and very new music, between music for voices and music for instruments, The D cf R features assure trouble-free performance, perfect to the degree required or between so- called "absolute" and in modern hi fi phonograph turntables. "programmatic" musical characteriza- Write for details or see your D d R dealer! d$r tions; and above all his constant in- WRITE TODAY FOR LITERATURE . 402 EAST GUTIERREZ STREET, SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA Continued on page 12

IC HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com THE FIS ER ALL -TRANSISTOR Preamplifier -Equalizer

WE ARE PROUD to announce the new FISHER All -Transistor Preamplifier - Equalizer, Model TR -1. This little giant is the result of four years of research and development and represent; one of the greatest achievements in the long line of FISHER FIRSTS. We believe tine TR -1 is the first all- transistor product of any kind in the high fidelity field. Its development was no accident, but rather the fruit of -wenty years of leadership in audio technology. The TR -1 has NO hum. We repeat: ABSOLUTELY NO HUM. Second, it has NO microphonism. Other unique features of de TR -1 are listed below. The initial demand for this revolutionary device may exceed the available supply. To avoid disappointment, may we suggest that you place your order now. OUTSTANDING FEATURES OF THE FISHER MODEL TR -1 Can be used with any existing amplifier, audio 65 db below 10 my input for high impedance car- control, or sound system. Battery powered. Power tridges. Better than 60 db below 2 my for low imped- consumption only 0.033 watts. Battery will last as ance cartridges. Incorporates RIAA equalization, long as it would when lying idle on a ehelf! Can now standard on all records. Permits nutput leads be used as a phonograph or microphone preamplifier. up to 200 ft. Three Controls: Power 'Volume, Uniform response, within 2 db, 20 to !0,000 cycles. Cartridge Impedance Selector, Phono-tilicrophone Built -in switch selects cartridge impedance. Selector Switch. Uses three transistcrs. Printed Handles all popular magnetic cartridges including wiring throughout. Fully shielded ciassis with very low -level type. Does not require transformer with bottom cover. Attractive control denigration plate. the latter. Hum level : abso lute zero! a Noise level, srztt: 2" by 4" by 4l/2" deep. WEIGHT: 12 ounces. WRITE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS

FISHER RADIO CORPORATION . 21 -25 44th DRIVE ' L. I. CITY . N. Y.

MARCH t956 rt

www.americanradiohistory.com BOOKSHELF Continued from page to

sistence on working from individual pieces of music to the general techniques they exploit. On the other hand, I don't care much for his rather pedestrian style and sometimes over -painstaking con- cern with insignificant details (although these are hardly grave faults in what after all is an instructional

primer ) . My severest criticism must be levelled at a feature for which Tischler himself hardly can be entirely blamed, for obviously his book has required many years of preparation, during which many of the re- AM Quality Leader! cordings he cites have been withdrawn or reissued. His twenty -nine pages of combined discography and bibliography ( including many suggestions for further listening and reading ) include too many 78s and not enough - or the latest - LPs. Since most of THE, the former have either been reissued or newly recorded in LP versions, however, no one familiar with current disk catalogues should be unduly handicapped. The reader who will be handi- FISHEK capped insuperably is one foolish or naïve enough to "read" this book (or indeed any other of the same general AM TUNER kind) without direct, attentive, and repeated study of the music it discusses MODEL AM -80 - as heard either via his own fingers after the appearance of the famous FISHER FM-80 and throat, no matter how stumbling SHORTLYTuner, we received many requests for an AM counterpart of that performance may be, or via in- the same blue- ribbon breed. The AM -80 was engineered in response tent listening to recorded versions. to those requests and we are proud of it - as its owners will be. In No words, printed or spoken, can do areas beyond the service of FM stations, users of the AM -SO will more than stimulate and guide one's discover with delight that it has the pulling power of a professional ears and mind to a keener conscious- communications receiver, bringing enjoyable reception of ordinarily ness of the purely tonal meanings elusive, distant stations. The AM -80 offers broad -tuning for high themselves! fidelity AM reception, as well as medium and sharp tuning for suppression of interference where it exists; and it is a perfect companion for the FM-80. The specifications below speak for themselves. Advanced Textural Studies

Outstanding Features of THE FISHER AM -80 This stricture remains true, of course, Features a relative -sensitivity tuning meter for micro-accurate station selection Sensitivity: better than one microvolt! Three -gang variable condenser. when the partly informed apprentice One tuned RF and two IF stages. Three- position, adjustable band -width. tackle Frequency response (broad position) -3 db at 8 Kc. Audio section: leaves his musical ABC's to uniform response, 20 to 20,000 cycles. Built -in 10 Kc whistle filter. Dual advanced studies, antenna inputs. Loop antenna supplied. Three high -impedance inputs. intermediate and Cathode- follower output permits leads up to 200 feet. Completely shielded and even (or especially! ) when he and shock- mounted construction, including bottom plate. Flywheel tuning. Slide -rule tuning dial with logging scale. Beautiful, brushed -brass control meets a mentor who is far more lucid, panel. Four controls: Power /Sensitivity, Function, Tuning, Output Level Control. Tube Complement: Total of Eight. 3 -6BJ6, 1 -6BE6, 1-6AL5, penetrating, and infectiously provoca- 2-6C4, 1-6X4. wide, 4" San: 12%" high, 8%" deep, including knobs. tive than Tischler. Such a man is Price Only $139.50 Robert Erickson, author of one of the most brilliantly enlightening works of Mahogany or Blonde Cabinet: $14.95 tone -textural analysis which has come Price Slightly Higher West of the Rockies to my attention in many years: The WRITE TODAY FOR COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS Structure of Music: A Listener's FISHER RADIO CORP. 21 -25 44th DRIVE L. I. CITY 1, N. Y. Guide (Noonday Press, $4.00) . This tut llllllll lluuILLLLLLfululu I I I u lJ I I tutulullullluuututlttu 1111/1111111111 l 11 l 11 l ti 1111111111 is a small book, barely over 200 pages

HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com (as contrasted with Tischler's 458) and purportedly it deals only with a subsidiary tonal technique - that of counterpoint. But it is no dry study of outmoded practices only: counterpoint, even in the widest sense of this term, serves mainly as a springboard for a survey of the basic practical operating procedures used by all great composers from Okeghem to Alban Berg. Erickson is enticingly "easy" to read, in one sense, for he writes vividly and marshals his arguments with powerful logic; but what he is talking about and the music he cites are by no means easy to grasp in their full signif- AMERICA'S TOP FM TUNER IN SENSITIVITY, APPEARANCE AND WORKMANSHIP icance. Here is an apt opportunity for the relatively ungrounded listener to demonstrate for himself the true measure of his interest in musician- 150,000 Witnesses ship, for if he's to get the real meat in this book, he'll have to chew hard HAVE VERIFIED THE FM -80'S SUPERIORITY! on it - and listen just as hard to its illustrative examples ( and even look up the recorded versions for himself, for unfortunately no discography is included here) . But if he doesn't find all this some of the most THT, rewarding musical and intellectual labor he has ever attempted, then he must be forever damned to eschew the red meat of genuine musicianship and to diet the rest of his life on the thin pap of "appreciation." My FISHER_ only regret about Erickson's book ( which, by the way, is as exceptional MODEL in its typographic distinction as it is FM TUNER FM -80 in that of luminosity) is that it didn't exist years ago when I was learning World's Best by LAB Standards the rudiments the hard way - via the Tappers, Chadwicks, et al., of a music - Pr HOSE who attended the Audio Fairs in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia found that educational era happily now as dead I Los Angeles, Washington, Boston and only Fisher Radio Corporation had set up a battery of regular pro- as the dodo. duction tuners so that you, the consumer, might operate them as you saw fit, in an obviously radio -difficult location, and with only the most elementary of antennas taped to the wall. More than 150,000 people made these tests, and were astonished to find FM stations The Special Pleasures of Shop -Talk coming in perfectly from 'impossible' distances. This Missouri -show -me style test has settled once and for all the question as to who makes One of the minor, often overlooked, the best tuners in America. To those who did not attend the Audio but particularly enjoyable rewards of Fairs, we say: Try it before you buy it! Chassis Only, $139.50 obtaining at least an empirical fa- Mahogany or Blonde Cabinet, $14,9$ miliarity with musical terminology is Outstanding Features of THE FISHER FM -80 the enhanced ability to enlarge one's TWO meters. One to indicate sensitivity, one to indicate center -of- channel for micro -accurate tuning. Armstrong system, with two IF stages, dual own personal experience by listening limiters and a cascode RF stage. Full limiting even on signals as weak to or reading the shop -talk of pro- as one microvolt. Dual antenna inputs: 72 ohms and 300 ohms balan_ed (exclusive!) Sensitivity: 11/2 microvolts for 20 db of quieting on 72 -ohm fessional musicians. Much of this may input; 3 microvolts for 20 db of quieting on 300 -ohm input. Chassis completely shielded and shock- mounted, including tuning condenser, to eli- be trivial, but it can be fascinating minate microphonics, and noise from otherwise accumulated dust. Three controls - Variable AFC /Line- Switch, Sensitivity, and Station Selector too, and at its best it can immensely PLUS an exclusive Output Level Control. Two bridged outputs - kw- type, permitting' output leads up to 200 feet. I im- impedance, cathode-follower broaden one's horizons. can't 11 tubes. Dipole antenna supplied. Beautiful, brushed -brass front panel. agine what a complete musical novice Self- powered. WEIGHT: 15 pounds. CHASSIS SIZE: 123/4" wide, 4" high, 81/4" deep including control knobs. would make of D. E. Inghelbrecht's Price Slightly Higher West of the Rockies The Conductor's World, translated WRITE TODAY FOR COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS by Prerauer and Kirk (Library Pub - FISHER RADIO CORP. 21 -25 44th DRIVE L. I. CITY 1, N. Y. Continued on next page

MARCH 1956 13

www.americanradiohistory.com BOOKSHELF Continued from preceding page

lishers, $4.75), and I shouldn't dare suggest that he try it, for it's a completely haphazard soliloquy on the musical director's special problems and procedures - musical shop -talk in excelsis, which can only be unin- telligible or completely boring to anyone unfamiliar with the techniques and terminologies involved. But, given some interest in the subject itself, anyone else will find M. Inghelbrecht a glorious spellbinder - as well as unmistakably a musician of the keenest insights and liveliest fervors. I had relished his "conver- sations" immensely, but it was only after I put them down that I began to realize how much there was to learn ( MODEL 80 -T MOST ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL TUNER WITH COMPLETE AUDIO CONTROL from them. There are now many orchestral and operatic passages I'll never be able to hear again, on records or off, without remembering Outperforms Them All! where and how Inghelbrecht has pointed out that performers can go sadly wrong - or triumphantly right.) Casual listeners can pass by this Conductor's World safely but certainly no potential conductor or FISHE critic can possibly afford to miss it. FM -AM TUNERS Here are America's only FM -AM Tuners with TWO meters for micro - accurate tuning - just one of their many unique features. Says a FISHER dealer: "I set up a FISHER Series 80 for home demonstration Grace Notes against all performers. No other dealer was willing to submit a competitive tuner for direct comparison to the FISHER. Thanks for a fine product!" Encyclopedia of Jazz. Although the - Unsolicited testimonial from A. W. Finley, Dayton Sound Associates. bulk of this superb 36o -page docu- mentary monument by Leonard Feather Outstanding Features of THE FISHER Series 80 Tuners is actually a The 80 -T features extreme sensitivity (1.5 my for 20 db of quieting.) Separate biographical dictionary of FM and AM front ends, completely shielded and shock- mounted. Separate tuning jazz musicians (no fewer than 1065 of meters for F51 and AM is 72 -ohm, plus exclusive, balanced 300 -ohm antenna inputs for increased signal -to -noise ratio. AM selectivity adjustable; AM sensitivity them! ), the title is no misnomer, for better than 1 microvolt. Inherent hum non-measurable. Distortion below 0.04% for It volt output. 4 inputs, including separate tape playback preamp-equalizer. the work is truly encyclopedic in size Six record equalization choices. Two cathode follower outputs. 16 tubes. (80-R: 13 tubes.) 8 controls including Bass, Treble, Volume, Function, Equaliza- and scope. Even apart from the unique tion, Tuning, Loudness Balance, AFC. Self powered. Magnificent appearance value of its never-before -assembled and workmanship. CHASSIS SIZE: 121,4" wide, 8t/s" deep less knobs, 6" high (80-R : 4" high.) NOTE: Model 80 -R is identical to the above, but is designed biographical material, it boasts some for use with an external audio control such as THE FISHER Series 80 -C. 200 photographs - mostly highly dra- MODEL 80 -R FOR USE WITH EXTERNAL AUDIO CONTROL MODEL 80 -T matic -a foreword by Ellington, con- 99950 cise histories and technical analyses of jazz, a basic list of records, a glossary MODEL 80 -R of terms, lists of jazz organizations and $16950 recording companies, etc. The three - MAHOGANY OR BLONDE page bibliography is a bit skimpy, but CABINET: $1 795 in everything else Lennie has done a Write For FULL Details magnificent job, and the big book is itself a striking piece of typographical FISHER RADIO CORP. design ( Horizon Press, $1 o.00 and 21 -25 44th DRIVE - LONG ISLAND CITY 1, N.Y. worth every cent of it! ) .

I-} HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com SIR: Stung by a sneaking suspicion (ag- gravated by the comparison of many photographs) that some Great Bar- rington gremlin substituted a portrait of Sir Max Beerbohm for one of Sir Edward Elgar (the "Gerontius" review in the magnificent January issue), I submit the following exchange: NEW! And only $99 Spoke Sir Edward to Sir Max, "What - you're probing my enigma? Quoth Sir Max, "my dear Sir Ed- ward, Similarity's no stigma!" Klaus George Roy Newton Centre, Mass.

In similarity there may be no stigma, But about this erratum there's no enigma. We'd like to blame the pixies and elves; is in our -IEK, The fault, dear Klaus, FIS selves. - The Editors (with apologies to Sir Ed- FM TUNER ward, Sir Max, and W. Shakespeare) MODEL FM -40 HERE IT IS, a FISHER FM Tuner - with till that the name implies - for only $99.50. Through the years it has been our policy to bring SIR: equipment of FISHER calibre within the reach of the widest possible H. S. Rummell's Bach to Brubeck and audience. Rarely has that objective been more spectacularly attained. Back (November, 1955) illuminates For the FM -40 represents one of our greatest values in almost two of engineering excellence and neither end of the journey. It is cer- decades. It is a superb combination dazzling performance at moderate cost. Its specifications, conservatively tainly true that aspects of Brubeck's outlined below, are your best index to the qualit of this instrument. jazz conception and execution are FM -40 strongly debatable. A favorite avoca- Important Features of THE FISHER Meter for micro -accurate, center -of- channel tuning. Sensitivity: 3 micro- tion, in fact, of many jazz musicians volts for 20 db of quieting. Uriform response, a- 1 db, 20 to 20,000 cycles. stage. in months has been the compar- Three- gang variable capacitor. Three IF stages and a cascade RP' recent Two outputs: Detector/Multiplex (on switch) plus cathode -follower -type ing of notes on "What's Wrong with Main Audio, permitting leads up to 200 feet. Two Controls: AC Power/ plume, and Station Selector. Chassis completely shielded and shock- Brubeck." mounted; includes bottom plate. 8 tubes: 1- 6BQ7A, 1-6U8, 3- -6BH6, Heavy 1 -6AL5, 1- 12AU7A, 1-6X4. Folded dipole antenna supplied. But Brubeck, however controversial, flywheel tuning mechanism. Beautiful brown -and -gold brushed - brass, frost control panel. Highly legible, edge -lighted glass dial scale (accurately is a musician of integrity and serious- calibrated slide -rule type) with logging scale. Self- powered. SIZE: 123 .," ness of intent. He deserves at the least wide, 4' high, 834" deep, including knobs. SHIPPING WEIGH -t: 15 pounds. to be criticized by a man who knows FM Tuner Only $99.50 enough of the jazz language and tradi- Professional CABINET: $14.95 tion to be aware of what Brubeck is MAHOGANY OR BLONDE Slightly Higher West of the Rockies trying to do within the context of that language. WRITE TODAY FOR COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS FISHER RADIO CORP., 21-25 44th DRIVE L. I. CITY 1 N. Y. Continued on next page

MARCH 1956 15

www.americanradiohistory.com LETTERS Continued from preceding page

The main argument in Mr. Rum - N f ß mell's exercise is that Brubeck is not T H E E' of the stature of Bach. I know of no one in the jazz field, Brubeck included, who would even facetiously oppose Mr. Rummell on the point. No one in jazz - musician or critic - has ever been so fervently ingenuous as to state that "Brubeck is the greatest improviser on a theme since Bach" (a sentence Mr. Rummell quotes in his article without source, thereby leaving the implication that this is a common assertion among jazz aud- 1 - EDWARD iences). TATNALL The language of jazz, including "Breathtaking! CANBY Brubeck's variations thereon, has its roots in three centuries of Afro - American musical preparation through spirituals, work songs, ring games, the blues, etc. The most recent layer of tradition has been built of the richly diversified growth of jazz itself THE, in the past sixty years as collective improvisation has ranged from New Orleans brass bands to the work of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet. It is footless to begin an analysis FISHER by using the same critical criteria for jazz and classical music just as it profits little to use the same measuring e/ffer4teit (6)2401 standards for Hindu ensembles or Balinese gamelans that one utilizes SERIES 80 -C for a jazz band or a symphony orchestra. Jazz deserves STARTLINGLY DIFFERENT," says Edward Tatnall Canby, Audio to be understood J Magazine. "Has everything, at a very reasonable price for first in terms of its own language, and top -quality hi -fi equipment. The easiest to read and operate I've ever this Mr. Rummell has failed to do seen. The specs on performance are breathtaking and the over -all with respect to Brubeck. quality of its electrical operation is pretty closely comparable to that of a professional broadcast console control board. This is the current After preferably having been un- standard for really hi -fi operation of controls in the home. Hum, derstood on the basis of its own his- distortion, et al are so low as to be inaudible and mostly unmeasur- tory and language, then inevitably, able in the lab. And all this, mind you, in the middle price range." jazz or a Hindu raga or Bach reaches Chassis Only, $99.50 Mahogany or Blonde Cabinet, $9.95 each listener at the most basic of all levels Remarkable Features of THE FISHER 80 -C - the emotional. My own feeling is Professional, lever -type equalization for all current recording character- that the best of jazz is istics. Seven inputs, including two Phono, Mic and Tape. Two cathode - equal to the best of classical and follower outputs. Complete mixing and fading on two, three, four or five channels. Bass and Treble Tone Controls of the variable- crossover feed- Eastern music in its emotional pene- back type. Accurately calibrated Loudness Balance Control. Self -powered. Magnetically shielded and potted transformer. DC on all filaments; tration and increasingly, in its intellec- achieves hum level that is inaudible under any conditions. Inherent hum: tual non- measurable. (On Phono, 72 db below output on 10 my input signal; stimulation as well. This assertion better than 85 db below 2v output on high -level channels.) IM and Mr. Rummell obviously does not harmonic distortion: non- measurable. Frequency response: uniform, 10 to be- 100,000 cycles. Separate equalization and amplification directly from tape lieve since he regards jazz as "music playback head. Four dual- purpose tubes, all shielded and shock -mounted. Separate, high -gain microphone preamplifier. Push -Button Channel - in slang" with a range of expressive- Selectors with individual indicator lights and simultaneous AC On -Off switching on two channels (for tuner, TV, etc.) Master Volume Control ness that "has the same restrictions plus 5 independent Level Controls on front panel. 11 Controls plus 5 as slang." also push -buttons. Three auxiliary AC receptacles. size: Chassis, 123/4" x 71/4" He talks of "the mock z 41/4" high. In cabinet, 13. 11/16 "x 8 "x 5t%" high. Shipping weight,10 pounds. lugubriousness of the blues" and calls Prices Slightly Higher West of the Rockies the saxophone "hardly more than a WRITE TODAY FOR COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS marginal instrument at its best." FISHER RADIO CORP. 21 -25 44th DRIVE L. I. CITY 1, N. Y. Mr. Rummell undeniably is entitled WII11111111a1111111111111WW111111111111111111111111111111111111It1111111111u to these views, but a man who holds

16 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com these views and obviously feels that jazz has serious restrictions as an art form, should also provide some evidence that he has listened to jazz widely and long enough to have enough substantive knowledge of the art by which he can document these views. Has Mr. Rummell heard and does he regard Bessie Smith, for one example, 111111111 l 1.1111111111111 as mockly lugubrious? Has he heard 1111111 and does he regard Charlie Parker's I511111111111,, alto as having been hardly more than ` lilll,I lIIi1 a marginal instrument at its best? !lIIIIIi1111111111111111llll11II111I ` Or does Mr. Rummell believe, as does Henry Pleasants in his remark- ll ably confused What Is This Thing IIIlI Called Jazz? ( HIGH FIDELITY, Decem- ber 1955 ) that one can best approach WITH EXCLUSIVE jazz from limited, short -time knowledge of it? Pleasants says: "I have not been around long enough to be- HANDLES SIXTY -WATT PEAESI come either mired or bored. I have AN EXCEPTIONAL, NEW THIRTY -WATT AMPLIFIER not heard a great deal of any type of jazz, but I have now heard a little

of each . . . I have not gotten close enough to the currents to be sucked Top Quality! Low Cost! in by the prejudices." If HIGH FI- DELITY plans to extend this charming- ly innocent principle of criticism to the rest of its coverage, I assume we shall soon find Marilyn Monroe writing divertingly of Palestrina. THE I do not mean that only jazz enthusiasts should write about jazz. But it helps no one to have an article on jazz by a writer who gives little evidence that he knows what the language and history of the music are. Fils H ER Jazz - particularly now, in its present multiple experimental stages - can use sound criticism by classical critics who know jazz too, and who can point 30 -Watt Amplifier out what cross -usages are most effective for each language. But what ac- MODEL 80 -AZ tually does an article like Mr. Rum - FISHER FIRST Our great new 30 -watt amplifier with mell's accomplish? He has gratuitous- MOTHER - PowerScope, a Peak Power Indicator calibrated in watts to show ly honest musician who ridiculed an instantly the peak load on your speaker system. The new FISHER deserves better and more penetrating 80 -AZ Amplifier is the first with a positive indicator to prevent voice consideration, even in terms of satire. coil damage. The Model 80 -AZ is magnificent in appearance and quality. Has his article told us anything of Model 80 -AZ worth except that Bach cuts Brubeck, incomparable Features of THE FISHER High output - less than 0.5% distortion at 30 watts; less than 0.05% at 10 watts. an item I suspect even Henry Pleasants 60 -watt peaks. Intermodulation distortion less than 0.5% at 25 watts and andles 0.1 db from (.2 %a at 10 watts. Uniform response 10 to 50,000 cycles; within has discovered in his brief, fresh 13 ) to 20,000 cycles. Power output is constant within 1 db at 30 watts, from to wanderings in the meadows of jazz. (5.000 cycles. Hum and noise level better than 96 db below full output! Three separate feedback loops for lowest distortion and superior transient response. What, finally, are Brubeck's goals? Unique cathode feedback circuit for triode performance with the efficiency of mtrodes. Output transformer has interleaved windings and a grain -oriented steel As he stated them recently in a letter core. Three Controls: PowerScope, Z -Matic and Input Level. Handsome, brushed - tress control panel (with sufficient cable for built -in installations.) Tube Com- to English jazz critic -musician, Steve plement: 1- 12AT7, 1- 12AU7A, 2-EL -37, 1- 5V4 -G, 1- PowerScope Indicator, Race, Brubeck sums them up this I- Regulator. 8- and 16-ohm outputs. SIZE : 151/2 x 4t/ß x 674" high. WEIGHT: 2211W. way: "Although while improvising, Price Only $99.50 1 play for the moment, I am aiming Price Slightly Higher West of the Rockes at something more - the inspired SPECIFICATIONS moment; that is, the balance of human WRITE TODAY FOR COMPLETE FISHER RADIO CORP., 21 -25 44th DRIVE L. I. CITY 1 N. Y. V l l l l l I I I IIII111111 W111IIIIIIIIt11111111III11111111w111IW 1111111 I I II III Continued on next page t ututu li Iii

MARCH 1956 !7

www.americanradiohistory.com LETTERS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE Continued from preceding page emotion, creativity, imagination and a technical facility equal to the idea TO THOSE WHO OWN of the moment. When this happens, I am inclined to believe that this inspired unified instant has more last- A RECORD CHANGER... ing value, captured either on record or just in the minds of the audience, than a perfect stylized performance. OR INTEND TO BUY ONE "I believe that the jazz musician's technique should be a study toward the mastery of the inspired moment let's separate fact from fancy ...... The greatest thrill that a jazz on the subject of rumble and wow! musician can know and give his audience is an inspired execution at an inspired moment of something he We are astonished by the growing defiance of fact inherent in claims has never done before, will never do made for some record . . . changers. namely, that they have NO again, and no on else will ever be able RUMBLE OR WOW! Such patently inaccurate statements may to recreate not even himself. This only serve to confuse you ... and most certainly cannot aid in your - selection of equipment. to me is the real jazz - creation." There are several astute theorist - in jazz, Let's get the facts right. All record changers . . . and turntables practitioners notably John too ... HAVE SOME RUMBLE AND WOW CONTENT. At best, Lewis, who would valuably disagree the absence of noise is an ideal to tempt new achievements towards with this credo as to the optimum perfection. The important question is ... NOW MUCH RUMBLE motivation for a jazz musician. But AND WOW IS PRESENT? Among changers, the differences are it is a credo worth knowing when at least great enough to spell listening pleasure or total dissatisfaction. one is writing about Brubeck. It tells us nothing of either Bach or The quietest record changer made today is the Thorens Concert CD -43. In fact, it performs as well as many fine turntables. Its Brubeck to say that Bach is superior noise ratio is -48 db below program level and for this reason we to Brubeck. Tell us rather how well believe it rightly deserves its reputation as the "ONLY TRULY and how often Brubeck fulfills his HIGH FIDELITY RECORD CHANGER." own goal, how or whether that goal is valuable or feasible, and where How does this vast difference come about? The answer lies in Thorens' Brubeck's achievement stands when use of a big, powerful Swiss -precision direct -drive motor with a measured against that of the major separate gear for each standard speed. Rubber belts, pulleys and jazz improvising artists. That sort of other elements common to rim or friction drive units are not present to cause undesirable noise or speed variation. The huge cast -iron article would have a degree of value. frame and mechanical filter further act to reduce rumble content, I fail to find that anything of value has and a flyball governor on the electronically -balanced main shaft been contributed to a further under- provides freedom from undesirable wow. standing of either destination in Mr. Rummell's journey From Bach to ARE CONVENIENCE FEATURES IMPORTANT? - Indeed they Brubeck and Back. are . . . and it was Thorens of Switzerland who originated many Nat Hentoff of the now well -known functional advantages. No other changer New York, N.Y. has Thorens' simple three -speed selector with integral fine tuner for exact pitch adjustment ... and you can intermix automatically, 10" and 12" records - with special switch for 7 ". The fine tone - And Mr. Rummell's reply: arm has adjustments for tracking weight and cartridge alignment. Thank you for giving me the oppor- Pause and reject controls, manual -play switch, muting condenser . . . all these and more, are found in the Thorens. tunity of replying to Mr. Hentoff's letter. A majority of Thorens Changers are bought My article was written to show how as a replacement. Why not choose wisely the Brubeck Quartet struck one pair the first time ... ask your dealer to demon- of old, tired, but open ears. In his strate a THORENS CD -43 Record Changer. comments Mr. Hentoff, after mis- labelling the 'main argument', gives Also manual and automatic players, and turntables. us a brief essay on the evolution of jazz, makes the reasonable point that Brubeck's performances should be Music Boxes SWISS Hi-Fi Components judged in terms of Brubeck's own MADE Spring -Powered Shavers credo, emphasises the worthlessness of Lighters CD -43 an article written from such a clearly NEW HYDE PARK NEW YORK price $93.75 net Continued on page 21

18 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com LETTERS Continued from page 18 meager knowledge of this esoteric subject, deprecates the judgment of a distinguished fellow music critic (Mr. Pleasants), and deplores the editorial policy of HIGH FIDELITY. He even drags in Marilyn Monroe. On one point Mr. Hentoff and I are in the closest possible agreement: Nothing could be sillier than an article written for the sole purpose of showing that Bach is of greater stature than Brubeck. I think Mr. Hentoff does an excellent job of setting forth his position as a critic of jazz. His knowledge of 1/Varthwhilc Av\t\lit-ù, his field, evident to any reader of Down Beat, is rather awesome, and the fearlessness - and solemnity - with which he rewards the efforts of jazz with one to five stars has practitioners Despite the fact that PRECEDENT is America's a certain majestic charm about it. Like many others, I wouldn't consider most costly tuner, and deservedly so, the demand for without first buying a jazz record these superlative instruments now exceeds the supply. checking its Hentoff rating in Down Beat. To those who have been waiting several He also shows a sturdy fearlessness and for those about getting himself into positions weeks for PRECEDENT delivery, that could easily become awkward. who are ordering now, here is welcome news: For example, when he allows that Bach is of greater stature than Bru- Your PRECEDENT will be shipped he must mean that his music is beck, this month. Perhaps at this moment greater; there is no other basis for such a judgment. Yet he objects the world's most wanted FM tuner is elaborately to any com- violently and en route to your dealer. parison between them. How, I wonder, can he concede this point ( "Bach Remember -the man who can appreciate and cuts Brubeck") , when, as he says in PRECEDENT will never be satisfied with one place, there can be no valid stand- afford the ard of comparison applicable to both? anything less. You'll be glad you waited. But we can overlook this little lapse and still get his meaning: he means, INC. I'm sure, that the music of the one RADIO ENGINEERING LABORATORIES is greater than the music of the other 36 -40 Thirty- seventh Street long Island City 1, N.Y. because, in phraseology he uses himself, of its greater 'emotional penetration' or 'intellectual stimulation', or both. These are universally- accept- ed and applicable measures; they are basic, and can be applied with equal validity ( assuming proper preparation on the part of the measurer ) to jazz, Balinese gamelan music, Hindu ragas or whatever. Mr. Hentoff touches on this point himself, and I don't see how any reasonable person could disagree. But next he makes a statement that strikes me as the most provocative in the entire essay; certainly its impor-

Continued on next page

2 1 MARCH I956

www.americanradiohistory.com LETTERS 1-1 aif thi fwt it.. Continued from preceding page tance to thousands - maybe millions mah, aTECH- MASTER - of music lovers makes our little Kit! quibblings about Brubeck fade into insignificance. I quote, "My own feeling is that the jazz Oes you'll enjoy building a Tech -Master Kit almost as best of is equal much as you enjoy using the finished product. to the best of classical and Eastern Simple, step -by -step pictorial diagrams guide your every music in its emotional penetration and move right down to the last detail. Your feeling of pride increasingly ( increasingly equal ?) in and accomplishment will be well justified when you plug in its intellectual the last tube and put your unit to its initial test. Then stimulation as well." you will definitely agree, as do thousands of others, that Now if the measure of quality in when you l build with Tech- Master, you build the best. music is its degree of emotional penetration and /or intellectual stimulation, and if the best of jazz and the best of classical music hit Mr. Hentoff with ,4,Sti y' equal impact, then, unless he has a HI -FI WILLIAMSON higher susceptibility to one than the FM TUNER TYPE other, the creative powers behind

Self -contained power supply Tuning range 87 -109 20 -WATT them must be equally great. But the Mc 200Kc IF bandwidth Grounded -grid RF stage AMPLIFIER jazzman and his music cannot AFC with front -control cutoff Micro - be sep- vernier tuning No -drift ratio detector 4 uv arated. It must follow, therefore, sensitivity for 20 db quieting Standard de- that emphasis network .8 volt RMS cathode-follower there's at least output 3.2 volt one jazzman or jazz RMS high- impedance output Frequency response fiat and smooth 300 ohm input impedance thru entire audi Switch -controlled ble range Less group somewhere ( not Brubeck; he's AC receptacle for auxiliary than .0025 distortion at normal equipment. listening levels Excellent transient characteristics. Model FM -18, complete with punched out) whom Mr. Hentoff would rank chassis, tubes, Model TM -15A, complete with tubes and hardware (less wire - sockets, and solder) $29.50 terminal strips, and connectors mounted $49.95 with Bach, Beethoven or - you name the others - at their greatest heights. If his man were of lesser power, of deluxe course, his music couldn't be as emo- tionally penetrating or intellectually Self- Powered stimulating as theirs. PREAMPLIFIER EQUALIZER PREAMPLIFIER In all seriousness, I think that this with Cathode i is an exciting disclosure, and I hope Cathode -follower output Loudness -compensating control Input selector 4 input channels Follower Output sincerely that Mr. Hentoff will take Independent bass and treble boost and attenu- ation the us 5- position equalization control AC time to tell where we can receptacle for auxiliary equipment Self -contained 4 input power supply. channels Separate bass and treble find this jazzman and his music. We controls 3- position equalizer AC outlet for Model TM -165P, complete with matching gold auxiliary equipment Powered will know it when we hear it, escutcheon. by main amplifier. for ...... $24.50 Model TM -17P, complete_ ...... _..._...... $19.95 it will carry the degree of emotional impact we find in the Crucifixus from the Credo of the Mass in B Minor, Í iîL?/ü,at d the Cavatina of the Quartet in B -flat, f T-V or the intellectual excitement of the citedt CRAFT KIT first movement of the Eroica. 630 -TYPE TV KIT Advanced Cascode turret AFC horizontal sync. 3 -stage sync. amplifier, clipper and separator Super -selective 12- channel turret tuner IF sec 4 -stage stagger -tuned video IF Adjacent- lion completely wired and aligned 9 microvolt channel trap 2 -stage video amplifier Direct - sensitivity 3 -stage stagger -tuned IF AGC coupled keyed AGC circuit 5 microvolt tivity sensi- Syncro-guide AFC with horizontal hold Cer- For 21" to 27" (90 °) picture tube. amic core horizontal Model output xmfr with beam power 630 -9, complete with all components, amplifier. For L.V. electrostatic kines 17 " -21 ". brackets, speaker, and tubes (less kine, wire and Model 5516W, complete with tubes, Selfishly, I want this information solder)...... hardware, and ...... _._._$159.50 brackets (less kine, wire, and solder) ...... $94.50 for my own use. And I'm sure there must be many others who would welcome the enrichment Mr. Hentoff's /11 te:The quality and performance of Tech - revelation would bring them: people Master kits reflect the combination z of long whose love of music includes a gen- experience, skilled engineering, SUPERHET and painstak- uine affection for jazz and who are ing craftsmanship, which has made Tech - AC -DC RADIO familiar with the story of its Afro - Master the foremost name in Custom Tele- Broadcast Band - 550 -1720 KC Super -sensitive circuit with American origins, knowledgeable vision. This is your assurance of the uniform built -in loop antenna AVC S tubes. Model 3B5K, complete with enough to judge excellence of every Tech -Master product. tubes and handsome it in its proper con- bakelite cabinet (less wire and solder) ...... $19.95 text, and eager to see it evolve into something of deep artistic significance. Write for latest catalog of complete Tech -Master line Television Radio Audio TECH -MASTER CORPORATION H. S. Rummell Deansboro, N.Y. 75 Front Street, Brooklyn 1, N. Y.

22 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com symphony ißt sound

Sound by Stephens is always noteworthy when selecting the finest in superlative speaker systems. Designed, constructed, and tested by the pioneer sound engineers in high fidelity equipment, the name Stephens stands for true fidelity with music listeners the world over. Each pictured note represents quality speakers and components that will insure the listener a true symphony in sound. Stephens Tru -Sonic speaker systems are scientifically developed to reproduce brilliant, artistic sound reproduction without fidelity loss or distortion. From the designer's table to your home or business, Stephens speaker systems will provide flawless and trouble free operation throughout the years. Consult your Stephens dealer as to a recommended Tru -Sonic speaker system for your particular needs.

For name of dealer nearest you, write:

STEPHENS MANUFACTURING CORPORATION

I T Y . C A L I F O R N I A 8 5 3 8 W A R N E R D R I V E / C U L V E R C

CABLE ADDRESS: "MORHANEX" EXPORT ADDRESS 458 BROADWAY. NEW YORK 13. NEW YORK

MARCH 1956 23

www.americanradiohistory.com MUSIC LISTENER'S

BOOKSHOP The following are lists of records for trade: if any records listed here interest you, write directly to the person offering them and give him your trade list. The records listed A TIME -SAVING SERVICE TO OUR READERS. WE ATTEMPT below are stated to be in good condition; TO SEND YOU THE BOOKS YOU ORDER BY RETURN MAIL. however, we cannot be held responsible for Just send the coupon with your remittance. any records obtained through this column. Lists submitted for publication in this Binders are now in stock for Volumes 3, column must be limited to ten records for NEW BOOKS 5a, and 5b. trade and ten which are wanted. Composer, Binders $2.75 each The New HIGH FIDELITY HANDBOOK: title, performers, recording company, record Irving Greene and James Radcliffe. MUSIC LOVERS' ENCYCLOPEDIA: com- number and speed must be supplied by the 250 illustrations, diagrams and plans. piled by Rupert Hughes; newly revised trader. Only 33 1 and 78 rpm records will A complete practical guide for the and edited by Deems Taylor and Russell be listed. purchase, assembly, installation, main- Kerr. 930 pages. Contains a series of J. Simard, 28 Ave. Vieux Moulin, Giffard, tenance, and enjoyment of high fidelity essays contributed by eminent authorities P. Quebec, Canada, has the following LPs music systems. on such as: subjects acoustics, counter- for trade, and particularly wants some re- No. point, the conductor and his art, harmony, 200 $4.95 cent hi -fi recordings by Philadelphia Or- jazz, orchestration, recorded music, etc. chestra, Boston Symphony, and London THE HIGH FIDELITY Extremely valuable reference work; com- READER: edited by Philharmonic on Victor, Columbia, and pact and easy to use. Roy H. Hoopes, Jr. Introduction by London labels. John M. Conly. No. 152 $3.50 An anthology of out- Mahler: Symphony No. r in D. Stein- standing articles originally appearing RECORD INDEX . 1954: Complete alphabet- berg, Pittsburgh Symphony Orch. CAPITOL in HIGH FIDELITY Magazine cover- ical listings by composer or collection -title P 8224, r2 -in. ing various aspects of the high fidelity of all the classical and semi-classical, jazz Sibelius: Symphony No. 5; Finlandia. phenomenon. Among the contributors and spoken word record reviews contained Von Karajan, Philharmonic Orch. ANGEL are Charles Fowler, Roy Allison, in HIGH FIDELITY Magazine in 1954. I2 -in. Fernando Valenti, Peter Bartok, Emory 35002, Discographies included. 50c each. Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique. Mon- Cook, and David Sarser. teux, San Francisco Symphony Orch. Vic- HOME MUSIC SYSTEMS (Revised Edition); No. 155 $3.50 TOR LM 1131, r2 -in. Edward Tatnall Canby. 302 pages, illustrated. This popular guide to high Mozart: Così Fan Tutte (highlights). HIGH FIDELITY RECORD ANNUAL -A first Busch, Glyndebourne VIC- fidelity has been completely revised. Home Festival Orch. volume of record reviews -classical mu- TOR LM 1126, I2 -in. sic and the spoken word -from HIGH Music Systems explains the operation of a radio -phonograph, where to buy the Haydn: Symphonies No. 103 and 80. FIDELITY Magazine. Edited by Ro- Scherchen, Vienna Symphony. WESTMIN- land Gelatt. separate parts, and how to house them. STER WL 5050, r2 -in. One chapter is devoted to suggested - No. 201 corn $4.95 binations of equipment. Mozart: Concertos in D minor and C No. 151 $3.95 minor. Schnabel, Philharmonia Orch. LHMV 1012, 12 -in. THE RECORD GUIDE, Edward Sackville- THE FABULOUS PHONOGRAPH: Roland Schubert: Symphony No. 9, in C. Tos- West and Desmond Shawe -Taylor. Gelatt. A history of the phonograph trac- canini, NBC Orch. VICTOR LM 1040, Enlarged and completely revised edition. ing its progress from Thomas Edison's I 2-in. Both a catalogue and critical review of curious tin -foil apparatus to the astound- Wagner: Parsifal; Schubert: Rosamunde long -play records available in England, ing high fidelity sound systems of today. Ballet Music. Stokowski and Orch. VIC- listing the British record number. Full of As one of this country's outstanding mu- TOR LM -173o, 52-in. details of many special recordings not in- sic critics, Roland Gelatt has a keen ap- Mozart: Piano Quartet No. s, in cluded in the ordinary published lists. G preciation of the phonograph's importance. minor; No. 2, in E-fiat major. Curzon, No. 206 As a $7.50 sensitive social historian, he has a Amadeus Quartet. LONDON LL 679, I2 -in. discerning eye for the flavorful fact, or * * * * BINDERS FOR HIGH FIDELITY Magazine: the pungent quotation that sets a scene Jacob S. Schneider, 128 W. 66th St., New Red Leatherette, gold stamped on front illuminates and an era. York 23, N. Y., has "over 2,000 rare and backbone. Each binder holds 6 issues. No. 154 $4.95 operatic vocal deletions" which he will trade for 78 rpm records consisting of jazz, Book Department sweet, hot, pop, or personality, providing HIGH FIDELITY Magazine the records were made before 194o. Great Barrington, Mass. * * * * * B. Zemble, 318 Trinity Pl., Hillside, N. J., I enclose $ for which please send me, postpaid, the books indicated by has the following records to trade for jazz the circled numbers below. (No C.O.D.'s or charge orders, please.) LPs: Foreign orders sent at buyer's risk. Add 55c for postage on foreign orders. Jazz Goes to College: Brubeck; Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy; Pajama 151 152 154 155 200 201 206 Game (Columbia ML 4840); Music from Binders: 3, 5o, 5b. Record Index 1954 Hollywood: Percy Faith; Guiomar No- vaes Encores; Oklahoma! (Columbia ML NAME 4598); B. G. Presents Fletcher Hender- son; Strauss Waltzes: Kostelanetz; Pic- ADDRESS tures at an Exhibition; Firebird Suite: Ormandy. CITY ZONE .. STATE Continued on page 26

24 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com "BUILD -IT- YOURSELF" AND ENJOY

O Heathkit FM TUNER KIT Features brand new circuit and physical design. Matches WA -P2 Preamplifier. Modern tube line-up provides better than 10 uy. sensitivity for 20 db of quieting. Built -in power supply. Incorporates automatic gain control-highly stabilized oscillator- illuminated tuning dial- pre -aligned IF and ratio transformers and front end tuning unit. Uses MODEL FM -3 6BQ7A Cascode RF stage, 6U8 oscillator -mixer, two 'r /1 CO Healhkils 60B6 IF amplifiers, 6AL5 ratio detector, 6C4 audio `p245 amplifier, and 6X4 rectifier. Shpg. Wt. 7 Lbs. - Q Heathkit 25 -Watt HIGH FIDELITY AMPLIFIER KIT Features a new -design Peerless output transformer and KT66 output tubes. Frequency response within +1 db from 5 cps to 160 Kc at 1 watt. Harmonic distortion only 1% at o C` 0 25 watts, 20- 20,000 cps. IM distortion only 1% at 20 watts. 4, 8, or 16 ohms output. Hum and noise, 99 db below rated output. Uses 2- 12AU7's, 2- KT66's and 5R4GY. Attractive physical appearance harmonizes with WA -P2 Preamplifier. Kit combinations: 111 Ill:5-lfk W -5M AMPLIFIER KIT: W -5 COMBINATION AMPLIFIER III W.=111 Consists of main amplifier and KIT: Consists of W -5M am- UI-'1N`lll pI III Illlllltllll power supply, all on one chas- plifier kit plus Heathkit Model IÌ1 sis. Shpg. Wt. 31 Lbs. Express $5975 WA -P2 Preamplifier kit. Shpg. $7950 11 rr.rtreaä flII11111II111110pt1t11llttl © only. wt. 38 Lbs. Express only. 111ÌI1=tt1Ì11!Út1111j1p1ptt`ip11try1 111 1i atte; 1Is1111ÌI IU1111111kt111t': i Heathkit HIGH FIDELITY PREAMPLIFIER KIT IIIIh llt nt ,,,t ., Designed specifically for use with the Williamson Type Amplifiers, the WA -P2 features 5 separate switch -selected input channels, each with its own input control -full record equalization with turnover and rolloff controls- separate bass and treble tone controls -and many other desirable features. Frequency MODEL WA -P2 response is within ±1 db from 25 to 30,000 cps. Beautiful satin -gold finish. Power requirements from the Heathkit Williamson Type $1975 Amplifier. Shpg. Wt. 7 Lbs.

Q Heathkit Williamson Type HIGH FIDELITY AMPLIFIER KIT This amplifier employs the famous Acrosound TO-300 "Ultra Linear" output transformer, and has a frequency response within ±1 db from 6 cps to 150 Kc at 1 watt. Harmonic distortion only 1% at 21 watts. IM distortion at 20 watts only 1.3 %. Power output 20 watts. 4, 8, or 16 ohms output. Hum and noise, 88 db below 20 watts. Uses 2- 6SN7's, 2- 5881's and 5V4G. Kit combinations: W -3M AMPLIFIER KIT: Consists of W -3 COMBINATION AMPLIFIER main amplifier and power sup- KIT: Consists of W -3M amply for separate chassis con - plifier kit plus Heathkit Model struction. Shpg. Wt. 29 lbs. $495 WA -P2 Preamplifier kit. Shpg. $6950 Express only. Wt. 37 lbs. Express only. I Heathkit Williamson Type HIGH FIDELITY AMPLIFIER KIT This is the lowest price Williamson type amplifier ever offered in kit form, and yet it retains all the usual Williamson features. Employs Chicago output transformer. Fre- quency response, within +1 db from 10 cps to 100 Kc at 1 watt. Harmonic distortion only 1.5% at 20 watts. IM distortion at rated output 2.7 %. Power output 20 watts. 4, 8, or 16 ohms output. Hum and noise, 95 db below 20 watts, uses 2- 6SN7's, 2- 5881's, and 5V4G. An exceptional dollar value by any standard. Kit combinations: W -4AM AMPLIFIER KIT: Consists of W -4A COMBINATION AMPLIFIER main amplifier and power sup- KIT: Consists of W -4AM amply for single chassis construc- plifier kit plus Heathkit Model tion. Shpg. Wt. 28 lbs. Express WA -P2 Preamplifier kit. Shpg. $5950 only. J Wt. 35 lbs. Express only.

Heathkit 20 -Watt HIGH FIDELITY AMPLIFIER KIT The World's This model represents the least expensive route to high fidelity performance. Frequency Finest response is ±1 db from 20- 20,000 cps. Features full 20 watt output using push -pull 6L6's and has separate bass and treble tone controls. Preamplifier and Electronic MODEL A96 main amplifier on same chassis. Four switch - selected inputs, and Equipment separate bass and treble tone controls provided. Employs miniature tube types for low hum and noise. Excellent for home or PA in Kit Form applications. Shpg. Wt. 23 Lbs. $3550

N,f1A0 HEATH COMPANY Heathkit construction manuals are full of big, clear pictorial diagrams that show the A Subsidiary of Daystrom Inc. placement of each lead and part in the circuit. In addition, the step -by -step procedure describes each phase of the construction very carefully, and supplies all the information you need to assemble the kit properly. Includes information on resistor color- codes. BENTON HARBOR 8, tips on soldering, and information on the tools you need. Even a beginner can build high quality Heathkits and enjoy their wonderful performance. MICHIGAN

MARCH I956 25

www.americanradiohistory.com SWAP -A- RECORD Continuedfrom page 24 In exchange for opera recordings, in particular, John J. Haner, 815 N. Henderson, Galesburg, Ill., offers the following: Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet; Fran- Announcing England's cesca da Rimini. Golschmann, St. Louis Sym. Capitol P 8225. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. s. Cherkassky, Ludwig, Berlin Philh. Decca First Public High Fidelity Show 9605. Rimsky -Korsakov: Scheherazade. Mont- eux, San Francisco Sym. Victor LM 1002. Carmen, Opera for Orchestra. Kostelan- etz. Columbia ML 4826. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5. Two editions: Schnabel, Stock, Chicago Sym. Victor LCT 1015; Matthews, Süsskind, Philharmonia Orch. Columbia RL 3037. Beethoven: Symphony No. s; Haydn: Symphony No. 104. Munch, Boston Sym. Victor LM 1200. Schumann: Symphony No. 4; Mozart Symphony No. 38. Stock, Chicago Sym. Columbia RL 3026. Handel: Water Music Suite; Royal Fire- works Music. Harty, London Philh. Col- umbia RL 3019. Dvoiák: Cello Concerto in B minor. Piatigorsky, Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch. Columbia ML 4022. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake. Golschmann, St. Louis Sym. Victor LM 1003. Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. r; Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies, r and 2. Orman- dy, Philadephia Orch. Columbia ML 4132. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5. Dorati, Minneapolis Orch. Mercury 50008.

Peter Poulakis, 1687 Hoe Ave., Bronx 6o, N.Y., offers a list of LPs, in exchange for Washington Hotel / Curzon Street, London, W.1. which he would especially like symphonies Friday, Saturday, and Sunday by Haydn, Mahler, Bruckner; any modern April 13th, 14th and 15th works; chamber and vocal works. Beethoven: Four Piano Quartets. Balsam, 11 A.M. to 9 P.M. Pascal Quartet members. Concert Hall CHS 1205, 12 -in. Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4. Approximately 40 exhibitors - representing England's Toscanini, NBC Sym. Orch. Victor LM 1723, 12 -in. leading manufacturers of fine audio equipment - Bizet: Carmen (Highlights). Albanese, will conduct continuous demonstrations during show hours. Stevens, Peerce, Merrill, Reiner, RCA Vic- tor Orch. Victor LM 1749, 12 -in. American high fidelity enthusiasts and representatives Brahms: Violin Concerto. Olevsky, Mitchell, National Sym. Orch. Westmin- of American manufacturers - planning to be abroad ster 5273, I2 -in. at that time are invited to attend. Brahms: Double Concerto. Heifetz - Feuermann, Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch. Victor LCT 1016, 12 -in. Bruch: Concerto No. s for Violin; Beet- vie hoven: Romances for Violin. Francescatti, Mitropoulos, N. Y. Philh. Orch. Columbia ML 4575, 12 -in. Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (excerpts) . Soloists, Goehr, Netherlands Philh. Orch. MMS 2010, 12 -in. For further details, write to The Secretary Orff: Catulli Carmina. Hollreiser. Vox PL 864o, 12 -in. Rimsky -Korsakov: Scheherazade. Quadri, LONDON AUDIO FAIR 1956 Vienna State Opera Orch. Westminster WL 5234, I2 -in. 17 Stratton Street, London, W.1. Sibelius: Symphony No. 2. Collins, Lon- don Sym. Orch. London LL 822, 12 -in. The following Musicals, with original cast: The King and I; Oklahoma!; Carousel; South Pacific.

26 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com a mile of tape ... a mile of pleasure!

5280 feet on every 10W' reel of PLUS 100

Thanks to its extra thin -extra strong magic With a 5 inch reel, Plus 100 gives you a full Mylar* base, Soundcraft Plus 100 magnetic record- 1200 feet of recording pleasure. ing tape on a single 101/2 inch reel gives you The tape recorder expert who really knows his 5280 feet of clean, rewarding professional sound. equipment will insist on Soundcraft Plus 100 Even on a conventional 7 inch reel, you take magnetic recording tape -the EXTRA, EXTRA advantage of 2400 feet ... the recording length long -play quality tape. Ask for it wherever you that puts you on a par with the professionals. buy hi -fi equipment. DuPont Polyester Film

FOR EVERY SOUND REASON

REEVES SOUNDCRAFT co ,. 10 East 52nd Street, New York 22, N. Y.

MARCH 1956 27

www.americanradiohistory.com The ultimate in FIDELITY witopelst of music reproduction

Washington's Hi -Fi Show

Do you Washingtonians (D.C. variety ) know that the audio show is going to be at the Shoreham this year rather than at the Roger Smith as in the past? And that it will cost you go¢ to get in ( baby hi -fi -ers under twelve, if escorted, admitted free) ? The dates for the show are March 2, 3, and 4.

Interpretation

Everybody, but everybody, is talking about high fidelity these days. On January I, Dr. William E. McCormack, pastor of the First Congregational Church in San Francisco, had as the topic of discussion at his morning worship, "High Fidelity." We're willing to bet, though, that when he says those two words he doesn't mean the same thing we do.

Construction Notes

A reader wrote in recently to ask if we knew how to make a Catenoid. Of course we do. Its simple; and with the permission of the National Co. we'll tell you how: just step on its K L IP S C H tail! ( haw, haw) . 1 CORNIER HORN "Understanding High Fidelity" LOUDS E4.KER SYSTEM David Bogen Co., Inc. asked us to print the following letter: "Recently we have received several letters from readers of HIGH FIDELITY For low or medium budget sound indicating that they have not received systems the Shorthorn corner horn our 56 -page book, "Understanding with Klipscr ortho s -way drive system High Fidelity," though they had each approaches the Klipschorn system In performance. Available as shown, with sent us 25¢ for their copies some or without drivers, cr in util=y model weeks ago, in response to our adver- or unassembled kit form. tisements. Naturally, we have sent Both the Klipscho-n and Shorthorn books to these individuals immediate- vstems are fabricated under personal ly. ,.Jpervision of their designer, PaLI W. "We have reason to believe that,

Every McIntosh amplifier is guaranteed to meet Such Guaranteed Performance means: the following stringent tests for STABILITY:

The response of the amplifier to a UNIT STEP NO muddy bass due to amplifier "ringing- at FUNCTION (a test set -up to measure a single low frequencies. GOOD UNIT STEP FUNC- square wave) must conform to the standard of TION in both the McIntosh amplifier and pre- graph "A" below. (Graph "B" shows poor Unit amplifier contributes a clean bass characteristic, Step Function.) therefore eliminating any need for variable clamping controls or other pseudo -corrective if either an MC-30 or AIC -60 is driven to full measures. output, opening or shorting the output circuit must not damage any component tube or part Long dependable life even under adverse oper- of the power amplifier. ating conditions.

When the output circuit is either open circuited NO harsh mid- or treble range reproduction of or shorted no oscillation is allowed to develop percussion sounds. independent of input termination. NO waste of linear excursion of speaker cone at When the output circuit is connected to any size very low frequencies. commercial inductance (dividing networks, magnetic loudspeakers) or any size capitanee (di- NO oscillation problem when connected to a viding networks, electrostatic loudspeakers) no long line or the large capacitance of electro- oscillation is allowed to develop independent static loudspeakers. of input termination. Ann Egg 7

Oscillogram showing Oscillogram of un- good stability in the stable amplifier under McIntosh Amplifier. identical test condi- t: ... tions.

McINTOSH 60 watt AMPLIFIER MC -60 McINTOSH Audio Compensator The Standard of Excellence in today's high fidelity! Professional Tremendous reserve power contributes immeasurably to An equalizer -preamplifier that is the perfrect complement realism, provides a distinct advantage in handling tran- to the remarkable MC -60 basic amplifier. Exclusive compen- sients and crescendos cleanly, without overloading. Re- sation switches provide the ultimate in flexibility for living produces all elusive overtones with amazing ease. Here is realism in sound reproduction. Possesses great stability, an outstanding achievement in amplification /a of 1% -' and typical McIntosh low Harmonic Distortion at full 60 watts, from 20 to 20,000 wide frequency response possible with C. p. s.! Be sure you get all that audio science has made distortion. Hear the flawless reproduction available - the McIntosh 60. McIntosh uncompromising audio control.

MC-60 $198.50 C -8 Less Cabinet $88.50

Blonde or Mahogany Cabinet $8.00 Self- Powered Model $99.50 The McINTOSH patented CIRCUIT Write today for Free Booklet, "The Picture Story of

- with The world renowned McIntosh Bifilor Circuit, Unity equalization Coupling, was developed by pioneer specialists in high High Fidelity Sound ", with guide to correct record fidelity sound. It possesses exceptional characteristics not obtainable with conventional circuits. Push -pull circuits, which use two halves of a transformer to join the two halves of a wave, develop wave -form distortion because there is not perfect coupling. In the McIntosh circuit only one (bifilar) winding is used, therefore the two halves of the sound wave are perfectly coupled. The inherent electrical advantage allows the lowest distortion, highest efficiency, and the greatest stability of any amplifier made. The basic superiority of the McIntosh circuit makes it the only modern circuit, ready for any McINTOSHIltinfosk LABORATORY, INC., 322 WATER ST., BINGHAMTON, N. Y. advances in associated equipment. Export Div.: 25 Warren St., New York 7, N. Y. *U. S. Patents 2,477,074 (1949); also 2,545,788; 2,646,467; 2,654,058. Cable: Simontrice, N. Y. www.americanradiohistory.com NOTED WITH INTEREST Continued from page 28

... either - and have not written us to complain due to kindness, forgetful- ness, or inability to obtain our address. "The Bogen Company is anxious that all those who have sent us money receive their copies. Therefore, if you ordered the booklet a few weeks ago and haven't heard from us, please send a postcard to us at 29 Ninth Avenue, New York 14, N. Y., mentioning the name of this magazine. Copies of "Understanding High Fidelity" will go forward to you as fast we get the cards."

Caruso Fans, Hear This! al% If you're interested in obtaining some 1903 recordings of Caruso, in solo or duet arias, write to Mrs. Ethelyn Ball, 1926 Mason St., East Toledo 5, Ohio. If you are attempting to maintain standards as high as those of motion The five records she has include picture, TV, radio and professional recording studios . . . if you desire recorded music that is alive with clarity and richness ... if you require a "Dreams of Long Ago," excerpts from durable microphone that can be used for years without deviation from its Il Trovatore, Carmen, Faust, Forza del original standards ... you need a SHURE Studio Microphone for your Destino. She also recordings. has old recordings of Paderewski, Jascha Heifetz, Mischa Model "333" Elman, Rachmaninoff, Arthur Pryor's A slender, uni- directional microphone of amazing ruggedness Band, John McCormack, Alma Gluck, and striking design. It reduces random noise pickup by 73%, and others. The records are "in good almost completely eliminating the distracting background noises so condition, considering their frequently encountered in making recordings outside a controlled age." studio. The "333" provides a readily accessible multi -impedance switch that permits its use with all types of amplifiers and varying lengths of cable. Other features include a Voice - Penguins and Pelicans Music Switch, anti -"Pff" filter screen, and a vibration - isolation unit mounted in live rubber. The "333" provides To you who like to follow music with high- output and a smooth frequency response, with a pro- the score in hand, do you know that duction uniformity guaranteed -2%Z to db, 30 to 15,000 cps. Penguin Books Inc. (3300 Clipper Model "525" Mill Rd., Baltimore 11, Md.) has about twenty-five music scores An exceptionally fine probe microphone of broadcast quality. priced The "525" is an omni -directional microphone with a fre- at $ 1.00 or less? Write them for quency response of 40 to 15,000 cps, production uniformity their list. guaranteed to -I- 21/2 db. Other features include multi -impedance switch . . . high output . . . and "Duracoustic" diaphragm, specially designed to withstand moisture, heat, Know Thy Neighbor cold, and physical shock. The "525" is furnished with a swivel adaptor and a neck lavalier cord and belt clip assembly. Don't trust that kindly, old lady next door who stops you to comment A Model "300" on that new Mahler symphony you play- A bi- directional gradient microphone that reduces reverber- ed at 2 a.m.! Until you are pretty ation and the pickup of random noise energy by 66%! The "300" can be placed at a 73% greater distance from the per- certain that her motives are in the former than is possible with omni -directional microphones, interest of better music to be enjoyed providing greater freedom and allowing group recording. This by all, distrust her; deny it was you high fidelity microphone also features a readily accessible who played it; tell her it was the cats Voice -Music Switch, multi -impedance switch, anti -"Pff" whooping it filter screen, vibration -isolation unit mounted in live rubber up on the fence, or a ... frequency response with a production uniformity guaran- fireman's ball, or anything. Just don't teed to ?-2% db, 40 to 15,000 cps. admit you had your phonograph on pretty loud. NOTE: Models "333' and "525" multi- impedance switch is for 50- 150 -250 ohms impedance, Being Model "300" multi- impedance switch is for 50 -250 ohms and high impedance. the trusting souls we usually are, we should explain what's brought on this turnabout in us: SHURE BROTHERS, INC. Last Novem- 225 WEST HURON STREET CHICAGO 10, ILLINOIS Continued on page 34

32 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com INSTALLATION SIMPLIFIED

new .d-eicia-

Automatic Intermix RECORD CHANGER

Three Speeds: 331/3, 45 and 78 rpm

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MARCH 1956

www.americanradiohistory.com NOTED WITH INTEREST Continued from page 32

ber, down in the Washington, D.C. vicinity, a couple were fined $3,500 for "maintaining a condition that is a nuisance to their neighbors" - i.e., playing the radio at full blast. There's a common law against that. We don't know what the answer is for folks who live in apartments, or in neigh- borhoods where houses are only a couple of feet apart. Maybe a gent who wrote a letter -to- the -editor of the New York Daily News has one answer. He says: "Why doesn't someone do over one of those old brownstone buildings to provide soundproof apartments for us hi -fi lovers? As is, we spend $5oo or $600 on our equipment, and when we are finished and have them on a little loud, the way they have to be in order to hear them at their best, you hear nothing but the people upstairs hitting on the floor, the ones below on the pipes, the ones on each side hitting on the walls. and across the court they are yelling out their windows. I'm off to the hills with my machine!" What hills, buddy? G-E "GOLDEN TREASURE" CARTRIDGE Back Copies with new Clip -In -Tip Diamond Stylus The following have complete sets of brings you front row fidelity -at home back copies they'll sell to the highest bidder: George S. Koch, Jr., Colonia EVERY NOTI: of music from the sonorous placement so easy. With Clip -In -Tip, any- San Antonio, San Francisco del Oro, bass viol to the tinkle of the triangle is one can replace a G -E stylus instantly. Chih., Mexico; Morton Dressler, 510 reproduced with stunning clarity by the Now it's easy to use good styli all the W. 123 St., New York 27, N. Y.; "Golden Treasure" Cartridge. Long -last- time protect your records, -and too. H. C. Jung, io6o Cragmont Ave., ing G -E diamond styli* reduce wear on When buying a new cartridge, or re- record grooves make last Berkeley, Cal. to records longer, placing a worn -out stylus -be sure you in- is T. A. Flournoy, Route 1, Mineola, sound better. General Electric the choice sist on the genuine G -E. See your hi -fi dealer Tex., has a complete set, with excep- of audio experts, professional broadcasters, for a demonstration. General Electric Co., home music lovers everywhere. Special Products, TV Dept., Section R5436, tion of Nos. 4 and 5, for resale at Only General Electric has the exclusive Electronics Park, Syracuse, New York. $15, pp in U.S., plus postage outside. Clip -In -Tip design that makes stylus re- George P. Bristow, Jr., 156 Park- *G -lì sapphires available at louer Cost. way Dr., San Antonio, Tex., will sell his complete set for 5o¢ per issue. Neil Stringer, 117 N. Genois St., New Orleans 19, La., has copies 7 through 21 which he'll give to anyone who'll pay Express charges. Dr. V. Arnett, 127 E. 54th St., New York 22, N. Y., has all the back issues for sale. Price: copies through 1954, IT'S EASY! Raise the tone arm to permit free IT'S QUICK! Worn stylus slides out -new stylus $15; through 1955, $20. rotation of the Clip -In -Tip stylus... clips in. That's all you have to do! Bernardo Cohn, Echeverria 3584, Buenos Aires 3o, Argentina, S.A., has Progress Is Our Most /mporfant Product issues Nos. 9, 19, and 25 he will sell. Thomas Roby, 202 Glendale Ave., GENERAL ELECTRIC Alexandria, Va., will sell issues Nos. 2, Continued on page 37

HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com NOTED WITH INTEREST

Continued from page 34

3, 5-8, 10 -13 at $1.00 each or $7.50 for the lot, including a Beethoven Dis- BROCINER cography reprint. PRINTED CIRCUIT AUDIO AMPLIFIERS

Wanted HIGH FIDELITY Magazine says Dr. Nestor Arreaza -Colizza, c/o Hospital Central, Valencia, Venezuela, S.A., wants copies of back issues Nos. r through 8. Bill Schroeder, 181 Congress St., Jersey City 7, N. J., wants ( you guessed it) No. 4. If he can't get one, you can buy his complete set ( with No. 4 missing) for $20, plus postage. John M. McCoy, Sunset Rock Rd., Andover, Mass., wants Nos. 1, 4 -7, 9, 13 -15, 19.

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Gibson Girl, Jr. Mark 10 Integrated Amplifier Robins Industries Corp., 214 -26 41st and Control Center Ave., Bayside 61, N.Y., has produced "ASTONISHED ME." a new tape splicer which is smaller, -B. H. Noggin, "The Nation" lighter, and lower in cost than other models, no great burden to carry A complete, truly high fidelity amplifier at a moderate price. Features flexibility around with you. It cuts tape diag- with simplicity of control. Accurate record compensation, adjustable for all recording onally, and trims the splice so as to curves. For all high quality phonograph pickups. Bass and treble controls. Rumble fitter. Loudness-compensated volume control. Tape output jack. 20 db. feedback. 10 watts produce a slightly narrower waist, at less than 1% distortion. Attractive maroon and gold finish. Compact: 41/2" x 11" x 8" therefore preventing contact of the $75.00 adhesive you use with the recorder. Available at better high -fidelity distributors. (Prices slightly higher west of Rockies). Literature on request. That we like. BROCINER Dept. H13 Also announced by Robins is a 344 E. 32nd St. ELECTRONICS CORPORATION New York 16, N. Y Phono- Cushion made of plastic (Poly - Illi

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MARCH 1956

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

You can't get complete ester foam ) . It comes in several colors; is enclosed in a plastic envelope which performance with can be used for storage of ro -inch half an instrument! LPs. ( Incidentally, these plastic en- velopes may be bought separately for I o -inch record storage.)

For top performance get a New Product j_D) A new company with a new product: Metzner Engineering Corp., 1041 North Sycamore St., Hollywood 38, Cal., has announced a "high- fidelity, turntable center -drive turntable." Four speeds (163/3 rpm being the fourth) ; four - it's ready to play! pole drive -motor; built-in stroboscope; retails at $49.50, less pickup. For more information, write their Dept. R. You can't expect good performance from half a violin - neither can you expect perfect reproduction with a Fairchild's New Child turntable lacking essential design features. The Pro- fessional insures top performance because it is engi- A new high power amplifier has been neered with all the necessary features to eliminate announced available by Fairchild. It's distorting rumble, flutter and wow. It is the only com- Model 275, "designed to deliver 75 plete turntable unit with base and built -in shock watts continuously, and capable of mounting legs, power switch and cord as standard peaks up to 15o watts." equipment - it comes ready to play! Remember, no extras to buy! Great Danes, 1955 3 -Speed Model PBT Complete - Ready to Play The Danish Gramophone Society has announced the winners of the Danish $99.50 Gramophone Record Awards for disks recorded during the period July r, 1954 to June 3o, 1955, by Danish artists and ensembles of Danish music and speech. The Society limits the Awards to national accomplishments because it is their aim "to emphasize the extraordinary efforts for Danish art and artists made by the Danish gramophone companies." The awards went to the following records: Decca L J V ( English ) LXT 2979: Carl Nielsen's _FL Flute Concerto; Holger Gilbert -Jes- persen, Danish State Radio Orchestra, QQ Thomas Jensen, cond. Columbia 33KC QONOO_OaL-`1r-i r : Igor Stravinsky: Octet for Wind Instruments; Members of Copenhagen Incomparable because of its exclusive Royal Orchestra. Decca (English) Belt- Driven 25 lb. Turntable. LXT 298o: Nielsen: Symphony No. The distinctive feature which sets the Pro- 5; Danish State Radio Orchestra, fessional apart is an endless fabric belt plus Thomas Jensen, cond. Decca (Eng- the 25 lb. turntable. It reduces rumble to 4 -Speed Model lish) LXT 2934: Nielsen: Three Mo- minus 70 db, wow and flutter to .05 °0. There tets, Op. 55; Danish Radio Madrigal are no noisy rubber idlers - no mainte- Choir, Mogens Wöldike, cond. Tono nance problem! $109.50 LPX 35007: Runar Schildt. Galgeman- for more descriptive literature or visit your den; Anna Borg and Poul Reumert. dealer for a side -by -side "listening comparison." Special Award went to H.M.V. KCLP rite 1: "From the Danish Resistance Move- Components Corporation ment" - situations from the German occupation 1940-45. DENVILLE, NEW JERSEY

îS HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com As THE EDITORS SEE IT

SUPPOSE you become interested in the literature on microgrooves. About 17,000 of the 78s have been cata- Christopher Columbus and conceive a desire to read logued, and these are mostly of post -1925 vintage, though Washington Irving's authoritative life of the great ex- the New York collection does include about 200 exceed- plorer. It was first published in 1828 and has been out of ingly rare acoustics and a few hundred others of lesser print for some time. But that is not of serious consequence. rarity. This collection, like the one in Washington, has You will find the book in any large reference library in been built up principally as the result of gifts. For several the English- speaking world. years Columbia and RCA Victor have kept the New York Suppose, on the other hand, that you need some infor- Public Library supplied with all new releases; other corn- mation on Busoni's interpretation of Bach. Nothing more panies have contributed more sporadically, and some not authoritative in this regard exists than the recordings Busoni at all. Many individuals in the New York area have also himself made for English Columbia shortly before his death given records to the Library. Unfortunately, there is no in 1924. These too have been out of print for a long time, way for the public to use this collection. The records are and in this case with far more serious consequences. For stored in the basement and see the light of day only when there is not in the whole United States one really large col- record concerts are held under the Library's auspices. lection of out -of -print records to which the public has These two collections are valuable as far as they go, but access. So far as most of us in this country are concerned, neither of them goes far enough. Even the Library of Con- Busoni's Bach must remain unheard. gress, with its 100,000 recordings, possesses only a fraction There is only one way to describe this state of affairs. It of the past seventy years' output. And both collections are is scandalous. The phonograph record is in its own way sadly deficient in that sine qua non of all good libraries: just as valuable a reference tool as the printed book, and it easy accessibility. Something better is needed. does not deserve to be so slighted. Recordings of sound, in Perhaps a new approach is called for. Just as micro- one form or another, have been made in abundance for film has enabled libraries to make rare books and news- about seventy years. Vaudeville comics and opera singers, papers available to all who want to consult them, so mag- pianists and actors, poets and statesmen, dance bands and netic tape can allow the legacy of recorded sound to be symphony orchestras have all been immortalized within the heard by all who want to listen. A Shakespeare First Folio grooves of records. An era has been documented in sound. and a Caruso Zonophone are wonderful objects to own, Surely, the time has come when this entire documentation but a microfilm of the one and a transcription of the other should be collected, catalogued, and made available to are just as useful, and they are certainly better adapted to those who need it. the rough- and -tumble of public use day in and day out. It is true that a beginning has been made toward this In our dreams we have conjured up an American Insti- goal. Two archives of recordings already exist in the United tute of Recorded Sound, headquartered in New York City, States. One of them belongs to the Music Division of the whose sole purpose would be to collect, on tape, recordings Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. This collection of the past, to house them in its own building, and to comprises somewhat more than Ioo,000 recordings of all make them available to the public. Scattered throughout kinds. At present it is only partially catalogued, and no the world are fabulous private collections that should be estimate can be made of the number of LPs in relation transferred to tape with the least possible delay while they re- to 78s, or of the percentage of acoustic (pre -1925 ) record- still exist intact. There are great collections of vocal ings as opposed to electric. Most of the musical recordings cordings such as those of Roberto Bauer in Milan, Michel belong to the "classical" category, as the Library's systemat- de Bry in Paris, W. R. Moran and George T. Keating in of ic acquisition of popular recordings did not begin until California. There is Jim Walsh's unique collection the 19405. The Library has had to depend mainly on the American and British music -hall entertainers, Harold generosity of manufacturers for its records, and there are Schonberg's of pianists, Joseph Szigeti's of violinists. Wal- a few large companies who have not felt at all generous ter Toscanini has an unparalleled collection of recordings in this respect. Funds for the purchase of records are very made by his father. The list could go on and on. small. Thanks to a grant of $41,520 from the Carnegie We would like to see this rich legacy of recorded sound Corporation in 1940, the Library of Congress has some ex- gathered together in one place. And we would like to see cellent recording and playback equipment. However, there it made every bit as accessible as is the legacy of printed is enough of it to accomodate only serious researchers, who books in our reference libraries. Enthusiasm, knowledge, must make appointments in advance. and money are needed to accomplish this program. Es- The other large archive of recordings belongs to the Mu- pecially money -and lots of it. Are you listening, Mr. sic Division of the New York Public Library. Here there Ford Foundation? The American Institute of Recorded are approximately 30,000 disks, of which some 3,000 are Sound needs your help. R.G.

MARCH 1956 4'

www.americanradiohistory.com BETTMANN ARCHIVE

Music in England - 1851

by HECTOR BERLIOZ

TRANSLATED BY JACQUES BARZUN

Berlioz, journalist and satirist as well as composer, assembled various of his writings into a book called Evenings with the Orchestra, purporting to be a series of chats with bored members of a provincial opera orchestra, during performances. This is an excerpt, more serious than most of the book, adapted from an actual news report. Alfred A. Knopf will publish Mr. Barzun's new translation of the Evenings next month.

IWAS IN LONDON during the early part of June last harmony of the other choristers' white garb. year, when a scrap of newspaper that came accidentally Thus disguised as a churchman, I awaited what 1 was into my hands informed me that the Anniversary Meeting to hear with a certain vague emotion brought on by what of the Charity Children was about to take place in St. I saw. Nine very steep stands, each numbering sixteen Paul's. I went at once in search of a ticket, which, after rows of benches, had been erected for the children in the many applications and letters, I ended by securing through center of the building, under the dome and under the the courtesy of Mr. Goss,* chief organist of that cathedral. eastern vaulting in front of the choir stalls. The six stands By ten o'clock in the morning the crowd had blocked the under the dome formed together a sort of six -sided en- approach to the church. I managed, with some little closure, with openings to the east and west only. From trouble, to force my way through it. On reaching the the latter opening rose a broad ramp of seats extending organ loft reserved for the regular choir of seventy men to the top of the principal entrance door, and already and boys, I was given a bass part, which I was requested occupied by a huge crowd, which could thus, even from to sing with them, and a surplice, which I had to put on the most distant benches, hear and see everything per- in order not to destroy, with my black frock -coat, the fectly. To the left of the gallery where we stood in front of *Later Sir John (1800 -80). The meetings of the Charity Children began in 1704, and first took place in St. Paul's in 1789. the organ, a platform was in readiness for seven or eight

42 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com trumpeters and kettledrummers. On this platform a large is to a village church, and then a hundred times more. mirror had been placed, so as to show the musicians the I must add that this broad and grand hymn is set to superb movements of the precentor beating time far away in his harmonies, with which the organ flooded it without ever corner, under the dome but over the entire choral mass. succeeding in drowning it out. I was agreeably surprised This mirror also served the organist, whose back was to learn that the melody, long attributed to Luther, is by turned to the choir. Banners affixed all round the vast Claude Goudimel, a choirmaster at Lyon in the sixteenth amphitheater, whose sixteenth and last row almost touched century.* the capitals of the columns, marked the places to be oc- In spite of the feeling of oppression and the tremor I cupied by the various schools, and bore the names of was experiencing, I managed to control them sufficiently the parishes or districts of London to which these schools to be able to take a part in the "reading psalms," which belonged. the regular St. Paul's choir had to perform next. Boyce's As the groups of children filed in, the compartments Te Deum, written in 176o, a featureless work also sung filling up successively from top to bottom presented an by the choir, finally restored my equanimity. In the Coro- unusual spectacle which suggested what occurs in the nation Anthem the children joined the small organ choir microscopic world during the phenomenon of crystalli- from time to time, but only with solemn ejaculations zation. The shafts of this crystal, made up of human mole- such as "God save the King! " "Long live the King! " "May cules that continually proceeded from the circumference the King live for ever!" "Amen, hallelujah!" and again I to the center, were of two colors: the dark -blue coats of was electrified. I had to count many rests, in spite of the the small boys on the upper tiers, and the white gowns kind attentions of my neighbor, who kept pointing out to and caps of the little girls in the lower rows. Moreover, me in his part the bar we had reached, in the belief that as the boys wore on their jackets, some a plaque of I had lost my place. But when we came to the psalm polished copper, others a silver medal, their motions made in triple time by Joseph Ganthony, an old English master the light reflected from these metallic ornaments glitter (1774), sung by all the voices to the accompaniment of in such a way as to produce the effect of a thousand sparks trumpets, kettledrums, and organ - nature, under the flashing and blotted out every moment on the dark back- shattering effect of this inspired and glowing hymn, so ground of the picture. The appearance of the stands oc- grand in its harmony and of an expression as noble as it cupied by the girls was still more strange; the green and is touching - nature reasserted her right to be weak, and pink ribbons adorning the head and neck of these little I had to make use of my vocal score as Agamemnon did maids in white made that part of the amphitheater look of his toga, to veil my face. like a mountain covered with snow, but streaked with Following this sublime piece, and while the Archbishop blades of grass and flowers here and there. of Canterbury was delivering his sermon - which the Add to this the variegated tints melting in the distant distance prevented me from hearing - one of the masters chiaroscuro of the sloping platform on which the audience of ceremonies sought me out and led me, my face wet with sat, the red -hung pulpit of the Archbishop of Canterbury, *The "Old Hundred" (or "Hundredth ") is a tune from the Genevan Psalter, the richly ornamented benches of the Lord Mayor and and its authorship has long been in dispute. Goudimel's claims now seem the British peerage on the floor below the dome, then finally disallowed. at the farther end, high up, the gilded pipes of the great organ - imagine this magnificent church of St. Paul's, the largest in the world after St. Peter's, framing the entire scene, and you will still have but a poor idea of this incomparable spectacle. And everywhere perfect order, quiet, and calm, which enhanced still farther the magic of the scene. The most wonderful stage- setting imaginable could never approach this reality which, as it now seems to me, I must have seen in a dream. As the children, dressed in their new clothes, gradually took their seats with a sober joy devoid of any turbulence, but in which, rather, some little pride was discernible, I could hear my English neighbors say among themselves: "What a sight! What a sight!" And deep was my emotion when the six thousand five hundred little singers were at last seated and the ceremony began. After a chord on the organ, there arose in a gigantic unison the first psalm sung by this incredible choir: All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice. It would be useless for me to try to give you an idea of the musical effect; the strength and beauty were to those BETTMANN ARCHIVE of the best choirs you have ever heard as St. Paul's itself Street musician of the 185os: the visitor was impressed.

MARCH 1956 43

www.americanradiohistory.com tears, to various places of the church, so that I might gaze interval of an eleventh, from the lower B to the E on upon all aspects of a scene which the eye could not take the fourth space (G clef ) . All these notes, which are in from any single point of vantage nor appreciate in all virtually common to the soprano, mezzo -soprano, and its grandeur. He then left me alone below, near the pulpit, contralto, and are consequently to be found in all the among the fashionable world - that is to say, at the children, have a marvelous sonority. It is doubtful whether bottom of the crater of the vocal volcano; so that when the children could be made to sing in several parts. In the eruption began again for the final psalm, I had to spite of the extreme simplicity and breadth of the melodies admit that here its power was twice as great as in any there is, to the musical ear, nothing like a faultless ensemble other part of the church. In going out I met old Cramer,t in the attacks after the pauses. This is due to the fact that who in his enthusiasm forgot that he knows French to the children do not know the meaning of beats in a perfection and began shouting at me in Italian: "Cosa bar and do not dream of counting them. Besides, their stupenda! stupenda! la gloria dell'Inghilterra!" sole conductor stands high above the choir, where he can

And then Duprez, ( Gilbert Duprez (1806 -96 ) , a famous readily be seen only by the higher ranks of the three tiers

French tenor ) , the great artist who in the course of his facing him; he does hardly more than indicate the be- brilliant career has moved the hearts of so many, found ginning of each piece, the majority of the singers being many outstanding debts paid back to him that day - debts unable to see him, and the rest seldom deigning to look owed him by France and paid him by these English chil- at him. dren.* I have never seen Duprez in such a state; he The amazing effect of the unison is due, in my opinion. stammered, wept, and rambled, the while the Turkish to two causes: to the enormous number and good quality Ambassador and a handsome young Hindu passed close of the voices in the first instance, and secondly to the by us, cold and sad, as if they had just heard their dancing disposition of the singers in very high tiers. The reflectors dervishes howling in a mosque. O sons of the East, you and producers of sound are thus nicely balanced. The lack one of the senses of man. Will you ever acquire air within the church is struck from so many points at it? ... once, in surface and in depth, that it vibrates as a whole Now for a few technical particulars. This institution of and its disturbance develops a power and majesty of the Charity Children was founded by George III in 1764. action on the human nervous system which the most It is supported by the voluntary donations or subscriptions learned efforts of musical art under ordinary conditions of the rich or even ordinary well -to -do classes of the have so far not given us any notion of. I may add, as a capital. The profits derived from the Anniversary Meeting mere conjecture, that under exceptional circumstances in St. Paul's, tickets for which are sold at half a crown and such as these there must occur a good many as yet un- half a guinea, belong to it also. Although all the seats charted phenomena having to do with the mysterious laws reserved to the public on this occasion are sold out a of electricity. long time ahead, the space taken up by so many children I wonder also whether the cause of the notable difference means that a large part of the church has to be sacrificed between the voices of the children reared by charity in to the admirable arrangements I have described, and this London and those of our poor children in Paris may not naturally cuts into the financial returns of the ceremony. be due to the good and plentiful food given to the former, The expenses, moreover, are quite high: the erection of while the food the latter get is insufficient and of low the nine amphitheaters and of the ramp alone costs £450 quality. This seems very likely. These English children

( $2,250) . The receipts generally amount to £800 are strong, with solid muscle, and not in the least like

( $4,000) . Hence there remain at most but £350 ( $1,750 ) the sickly and debilitated young of the working classes for the 6,500 poor youngsters who give such a festival in Paris, who are themselves run down by malnutrition, to their mother city. The voluntary donations, however, hard work, and privations. It is quite natural that the always amount to a considerable sum. vocal organs of our children should reflect the weakness The children have no knowledge of music; they have of the rest of the organism, and that even their intelligence never seen a note in their lives. Every year they are made is affected by it. to parrot, by ceaseless repetition on the violin for three At any rate it is not the voices alone that would be whole months, the hymns and anthems they are to sing lacking today to reveal to Paris, with the same amazing at the Meeting. They thus learn them by heart, and conse- effect, the sublimity of monumental music. What would quently bring to the church no notes or anything else to be lacking in the first place is the cathedral of gigantic guide their singing, which is why they sing only in unison. proportions ( the Church of Notre Dame itself would Their voices are beautiful, but of narrow range. Hence not be suitable); next, alas, would be the artistic faith, a they are generally given only phrases that lie within the direct and passionate drive toward art; then the patience and calm discipline of pupils and artists; the conscious will, if not of the government, at least of the wealthy U. B. Cramer (1771 -1858), the famous pianist admired by Beethoven, and senior partner in the music -publishing firm of Cramer and Beale, who strongly classes, to attain the goal after having perceived the beauty supported all Berlioz's musical activities in London, Cramer's words below read: "A stupendous thing! stupendous! the glory of England!" of it; and as a consequence, finally, the money would not be forthcoming and the undertaking would totter on *In the recently published letters of George Eliot, one hears a delayed echo of its base. We need only recall to compare small things this event, a year later: "On Thursday morning I went to St. Paul's to see the - Charity Children assembled and hear their singing. Berlioz saya it is the with great the sad end of Choron, who with his slender finest thing he has heard in England and this opinion of his induced me to go. - I was not disappointed - it is worth doing once, especially as we got out be- resources had already obtained Continued on page 118 fore the sermon." - To Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bray, June 5, 1852.

44 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com BETTMANN ARCHIVE

Whistle (Vivaldi) While You Work

by WILLIAM WEAVER

ARZIGNANO is a small town of about fifteen thousand phrase "Italian music" is apt to mean simply nineteenth inhabitants in Northern Italy, between Vicenza and Verona, century opera. And, until a few decades ago, the Italians at the foot of the Dolomites. It is also a prosperous town, themselves seldom bothered about anything before Rossini owing to the flourishing Pellizzari factory ( manufacturers or after Cilea. In American symphony concert programs, of industrial machines) which is located there. The visitor the only Italian music ever played was an occasional Rossini to Arzignano senses this prosperity at once, as he looks at overture, the Paganini concerto, a Respighi tone poem, or the neat houses or as he watches the workers, bicycling - rarely - some kind of "suite" cooked up from odd home from the plant and whistling on their way. But if morsels of Boccherini or some very liberal "arrangement" the visitor listens closely to what they're whistling, he may from Tartini or Viotti. These "suites" and "arrangements" receive a shock; chances are the tune will not be the latest still flourish on both sides of the Atlantic; but in Italy since popular song, but rather the second tenor part of the Vivaldi the war, and in America for the last few seasons, the con- Gloria or a few bars of the Bach Magnificat. cert -going public has been gradually introduced to a vast This does not mean that all Italy whistles Bach and and various archive of Italian instrumental music, dis- Vivaldi - but Arzignano does. Thanks to the musical in- covered and copied out by a small group of scholars, and clinations of Antonio Pellizzari, son of the company's performed by chamber groups whose number increases with founder and its present general manager, the town has be- every season. come a landmark on Italy's musical map. The young indus- Respighi himself was interested in ancient music, but his trialist- conductor founded a music school there in 1951, and interest was more that of a grave- robber than that of an this institution, in what had been a cultural hinterland, had archeologist. His souped -up version of Monteverdi's Or f eo an immediate aid revolutionary effect on the community. is still performed in Italy once in a while, and he also raided In less than a year after the school was founded, its chamber the past for his Uccelli and his suites of ancient airs and orchestra and chorus were performing Handel, Bach, and dances. But it was another composer of the period who, Vivaldi to packed houses. Since then, the organization has with a more respectful attitude towards his illustrious grown; they have given concerts in other cities ( this winter predecessors, took the lead in restoring Italy's eighteenth - they will visit Rome), and some of their recordings have century music to its proper high position. This was Alfredo

recently been released ( in Italy) . Casella. Though few of his own compositions have re- Arzignano is an exceptional town, even in a musical manied in the repertory, Casella is fondly remembered in country like Italy. However, its repertory and its musical Italy (he died in 1947) both as a musician and a scholar. interests are not exceptional: they are typical of Italy's musi- He was particularly interested in the work of Antonio cal life today. To the average American music -lover, the Vivaldi, whose music he edited, performed, and propagated.

MARCH I956 45

www.americanradiohistory.com To talk of chamber music in Italy these days is, in fact, begun the agonizing task of rebuilding after the war's to talk of Vivaldi. No chamber music program is complete destruction when some of its leading musicians and ama- without at least one work of this Venetian priest. In the last teurs formed the Orchestra da camera napoletana; in 1949 twenty years or so, catalogues of his enormous output have this group was taken over by the Associazione Scarlatti, been issued, facsimile editions of his scores have appeared, which re- baptized it. The Association, which also sponsors and more works of his than of the most prolific contempo- a series of concerts, has built the orchestra into one of the rary composers have been given "premières." best in Italy, and supplements its activity with a general Associated with Casella in the spreading of Vivaldï s cultural program, including lectures, competitions, and so fame was another significant Italian musical personality - on. Though they perform a wide variety of works ( includ- Count Guido Chigi Saracini of Siena. Count Chigi is a ing some contemporary composers like Chavez and Valen, composer too; but he is more important as a patron of rarely heard in Italy ) , they specialize in eighteenth -century music and the founder (in 1932) of Siena's Accademia music and are responsible for the first modern performances Chigiana, where Casella was one of the original teachers. of works by Albinoni, Reali, Leo, Sacchini, and others. They The Accademia functions primarily as an international are planning their first American tour for the 1956 -57 summer school for advanced musicians, but it also special- season; but they are already known in the United States izes in the discovery and performance of rare works from through their Angel recordings. the past. Since 1939 these performances have been or- Like Vienna, Naples is a musical city with a large and ganized into a special festival week at the end of the school's enthusiastic public and taxi -drivers who can tell you who's semester, the "settimana sense," which usually occurs in singing at the opera, which rivals La Scala. The other great early September. Such composers as the Scarlattis, Galuppi, musical city in Italy is, of course, Milan. There the orches- Rinaldo da Capua, Pergolesi, and, of course, Vivaldi have tra of the Angelicum performs a function similar to the been amply performed in these brief festivals, which even Scarlatti's. Founded in 1942 by the Franciscan order of offer performances of operas. Another outgrowth of the frati minori, the Angelicum is managed by Father Enrico Accademia is the Center of Vivaldian Studies, founded in Zucca, with the musical advice of the composer G. F. Ghe- 1949, which has published a number of scholarly works. dini and of the permanent conductor Aladar Janes. As But from the average music -lover's point of view, the might be expected, the Angelicum ( frequently assisted by Accademia's most valuable immediate contribution has been various choral groups ) leans towards religious music. This the Quintetto Chigiano, organized in 1939, now one of year, for example, in honor of the 35oth anniversary of the Italy's oldest functioning chamber groups. Taking the birth of Carissimi, they will perform seven of his oratorios, name of the Accademia's founder, it has also followed his including the best -known, Jephte. They will also perform tastes, and in the last fifteen years has been a great agent in the Juditha Triumphans and the Gloria of Vivaldi, Bach's stirring up interest in old music in Italy. At the same time, Magnificat, and Mozart's Requiem. But their interests are it has introduced a number of contemporary works. This not exclusive: they have also revived many eighteenth -cen- group is well known abroad ( it has toured a great deal) , tury secular works and have given first modern perform- and has made some recordings for the London label. ances of Bonporti, Rolla, Zavateri, and Vivaldi (whose Since this quintet was formed, a series of other small mandolin concerto in C was given its first Italian perform- groups have been established and have managed to make a ance by the Angelicum in 1953). The Angelicum also more or less permanent place for themselves in Italy's musi- sponsors, like the Scarlatti, a cultural program with lectures, cal world: the Trio di Trieste, the Quartetto Italiano, the record concerts, free courses, exhibitions, and publications Quintetto Boccherini ( especially on a number of subjects, not all of devoted to the works of the musi- them musical ones. cian whose name it takes ) , and the Though it is far from being Trio Redditi ( the youngest group, Italy's musical capital, Rome has and a promising one) , as well as given birth to several of the coun- various other trios and duos, which try's most important and most ac- assemble and break up as their tive chamber groups. The Virtuosi seasonal engagements require. di Roma, as they are known Italy's eighteenth -century com- abroad ( in Italy they are called

posers did not write only trios and the Collegium Musicum Roma - quartets, however; they also wrote num ) , are a local body, but they symphonies and concertos, and to are on tour most of the time and perform these works a number of are heard, at most, once or twice larger chamber groups have been in the city that gave them their formed. Like the smaller ensem- name. The Corelli string orchestra bles, these chamber orchestras have also calls Rome its home, but it had an enviable success. too is more often away than not. The largest and most stable of And the same is true of the more these organizations is the Or- recent, smaller group I Musici, chestra Alessandro Scarlatti of formed in 1951 by twelve young BETTMANN ARCHIVE Naples. This city had barely The Red Priest leads a hit parade. graduates Continued on page 124

46 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Is there an uninvited `presence" in your listening room ?

THE haunted LOUDSPEAKER

by J. Gordon Holt

Illustration by the author

ONE OF THE THINGS that makes high fidelity such an attractive topic for Sunday supplement writers is that it lends itself so readily to neat - even if gaudy - definition. Writers derive an irresistible thrill from being able to which "suits his ear." In some respects this is a pretty sit down at a typewriter and deftly define a complicated good statement of the problem, but its real significance business like high fidelity sound reproduction with a has little to do with the aural acuity of the listener. short, gleaming phrase like "exact re- creation of the If two people with widely different hearing characteris- original sounds." Or "just like having the orchestra in tics could sit in the same seat at the same orchestra concert, your living room" ( God forbid! ) . Or, merely the single, they would be subjected to the same pattern of air vi- simple - and sinister - word "presence." brations, even though they might perceive different things The implication is that any one with average hearing, when the orchestra played a certain chord. If both of armed with one of these deft definitions, can attend a these people were seated in a living room and were having couple of live concerts, walk into a hi -fi salon, and proceed their ears stimulated by precisely the same air vibrations infallibly to choose the system which most closely dupli- as were present in the concert hall, they would still perceive cates the sound of "the real thing," within the limitations different things, but could nonetheless identify the sound of his budget. Its as basic as that. Just a matter of simple as being exactly like that of the live orchestra. comparison ... there's only one real thing, so all we have On the other hand, what a person hears in a concert hall to do is get a system that sounds like it. depends not only on his hearing acuity but also on where At the outset, it does seem simple. From pickup through he happens to be seated. If he sits very close to the amplifier, the prices of components reflect their merit orchestra, he hears tremendous power from the brasses with fair accuracy. It is when he starts loudspeaker - and woodwind instruments, a hard, gleaming edge from shopping that the neophyte enters pitfall territory. For the violins, and very little echo from the auditorium. Put loudspeakers speak for themselves, and in voices too varied him in the living room beside someone who heard the for comfort. same concert from the balcony, where the orchestra The shopper's confidence begins to flag. If he is typi- sounded well -blended and smooth, and the same set of cal, he may not have prepared himself adequately for air vibrations will not sound like the real thing to both his quest. Probably he omitted the preliminary concert - of them. going, perhaps necessarily - though he can still vaguely The one who remembers the original sound as bright remember how the Cleveland Orchestra sounded when it and hard will be adjudged an imbecile by the balcony lis- came to town last year. And he forgot to consider the tener, and they will vigorously accuse each other of never readiness of the human ear, including his own, to adjust having heard a live orchestra. If we are defining high to what it is hearing now. Comparative listening begins fidelity, then, as "faithfulness to the original sound," it to confuse him, and he falls back on advice. His troubles becomes obvious that what is fidelity to one listener may are compounded. One friend, an audio hobbyist, recom- not be fidelity to another, which will not come as a mends a speaker with powerful, piercing treble. A violin- surprise to anybody. ist friend suggests another, with a clean, mellow middle But this isn't a very helpful conclusion. Neither Mr. range and nothing much in the way of treble or bass. Up Front nor Mr. Second Balcony really wants to argue A lifelong concertgoer with a strong Bruckner -Mahler the high fidelity industry out of setting loudspeaker stand- bent puts forward his favorite system, which is strong at ards. All either wants to insure is that the system he buys both ends of the spectrum but oddly tenuous in the middle. will be able to make music sound more or less (depending All are being sincerely helpful, but the shopper's problem on how it was microphoned) the way he is used to has not been simplified. hearing it. Presumably, neither will care particularly how At this point he is likely to hear from the "personal this is done. Presumably, indeed, either will prefer that preference" school of thought, which argues that since all it be done in such a way that it can be undone for people people hear things differently, he should buy that speaker whose tastes differ from his.

MARCH 1956 47

www.americanradiohistory.com Essentially, that last sentence marks the point at which The most unfortunate part about all this is that it seems Mr. U.F. and Mr. S.B. can unite, and it is high time they almost impossible to elevate the presence range in most did. For it is, in part, their disagreement that has turned loudspeakers appreciably without introducing at least a the setting and acceptance of loudspeaker standards over few jagged peaks into that range, and any manufacturer to people whose judgment has no such basis as either of who tries to go overboard in this respect runs a great theirs, people who have never sat down front or up risk of arousing quite serious distortion - and in just yonder, or in a concert hall at all. Recently I heard one that part of the sound -spectrum where distortion is most of these, after listening to a major orchestra from the audible. In fact, it is probably this high- frequency dis- first row, complain that it lacked "impact." He didn't quite tortion, more than the mid -treble boost, that bothers musi- dare use the word he uses at home. That word is, of cians when they shudder at the sound of some of the more course, "presence," and it has come to represent, in hi -fi drastically "brightened" loudspeakers. The fundamentals parlance, a concept quite independent of its dictionary and related harmonics they are most intimately ac- meaning. quainted with are being mangled out of recognition. Apparently it had its roots in the early days of high fidelity, when the best loudspeakers were units designed for movie theaters and auditoriums. For public- address QUITE PLAINLY, when someone finds that a live or- applications, of course, intelligibility of reproduced speech chestra, heard from the first row, is not as enjoyable as his is the primary requisite, and it was found long ago that hi -fi system, he is not interested in reproducing music as it a broad peak introduced into what we now call the originally sounded, but is seeking something else. What "vital presence range" would achieve this result. When he is seeking may come to be considered a new art form, these speakers were brought into hi -fi homes, this middle - but it bears little relevance to high fidelity. His system high- frequency peak was found to have the remarkable is a producer of sound with a musical basis, but it is not ability to make sounds seem as if they were coming from a reproducer of musical sounds. in front of the speaker, and the concept of "the performer There are implications in all this confusion that may not in your living room" was born. Naturally, most subse- be immediately evident. quent speakers that were made to compete with these Without some accepted yardstick by which sound re- theater units for strictly home hi -fi use had to embody this production can be judged, record companies may find it al- same characteristic for them to receive any attention at all, most impossible to know how the records they are producing and the "bright sound" came to be a world -wide identifying will sound on home hi -fi systems, and they may even be feature of American high fidelity speakers. tempted to try and reproduce in their studios the "average" The high fidelity industry grew by leaps and bounds home hi -fi system, so they can get a better idea of what because it could bring musical enjoyment to people who they are accomplishing, as far as the "average" consumer seldom or never had the opportunity to hear orchestra con- is concerned. In just what direction this might lead the certs, and it was a logical development that many of these high fidelity and record business is hard to guess, but it people should come to consider this "brightness" as an would probably not be toward steady improvement of the integral part of a musical performance. This may explain, audio art. in part, the fact that, statistically, more speakers with It is the writer's contention that every high fidelity "bright" high ends than smooth ones are sold today. reproducing system, from the cheapest to the most elaborate, should be capable of producing an essentially flat frequency response over its useful range, from the equalized IT IS simply a physical impossibility for the majority of record into the room. Fidelity to the original still stands concertgoers to sit close to the orchestra. Conventional as the guide post, but the only valid comparison that can placement of concert -hall seats dictates that most listeners be made is with the recording as the original, rather than will be farther away than, say, row "L." So it does not the concert -hall sound. make sense to assume that regular concertgoers are the The recording is the only stable, unchanging thing, backbone of the buying force which chooses bright - once it is committed to disk, so with this as the meeting sounding speakers as being the most realistic. Aural con- point between the producer and the consumer we have ditioning would seem to be one explanation; another may a means of definitely evaluating the quality of a system, be the initial impact, on the untutored ear, of sound ( as and the record manufacturers have a means of accurately one writer has described it) "shot from guns." judging their own efforts. There is no doubt but that many first -time visitors to A truly flat, low- distortion reproducing system, without hi -fi salons are immensely impressed by their initial ex- any "character" of its own, allows the listener to hear a posure to presence. A speaker with considerable contri- recording precisely as it is. bution in the presence range can throw triangles and If it was recorded close -to, he hears it that way. A tambourines at the listener as he has never heard them recording miked from further away sounds more distant. before. And while this should be a warning to him that And they both sound the same way to the record manu- it may not be utterly lifelike in the literal sense of the facturer as they do to the consumers, so if he wants to get word, he is still likely to conclude that it is high fidelity. a certain type of sound into his products he can go ahead It bristles with highs, and, after all, hi -fi is supposed to and do so without worrying about what the consumer's bring him all the high tones, isn't it? playback system will do to them.

48 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com But possibly one of the greatest advantages of the finds surface blemishes to be very noticeable and rather hard ideal linear system is that evaluations of its performance on his nerves, the chances are that his system is peaky, and can be divorced from preferences and prejudices, and he would do well to investigate his speaker. can be measured on impartial instruments with the as- Since the linear system, however, makes a recording surance that if it tests out well its fidelity is truly high, sound close -to only if it was originally miked that way. obliged so far as fidelity to the recording is concerned. listeners with strong seating preferences would be This ideal system, fed by a signal of constant intensity to limit their record purchases to those that "suit their all over its frequency range, will deliver an acoustically taste" in distance, and this would obviously narrow their dat response into the room, and the only tonal correction range of choice. Close -miked recordings would sound vio- desired would be that needed to correct for inadequacies lent to the balcony dweller, and more distant recordings in the speaker or the room acoustics. Any additional cor- would be pallid to the row -A ear. rection would be introducing something that was not present in the original signal, and, as such, would constitute distortion. SO WHAT is needed, then, is some provision by which The only way in which the overall linearity of a system the user can vary the apparent distance between him can be checked is with a microphone and a decibel meter. and the reproduced orchestra. This effect can be approxi- Listening tests conducted with test records or signal gen- mated by varying the presence range, but as we have seen, the erators are inadequate as indications of smoothness, since it is poor practice to carry out this "correction" in it takes a really massive peak or dip in the response to be loudspeaker. audible under these conditions. A much more dependable The answer is a presence control, built into the sys- audible spot -check of a system's linearity is by means of a tem's control unit. worn, scratched LP record. A presence control is a form of resonant filter which One of the most harmful myths that has grown out of allows the presence range, from about 2,000 to 5,000 cycles, the overemphasis on "presence" is that a truly top -quality sys- to be broadly peaked or depressed without affecting tem will show up record blemishes better than a mediocre rest of the audible spectrum. Its most attractive feature is one. The truth of the matter is that the annoyance value of that, in its mid -setting, it produces a flat response, providing way or the clicks and fuzziness from records decreases as the smooth- a basis from which the listener can work one ness and distortion characteristics of the system are im- other to move the apparent distance of the orchestra to his proved. The energy generated by a click or pop is initially familiar "vantage point." distributed evenly all over the audible range, and is repro- The writer does not claim for a moment that modifica- completely duced by a linear system as a mild plop, having no parti- tion of the response in the presence range can far cular pitch and no great annoyance value. compensate for a recording that is too close or too in the pres- But a sharp peak in the system's response greatly in- away from the listener. Changing the response creases the output at that particular frequency, so the ence range tends to reorganize the harmonics of musical the ex- click becomes more audible and hence more annoying. sounds, changing the sounds of the instruments to hear the re- This then is probably the best test for smoothness that tent that most critical listeners would rather "distance" than a non -technical high fidelity enthusiast has on hand. If he produced orchestra from an unfamiliar accept the distortion caused by presence range manipulation. The job of putting an orchestra close to or farther JACKETS BY RODRIGUES away from the listener is really that of the recording engineer, who can achieve the effect without losing the characteristic timbre of the instruments. But for those record buyers who might be bothered by the vantage point of THE RAKE'S certain recordings, the presence control would enable them to put the orchestra where they want it. PROGRESS The major advantage of such a control, of course, is that it achieves whatever coloration of sound the user may want, without introducing peaks and distortion into the critical high - frequency range. A secondary advantage is that, while it provides the added presence needed to make a distant recording sound close -to, it also permits the balcony listener to back off the apparent distance of a close -miked recording. The reproducing system, then, could be evaluated on a very definite quality basis, with its presence control set for flat response, yet it would also be capable of producing I6OR STJLAVI KY sound that has some illusion of reality for any listener, regardless of his customary seat in the concert hall, and regardless of the original recording technique used by the record company.

MARCH 1956 49

www.americanradiohistory.com Poor Richard's Soundtrack by ERIC BENTLEY

Some comments from a noted drama critic on the hazards of recording Shakespeare, occasioned by a hearing of RCA Victor's new Richard III, adapted from the soundtrack of the film produced by Sir Laurence Olivier, soon to be released here.

IT IS OBVIOUS that, as entertainment, mere recordings a noise known as music has been invented to fill the from poetic drama cannot begin to compete with the interstices between words and to present humankind with stage, the screen, or even TV. The short excerpt is too the anxious alternative: be inaudible or shout. By way short to satisfy, and the long excerpt is too long to stay of a corrective, I proffer this statement: silence, not music, with. The value of dramatic recordings is not to the is the proper background of speech and, second to speech general public but to the student, the connoisseur, the itself, is the finest of dramatic effects, and I use italics so expert. And it can be a high value, largely, I believe, that the FBI won't miss it; for it is subversive; carried as evidence of what leading performers did with a given into effect it would entail the overthrow of the American text. What would any student of theater not give to know way of life, perhaps by violence. For on the day when all what Burbage, Betterton, Garrick, and Kean did with "To the cables have been cut to all the juke boxes in all the be or not to be"? Not only were there no phonographs bars, luncheonettes, and restaurants, the streets will be in those times; to this day there exists no satisfactory found littered with the corpses of men who for the first notation by which vocal performance (tone, tempo, vol- time have heard the sound of their own voices; and the ume, phrasing, cadence, timbre, etc.) can be represented notion that they have committed suicide will be discounted and preserved on paper. But, now that we have the as communist propaganda. Actually, except for purposes of argument, I do not deny to film or TV the use of incidental music ( though I should be happy to point out many abuses of it). I have in mind, rather, the unfortunate spread of movie methods to the stage ( how unnecessary was the harpsichord in Orson Welles's Lear at City Center! ), and, more particularly, the spoiling of dramatic phonograph records by such nondramatic, nonphonographic elements. The instance before me-Richard III (RCA Victor, LM 6126, three 12-inch LPs) - is an extreme case. This is not a recording "influenced by the movies." It is nothing more nor less than the sound track of a movie, unedited and uncut. Which is to say that, as a work offered as phonography alone, it is highly unacceptable - to every sort of listener and for every sort of reason. Those who can see the film instead will obviously do so. Those who wish to be reminded of the film will see the film again. In any case, a recording could be no vivid reminder, as movies are primarily a visual medium. As for the those who, for reasons personal or geographical. cannot get to the film, they either know Shakespeare's Richard III or they do not. If they do not, they will find Bloom and Olivier: . . . "something less than compelling." this recording impossible to follow. There are so many phonograph, we can say with precision and certitude of characters, it will be impossible for them to know who is Gielgud, Evans, Olivier: this is how they said it. speaking. There are so many incidents, it will be im- It follows that music, in recordings of drama, is simply possible to know what is happening. Small comfort to a nuisance. No doubt, the record makers think that by reflect, during one of the interminable stretches of William adding music they are taking the curse of "educationality" Walton music: on the screen such interesting things must off the thing. They are wrong; they are only appealing to be going on now! RCA Victor has, unfortunately, done a fallacy, succumbing to a fad, and perpetuating a pest. nothing to guide the helpless listener through this maze; I refer to the assumption that silence is a bad thing, that the booklet accompanying the album contains only a list mere human speech is not enough to break silence, and that of the cast and some chatty remarks on the play by a

50 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com sound track. critic (Walter Kerr, of The New York Herald Tribune) tributes less than half a dozen words to its presence who evidently hadn't seen the film or heard the sound Aside from Olivier, only three actors make their Ralph track. You might think that the listener who knows the text felt when heard and not seen. They are Alec Clunes, reading of has better luck. Actually, he is kept so busy tracing the cuts, Richardson, and John Gielgud. Gielgud's should interpolations, and splicings-together that he hasn't time to "Clarence's dream" is the one gem of the album and as a model follow the story in its own terms; he is just confused. undoubtedly be distributed on a separate record was a very I feel I know what I'm talking about because I played of Shakespearean speaking. The assignment keeping all the these six sides, and did my best to listen to them, before hard one: to tell the story of a dream, as told with every grace and I saw the film. Only misanthropy could prompt me to values of the story itself, teller of it is advise any fellow man to do likewise. Even now that I flourish of Elizabethan rhetoric, though the none of our have seen the film, I can only advise RCA Victor to with- a man distraught and near death. Perhaps values so draw the album and substitute two sides of excerpts with actors but Sir John could realize both sets of of the rhetoric plus a minimum of music. [Actually, Victor has produced a fully: he gives us all the elegance of the "highlights" LP of Richard III. It is LM 1940. En.) all the poignancy of the drama, all the flamboyance Here For my readers should be warned that the music is not narrative plus all the inwardness of the character. Olivier has and all confined to the background. Quite often there are no is a great actor who has much that warmth, richness, and words at all, but just the kind of music that is not inter- that Olivier has not, including esting enough to listen to blaring symphonically away. grandeur of utterance. had best be left to Later, when you see the film, this music falls into proper Further comments on Richard Ill the remark that insignificance behind the spectacle and pantomime which critics of the film; I'll rest content with are merely confusing it was composed to accompany. the editing and cutting that on disks ) to me Anyone interested in the relation of sound track to film ( to those who know their Shakespeare seemed still mystifies me, might also be interested in the fact that, after hearing these largely justified in the film. One thing of many small changes in records, I expected very little of the film; and yet, when though. While the intention ( like "chop off his head" for "raze his helm" ) is I saw the film, I found it to be an extraordinarily beautiful the text my copy many others work, perhaps the best achievement of. Sir Lau- obvious enough, I jotted down in rence Olivier in any field. The general principle involved that seemed pointless - such as "dabbled with blood" has already been implied: good sounds might make a bad for "dabbled in blood" and "will not appease thee" for sound track, whereas a good sound track does not con- "cannot appease thee." The movie makers give themselves stitute in itself a good work of art. It is also a matter of Olivier's particular talent, which is not for radio and phonography but for acting and film- directing. There is a good deal to be said against Olivier's voice. It is not grand, it is not rich, it is not warm. It fails, therefore, in most cases, to meet the demands of tragic drama and /or of a large auditorium, as anyone can vouch who saw Olivier as Antony at the Ziegfeld. For a long time Olivier was learning by trial and error what effects can be got with a voice that by its very thinness is extremely incisive and clear. I recall how, before the war, he would seem to be conducting an assault on blank verse in order to exploit the possibilities of rubato and staccato. While John Gielgud swept his incomparably graceful scythe, Olivier jabbed away, as it were, with a sharp and finely pointed dagger. As late as 1946, Stark Young was com- plaining of jerkiness and a discontinuity of tone. But today Olivier can play any part except that of a tragic hero like Antony or a mellow, full -blooded soldier like Caesar. As Richard III he is superb. Even vocally the performance is first -rate in the movie theater; but not being principally a vocal performance, on the phonograph On disks, drama suffers from doubt as to who's talking. it is something less than compelling; our attention is called to the extreme lightness of the voice, and the an alibi by stating that they have drawn on the texts of solutions to the various problems assigned seem too special. "Colley Cibber, Garrick, etcetera," though what "etcetera" Only as convinced by Olivier's appearance and acting means I don't know. Ninety -nine percent of the script is can we agree to Richard's having so delicate a vocal organ; Shakespeare, with a clever editor ( Alan Dent) jumping the records often give the impression of a feeble falsetto adroitly between the folio and the various quartos. One and hence of a character who is not wicked enough. scene and one speech from Henry VI, Part Three, are Do not be dazzled by the list of names in the cast. also included; the latter being Richard's "Ay, Edward Pamela Brown, though often on view in the film, con- will use women honourably," Continued on page 126

5 NIARCH 1956 1

www.americanradiohistory.com In Defense of a Voice by GEORGE JELLINEK

More and more credible characterization marks today's operatic performances, and ever closer hewing to the musical line marked out by the composer. But, at the same time, there has been a loss of something dear to some listeners.

O NCE UPON A TIME there was a "golden age" of seventeenth century! And this is not intended to be singing. Or was there? When was it? What was it? funny, for he will also discover that the elusive "golden No absolute answer is possible. Today, we claim per- age" was far from being a myth: it flourished in the fection for the era of our grandfathers, because it is time of Handel, in the period of the great Italian singing conveniently recent and we can profess some familiarity masters who established the foundations of singing art with it. We say that the age of Caruso was golden enough for all time to come, in the era of fabulous vocalists who, for us. by their happily dazzled public, were expected to do I have singled out Caruso's name from those of his nothing but sing. illustrious contemporaries because it has become emblem- In the gradual development of opera from its almost atic of his age, and is one to command unbounded awe and purely musical beginnings, through its musico- dramatic admiration. In our own times, that is. Back in 1903, in stages to its present -day guise as a chiefly dramatic art his first year at the Metropolitan, Caruso was severely form, the art of singing underwent enormous changes. criticized for his "tiresome Italian mannerisms." And The great singers of the early nineteenth century, Mali - some time later, the noted critic W. J. Henderson had this bran, Rubini, Lablache, who reigned supreme in the to say: "Singers like Caruso cultivate the 'big tone' exquisite melodies and florid passages of Bellini and Ros- quite as industriously as the Germans. The Italians are sini, would hardly have enchanted the discriminating ears of following the downward path that leads to mere noise." Maestro Tosi. But to succeeding generations they repre- As he penned this article, the venerable Mr. Hender- sented unattainable heights of vocal artistry. In purely son's thoughts probably lingered on the immortal greats vocal prowess such later artists as Melba, Sembrich, Caruso, of an earlier generation: Patti, Maurel, and the De Resz- and Plançon did not measure up to them. But the latter kes. But is it not curious that Lamperti, one of the were able to combine artistic singing with an advanced foremost vocal authorities of that age, the teacher of form of dramatic expression unknown to earlier gen- Sembrich, Schumann -Heink, Bispham, and other stars, de- erations, and succeeded in doing fuller justice to the new clared in 1893 that this same period "reveals the deterior- concept of opera as music -drama. ation of this divine art and the almost complete disappear- Fifty years ago a superlative singer like Mattia Battistini ance of genuine singers "? was able to hold audiences spellbound with the miraculous One could go on citing similar opinions on the per- purity of his tones and the supreme surety of his vocal ennial perils of vocal art. In a remarkable book entitled technique, in spite of his wholly unconvincing dramatic Observations on the Florid Song, we read: "Italy hears impersonations. But, at the same time, it was already no more such exquisite voices as in times past, and to possible for Feodor Chaliapin, a totally unorthodox and the shame of the guilty I'll tell you in many ways imperfect vocalist, to the reason .... " And so the author stir the blood of the same audience does, in a highly engaging manner, with the magnetism of his stage per- too. Among other things, he says, sonality and the gripping conviction "I do not know if a perfect singer of his portrayals. can at the same time be a perfect In our own times we have pro- actor; for the mind being at once gressed even further. Operatic per- divided by two different operations, formances today have reached a higher he will probably incline more to one musical level. Conductors are no long- than the other." The name of the er figureheads - they have assumed author is Pier Francesco Tosi; the the dominant role ( the good ones, at date of the book is 1723. Thus a least) that befits them. Singers have, student of vocal art, if he reads enough on the whole, improved as musicians books on his chosen subject, will and their audience appears to have sooner or later reach the inescapable advanced with them. For all the glory conclusion that the decline of the of Battistini's voice, he could not get art of singing began with the develop- away with his kind of Mozart -singing ment of opera - some time in the Beniamino Gigli today. And a singer like Fernando

52 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com de Lucia, with an almost equally glorious vocal organ, had no effect whatever on the critics of the two great New simply would not be allowed now to take the artistic York dailies. The reviews in the Times and Herald Tribune liberties his old audience was so happy to overlook. conveyed the image of an audience consisting mainly of Aesthetic ideals, tastes and opinions have changed a great hot -headed lowbrows, ready to fly into ecstasy at the drop deal in this operatic age of broader outlooks and narrower of a high note. The singer, it was sternly stated, might waistlines. What has happened to the art of singing? It has followed the path predicted two centuries ago. This is not be- Thirteen Ways of Listening to a Record an cause of a shortage of great voices, for every age has (with, of course, apologies to abundance of them. Good teachers are also plentiful. Wallace Stevens) No, the reasons are found in the yellowed pages of I Tosi's book, which take on a prophetic significance when Listen to this: Nellie Melba, applied to our own times. Our singers, having been They say she was taught the importance of dramatic values, now sacrifice The most perfect singer within living the refinements of vocalism to the demands of dramatic memory. ease through characterization. They move with laudable II of Mussorgsky and Strauss. the mighty musical complexities What a voice! Clear as a bird's, But an occasional staging of Norma, with its simple, And all of a piece, from top to bottom. transparent orchestral framework but fiercely exacting What bird ever had a range like that? to less effective vocal demands, is likely these days be III as a work of art than as an exposé of an inadequate found- Too bad they couldn't record adequately in ation in the craft of singing per se. those days! The swing of the vocal -to- dramatic pendulum has brought IV about a corresponding change in critical opinion. We had She isn't a patch on Lily Pons. our generations of vocal purists who firmly believed that opera was primarily a form of singing art, and upheld V the banner of bel canto as its proper musical standard. Wherever did she find that high note? Now we are in the presence of a different attitude which, It isn't in the score. in line with our modern concepts of opera, insists VI on complete integration of musical and dramatic values, What a trill! criticizing shortcomings in each with equal fervor. And, Who can do that nowadays? fittingly in an age which considers over -all musicianship VII the prime requisite, it attacks "vocal excesses" with a The wheezy old orchestra! special vigor. It is hard to disagree with the view that an Positively funny. a thoroughly satisfying ex- opera performance should be VIII perience from vocal, dramatic, and over -all musical stand- In those days they learned to sing. application of points. But the rigid, uncompromising Pure bel canto - musical scholarship can be overdone. I cannot help feeling Here you have the finest example that some of our earnest, scholarly observers, in their Of the great Marchesi's method. search for artistic immaculacy, sometimes fail to recognize IX very rare in our generation: a commodity that has become They did always sing vocal artistry of genuine greatness. The same old worn -out arias. A good voice is a gift of nature. But the production What would you give to hear of a musical tone, free of harshness, breathiness, and forc- Such a voice in some real music? ing, can only be the result of unique talent and study. One X of vocal art who has possessed these rare attributes - She almost ended her career which are made up of part inspiration and part respira- When she tried to sing Brünnhilde. tion is a man of sixty-five, who now has said his final - XI addio to the world's stages after an uninterrupted career of They say her career forty -one years: Beniamino Gigli. Last April he sang three Was a succession of intrigues. farewell concerts in New York, and Carnegie Hall was sold out three times in a single week. I attended the final concert, XII and confess having enjoyed the veteran singer's perform- I don't care what she does, So long as she does it this way. ance far beyond my anticipation. If nostalgia momentar- ily interfered with my musical judgment, I found it XIII rather reassuring that the old magic had held other observ- I guess the reason Composers wrote such music ers critics Irving Kolodin of Saturday Review and Louis - Was that they had them Biancolli of the World -Telegram and Sun among - Singers who could make it sound like this. under a similar spell. PHILIP MILLER But the musical necromancy that held us spellbound

MARCH 1956 53

www.americanradiohistory.com have reached a venerable age, but he had not managed to been handicapped by the lethargic leadership of the sep- mend his artistic ways: he was as tasteless and vulgar as he tuagenarian composer. ever had been. In a subsequent article in the Times, How- Does Gigli measure up faultlessly to the rules of mu- ard Taubman acknowledged that his comments had un- sicianship in these performances? Of course not. He is leashed "... an outpouring of letters and phone calls. guilty of many lapses. First he displays his remarkable Some of the reactions have been abusive and some were skill at expressing grief, then he proceeds to spoil the effect phrased more in sorrow than anger, but nearly all rose to by overdoing it. He also uses unnecessary, exaggerated ac- the defense of the tenor and his singing." cents to underscore a line's emotional content. And, from Opera singers are probably accused of poor musicianship a singer capable of a pure and accurate attack, the intrusive more frequently than any other performing musicians, and aspirates before his vowels are needless and annoying. But Gigli has shouldered a considerable load of such charges should these mannerisms be allowed to lead us into a sweep- in his long career. It has become fashionable in the Anglo- ing condemnation on grounds of musicianship? Hardly. American critical attitude to refer to the style he represents They ought to be easier to overlook than the many instances as "Italianate" - as if an artist of his background, schooling, of flagrant off-key singing by other famous artists that fre- and temperament could have been anything else. And next quently go without comment. Pure intonation is a basic after "Italianate" comes "tasteless," an arbitrary and danger- requirement, and here Gigli was unfailing. His notes were ous term to toss about, particularly in opera. There is great firmly focused, reached not by painfully cautious scooping, emphasis on dramatic expression in the Italian style. There but hit with utmost security, always on the button. And is the attendant hazard of exaggeration. But these need pure intonation was but one of the many pleasures to be not frighten us out of sensing an ultimate rightness of in- found in his singing. In his prime -and that covered terpretation when it occurs, nor deprive us of the pleasure twenty years -he possessed a voice of rare beauty, warmth, it can give. and color. His production of the difficult lower tones was Let us consider Gigli interpretations in various complete always remarkably effortless ( and so it remained to his re- operatic recordings, where presumably his intentions were tirement), and he had a ringing, healthy top. Throughout to contribute his best efforts to the roles he sang. the entire range, in full voice or mezza -voce, the voice re- Comparison is almost pointless in Andrea Chénier ( RCA tained its sensuous qualities. Anyone who attended his New Victor LCT 6014 ) where he faces bush -league competition York concerts can remember his rendition of "Le Rêve" from singers who sound hardly as if they were singing the from Manon -an instance of exquisite singing, with im- same opera. But even more formidable opponents -Peerce perceptible transitions from full voice to mezza -voce to and Tagliavini -must yield to the tonal richness, assurance, headtone, the like of which is not heard today in opera. and virtuoso nuances of Gigli's performance in Ballo in It may be some time before we hear this kind of vocalism Maschera (RCA Victor LCT 6007) and Bohème (avail- again, so let us remember it charitably. A few lapses of able only on HMV) . And in Madama Butterfly ( RCA judgment should not be too high a price to pay for its Victor LCT 6006 ) his interpretation reveals to the listener felicities. In other musical fields, kindred deviations are what other tenors long have concealed: that Pinkerton, too, common. can be a capital part. Opera is a strange art of many compromises. Let us, I know of no vocal critic who has not rated Gigli's per- who criticize it, learn to make a few compromises of our formance in Pagliacci (RCA Victor LCT 6o o) above all own. The human voice may frequently be compared to an recorded Canios. His delineation of the earthy, passionate instrument, but it is, remember, a human instrument. Let clown is dramatically accurate -there are explosive mo- us not insist on mechanical precision, nor be frightened by ments, which make a great deal of sense in context, and a little theatricalism in a performance that must be dra- there is a sensuous beauty of tone and a flowing cantilena matic to be effective. Perhaps critics would discover the whenever needed. Turiddu was one of his happiest parts gold of their own age more easily if they would remember and his contribution in Cavalleria Rusticana (RCA Victor the extraordinary effect some artists -Chaliapin, Ruffo, and LCT 6000) would have been more noteworthy had it not Tauber, in recent memory-had on their audiences, with or without the proper critical blessing. What is the magic quality in a voice that evokes such a response from so many listeners -a thrill of communication that many commendable, musicianly, but uninspiring singers can never hope to arouse? It is a secret hard to explain, but the eloquent Tosi, the savant of the 17oo's, made a valiant effort: "... How great a master is the heart! Confess it, my beloved singers, that you would not have arrived at the highest rank of the profession if you had not been its scholars! The heart corrects the defects of nature, since it softens the voice that is harsh, betters an indifferent one, and perfects a good one. From the heart alone you have learned that

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY pleasing charm that subtly passes from vein to vein, and Battistini Chaliapin makes its way to the very soul."

54 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com music makers by ROLAND GELATI

SIR THOMAS BEECHAM, whose covered" when he recorded the Missa what I have gathered, it would seem career as a recording artist is the longest Solemnis); but inasmuch as Miss Marsh- reasonable to assume that this unmen- of any conductor alive or dead, re- all plans to be in England this spring, tioned paragon is Victoria de los cently allowed his contract with Colum- Beecham has decided to scrap the pre- Angeles. bia Records (U.S.A.) to lapse; he has viously made accompaniments and in- Despite Beecham's reservations renewed his old association with the stead will do the soprano arias again about contemporary singers, he will British -owned EMI company. The with singer and orchestra together. "in all probability" make an attempt first post -Columbia recording by Sir Solomon can be expected in the record at Die Entführung. But he offers no Thomas and the Royal Philharmonic stores next fall. promises that the attempt will result Orchestra (Schubert's Sixth Symphony What else Sir Thomas plans to do in an approved and published set of and some short works by Grieg) will in the immediate future is hard to pre- records. "You know, when I con- be issued here in May on the Angel dict. He was not in a very confiding ducted The Magic Flute for HMV be- label. mood when I talked to him. But he fore the war, I had three different go's Apparently, it was American Colum- did admit, after some prodding, that a at it before I was content. I went to bia's new affiliation with Philips in recording of Mozart's Die Entführung Berlin and recorded the whole of it. Europe that prompted Beecham to aus dem Serail was "in the air - and When I came home and heard the make the change of allegiance. Philips pretty high in the air too." It all de- test pressings, I threw out at least is a Dutch firm with no permanent pends on finding singers who can half of them. Then I went to Berlin studios or technical staff in England; cope with the music. "Take the part again, and again I threw out a great whenever Beecham wanted to record, of Constanze," he said. "It requires many records. Finally, by the end of elaborate preparations had to be made a soprano who must be equally com- the third attempt, I had a recording for sending engineers and equipment fortable in lyric, coloratura, and dra- that satisfied me. But I had almost from Holland. The complications grew bankrupted HMV." People keep increasingly burdensome and irksome asking Beecham to make a new re- to Sir Thomas, and eventually he de- cording of The Magic Flute, but he termined to return to the roster of has no intention of heeding these en- EMI, with whom he can make record- treaties. "I have done it once. Why ings in the Abbey Road Studio, Lon- should I do it again ?" he asks. "The don, at his own convenience. recording as a whole still pleases me. Already he has finished taping the I take exception to only two things. major portion of Handel's oratorio One of the singers, whose name I Solomon. He conducted this work in shall not mention, is somewhat in- London last fall and planned to record adequate. And there is one point at it immediately afterward with the same which the orchestra accents a phrase performing forces. Unfortunately, he too heavily. Otherwise I have no com- discovered that the soprano was under plaints." contract to English Decca, which com- About his long -range recording pany showed no willingness whatever plans he was more voluble. He wants to release her for an EMI -Angel pro- to do more Handel choral music, per- duction. "Well," Sir Thomas told haps the secular oratorio Hercules, and me when I saw him in mid -February, also more Delius, in particular the early "I have learned during my forty-six - operas Irmelin and The Magic Fountain, year career in the business of making Beecham: "I call it baloney." which he feels have been unjustly records not to knock my head against neglected. An opera by Richard a wall. We went ahead and made inatic arias. Now who is there in this Strauss would appeal to him too, Solomon without the soprano. When age of specialization who can do that ?" maybe Capriccio. we came to the Queen of Sheba's Sir Thomas does not seem to be greatly But all this was off in the future, arias, we recorded only the orchestral impressed with the quality of vocal and we came back to the present with accompaniments." His intention was talent available today. "I know of a jolt when somehow the subject of to find a suitable soprano in America only one truly great soprano singer magnetic tape came up. "I don't and dub in her voice. He found his now before the public, and her name want to be extreme in my utterances," soprano in the person of Lois Marshall I refuse to mention for fear of incurring Sir Thomas assured me, but I must (whom Toscanini had also "d is- the wrath of other sopranos." From admit that I find a certain obstinate

MARCH 1956 57

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58 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com stupidity in the handling of tapes. divided the opera into five acts and in New York are about to witness an

Obstinate stupidity . . . be sure that added various ballets and other spec- Austrian color movie of the opera you use those words. In the days of tacles in order to bring Don Giovanni produced by Akkord Film and directed 78s I could put on a test pressing, up to a proper stage of magnificence. by H. S. Kolm- Veltee. The music listen to it, and change to the next Much was made of the fact that in (such of it as Herr K -V allowed to one in fifteen seconds. But in the this version "only Mozart's music remain) is sung in German by well - auditioning studios today it takes God would be heard." But somehow known Viennese singers Anny Fel- knows how long for them to go from bermayer, Walter Berry, Alfred Poell, one tape to the next, with all their inet al. They are on the sound track fernal winding and rewinding. It's a only. On screen are actors who play ridiculous and unnecessary waste of their parts as if they were bad opera time. I call it baloney." singers and make only slightly suc- Having gotten this off his chest, cessful attempts at synchronizing their Beecham admitted that tape and high - lip movements to the music. The re- fidelity recording techniques had their sult is weird, not to say laughable. virtues too, though on this point - In addition, arias are cut, shuffled as elsewhere - he was not given to about, and sometimes given a sig- unmitigated praise. Sir Thomas is nificance quite different from what the obviously a very difficult man to please Mozart's puny two -act opera had to composer and librettist intended. Much - and in a conductor that is an ad- be expanded, so M. Castil -Blaze and of the plot has been disposed of, but mirable quality, however vexing it company drew liberally from the sym- there are some intriguing additions may be to his co- workers. phonies, the Masses, The Magic Flute, of the scenarists' own invention - and La Clemenza di Tito to pad the such as the scene between Don Gio- vanni and Elvira's amorous maid, IN HIS REFERENCE to a "forty-six - work into five -act amplitude. fastest se- year career" as a recording artist, Bee- The finale proceeded in this fashion. which must constitute the duction ever filmed. For the finale cham was making use of some just - The scene took place on a somber acquired information. I had brought night in the garden of Don Giovanni's there is (shades of Castil -Blaze!) a along, thinking it might amuse him, castle, an immense park dotted with grand ballet, in which heavy- footed regale and a crowd a copy of the December 1910 issue of trees and lined with walks reaching dancers Giovanni The Sound Wave, in which the follow- to the horizon. At a sign the statue of fellow revelers with symbolic repre- sentations of Desire and Pain. ing item appeared: "On November i 5 of the Commendatore summoned mem - the Gramophone Company, Ltd., is- bers of the damned, who gathered to The man who conducts the orchestra monstros- sued a series of six records by the form a chorus. Then skeletons ap- and has lent his name to this Thomas Beecham Opera Company peared from all directions, some carry- ity is Bernhard Paumgartner, authority which includes four vocal numbers ing torches, others with occult tomes on Mozart, president of the Mozarte- from Mr. Beecham's most successful under their arms. They formed a circle um, and director of the Philips -Epic production, Offenbach's 'Tales of Hoff- and chanted the Dies irae (from Jubilee Edition. mann,' Overture 'Die Fledermaus,' and Mozart's Requiem) into Don Gio- To avoid possible confusion, I film selection from D'Albert's 'Tiefland,' vanni's ears. By this time a long pro- should explain that another of the last- mentioned being by the Bee- cession of young women dressed in Don Giovanni is also to be shown here made cham Symphony Orchestra, under the white had appeared at the edge of the at about the same time. It was direction of Mr. Thomas Beecham in park. The music took on a plaintive, in Salzburg in 1954 by the director person." On another page of the same religious air. The cortege came down- Paul Czinner and features such singers magazine the disks were reviewed stage slowly and made its way through as Cesare Siepi, Lisa della Casa, and with unreserved praise for the music's the groups of the damned. The vir- Erna Berger, with the late Wilhelm had felicities and the brilliant fidelity of gins set down a casket; and while they Furtwängler conducting. This I the recording. Sir Thomas read all of knelt in prayer, the shroud arose and not been screened at press time, but this aloud with the keenest relish. allowed Don Giovanni to perceive the do not see how it can help but be Don Giovanni produced "But I must admit," he said as he put body of Donna Anna, who protruded better than the the old magazine down, "that I have from the bier with her black veil over by H. S. Kolm -Veltee. no recollection whatsoever of making her shoulders and a white wreath on those records." her brow. She had somehow perished THE BLACK DIAMONDS are out - unknown to Mozart or Da Ponte. in profusion this month. I refer, of RENE DUMESNIL'S Le Don Juan de Don Giovanni at this point became course, to the marks in Schwann which Mozart, recently published in Paris by frantic. To escape the terrible sight signify that a record is to be discon- Librairie Plon, does not contain much he ascended a great staircase, where tinued by its manufacturer. Mr. original or profound comment but he met the Commendatore face to face. Schwann informs us that there are does provide a great deal of fascinat- The man of stone advanced while Don 1,166 deletions in the March cata- ing information. I was particularly Giovanni retreated step by step until logue, an all -time record. We tend to taken with Dumesnil's descriptions of he finally fell back into a pit which think of rare, out -of -print disks in Don Giovanni as it used to be given the damned had dug for their brother. terms of ancient 78s. At least I do. at the Paris Opéra. Castil- Blaze, a Such was the Don Giovanni to which But a deleted LP can be just as rare, critic and composer, was responsible Parisians were exposed a century ago. just as out -of- print, and just as de- for the version that held the boards Plus ca change, plus c'est la même chose. sirable. Pay heed to those black dia- from 1834 to 1866. This gentleman Patrons of the Little Carnegie Theater monds. It is later than you think.

MARCH X956 59

www.americanradiohistory.com at the sign of the "Angel" arch R E L E A S E S

OPERA and VOCAL ORCHESTRAL VERDI: RIGOLETTO (La Scala recording) BALAKIREV: RUSSIA ISLAMEY THAMAR Cast: Maria Meneghini Callas (Gilda), Giuseppe Di The Gramophone, London wrote ( Dec. 19551 : "One of Stefano (Duke of Mantua), Tito Gobbi (title role). the best recorded discs I know, and very highly to be Conductor: Tullio Serafin. recommended. Splendidly vivid performances. The re- La Scala Orchestra and Chorus. cording of the sort that one uses to show off fine Illustrated Italian- English libretto. Notes by Francis Toye. equipment." Three 12" records (5 sides) Angel Album 3537.5s/L (35318-19-20) Conductor: Lovro von Matacic. Philharmonia. One 12" record Angel 35291 Note: Other Verdi -Scala Opera albums -AIDA: Callas, Tucker, Barbieri, Gobbi, Serafin (Angel 3525 'C /L) ; BALLET LA FORZA DEL DESTINO: Callas, Tucker, Tagliabue, MUSIC FROM THE OPERAS Nicolai, Rossi -Lemeni, Serafin (Angel 3531 C /L). The Karajan -Philharmonia combination in another treasure-disc of old favorites, nostalgically reborn. CHINESE OPERA Contents include Dance of the Hours from "La Recorded in Paris by the Peking Opera of the Chinese Gioconda," Venusberg Music from "Tannhauser," Ballet People's Republic following the company's sensational Music from "Aida," Dance of the Persian Slaves from appearances at the second International Theater Festival " Khovantchina," Polovtsian Dances from "Prince Igor." in the summer of 1955. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan. Philharmonia. Contents: The Court of the Phoenix, The White Serpent, One 12" record Angel 35307 Moonlight ou the Springtime River, The Farewell to the Favorite, The Return of the Fisherman, The Three Companion Karajan -Philharmonia Albums: Scourges, Song of the Yunnan, Drum Dance. OPERA INTERMEZZI incl. Barcarolle from "Tales of One 12" record Angel 35229/L Hoffmann," Meditation from "Thais," intermezzi from Illustrated booklet containing history of classic Chinese "Cavalleria Rusticana," "Pagliacci," "Manon Lescaut," opera, pictures and descriptions of Chinese instruments, "Carmen," "Traviata," "L'Amico Fritz," "Goyescas," notes on music played, colorful design, costume photo- "Hary Janos," "Khovantchina" (Angel 35207). graphs of artists. PHILHARMONIA POP CONCERT incl. Skaters Waltz (Waldteufel), Light Cavalry (Suppé), Radetzky March SCHWARZKOPF- GIESEKING in MOZART SONGS (Johann Strauss, Father), Thunder and Lightning Polka Rare opportunity to hear 16 songs of Mozart interpreted and Tritsch -Tratsch Polka (Johann Strauss), Polka from by two great artists, soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf with "Schwanda" (Weinberger), "Orpheus in the Under. Walter Gieseking at the piano. world" Overture (Offenbach), España and Joyeuse Illustrated booklet with essay, original texts, translations. Marche (Chabrier) (Angel 3532.7). One 12" record Angel 35270 PIANO IRISH THEATRE GIESEKING PLAYS MOZART PIANO SOLOS JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK (SEAN O'CASEY)

8th of 11 records, devoted to Mozart's music for piano A Tragi -Comedy of Dublin (recorded in Ireland) . solo, previously available only in gala Limited Edition. Starring Siobhán McKenna, Cyril Cusack, Maire Kean, Album 8: 9 Variations in C on Lison dormait, K.264; Seamus Kavanagh. Spoken Preamble by the author. Sonata No. 5 in G, K.283; Sonata No. 17 in D, K.576; Booklet with history of Abbey Theatre, profile of 10 Variations in G on Unser dummer Pöbel meint, K.455. O'Casey, photographs of original production, cast, etc. One 12" record Angel 35075 Two 12" records Angel Album 3540 B (35275-6) Note for Mozart Year: Also available individually are the 1st 7 records of the series: Angel 35068, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74. BLUE LABEL SPECIAL Ask your dealer for 'omplete contents of each album. YURI KAZAKOV PLAYS THE BAYAN Famous young Russian accordion player in album of VIOLIN popular Russian melodies including Caucasian Mountain JOHANNA MARTZY PLAYS BACH Tune, Variations on a Ukrainian Theme, Old Russian SONATAS AND PARTITAS FOR VIOLIN SOLO Waltz, Melodies from Archangel, Dance of the Little Album 3: Sonata No. 3 in C major, Partita No. 3 in E Swans from "Swan Lake," Little Birch Tree, etc. major. One 12" record Angel Blue Label 65020 One 12" record Angel 35282 Previously released: Album 1- Sonata No. 1 in G minor and Partita No. 1 in B minor; Album 2- Sonata No. 2 in A minor and Partita No. 2 in D minor. "Johanna Martzy plays these unaccompanied works for violin in a fashion to indicate she may inherit the mantle of the late Gillette Neveu. A violinist to watch." Rudolph Elie, Boston Herald (Jan. 1, 1956) £1orJ5 "Beautiful tone and poetry of style." The Gramophone, London (Nor. 1955)

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

6o HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Reviewed by PAUL AFFELDER NATHAN BRODER C. G. BURKE JOHN M. CONLY RAY ERICSON ALFRED FRANKENSTEIN ROLAND GELATT JAMES HINTON, JR. ROY H. HOOPES, JR. JOHN F. INDCOX ROBERT KOTLOWITZ HOWARD LAFAY PHILIP L. MILLER H. S. WALLACE JOHN S. WILSON

Classical Music, listed by composer 6i Music Betwen 82 Music on Tape 72 Children's Records 84 Building Your Record Library 73 The Best of Jazz 85 Martinelli, by Desmond Shawe -Taylor 74 Dialing Your Disks 88 Recitals and Miscellany 76 Folk Music 92 Spoken Word 8o Prokofiev on Microgroove 95

disturbing, and in some of the pieces, such the more -apparent depth and finer discrimina- as Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ or the second tion of the newer records from this company. CLASSICAL verse of Christ ist erstanden, the pedal is too Persons without a primary objection to the faint. As for the Skänninge organ in general, gait of the performance will find every other it seems to have many fine qualities, though feature commendable. C. G. B. it does not erase from memory the lovely sound of baroque music played on such BEETHOVEN BACH organs as the Schnitger in Cappel or the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 5, Organ Works, Vol. z Holtkamp at Yale. N. B. in E-flat ( "Emperor "), Op. 73 Orgelbüchlein (complete). Wilhelm Kempff, piano; Berlin Philhar- BEETHOVEN Carl Weinrich, organ. monic Orchestra, Paul van Kempen, cond. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 4, WN 2203. Two 12 -in. $9.96. DECCA DL 9741. 12 -in. $3.98. WESTMINSTER in G, Op. 58 This is the first of a series of twenty -two Claudio Arrau, piano; Philharmonia Or- The performance is the same as that in the five volumes planned by Westminster to present chestra, Alceo Galliera, cond. Decca's edition of (numbered) concertos of Beethoven, in Album DX 125, re- all the organ works of Bach as recorded by ANGEL 35300. 12 -in. $4.98 (or $3.48). Carl Weinrich. The two disks are encased viewed here about two years ago with praise in a handsome album complete with West- The swinging principal theme of the allegro for the playing and many reservations about minster's excellent built -in polyethylene moderato first movement transpires a cheer- the sonic quality. In that album the Em- bags, the best protection for records I ful urgency in its most usual representation. peror occupies the last two of six sides, its know of that has thus far been offered us. It is a sensitive theme: played fast it has first movement separated by a stripe of Also included is an illustrated pamphlet the frivolity of a ball caught and returned, blank grooves from the rondo of the Fourth containing an account, by Kurt List, of the and played slowly its to- and -fro is that of Concerto. The second transfer from a good problems involved in recording the organ a cradle. A cradle is for sleeping, and the tape impels one to hope that Decca will used here - that of the Church of Our conductor tends the health- giving motion reissue the Third Concerto in the superb last, with the playing with an equivalent improve- Lady at Skänninge in Sweden - , specifica- from the first measure to the Kempff tions of the instrument, notes on the music pianist's acquiescence in the pace. No ment in reproduction. The phonograph, by Karl Geiringer, and a list of contents of doubt both are convinced that this is the blessed with a number of good Emperors, the Little Organ Book, with the registrations way to express that moderato, and we all can show no entirely adequate Third. used by Weinrich for each of the chorale profit from sleep, but music -lovers may The sonic improvement is obvious and preludes that make up that wonderful col- prefer repose on other occasions. The pity large. Volume has been increased com- lection. All of this is fine, and Westminster of this independence of concept is its waste fortably, with a clarification and strengthen- is to be congratulated for having got off of distinguished patterns of finely controlled ing of the orchestral fabric noticeable at to a good start. pianism. Furthermore, the dynamic variety once. The piano is free of the explosive- Weinrich plays, as usual, sensitively and of tone and force is admirable, and the ness that used to parody so many LPs of with rhythmic vitality. Some listeners might Philharmonia Orchestra is in no obvious the instrument. The bass strings have a new question the slow shake he sometimes uses, way constrained by the sober tempo, which prominence that will require diminution on as in Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein. He extends through the rondo. some reproducers. Worthy sound in sum, employs a large variety of registrations, There will be no dispute on the merits of spacious and strong, not sensational, but some of which are more effective than the sound. The piano is as strongly distinct excellent in its dynamic scope and especially others. I find the Sesquialtera in 0 Mensch, as Angel has ever presented it, top and bot- in the fine equilibrium of soft exchanges bewein dein' Sünde gross, for example, rather tom vibrantly clean, and the orchestra has between piano and orchestra.

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www.americanradiohistory.com remarkably akin to the much -admired per- Lieber Schatz, sei wieder gut mir; Im Herbst; formance recorded in the mid -193os by the Ein Stündlein wohl vor Tag; Ein Friedhof; Auf Boston Symphony under Koussevitzky - dem Meere, Op. 36, No. I; Rosmarin; Nebel; which means to say that the emphasis is Gute Nacht; Ach, wär' es nie geschehen; Stiller more on sharply etched dramatic statement Abend; Mutter, o sing' mich zur Ruh'; Es hat than on delicate chiaroscuro. This is cer- die Rose sich beklagt; Er ist gekommen; Stille tainly an effective and valid approach, and Sicherheit; Widmung; Aus meinen grossen it is carried out here with the virtuosity Schmerzen; Vergessen; Stündchen; Abends; that can be expected of the Boston instru- Denk' ich dein; Für Musik; Genesung; Auf dem mentalists. RCA's engineers have done Meere, Op. I I, No. 5; Da die Stunde kam; Um their job well too, but we shall have to wait Mitternacht. for binaural recording to experience the full concert -hall values of this score. For Hilde Rössl -Majdan, contralto; Viktor Graef, piano. the present, this is as good a reproduction WESTMINSTER WLE 104. 12 -in. and interpretation of La Mer as the phono- $5.75. graph offers. The Nocturnes, easier to play Rodzinski: Grieg without fatigue. When the first twelve songs of Franz were and record, are also excellent. R. G. published, Robert Schumann wrote in his Neue Zeitschrift für Musik: I DONIZETTI complicated. The opera, however, is replete "Were to dwell on all the exquisite details, I should never La Favorita (excerpts) with lovely arias, duets, and massive ensembles, such as the scene of the Papal come to an end; true music lovers will dis- Vittoria Garofalo (ms), Leonora; Dino curse. The Angel disk includes five arias, cover them for themselves." But, he cau- Formichini (t), Fernando; Otello Borgonovo several duets, and one of the big concerted tioned, "genuine singers, endowed with (b), Alfonso XI; Paolo Washington (bs), portions, thus giving the listener a good poetic taste, are required for their interpreta- Baldassare; Angelo Mercuriali (t), Don idea of Donizetti's melodramatic and melod- tion." Born in 1815, Robert Franz probably Gasparo; Silvana Zanolli (s), Ines. Chorus ic facility. led the quietest, least eventful life of any and Orchestra, Glauco Curiel, cond. The young singers in this recording per- composer of his stature. In his youth he ANGEL 35322. 12 -i11. $4.98. form the music with youthful tone and had the usual struggle to make his parents obedience to precision and style. accept the idea of a musician in the family. Angel's latest release, an unexpected one, That nobody manages to come through with Then, after his student days in Dessau, prac- impresses as being both experimental and anything very personal or arresting is probably tically his entire life was spent in his native educational experimental in that it makes - due to inexperience. But promise is surely Halle. In time he had a chorus to conduct, use of a cast of young unknowns, singers present. and he was able to live quietly until 1892, who have yet to invade the consciousness of The strongest member composing numerous songs. the general public; educational because it of the cast is the tenor, Dino Formichini, who has a smooth Franz was extremely sensitive to poetry, allows a generation brought up on LP and delivery, phrases well, and does not shrink and his Heine settings are among the finest high- fidelity techniques to hear a portion of from the high C composed in his time. Not only Schumann, one of the most neglected of operas. The -sharp of the opening "Una vergine. ' His but Mendelssohn and Liszt were among his only other current listing for Donizetti's singing of the supremely difficult "Spirto gentil" in the original key admirers, the latter making his name widely La Favorita in Schwann is a collection of is highly creditable. known by playing transcriptions of his songs. excerpts originally recorded during the very Vittoria Garofalo, the Leonora, has a Franz has ever since been conceded a place early part of the present century and now voice overcharged with vi- brato, but her mezzo possesses range and among the great lieder composers, though reissued by Eterna. Angel's is thus the first power and she sings cleanly if without much he is little sung in concert nowadays. This sizable portion (47 minutes) of La Favorita is not difficult to account for, as his lieder honored by modern recording methods. expression. Baritone Otello Borgonovo has only one real moment, which is the suave are mostly miniatures, short in duration, La Favorita, an opera which had a fan- aria "Vien Leonora," in which he lacking what is known as "effectiveness." tastic success in its day, has not only been startlingly recalls the young De Luca in manner and An LP recital is the ideal way to come to neglected by recording companies (who know such music, and it will provide a think nothing of issuing three complete timbre, while Paolo Washington, featured in the ensemble, pleasant surprise for many listeners. Though Pearl Fishers), but also by opera companies. displays a voice of impressive sonority. the songs are kept to a moderate dynamic Despite the fact that Toscanini and others The level and are often strophic in form, there have placed themselves on record, insisting orchestra and chorus (unnamed), respond with enthusiasm to the bidding of are many subtle changes in the vocal lines that this is one of Donizetti's finest operas, and endless variety in the consummately impresarios generally give the melodious Glauco Curiel, presumably also youthful. Angel has not neglected to developed piano parts. Instead of finding score a wide berth. The Metropolitan last provide these interesting and hopeful young this recital monotonous, I found myself presented La Favorita on December 29, artists with its usual superfine recording. getting more and more into the mood as I 1905, with Edyth Walker, Caruso, Scotti, MAX DE SCHAUENSEE listened. Rössl -Majdan is on the whole a and Plancon in the cast; it has not been heard more than satisfying singer; her voice is there since. Philadelphia is the only Ameri- rich and velvety, her phrasing generally ex- can city, to my knowledge, that has en- FRANCK cellent, her diction clear. All in all her per- joyed big -scale performances of the opera Le Chasseur maudit; Rédemption - Sym- formances are warm and ingratiating. P.L.M. in modern times. The Philadelphia -La phonic Interlude; Psyché Scala Opera Company offered it in 1945, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du and again in 1946, with Bruna Castagna, Conservatoire, André Cluytens, cond. FAURE Franco Perulli, Alexander Sved, and Nino ANGEL 35232. 12 -in. $4.98 (or $3.48). Quartets for Piano and Strings: No. r, in Ruisi in leading roles. Europe has been C minor, Op. r5; No. 2, in G minor, equally inattentive, though Bergamo (Doni- Of the three works recorded here, only Le op. 45 zetti's birthplace) revived is the opera in 1948 Chasseur maudit complete in itself. Ré- Robert Masters Piano Quartet. with Giulietta Simionato, Gianni Poggi, demption is a poem- symphony for soprano, WESTMINSTER 18093. 12 -in. $4.98 (or Gino Bechi, and Cesare Siepi an impres- chorus, and orchestra, of which only the - $3.98). sive constellation. symphonic interlude - sometimes called a La Favorita, written expressly for the Paris symphonic poem - is represented on this For the first time on disks, Gabriel Fauré's stage, was first heard there on December 2, disk. Psyché also has several choral sections lovely piano quartets have been issued back - 1840. It has a cumbersome libretto which that are omitted (as is almost always the to -back; in fact, this marks the first appear- outlines the consuming passion of Alfonso case) in this purely orchestral suite. Cluy- ance here of the Second Quartet on LP. XI of Spain for his mistress, the beautiful tens gives spacious accounts of all three Both works are readily accessible, typical Leonora di Gusmann. Complications arise works, and as an orchestral Franck sampler French late- romantic music, somewhat in when Fernando, a novice at the convent of the record is most satisfactory. P. A. the Franckish idiom. The Robert Masters St. James, enters the romantic picture. A Piano Quartet is an organization that is un- Papal edict denouncing these frenetic hap- FRANZ familiar to me, and the jacket notes fail to penings does not make matters any less Lieder impart any biographical information. It is

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www.americanradiohistory.com an admirably integrated ensemble, whose COLUMBIA ML 5059. I2 -in. $3.98. Columbia, and although its masses are less members play the music with ample en- finely etched than Columbia's and betray lively performances thusiasm and warmth without overdoing First to be noted in these a degree more of distortion, the ensemble is the beautiful quality of the Philharmonic things. The reproduction is very faithful, still passes as first class if not revelatory. including the violins. The long even to the point of conveying an occa- strings, Some vexing problems intrude into an that causes some blurring of sional string rasp. P. A. reverberation inconclusive summary. For if there is no woodwind and drums is the obstacle shield- doubt here that the Waltet version of Sym- GRIEG ing the sonics from the qualification "out- phony No. 102 easily leads the three others, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, in A standing." and that the Scherchen record of Symphony minor, Op. 16 Inevitably any record of Haydn's sym- No. 96 is less decidedly in the van of five phonies composed for London must be editions, the opinions can be of little aid Robert Riefling, piano; Oslo Philharmonic compared with the corresponding version except to music- lovers undisturbed by cost. Orchestra, Odd Gruner -Hegge, cond. by Hermann Scherchen, the only conductor For No. 96 is on Westminster 5 1 t r backed 1612. 12 -in. ALLEGRO -ROYALE $5.95. ever to have recorded all twelve. In No. 102, by No. 98; No. 102 is paired with No. 97 the greater work, the nervous litheness of Although only Norwegian artists are in- on Westminster 5062; and both are avail- Dr. Walter carries more conviction than the volved in this recording, the performance able in the Westminster album of the twelve comparatively tentative (except in the finale) adds nothing our knowledge of the London symphonies in couplings determined to the Westminster conductor; but Grieg Piano Concerto. The forty- four -year- venture of by numerical progression. The perfec- reverses decision, here in favor of if old Mr. Riefling, who has played in this No. 96 the tionist is doomed to a double purchase the immaculate carving of Dr. Scherchen's it, impotent repining country briefly, gives a very direct, large - he can afford and to B. scale, forceful interpretation, but it is not hearty oppositions of large to little. The if he cannot. C. G. in a class with those by Guiomar Novaes, durability of the sound, nearly five years Artur Rubinstein, and other first -rank old, supplied by Westminster to the Vienna HAYDN pianists. The well- conducted orchestra plays orchestras used in these symphonies, in- Trios for Piano, Violin, and Violoncello: acceptably; the over -all tone is a little duces admiration and respect. In discrimina- No. zo, in E minor; No. 16, in G minor; harsh. R. E. tion of detail it far surpasses the new No. 24, in A-flat

GRIEG Peer Gynt Suites Nos. r and 2 Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of Lon- Mr. Holst Began as a Trombone Player don, Artur Rodzinski, cond. WESTMINSTER W -LAB 7014. r2 -in. $7.50. ONE OF THE MOST enjoyable records any month has come forth Rodzinski does an exceptionally refined job of this or efforts Mercury with these two overworked suites, injecting from the continuing joint of Records and the Eastman Symphonic Wind new freshness and meaning into them. His (read "concert band ") conducted are somewhat genteel readings, but the care Ensemble Fennell. It is the fourth prod- that has gone into every phrase pays off. by Frederick uct this collaboration, and the best, which So does Westminster's high -quality record- of is a good deal. The main reason it is ing. P. A. saying the best, I think, is the music, though Mr. GRIEG Fennell says that the microphone was moved a farther back in the Eastman Theater Sonatas for Violin and Piano: No. r, in little (Rochester, N. Y.) than had been customary F, Op. 8; No. 3, in C minor, Op. 45 in the earlier sessions, and that the session Mischa Elman, violin; Joseph Seiger, piano. was one of those when everything went LONDON LL 1253. 12 -in. $3.98. right from the start. Mercury has called the record British Band This pair of Grieg violin sonatas is a rare Classics and has decorated it with a color item on LP. The two have appeared to- photo of the Royal Household Cavalry, gether only once before, on a Decca disk but its content was written for sitting -down, Fuchs and Frank Sheridan, which by Joseph not marching, band, and by two of the best is not at hand for purposes unfortunately of composers who ever turned their pens to is also RCA Victor's re- comparison. There this Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan issue of the grand old Kreisler- Rachmaninoff - Williams. The former is represented by his Frederick Fennell evokes a crescendo. collaboration in the Sonata No. 3. And Suites No. r in E -flat and No. 2 in F, and that is all. The F major Sonata has always the latter by his Toccata Marziale and Folksong of course, credit goes to Fennell, who or- somewhat a rarity, both in concert been of Suite. The last is, of course, familiar in organized it and who has been conducting a It is a simple but most and on records. chestral arrangements. But Vaughan crusade to advance the prestige of concert in the best classical tradi- attractive work Williams told Fennell last year in Ithaca bands in general, even to writing a book with fugue in the last move- tion, complete that he had not heard Toccata Marziale on the subject (Time and the Winds, Leblanc, ment. C minor Sonata, on the other The since the year he wrote it (5924!). It has Kenosha, 5954). His interpretative powers a the recital reper- hand, used to be staple of not been recorded before, and the two Holst are impressive, too: his handling of the is now heard very rarely. It is tory, but suites have existed only on British 78s of no Vaughan Williams Suite stands up very songful melodies for brimful of the rich, great distinction. well against that of Sir Adrian Boult for which Grieg was so famous. Elman and As anyone who hears the new disk will Westminster, and the latter is widely con- approach sonatas with the ut- Seiger both see, this was great and undeserved neglect, sidered the world's leading V. W. interpreter. allow the most care and discretion. They but probably no tragedy, since perhaps not Finally, as has been implied above. Mercury to speak for itself, setting it forth in music until last year were recording techniques has done a hair -raising job of putting the sensitively phrased fashion. The simple, really right to make this music. The Holst band on the disk. Indeed, the record has have maintained a fairly equitable engineers Second and the Vaughan Williams Suite are only one flaw. It has to be played loud. balance between the two instruments, slight- based on folk tunes; but the idiom of the JOHN M. CONLY ly favoring the justly famous pure violin other two pieces is also recognizably British tone of Elman. P. A. No. r, in E-flat; No. 2, Isles. The scoring is much subtler and more HOLST: Suites: than that commonly devoted to in F, for Concert Band sonorous Marziale; HAYDN marching -band music some of it sounds (Vaughan Williams: Toccata 102, - Symphonies: No. 96, in D; No. in like organ writing, though vivacity is the Folksong Suite B-flat rule throughout. Eastman Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Frede- New York Philharmonic- Symphony Or- The finesse of the band is without prece- rick Fennell, cond. chestra, Bruno Walter, cond. dent in my listening experience. For this, MERCURY MG 40051. 12 -in. $3.98.

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www.americanradiohistory.com Paul Badura- Skoda, Jean Fournier, Antonio LISZT any other of our times. All his records are Janigro. Piano Miscellany anointed with it, particularly this one, en- WESTMINSTER 18054. 12 -in. $4.98 ($3.98). gineered to catch delicately every lambent Hungarian Rhapsody, No. 12; Spinning Song hemi -demi- semi -quaver. This is the third record of one of those (from Wagner's The Flying Dutchman); Les The stylization suggests a sure grounding series in which Westminster meanders Jeux d'Eaux d la Villa d'Este; Ricordanza; in Coleridge- Taylor. It is the work of a through the works of a given composer in a Petrarch Sonnets, Nos.: 74, 104, and 123. free man, a little dazed. (Freedom sometimes specific form. Presumably this gives the Egon Petri, piano. cannot be borne.) The pace is languid, in- musicians time to study and practice the ALLEGRO -ROYALE 1618. 12 -in. $1.89. clined to swoon, the phrase unshaped, as scores. Most of them show study, practice, if stuck in molasses on the bow. In this and aptitude, as they do here. The ten trios Egon Petri, who will be seventy -five this independence of spirit Concerto No. 5 is a so far recorded invite a monotony of favor- March, has commanded special attention as hymn to melting butter, an apotheosis of able criticism: bland music, tasteful play- a Busoni pupil and disciple. His recitals goo. This originality is not sustained during, and limpid reproduction. The three in this country before the last war were ing No. 4, which in many places sounds latest are not available elsewhere, and it usually devoted to large- scale, complex like Mozart. In both the orchestra is tame, seems safe to surmise that the record will scores, often of tremendous difficulty. His we may guess from sheepishness. C. G. B. not be challenged soon by another. In this technical equipment was up to the hardest music the piano is chief, with the violin em- works, and he played everything with MOZART bellishing and the cello corroborating, in thorough intellectual grasp of the music, Mass in C ( "Coronation "), K. 317 part, what the piano says. High praise to in a heavily serious manner and with some- Symphony No. 38, in D ( "Prague" ), K. 504 Mr. B -S for making this eminently clear thing less than the most complete sensitivity without overwhelming his fellows. C. G. B. to detail and nuance. Few of Mr. Petri's Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Igor Marke- recordings have been available on LP, and vitch, cond; with Maria Stader (s), Sieglinde it is good to have this and his Brahms disk Wagner (c), Helmut Krebs (t), Josef Greindl KABALEVSKY added to the catalogue. (bs), and the Choir of St. Hedwig's, Berlin, Twenty-Four Preludes, Op. 38 The Liszt works here are all quite long and in the Mass. full of cluttering detail. Mr. Petri plows DECCA DI. 9805. 12 -in. $3.98. Nadia Reisenberg, piano. through them easily, shaping a page full of WESTMINSTER 18095. 12 -in. $4.98 In spite of the very apparent merits of the (or runs, trills, octave scales into a tangible $3.98). Symphony, the Mass is the more attractive phrase making order out of what seems - element in an odd coupling. It is far in like chaos. He ignores many of the niceties The Kabalevsky Preludes, composed in 1946, front of the other recorded editions, whereas are attractive, and blandishments other pianists bring to easily accessible works. Break- the Prague must face the hot rivalry of several the music; yet for all its heavy -handed ing no creative paths, they might have been creditable and one remarkable (Solti on moments and its impersonally omniscient composed by Mussorgsky, with only a few London LL 1034) versions. view of the music, this treatment has an old - more modern touches of harmony added, Hard treatment awaits liturgical music fashioned, sweeping grandeur that is worth for they have considerable Russian flavor that does not whimper. An extensive lexi- study. through folkish turns in the melodies and con of invective has been pointed at the I do not know when these records were folk -dance rhythms. They follow the pattern Coronation Mass for being spirited, elegant, Preludes made though I suspect them to be at of Chopin's in the matter of key - and sensuous. This is to suppose that sequence (C, A minor, etc.), least ten years old, for there is no diminution G, and vary neither health nor manners can befit a sharply in mood. Many are in Mr. Petri's technical prowess here, and technically church, a supposition that has endowed difficult and make good études, effective the recorded sound is uneven and tonally much of the literature on this Mass with a shallow. R. E. for recital purposes and worth pianists' theological rigidity of categorical rejection attention. The set finds a wholly persuasive unquestionably terrifying to devout music - exponent in the expert Nadia Reisenberg. MOHAUPT lovers who have unthinkingly ventured to R. E. Double Trouble enjoy both Mozart and God. Most of this kind of criticism comes not Richard Dales (t); Margaret Pulliam (s); from theologians but from critics of music KHACHATURIAN Abby Beierfield (c); William Pickett (b); trying to imagine how a theologian would Concerto for Violin and Orchestra and others. Chorus and members of the feel if he heard worship joyous. This kind Louisville Orchestra, Moritz Bomhard, conci. David Oistrakh, violin; Philharmonia Or- of critic does not understand that theologi- LOUISVILLE LOU- 545-12. 12-in. Available on chestra. Aram Khachaturian, cond. ans feel like other men, according to the subscription only. ANGEL 35244. 12 -in. $4.98 (or $3.48) prescriptions of their digestion. The ob- A delightfully witty, adroit, and inventive servant critic in church sees that the cus- release yet The of another Oistrakh record- comic opera, strongly influenced by Stra- tomary Mass there induces sleep, and con- the ing of Khachaturian Violin Concerto, vinsky's Les Now, but in the right way. Un- cludes from this that sleep is the desirable which is dedicated to the renowned Soviet fortunately the pamphlet that comes with and admirable result expected from a Mass. virtuoso, provides an opportunity for some the record provides only the sketchiest out- No one sleeps during K. 317, and so it interesting comparisons. Both Oistrakh and line of the complicated plot; and although must be an unholy thing. the composer have committed this colorful the singers project the text fairly well, it Theatrical as the church itself, bright as work disks to on several previous occasions, is still next to impossible to figure out what hope, tender as Jesus, clean as flame, this surely but not with the opulence of repro- is going on at any given moment. The in- derided C major Mass has no other sin than duced sound they are accorded here. What terpretation is altogether convincing, and Magdalen's of pleasing too much. No is so interesting is that the violinist's son, the recording is good. A. F. austerity in either: just a beauty too easy Igor. also recorded this concerto for Angel to condone. with the same orchestra, though the con- In short, the most accessible, fluent, and ductor was Eugene Goossens. Khachaturian MOZART spontaneous of Mozart's masses, to which whips up a little more fire in the accompani- Concertos for Violin and Orchestra: No. 4, Decca has given an exultant performance ment. especially in the middle movement; in D, K. 218; No. 5, in A. ("Turkish"). and juicy sound. The conductor Markevitch, and surely no one plays the solo K. 219 part with not known in this country as a Mozart man . the brilliance and high polish given by it Mischa Elman; New Symphony Orchestra. will not permit a tempo to droop or a stress the elder Oistrakh. Still, there is nothing Josef Krips, cond. to falter in his projection of the quick move- wrong with the virtuosity of young Igor, LONDON LI. 1271. 12 -in. $3.98. ments. paraded with the tight contours of a and the latter seems to invest the music contemporaneous symphony. The slow with a wider variety of tone color, providing No one who can bring himself to listen to movements are in appearance and in con- more delicate and subtle shading than does this record will deny Mr. Elman's owner- trast left to breathe for themselves, their his father. For those who are interested, it is ship of a few seraphim, whom he keeps in slowness unforced and intrinsic, productive worth taking the time to compare these his violin. Not to argue a cause already of a sense of repose and tranquil adoration, two disks; for those who are not, either is won, let it be admitted briefly that this fiddler uncompelled, natural and inevitable. A a more than satisfactory choice. P. A. has more sweet unction in his strings than feat of no common prowess, so to lead from

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www.americanradiohistory.com 1E1111111 IIN

brilliant display into prayer without shock- woodwind qualities in the finale. Good as a tBeethoven: Quintet for Piano and Wind, ing by the contrast. whole if not the best, and an agreeable bonus in E flat, Op. 16 Contrast of another kind, not necessarily to the Mass. C. G. B. Walter Gieseking, piano; Sidney Sutcliffe, invidious, has been made by the nature of oboe; Bernard Walton, clarinet; Cecil the sound. This has deep substance, and MOZART James, bassoon; Dennis Brain, horn. its bulk is enlarged by a reverberation giv- Quartets: No. 2, in D, K. 155; No. 3, in G, ANGEL 35303. 12 -in. $4.98 (or $3.48). ing a strong, lingering prominence to the K. 156; No. 4, in C, K. 157; No. 5, in are several other versions of both low strings and drums, while the well - drilled K. 158 There and two other disks with the same choir soars above with a cathedral -like ex- Barylli Quartet. works, logical pairing. Of the latter, Columbia ML pansiveness. The richness of the resultant WESTMINSTER 18053. 12 -in. $4.98 (or 4834 (Serkin Members of the Philadelphia fabric imbues what is essentially a flashing $3.98). pageant with a solemnity of vastness. Given Orchestra) is a record of rarely high quality, generous volume, this reproduction is im- It looks as if the Baryllis will complete an laudable in playing and sound. Neverthe- par- posing in its own right, but is more obviously edition of the Mozart Quartets for West- less the new Angel compels preference, compatible with Beethoven's Missa Solem- minster and the Barchets will do the same ticularly in the Mozart, delivered with an nis, to which Decca has accorded similar for Vox. The latter have a disk (85 to) con- elegance compounded of precision and treatment. taining the first four quartets, so that this amiability. The slower, looser play of the The soloists, all well known, are in good Barylli record is in three -quarter competition Columbia musicians seems a little over - form, and the recording presents the un- with it. Presumably No. I will appear on a fleshed after this. It is not a choice between usual virtue of making them seem integral later Westminster, giving the advantage of the respective keyboards or reeds or bells, In and not an added dimension. Excellent or- sensible ordination to Vox. But Westmin- but of comparative fineness of temper. chestral playing, and first -class reproduction ster's reproduction is smoother and more the Beethoven, an easier and more exuberant of the choir, the orchestra in full sonance nicely blended, although the other has good work, the point of favor is Angel's sound. as noted, with some slighting of timbre, bite and sharp detail and is creditable at Which in both pieces attains an altitude to lost in the auditorium. low volume. It is impossible to prefer con- of transparent clearness not, according simi- A big orchestra has been used in the sistently one group of performances over memory, reached before on a record of Prague Symphony, and again we hear a the other. The music is bland and not de- lar instrumentation. And attained without contrast between the nipping spray of the manding, and the players are expert. C. G. B. tension, without imposing a consciousness music and the heavy depth of the sound. of room tone. Feathered or malleted, the and This is strange but not unpleasant, es- MOZART piano responds with equal naturalism, pecially if one likes the bass pervasive. Quintet for Piano and Wind, in E flat, the horn is throughout tractable. The Reverberation effects some clashing of K. 452 Columbia, which as noted is an excellent

Every Day, in Every Way, Mozart is Served Better and Better

WITHOUT EVIL FOR CONTRAST good is unrecognizable. In an assembly where everyone is virtuous, virtue fatigues. Praise is meaningless when everything is praised. (Here the reader's attention is invited for one melancholy moment to television's lexicon, where "wunnerful" is the customary term for the most delapidated comedian and "fabulous" the faintest adjective fit for a master of ceremonies or a hunk of soap). An occasional poor record is required to prove the boon of good ones. In the last two months an extraordinary procession of laudable records has passed through the reproducers here. Only one of every eight or nine of these was of truly low order. This is not a critic's taste: the preponderance of praise may strain the creduli- ty of his readers, and it assuredly strains the resources of his vo- cabulary. He yearns for a monster or a gold brick to punctuate the sameness of high ability. And then, this: one of those precious disks with a masterpiece in masterly fulfillment on either side. A few other pairings of Mozart concertos are of high realization in the three elements of pianist, orchestra, and sound, but not so high as this. One can Gieseking Rosbaud of the loins for this record, a determination divine a triple girding the orchestra will subside to its own silkier whisper. Indeed it assert right to prestige. Utilization of the conductor Rosbaud, to is in the dynamic audacity of the performance, in sound loyally with the pianist in the making of some celebrated associated precise for nearly sixty-three minutes, that the superiority of records in the late Thirties, tends to verify that the prep- Columbia this record to its rivals is manifest. No one phrases the D minor not aration was commonplace. Concerto badly nowadays, and in three preceding versions of No. the customary fussy speculation on the size of the Without 25, good in various degree with one excellent, the musical thought orchestra Mozart would have used for these concertos, and with- is not inferior to that of the Gieseking -Philharmonia disk here out the customary thrifty conclusion, Messrs. Angel have employed so warmly commended. ( And in truth the best performances of a large group for both works, quite in accordance with their the D minor have not been endowed with impressive reproduc- capacity. The distribution of microphones vis -à -vis the players tion.) The success is tripartite for the Angel record, in solo, en- has obtained distinct audibility for each instrument even in the semble, and sound, for the Philharmonia is at its best, and one forceful and cohesive tuttis. The conductor interprets forte liberally, would venture to say it was enthusiastic, proud of a triumph providing a masculine strength in welcome contradiction of a that could be sensed while still incomplete. C. G. BURKE tradition of miniaturism which has travestied the grander Mozart for a century. MOZART The hearty orchestral billows are particularly effective when Concertos for Piano and Orchestra: No. 20, in D minor, K. in the cameoed whisper that is his they introduce the pianist 466; No. 25, in C, K. 503. distinctive property -a caress with a pinch in it, a hard feather dropping, an etched quietness. It is hypnotically arresting, like Walter Gieseking, piano; Philharmonia Orchestra, Hans Rosbaud, a dictator's small voice; and, projected by crystalline sonics, cond. penetrates deep. Later the same hands will make thunder, and ANGEL 35215. 12 -in. $4.98 (or $3.48).

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www.americanradiohistory.com disk, is exposed with minute particles of a facsimile of the instrument, the instrument Style of a Concerto; Sinfonia for Cello sonic fuzz after submission to immediate ought to be adapted to imitate the sound. and Strings comparison. Angel 353o3 is an archangel. C. G. B. I Musici. C. G. B. MOZART ANGEL 3538B. Two r2 -in. $9.98. Sonata for Two Pianos, in D, K. 448 actual six MOZART Andante and Variations, for Piano four - The composer of the concertinos Serenade No. 13, in G ( "Eine kleine Nacht- hands, in G, K. 5or is unknown. They have been attributed at musik"), K. 525 tSchubert: Fantasy for Piano four- hands, various times to Handel and to one Carlo Symphony No. 41, in C ("Jupiter"), K. 551 in F minor, Op. 103; Divertissement for Ricciotti as well as to Pergolesi. Whoever wrote them, they are delightful examples "Danube Symphony Orchestra." Piano four- hands, in E minor, Opp. 63 of the late concerto grosso, having the formal RCA CAMDEN CAL 253. I2 -in. $I.98. and 84 (2nd Movement, andantino varié, only) layout of the baroque concertos and melodic The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under and harmonic touches that foreshadow the Bruno Walter recorded these nearly twenty Robert and Gaby Casadesus. coming rococo. Their composer was a years ago. The conductor has since changed COLUMBIA ML 5046. 12 -in. $3.98. man with ideas and considerable skill. In his concept, to everyone's satisfaction, for The Sonata and the Fantasy are long works. some of the slow sections - notably those I he reaches a other records. The old Eine k N is slow and Only the andantino varié is new to records. of No. - surprising depth of dull, while the Jupiter was a little fancy. The Reproduction is eminently good in the four searching introspection, and the fast move- former in its LP transfer has pleasing, not pieces. The pliable D major Sonata, agree- ments are always lively and often gay. The "sonata" is really a violin and an notable sonics, understandably short of able to slapdash, is equally and otherwise concerto, good articulation. The sonic quality of agreeable to the well -groomed brilliance of attractive one, while the "sinfonia" is really Symphony No. 41 in this version may never the comparatively temperate exhibition in a sonata for cello and continuo. The amus- be exactly fixed or estimated in this place: the newest version. The lyricism of the ing finale of this " sinfonia," incidentally, it is was among the things that Stravinsky bor- precisely elusive. For the side labeled second movement is salted with a tongue- Jupiter opens teasingly with some measures in -cheek prim exactitude of strong attrac- rowed for his Pulcinella. All of these works are performed of festive Renaissance music, followed im- tion, and the teamwork throughout is for without continuo and, except mediately by an experienced masculine every husband and wife to emulate. The for the sonata, in "revisions" by Barbara Giuranna. They are very voice: Fantasy, brooding less than it might, is well played by "Welcome, gentlemen! ladies that have nice in poise and integration, and the the Musici in their customary expressive, their toes smaller pieces are captivating. An excellent singing style. N. B. Unplagued with corns will have a bout record without any large blemish except with you." that of hodge -podge, in which it is in ex- PERGOLESI tensive and Which puts us on the alert against a exalted company. C. G. B. La Serva Padrona roguishness of special presentation perhaps Rosanna Carteri, soprano; Nicola Rossi- celebrating the Mozart year. But no old MOZART - Lemeni, basso; La Scala Orchestra, Carlo Capulet continues, and then comes Romeo, Symphonies: No. 29, in A, K. tor; No. 41, Maria Giulini, cond. then Tybalt. Romeo andJuliet, Act I, Scene v, in C, "Jupiter," K. 551 ANGEL 35279L. r2 -in. $5.98 (or $3.48). through Act II, Scene iii, a with Juliet sweet Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, and hard to perfection. Not the Romeo and cond. La Serva Padrona is one of the milestones in Juliet of Berlioz, or of Tchaikovsky, or Gou- ANGEL 35209. 12 -in. $4.98 (or $3.48). musical history, not so much because of its nod, or Bellini, but Shakespeare's. natural and melodious charm as because its The record is probably Side 2 of the Old The violins are muted in the andantes of production in Paris in 1752 set off the so- Vic production appropriately issued by both Symphonies, an assurance of more or called "Guerre des Bouffons," a deadly battle Victor. It whets the appetite for the rest. less denaturing to come in the reproduction. between the native French style of music The misreading of a code -letter caused this There is still no absolutely first -class record represented by Rameau and the imported little contretemps for Camden, and the error of either work, and in the case of No. 29 Italian. All the intellectuals of Paris were may have been detected before many copies we are not likely to have one until some implicated, and the royal household split were at large, but readers lucky enough to constructive editing is done in advance of in two, with the Queen supporting the find the Mozart- Shakespeare combination recording. The charm of this music is Italians, the King and Mme. de Pompadour will not complain unless they already have delicate except in the finale, and that deli- the French. The important result of all this the play in their collection. On the evidence cacy has not yet been put upon disks with- was the establishment of a new kind of of the 78s, the Jupiter Symphony destined out distension. The trouble is in the scor- comic opera in France, described as comédie for the disk will not be mourned. C. G. B. ing, which is for strings with pairs of oboes mêlée d'ariettes. Thus the youthful Pergolesi, and horns. On records what we hear are who died at twenty -six, may be said to have violins, the bane of records, subduing every- set the styles for both Italy and France, MOZART thing else. Supervisors are urged to use and to have achieved a very special kind of Sonatas for Piano: No. rr, in A, K. 331, six each of oboes and horns, to double the immortality with his innocent little inter- No. 14, in C minor, K. 457, Fantasy for violas, and to have played down a full force mezzo. Piano, in C minor, K. 475 of violins. Then we may have a sensation If La Serva Padrona is rarely heard now- Paul Badura -Skoda, piano. of glide in place of scratch. - Finesse is not adays, this new recording provides adequate WESTMINSTER 18028. I2 -in. $4.98 (or apparent in the direction of the newest reasons. Made up of charming, graceful $3.98). version, nor is it in most of the older ones; arias set among long stretches of recitative, but in justice to the conductor it must be this is music that demands its own style of All are played on a reconstruction of a late - conceded that the full, hard sound is a bar- singing. Unfortunately neither Carteri nor eighteenth- century piano. The Fantasy pre- rier to any impression of nicety. Rossi -Lemeni (both of whom have shown cedes the C minor Sonata on the record, so The Jupiter, with its fatter scoring, is a us often enough what they can do in more that they can be played in the juxtaposed robust good one as records go. The con- modern schools of opera) is trained in this sequence of tradition. Fifteen months ago ductor's contribution is honest and forceful particular tradition. There is a good deal a disk of the same music, played by the and the men play well, but there is no tonal of spread tone, doubtful intonation, and same pianist on a contemporary piano, was mellowness and there are enough Jupiters plain monotony in their performance. The reviewed here favorably. is This a better already for us to expect obvious technical older Cetra recording conducted by Simonet - record. Mr. B -S is more telling in a stricter improvements in a new one by such an or- to is less well engineered - I must concede economy of dynamics, and the piano - chestra as the Philharmonia under such the beautiful sound of the orchestra and the smaller in the bass, more obviously vibrant auspices as Angel's. harpsichord in this one - but far better at the top, even a bit plangently vibrant, No. 29 benefits from diminished, and sung by Angelina Tuccari and Sesto Brus- but not harpsichordish - is appealing and No. 41 from expanded, volume. C. G. B. cantini. In both sets the older tradition of deadly at the same time: affinitive to the appoggiaturas is disregarded; if the recita- C minor music and decorative to the well - PERGOLESI tives seem long, this may well be one worn alla Turca Sonata. If the sound is not Six Concertinos for Strings; Sonata in the reason. P. L. M.

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www.americanradiohistory.com PERGOLESI arises in all his brazen splendor. Surely, he by the dying Puccini), has been opened for Stabat Mater is the most plausible entry since Lauri - the first time in a complete recording. Volpi. His is a brilliant, enthusiastic per- MAX DE SCHAUENSEE soprano; Elisabeth Teresa Stich -Randall, formance, though some of us may miss the Akademie Kammer- Höngen, alto; Vienna infinite longing in Francesco Merli's voice RESPIGHI Vienna State Opera Orchestra, chor and (Cetra), as Calaf first gazes on the icy Feste romane Mario Rossi, cond. beauty of the princess. Sir VANGUARD BG 549. I2 -m. $4.98. Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra, Adrian Boult, cond. A reverent and restrained performance of WESTMINSTER -W -LAB 7012. 12-ill. $7.50. Pergolesi's last and perhaps finest work. The flowing melodies are beautifully sung by If a gorgeous recording of Respighi's lush money, this Stich -Randall; and even Höngen is often free piece is worth $7.50 of your here from the unsteadiness that usually issue is highly recommended. A. F. characterizes her work elsewhere. Both singers use a soft, pure tone with little SAINT -SAENS Bloch: shading or change of color. This is one Danse macabre, Op. 40 - See possible approach to the work. But a good Schelomo. case could be made out, it seems to me, for a more full -blooded conception, with greater SCHUBERT intensity and contrast. This is not, after Fantasy for Piano four -hands, in F minor, Two all, Gregorian Chant or even Palestrina. It Op. 103 - See Mozart: Sonata for K. 448. is the work of an eighteenth- century Italian Pianos, in D, who spent a good portion of his pitifully brief creative career in the world of opera, SCHUBERT and the music, as Abraham Veinus remarks Quartet No. 13, in A minor, Op. 29 in his notes, has points of resemblance with tBrahms: Quartet No. 2, in A minor, that of La Serva Padrona. Pergolesi was obvi- Op. 51, No. 2 ously deeply moved by the text, but there Amadeus Quartet. are degrees of sadness in his music, and not RCA VICTOR LHMV 27. I2 -in. $4.98. all of the poem or its setting is mournful. It is only in the two choral movements that These are so good that a month has been For those who wasted in a barren effort to discover just Rossi displays real animation. Inge Borkh: praiseworthy new Turandot. prefer the relatively disembodied, "churchly" where the record should be placed. The this disk should prove satisfac- Amadeus play with the clear intention of ex- approach, the new set lies in N. B. One of the features of tracting the essential juices from a score tory. for the surprise casting of Renata Tebaldi without in any degree putting it out of upon the the role of Liu. Here we come shape. Full phrasing, tonal warmth, de- a far more PUCCINI unusual situation of a Liu with cided rhythm; but no violence, no eccen- the voice Turandot Turandot dominating voice than of tricity: a sinuous but virtuous path among herself. The latter part should be sung by a Borkh (s), Turandot; Renata Tebaldi the sirens of decadence. There is enough Inge lady who probably uses a mixture of steel (s), Liu; Mario del Monaco (t), Calaf; flexibility in this ideal to permit its applica- and cement for a gargle. Inge Borkh, the Zaccaria (bs), Timur; Fernando tion to both classic and romantic music. Nicola new Turandot, hardly answers this descrip- (bs), Ping; Mario Carlin (t), Pang; It is hard to argue that in music for string Corena tion, though her singing of this cruelly Renato Ercolani (t), Pong; and others. quartet, almost always preserving remnants taxing music is praiseworthy and generally Chorus and Orchestra of L'Accademia di of classicism, there is a way better designed pleasing. Her voice, not solid enough to unite decency and eloquence. (The Santa Cecilia (Rome), Alberto Erede, cond. register, isn't really throughout its middle trouble is, of course, that many great things LONDON XLLA 36. Three 12 -in. $14.94. it should be. commanding, which, of course, are low in decency, and an immense host of her Though performances of Turandot in Ameri- Gina Cigna (Cetra), even at the end of decent things are devoid of eloquence.) a steely au- ca are as scarce as hens' teeth, Puccini's career, gives us glimpse of the In Brahms, a prudent composer of ro- last opera seems to enjoy a secret life and thority that should invest this music, and mantic music parsimonious with profliga- In questa growth of its own among followers of the Maria Callas' recent recording of cies, the Amadeus are at home with the sound. lyric drama. Despite neglect, interest has reggia shows us how Turandot must shadowy sentiments, the cautious sorties, not flagged for those who have memories of To return to Tebaldi, her voice is big and and the resourceful obscurities that fit so little doubt that Turandot or own recordings. Cherishing an beautiful; there remains snug in a more -or -less classical mold. In attitude which seems to be ever ensconsed Liu's poignant arias have never been so their unstriving and undistended playing, in an aura of hope and expectancy, enthusi- handsomely sung. the A minor Quartet emits an indefinite im- asts blithely figure out casts in hopes that a The use of Fernando Corena, an excellent pression of direction impossible to looser like mis- revival is imminent. With such things in artist, in the role of Ping, seems effusions, and another impression, of ani- mind, it seems to me more than fortunate casting to me. His voice, in reality a bass, mate humanity, denied to simple literalism. for the open, that this recording of Turandot has appeared. is far too solid and covered To the writer this edition is the most attrac- I well from A new one was badly needed. For although floating mezza -voce so remember tive, but readers are cautioned that standards Luca, the Metro- the Cetra set (which dates from 5937) was the throat of Giuseppe De in Brahms have always floated. fact, the an exciting recording for its day sonically, it politan's first Ping. As a matter of The sublime distress of Schubert's A the Cetra set have not emerges very dated to ears attuned to modern Ping, Pang, Pong of minor is projected without fault and with- techniques. And the Remington album, been equaled here. Nicola Zaccaria sings out the twisted mystery more pliant inter- a good bargain when it first appeared in an admirable Timur. pretations can give it. The choice here re- 1954, can hardly be called definitive with This is a glamorous recording, make no mains the tenuously writhing version of the and Turandot should be glamorous. its spotty casting, thinnish orchestra, and mistake, Italian Quartet on London LL 668, wonderful see rather strident sound. The voices of Del Monaco and Tebaldi in its mannered but exquisite pain. London has now given us, on the whole, to that, and so does the glorious sound which Strong and pretty natural sound for the Eredé s knowing direc- a very fine account of Turandot. The sound points up Alberto pair, after the compensator has taken the and or- is really sumptuous. This music with its tion of the Santa Cecilia chorus extra shimmer away from the violins. C.G.B. oriental exoticisms responds to such treat- chestra. How well this performance will of the ment, as instrumental touches, lost in the stand up against the competition SCHUBERT is Callas Turandot, which Angel plans to re- other sets, now reach the surface. There Sonatas for Piano: No. 3, in A minor, this summer, remains to be seen. sumptuous singing, too. Most people cord Op. 164; No. 20, in A, Op. Posth. would put down Mario del Monaco as Right now, London's is the first choice. their ideal choice among contemporary Incidentally, a cut often made in the final Friedrich Wührer, piano. tenors for the role of Calaf, and here he duet (written by Alfano on sketches made Vox PL 9130. 12 -in. $4.98.

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www.americanradiohistory.com This is the first LP of the cosy and in part STRAUSS, RICHARD in a repeated passage at the end of Don skittish A minor Sonata. notable in that it Salome: Dance of the Seren Veils - See Carlo's great Act II, Scene 3 trena, London proclaims, both tentatively and boisterously, Bloch: Schelomo. presents the opera complete. Because of much of the Schubert manner and substance this, eight sides have been employed rather to be exalted in the later sonatas. The A TALLIS than the six used by Cetra, Urania, and major work, twice as long, next to last in The Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet; Angel. However, the energetic authority creation and abounding in ideas, has been Five Hymns for Alternating Plainsong of conductor Molinari Pradelli sees to it favored with only one other edition, perhaps and Polyphony that even without deletions his performance because of a paucity of display, perhaps be- Deller is only some twenty minutes longer than cause it imparts some small discomfort Consort, Alfred Deller, dir. VANGUARD BG 551. 12 -in. $4.98. those of the rival sets. Keeping things with its formal distention. moving is all to the good; such a huge, This is the preferred edition. primarily The Lamentations of Jeremiah were set by variegated musical canvas could otherwise because of the satisfying deep sub once of many sixteenth -century composers, in- easily weary the listener. The conductor's the piano as recorded, but also because of cluding Lassus and Palestrina. Surely one firm hold over the excellent orchestra and the pianist's talent for keeping an unmud- of the noblest of these settings is this grave chorus of Rome's Santa Cecilia is evident died and certain line. Vox has chosen this and lovely music by Thomas Tallis, one of throughout. man to record all twenty -one of the Schu- England's great composers. It sounds es- The original Metropolitan cast, which bert sonatas - twenty -two if the 1816 work pecially rich here in a performance by five was first assembled at so late a date as in E. usually divided into five Klavierstücke, male voices, among which the limpid coun- November 15, 1918, included Caruso, Pon - is included. Ten have so far been issued, in ter -tenor of Alfred Deller stands out strik- selle, De Luca, Mardones, Alice Gentle, consistently laudable sonics and perform- ingly. A minor oddity is the pronunciation and Thomas Chalmers. This was a formid- ances ranging from tidy narrative to reveal- of the Hebrew word ghimel, here rendered able array, and those first performances - ing disquisition. The pianist can hit like a as "djimel." which I was fortunate enough to have heard brute but does not flaunt strength, and one Of the hymns on the other side, four are - were as fine as anything given in New will note after listening an apparent de- sung in alternation - that is, the odd - York during two decades. London has also precation of technique as an end, a healthy numbered verses are done in plainsong and assembled a very fine cast, which on paper spiritual state for the piano music of Schu- the even -numbered ones are set polyphoni- would seem to correspond to what was bert. His complete edition will not uniform- cally. Both verses of the fifth hymn (0 nata considered gilt -edged in 1918 - Del Mona- ly surpass in every sonata every other ver- lux) are performed polyphonically. Despite co, Tebaldi, Bastianini, Siepi, Simionato, and sion (nor will any other complete edition). the absence of instrumental support, the Corena. However, talk of an "ideal cast" but it will not libel Schubert. C. G. B. voices are almost always squarely on pitch, must be qualified here in a discussion of its especially in the Lamentations -a difficult component parts. SHOSTA KO V ICH thing to do in this flexible part- music. Renata Tebaldi's Donna Leonora is the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 99 Highly recommended for the Lamentations, set's bright, particular glory. Hers be- David Oistrakh, violin; New York Phil- although the hymns are not without some comes the definitive performance on re- harmonic- Symphony Orchestra, Dimitri Mi- fine moments. N. B. cordings of the complete opera, surpassing tropoulos, cond. both Maria Caniglia and Maria Callas, up ML 5077. 12 -in. to now the accepted phonographic measur- COLUMBIA S3.98. VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Shostakovich's most important innovation ing rods for the role. Miss Tebaldi's voice Toccata Marziale; Folksong Suite - See seems ideal for this music its warmth, is the moderato slow movement, which com- Holst: Suites. - bines the lyricism of slow tempos with the firmness, bloom, and brilliant high notes recalling Rosa strength and dramatic, climactic build one VERDI Ponselle's memorable singing. Tebaldi's Convent Scene is perhaps the expects in the first section of a large -scale La Forza del Destino symphonic work. When the burden of that high spot of this London version, though her "Pace, mio opening Moderato is carried, as it is here. Renata Tebaldi (s), Donna Leonora; Mario Dio" is wonderfully well sung. by a solo violin, with that instrument's del Monaco (t), Don Alvaro; Ettore Basti- The lovely Tebaldi pianissimo is much in natural genius for long singing lines subtly anini (b), Don Carlo; Giulietta Simionato evidence, and if some find that she occa- and plastically varied, the results are all the (ms), Preziosilla; Cesare Siepi (bs), Padre sionally drives her voice, let them remember more individual. Guardiano; Fernando Corena (bs), Melitone; that the soprano is not singing Handel's The second slow movement is also re- and others. Chorus and Orchestra of L'Ac- Messiah but a score that demands effluvia. markable because it suggests that there has cademia di Santa Cecilia (Rome), Francesco Del Monaco's Alvaro is far harder to ap- been a shift in the Communist party line Molinari Pradelli, cond. praise properly. Much of it is splendid and LONDON XLL 1353. 12 it is so far as music is concerned. It is a passa- Four -in. $19.92. challenging, but on the whole not nearly so successful as his recent Calaf in caglia on a theme of decidedly ecclesiastical A cast of singers with really important character. Such are very rare in Soviet music, Puccini's Turandot. While no one expects voices and a conductor who has both fiery this "strong- armed" tenor to emit dulcet but this one is heavily emphasized by being authority and reverence for the music are made the subject of the concerto's long sfumature like a Schipa or a McCormack, what a successful performance of Verdi's one does hope for some passages sung at cadenza. Between the slow movements is a La Forza del Dettino requires. And that is less than a constant heroic forte. Del brief, grotesque scherzo of the kind Shosta- what London has provided for its latest kovich writes every day before breakfast, Monaco sings with unflagging power contribution to recorded opera - the fourth throughout his middle register; for this and the finale is an optimistic folk -dance LP offering of this grand old music drama. reason I suspect some of the easy brilliance affair likewise adhering strictly to formula. La Forza del Destino, based on the famous The work was tailor -made for Oistrakh has departed from his top tones. They are play by Don Angel de Saavedra, Duque de still impressive, but they no longer electrify - for his rich, suave tone and his vital Russian Rivas, stems from Verdi's middle period. style, like that which Heifetz commanded - at least, not on these disks. The two high The première occurred in St. Petersburg, B naturals, at as a young man and of course he takes the end of his second scene - Russia, in 1862. It was revised by the with Don Carlo, are sounds full advantage of it. The recording is of others could librettist, Ghislanzoni, at Verdi's request, achieve, and perhaps better at that. the kind from which the sound of the in- in f868, and this second version was first struments seems fairly to leap into one's In reading this, you must remember that heard at Milan's La Scala, on February 20, Del Monaco is living room. A. F. considered by many to be 1869. It is the version that is in use today. the successor of such high -note specialists Some may deplore the multiplicity of scenes as Tamagno SIBELIUS and Zenatello. Nevertheless, and characters that seem extraneous; but he makes a dignified figure of the hapless Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D there is no doubt that, given without cuts, Alvaro and improves as the opera progresses. minor, Op. 47 See Bruch: Concerto - the opera - like Boris Godunov - presents a There is an important debut here on disks: for Violin and Orchestra. No. r. fascinating cross- section of life and cus- Ettore Bastianini in the role of Don Carlo with a toms characteristic flavor quite its di Vargas. This young man has a baritone STRAUSS, JOHANN, JR. own. None of Verdi's other operas sounds of real breadth and sonority, and he makes Graduation Ball (arr. Antal Dorati) - in the least like this one. see Chopin: Les Sylphides. Excepting a traditional cut of sixteen bars Continued on page 72

70 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Heifetz VIOLIN CONCERTO Reiner

HEIFETZ

Heifetz is a perfect medium for ex- Together with Fritz Reiner and the Ocher Heifetz recordings you'll want to own: "Beethoven: Violin and Piano Sonatas and overflow- Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Heifetz pressing the boundless (Complete) .5 Long Plays (LM -6701) $19.98 ing humanity of the Violin Concerto has created a masterpiece of passion Two Bach Concerti: A Minor and No. 2 in in D by Johannes Brahms. Few vio- and sound. Seldom before has the E. Long Play (LM -1818) $3.98 Bruch and Wieniawski: Violin Concerti. so equipped to in- violin's beauty been recorded so faith- " linists are uniquely Long Play (LM -1931) $3.98 the old South German naïveté fully or magnificently. Hear this "New terpret ** "Nei, Orthophonie" High Fidelity recording and serenity ... the deep reverence Orthophonic" High Fidelity recording Nationally Advertised Prices and devotion for the great classical soon at your nearest RCA Victor Rec- tradition that is the very essence of ord Dealer's. On one 12 -inch Long B,CAVICTOR Brahms' concerto for violin. Play record (LM -1903) only $3.98.

MARCH I956 71

www.americanradiohistory.com Leonora's vengeful brother a virile, impos- BOCCHERINI Here's your guide to ing figure. A few added vocal subtleties, Quintet for Guitar and Strings, No. r, in D ; such as the Buona Notté s of the Inn Scene, tPaganini: Quartet in E which should really float, would not have MORE LISTENING Stuyvesant String Quartet, with Rey de la come amiss. Torre, guitar. The music of the gypsy, Preziosilla, de- S.. ENJOYMENT PHONOTAPES PM 505. 7 -in. 71/4 ips. 2 tracks. .. mands a virtuoso style, and in this Giulietta $8.95. Simionato is more successful than her rival Whether you're a musical connoisseur, hi -fi mezzos - and that includes the rightly The Quintet, fresh as novelty and always expert or just plain enjoy good music - respected Ebe Stignani. For all her brilliant entertaining in the confident mobility of its here's a wealth of practical, useful informa- vocalization, Miss Simionato manages to lucid patterns, must be irresistible to every- tion on how to select the type of records infuse the character with the earthy quality one susceptible to the resourcefully con- you like best, and how to obtain greater that is its proper color. Cesare Siepi's Padre trived but ostensibly spontaneous music of enjoyment from them. Seventeen musical Guardiano is less impressive than I thought the great minor masters of music's most specialists help enrich your understanding it would be. His is a fine voice, but he logical period. On disk (Philharmonia sos) and deepen your appreciation of music by sounds like many others. Cetra's Tancredi or tape it is well served by players and en- explaining the different types of music and Pasero is still the most distinctive Guardiano gineers, especially on tape, which at its recommending the best recordings in each on records. At its best, Siepi's voice sounds best gives out chamber music without category. beautiful, but it is sometimes marred by duress. This one is mellow, spacious with- unsteadiness, and its volume is only moder- out exaggeration and distinct in tonal quali- JUST OUT! ate. Personal reminiscences are sometimes ties. The wispy Paganini Quartet is no tiresome, but I cannot forget the voice of more harmful than a painted feather. C. G. B. Jose Mardones simply rolling out with or- ganlike richness and amplitude in this MOZART Building music; I cannot say that Siepi's does. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 20, Fernando Corena is a superior Melitone in D minor, K. 466 (though the role is on the high side for Sondra Bianca; Pro Musica Chamber Or- him) in a cast that, despite some reserva- Your chestra, Hamburg, Hans Jurgen -Walther, tions, has produced, thus far, the best cond. Forza del Destino on records. PHONOTAPES PM 5003. 5 -in. 71/2 ips. 2 tracks. MAX DE SCHAUENSEE Record $6.95. Edited by WIENIAWSKI A number of the Mozart concertos need a Roy H. large orchestra, not least the D minor here Hoopes, Jr. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, No. 2, Library forces. is in D minor, Op. 22 - See Bruch: Con- played by reduced There skill in $3.95 certo for Violin and Orchestra, No. 2. the playing, and hard point from a conductor usually very bland is an agreeable Nowadays when you walk into a music surprise. Miss Bianca is a respectable work- store and are confronted by a bewildering man who would have impressed more with array of different versions of the same a little less order. As usual on tape the piano title, you need skilled advice to select the is registered with convincing clearness, and one you'll enjoy most. In this book, ex- MUSIC ON TAPE the orchestra will not cause complaint except perts in each kind of music not only advise at the revelation of a complement sparse you on your best recording buys, but they also show you how to plan and sensibly for this big music. C. G. B. build a well -rounded record collection, BACH custom -tailored to your MOZART individual taste. Concerto for 3 Harpsichords, in C Quartets: No. 20, in D, K. 499; No. 21, Whether you prefer These 17 experts help f Haydn: Concerto for Horn, No. z, in D; in D, K. 575 chamber music, jazz, you build a well -bal- Concerto for Trumpet, in E-flat anced record library. Stuyvesant String Quartet. symphonies, opera or Paul Affelder f Vivaldi -Bach: Concerto for 4 Harpsi- ballet music, you are Roy Allison chords, in A minor PHONOTAPES PM 104. 7 -in. 71/2 ips. 2 tracks. given a handy list of Nathan Broder $8.95. C. G. Burke Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Anton Heiller, finest selections avail- John Conly None of the dozen examples of one or both able, together with de- Raymond Ericson cond.; with Christa Fuhrmann, Erna Heiller, tailed comments and Roland Gelatt Bruno Seidelhofer, and Kurt Rapf, harpsi- of these Quartets on disks has a sound of Fred Grunfeld equal smooth accuracy. The original tape analyses of each choice. James Hinton, Jr. chords; Franz Koch, horn; HelmutWobitsch, Each selection is made Roy H. Hoopes, Jr. trumpet. is not new - there is a Philharmonia record John F. Indcox (105) in a 1951 transfer from it. This is a on the basis of hi -fi Robert Kotlowitz BERKSHIRE BH I003. 7 -in. 7V2 ips. 2 tracks. quality of recording, Rosalyn Krokover $6.95. good record, but comparison with a copy quality of musical pre- Howard Lafay of its prototypical form is sure to expose an Phillip Lieson Miller sentation and appro- Harold C. Schonberg These performances may be found on two acerbity in the violin treble, to some degree priateness in the over -all John S. Wilson Haydn Society disks of short measure but still present in the great majority of disks. record library pretty good quality in spite of fairly ad- (In the comparisons made here the same A few of the cate- vanced age. As a disk the Trumpet Concerto, equipment is used for tape and disk, with gories covered are pre -Bach, Piano Music, Choral Music, Haydn, Mozart, Concertos, a glitter of high spirits, captured a large the necessary exception of a change from Beethoven, Broadway Musicals, Schubert, success, and on the tape the sound is de- magnetic head to magnetic pickup.) These Folk Music - and many more. You even livered with a somewhat smoother bril- taped strings are mellow without sting, receive tips on caring for your LP records! liance. The Horn Concerto, music that im- gently reverberant but not to the defeat of Order this stimulating and informative guide proves with hearing, and played by a soloist articulation. The viola is regularly identi- to a better record library now! with plush tone, enjoys notably rounder re- fiable. -MAIL COUPON TODAY!- - production from the tape. The performances - which have been re- The Bach and the Bach transcription of a viewed here in their discal manifestation - I HIGH FIDELITY Magazine Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins are in are of the warm, honorable classicism that The Publishing House, Gt. Barrington, Mass. performances of sober rigidity which in causes no eye to bat, no marrow to boil.

I Please send me a copy of BUILDING YOUR managing to convey the irresistibility of the There are no indiscretions leading either to I RECORD LIBRARY. $3.95 enclosed. Bach current stir but little froth in the pro- magnificent finality of expression or to cess. A certain dullness of color reflects the shuddering bathos. They are excellent per- NAME playing and the distribution of the players formances which might have been better ADDRESS rather than a fault of the sonics, which are with a softer piano, and they emerge from easy in a reproduction not notably different this tape with a surety of reproduction not from that of the discal version. C. G. B. evident for other performances. C. G. B.

72 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com building your record library number twenty -nine

JOHN S. WILSON SELECTS TEN SAMPLES OF TOP JAZZ SOLOISTS AT WORK

THE SOLOIST in jazz - the individual soloist, that is, as Nothing is quite so varied as individual tastes in piano distinguished from a member of a band or small group soloists. There are specialists in such fringe areas as rag- who may happen to take a solo - is apt to be either a time and boogie woogie who exert a strong appeal on some singer or a pianist. In rare instances, he may be both. listeners, a stronger appeal, possibly, than some of the Jelly Roll Morton, one of these rare instances, was ac- mainstream pianists to which this listing will adhere. With tually a triple -threat man for he was also a skilful band this word of warning, then, the piano soloists who merit leader as we have noted in the section on Dixieland groups. space in a basic jazz library might start with Earl Hines, a As a pianist, he had strong ties to ragtime, one of the colleague of Louis Armstrong's in the Hot Seven recordings, antecedents of jazz piano, but his playing was so per- an outstanding band leader of the Thirties and Forties but, sonal - his fondness for certain chord structures so per- basically, a master of the piano. Hines has a sharp, staccato sistent, his beat so emphatic - as to be instantly recogniz- manner of playing, reminiscent of a trumpeter's attack, able. So was his singing, despite obvious vocal limita- which, combined with a flashing dexterity, gives his work tions. New Orleans Memories ( Commodore FL 30,000 ) a strutting brilliance. A group of his own compositions, contains some of his most affecting blues singing -his originally recorded in 1928 and now reissued on LP as classic "Mamie's Blues" among others - as well as the Piano Solos (Atlantic ALS 120 ) , offers a good display best recorded of all his piano solos. of his range and style despite some surface noise. Morton's only peer in the dual role of pianist and singer One of the very few jazz musicians who might conceiv- was Fats Waller, whose brash qualities as a popular en- ably qualify for consideration as a genius is Art Tatum, a tertainer often obscured the fact that he was a superb jazz pianist of fantastic virtuosity and technique. Tatum has pianist when he wanted to be, and like Morton, could use been amazing all corners for over twenty years with his a negligible voice to great effect. Waller's piano playing kaleidoscopic use of varied tempos, changing keys and slyly was an important link in one of the strongest strains in twisted musical lines, his rapid simultaneous juggling of piano jazz- the striding style perfected by James P. John- several figures and his underlying driving beat. His playing son, who taught Waller, who, in turn, was the idol and is notably clean, complex, and inventive. Tatum is the quondam teacher of Count Basie. The best over -all repre- subject of a most unusual recording project: he has taped sentation of Waller on LP is a two -disk set, "Fats" Waller what, it is reported, will ultimately be fourteen twelve -inch (RCA Victor LPT 6001) which is erratically recorded but LPs of piano solos. So far, ten have been issued under the contains more of the spirit of Waller than any other LP. general title The Genius of Art Tatum (Clef MG C 612- When it comes to singers who simply sang and left the 615, 618, 657-661 ). Far from being an overdose of one accompaniment to others - well, the starting point, need- musician's work, these disks maintain an extraordinarily less to say, is Bessie Smith. Happily, there is a wealth of high level of interest. Any one of them may be chosen at Bessie Smith on LP to choose from, thanks to Columbia's random as representative of the series as a whole and of four -disk Bessie Smith Story. If one record is to be selected Tatum. from this series, my choice would be Volume 3, Bessie Most jazz pianists, even the best, evolve a style that is Smith with Joe Smith and Fletcher Henderson's Hot recognizably their own and, having accomplished this, are Six (Columbia 4ML 4809) because it includes Young content to work within these self- imposed limitations. Mary Woman's Blues on which the two Smiths, blues- singing Lou Williams, a pianist who has had several styles of her Bessie and trumpet -playing Joe, create an unusually moving own, is one of the very few who have never stopped moving and beautifully developed blues and because it shows Bessie in new directions. She is a most accomplished musician, in a variety of superb moods - jaunty on "Cake Walking highly versed in jazz techniques from the basic blues and Babies," relaxed on "Baby Doll," and raucous on "There'll boogie woogie to the most modern conceptions. A broad Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight." .. perspective of her varied ways as they were two years ago The perfect complement to Bessie Smith is Mildred will be found on Piano '53 (Contemporary 2507). Bailey. Miss Bailey added a lyric quality to the jazz singer's For two decades, Teddy Wilson has represented the traditionally rough approach, combining a sweetness and essence of well- considered, intelligently organized, and purity of tone with a blues intonation in a manner which cleanly executed jazz piano delivered with that swinging has proved completely inimitable. On A Mildred Bailey beat which is an essential of the craft. His playing has Serenade ( Columbia CL 6094 ) she sings with her sure, a casual, effortless air, seemingly verging on cocktail clear charm in the happy company of Red Norvo, Alec piano were it not for his strength and perception. The Wilder, and Eddie Sauter. most representative collection of his solo performances on Billie Holiday combines facets of both Bessie Smith and LP is The Creative Teddy Wilson (Norgran MG N- Mildred Bailey and, in her younger days, she so dominated 1019) . the field that there is scarcely a girl singer working in jazz Oscar Peterson is a pianist who is as noteworthy for his today who does not show traces of her influence. Miss facility as he is for his versatility. He is one of the very Holiday established herself on the jazz scene with a series few recently arrived pianists who can approach Tatum in of recordings in the middle and late Thirties on which she technique and conception and he is wonderfully equipped was the vocalist with a marvelously potent studio band physically to carry out some of his high -powered ideas. usually led by Teddy Wilson and including among its oc- His versatility is, in a sense, unfortunate, for it leads him casional sidemen a veritable jazz Who's Who - Benny down many banal paths, particularly when he is working Goodman, Bunny Berigan, Lester Young, Artie Shaw, in his "pretty" style. But when he is thinking and feeling Johnny Hodges, Roy Eldridge, Chu Berry, and many others. and really playing, he is nothing less than glorious. He is A choice selection of these prime Holiday performances precisely that, in two contrasting tempos, on The Oscar 2 ( Clef MG . make up Lady Day ( Columbia CL 637 ) . Peterson Quartet, No. C -168)

MARCH 1956 73

www.americanradiohistory.com Four Decades of Giovanni Martinelli by Desmond Shawe- Taylor

eloquent and fiery interpretation, notable with the natural quality of the original) for the ardent energy of the verbal decla- Martinelli seemed to be booming across mation (always a strong point with Mar- the vast baronial halls of Citizen Kane. tinelli) as well as for the ringing climactic I had hoped to make similar compari- B flats. There is nearly always a martial sons through most of the remaining mat- quality in Martinelli's voice, and this fits ter on these two disks, and especially to Giordano's heroic conception of the French check the pitch of each number (that of poet, both in the "Improvviso" and to a the Andrea Chénier "Improvviso" having lesser extent in the more lyrical aria from proved to be nearly a semitone sharp), Act IV. Of the two extracts from Caval- when a minor automobile accident confined leria Rusticana, the first leads into the me to bed and - doubtless to the relief "Siciliana" by way of a fairly extensive of my friends and neighbors - put an end slice of the orchestral prelude, which to all such investigations for the time be- does,'t - in the present context - strike ing. But I know Martinelli's records IF GIOVANNI MARTINELLI'S art had the listener as particularly appropriate or pretty well and feel tolerably safe in re- to be defined in a single word, the word valuable. The "Siciliana" itself is finely, porting that one of the finest of all, "O would surely be "noble." His voice, in its if rather strenuously, sung; and the "Addio to the in seno agli'angeli" from La Forza prime, was virile, heroic, always cleanly fo- alla madre" is delivered with a manly redel Destino, is a reasonably faithful tran- cused; it had a clarion quality; it suggested straint which will seem astounding to the scription of the magnificent original, with the temper of a Damascus blade. At times devotees of some popular contemporary its touching introductory recitative, the the upper notes developed a rather tight, tenors. The first side ends with the two splendid, gloomy sweep of the opening pinched quality. Martinelli never had the familiar Pagliacci numbers. In "Vesti la phrase of the aria, and the beautiful change easy opulence and warmth of Caruso; nor, giubba" Martinelli can no more efface the of vocal color at the modulation into the it may be added, did his voice, at any memory of Caruso than can any other tenor major key on the words "Leonora mia, time during his long career, assume a at this crucial point, but his version is soccorrimi." This record should be made baritone color, as did Caruso's in his latter none the less very fine; even more notable compulsory listening for every budding years. Perfect breath control allowed him is the outburst from Act II, in which the Italian tenor. The Trovatore already men- to maintain the long, firm line which his concluding cantabile passage is sung with tioned is the curious excerpt which begins artistic instinct demanded. His pure legato a remarkable purity of line very different with some nobly delivered recitative (with is one of many features which distinguished from the usual now customary succession Grace Anthony as Leonora), jumps the Martinelli's singing from that of his most of sobs, gulps, and vocal sforzandi. aria "Ah si, ben mio" (of which Martin- eminent contemporary, Gigli. Of Gigli's So far, the transfer to microgroove has elli had made a fine acoustic in 191 5) and ingratiating sweetness and popular charm been well handled; but on Side 2, with proceeds to a spirited "Di quella pira" he had almost nothing; but in the great one notable exception, the results are less transposed down a semitone (as is by no heroic and dramatic roles he was always successful. Especially in the Trovatore and means unusual) to the key of B major. Gigli's superior: more scrupulous, more Fedora excerpts, one is often conscious The rest of this side might have been better sensitive, more musical, more aristocratic. that the engineers have had a hard time chosen. The brief Fedora pieces, well To select the material for two LP re- getting the best tonal quality out of the enough sung, do not come through very citals from Martinelli's hundred or more original grooves without admitting a lot clearly; the Bohème aria, despite a beau- Victor 78 sides, almost half of them of extraneous noise as well; and the result tiful climax, is hardly romantic enough in electric and most of them very good speci- is on the whole uncomfortable, as the style; and the long stretch of Samson et mens of their period, must have been a original records were not. A certain Dalila (dull music, surely) takes us labori- difficult task. Probably for contractual amount of reverberation has evidently been ously through an extended choral section reasons, the choice has been narrowed by added, as can be observed at the end of before we hear a note from the protagon- the omission of all ensembles. This is several excerpts (e.g., the scene from ist. certainly a loss, for much of the great Samson), where the attentive listener can The second Camden disk, CAL 283, opens tenor's finest studio work was done in hear, first the cessation of the surface noise even more splendidly than the first with company with his leading col- of the original disk, and thereafter a con- a very clear transcription of the two great leagues -with Geraldine Farrar in Carmen, tinuing reverberation of the final chord monologues from Otello, recorded in 1939 with De Luca, Ponselle, and Pinza in (which is not, as might be supposed, (whereas all the other electrics date from La Forza del Destino, and with Ponselle simply a microgroove "echo" from the pre- 1925 to 1928) . By 1939 Martinelli was and Pinza in Aida. Though some of these ceding groove). Such technical devices vocally past his best days, but his art was justly famous recordings are to be had in have proved successful on other occasions; at its zenith. In these two scenes his decla- various LP or 45 collections, it is an un- but they need to be handled with scrupu- mation of the text alone is overwhelmingly doubted blot on the present pair of Cam- lous care. With the Trovatore record I beautiful and moving; like all great sing- den records that they contain no evidence carried out a little experiment of my own, ers, he makes effective play with the rolled whatever of Martinelli's Radames, prob- synchronizing the LP version with an "r," using this device to give tremendous ably his most famous and characteristic HMV 78, and then switching backwards weight and force to such words as "mis- role, and the one which he sang more and forwards between the two with (of eria," "vergogna," "maceria," and "sorriso "; often than any other during his thirty course) a different pickup, but the same and his treatment of the music is full of consecutive years at the Metropolitan amplifier and loudspeaker. The result was refinements of a kind rarely encountered (1913 -1943). It is indeed something of disconcerting: the original proved to have in performances of Italian opera- to a mystery why neither his acoustic nor far more life and immediacy. It was clear name only one, the intensely calm and his electric "Celeste Aida" should have that - in this instance, at any rate - the sorrowful delivery, in a single long breath, been included, for both are excellent. frequency -ceiling had first been drastically and with suddenly altered vocal color, of The first of the two Camden disks, CAL lowered in order to suppress surface noise; the cantabile phrase to the words "e ras- 274, derives wholly from electrically re- and that the consequently deadened sound segnato al volere del ciel" in the middle of corded material. It opens superbly with the had then been "pepped up" by means of " Improvviso" from Andrea Chénier, an added reverberation, until (by contrast Continued on page 76

74 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com %V T a recent piano recital in Carnegie Hall there were, by casual count, some 23 "name" pianists - listening. They had come to hear the "poetry " - as the late great N. Y. Times music critic Olin Downes described it - in the playing of the Czech pianist, Rudolf Firkusny. There were 3200 other people in Carnegie Hall that night, /rie/ny too. They weren't piano virtuosos, but they were there for the same reason. In music, thankfully, it doesn't take an expert to enjoy an expert. t4 You'll delight in Firkusny's mastery of the keyboard. If you know music, you'll realize how rare and extraordinary such mastery is. But whether you consider yourself an expert or not, Capitol Records has an album you will enjoy. BEETHOVEN It's Rudolf Firkusny playing RUDOLF FIRKUSNY Beethoven. The exquisite Pathé- tique and Moonlight Sonatas. It's recorded in flawless "Full Dimen- sional Sound," the highest fidelity of the recorder's art. It is a worthy addition to your Mr. Rudolf Firkusny's premiere recording on Capitol: Beethoven's Beethoven collection. Pathétique & Moonlight Sonatas. Album P -8322

Capitol's "Full Dimensional Sound" symbol denotes an exceptional performance, flawlessly recorded. It is the purest high fidelity achieved by the recorder's art.

MARCH 1956 75

www.americanradiohistory.com .L`Y Ili

MARTINELLI been previously, so far as I know, unissued angeli. Saint -Saëns: Samson et Dalila (it is a goodish recording of 1916, to Act I, Arrêtez, o mes frères. Continued from page 74 which the Victor single -sided number 64 RCA CAMDEN CAL 274. 12 -in. $ 1.98. 485 was assigned but not used). Slight as may be the musical value of these songs, the Act III Monologue. Such things can Giovanni Martinelli in Opera and Song they are at any rate vastly preferable to the bring tears to the eyes. two concluding items, Gesù Bambino and Verdi: Otello: Act III, Dio! mi potevi Unfortunately, it cannot be claimed that Hosanna which are truly dreadful speci- scagliar; Act IV, Nium mi tema. Halévy: the rest of the second disk is either equally mens of commercialized "Yuletide" re- La Juive: Act II, O Dieu, Dieu de nos well chosen or equally well engineered. ligiosity complete with bells, female choirs, pères. Bizet: Carmen, Act II: Air de la The long Passover Scene from La Juive and all seasonal appurtenances. Though fleur.* Gounod: Faust: Act III, Salut, comes off satisfactorily, but the music, con- you would hardly guess it, Martinelli is demeure.* Verdi: Ernani: Act I, Come sisting for some time of liturgical exchanges here supposed to be singing in English, rugiada al cespite.* Tanara: Nina. Mas- between chorus and soloist, sounds wooden at any rate for part of the time. Hosanna cagni: Serenata.* Bizet: Ouvre ton coeur.' and featureless after Otello. There follows makes a sad finish for a disk which opened Tosti: L'Ultima canzone.* Leoncavallo: a sequence of seven acoustic recordings, in- on the mountain tops with Otello, and it Mattinata.* Yon: GeV' Bambino. Gran - terrupted only by the "Nina" of 1925 (a is hard to visualize the listener who would ier: Hosanna. rather peremptory and military- sounding be equally happy with Verdi's masterpiece 12 invitation to take a trip in a gondola!) . RCA CAMDEN CAL 283. -in. $1.98. and with the tasteless bondieuserie of One of the acoustics, the unhackneyed Granier. *indicates an acoustic recording Ernani aria of 1915, was an excellent In short, the two Martinelli Camdens are here voice emerges choice: the youthful technically variable, uncertainly pitched, clean, fresh, free, and lyrical, and the and by no means ideally selected; but to instance, in the treatment of style (for the lover of great singing who does not ornament) is already scrupulously pure possess a library of 78s they can fairly be and elegant. This aria to have been ought called indispensable, if only for the "Im- by the superb "O muto aril" supplemented provviso" from Andrea Chénier, the arias and by above -men- from William Tell the from Forza and Ernani, and the two glo- tioned "Ah sì, ben mio" from II Trovatore. rious monologues from Otello. The famous pieces from Carmen and from Faust Martinelli's eminence demonstrate MARTINELLI in the French repertory, but they sound GIOVANNI Sings by Request tonally unsatisfactory in their present shape, although I seem to recall the originals as Giordano: Andrea Chénier: Act I, Un di being pretty good specimens of their all'azzuro spazio; Act IV, Come un bel period. dì di Maggio. Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusti- The remaining four acoustics are trivial cana: Siciliana; Addio alla madre. Leon - ditties by Mascagni, Bizet, Tosti, and Leon - cavallo: Pagliacci: Act I, Vesti la giubba; cavallo; and Martinelli has not (like Mc- Act II, No, Pagliaccio non son! Puccini: Cormack) the sort of spellbinding person- La Bohème: Act I, Che gelida manina. ality that can make trivialities seem mo- Verdi: Il Trovatore, Act III, Di quella mentous. However, L'ultima canzone is pira. Giordano: Fedora: Act II, Amor ti sung with richly flowing tone, and Mat - vieta; Mia madre. Verdi: La Forza del tinata has the collectors' appeal of having Destino: Act III, O tu che in seno agli'- As Eleazar in Halévy's La Juive.

AUGUSTANA CHOIR THE KING OF INSTRUMENTS RECITALS AND Bach: Blessing, Glory, and Britten: Vol. VI: The Cathedral of St. John the Wisdom. Divine MISCELLANY Five excerpts from A Ceremony of Carols. Grieg: The Great Angelic Host. Kodály: Sweelinck: Variations on My Young Life Jesus and the Traders. Kountz: Come to Hath an End. Bach: Toccata in D minor

the Manger. Rachmaninoff: Blessed Is the (Dorian). John Stanley : Toccata for the FELICJA BLUMENTAL Man, Op. 37, No. 3. Sjöberg: Tonerna Flutes. Leo Sowerby: Prelude on Deus Spanish and Portugese Keyboard Mu- (Music). German folk song, Gute Nacht. tuorum militum. Percy Whitlock: Carol. sic, Vol. 2. Benjamin Britten: Prelude on a Theme Augustana Henry Veld, by Choir; cond. Victoria. Herbert Howells: Saraband (In Anglès: Adagietto in B -flat; Fugatto in WORD W 4005. 12 -in. $5.75. modo elegiaco) . B -flat. Soler: Sonata in G minor. Ferrer: Sonata in D. Freixanet: Sonata in A; This second Augustana Choir disk is more Alec Wyton, organ. Toccata in C. Seixas: Fugue in A minor; expensive but also considerably superior in Vol. Sonatas in C and C minor; Minuets in A sound and in repertoire to the first, which VII: Marilyn Mason in Recital minor and F minor; Toccatas in D minor was issued by RCA Victor on its Bluebird Johann Gottfried Walther: Concerto del and G minor. series. One might quarrel with some of Mr. Signor Torelli. Johann Kaspar Kerll: Veld's tempos. Here they seem a little too Capriccio, Cucu. Pachelbel- Partita on Felicja Blumental, piano. fast, there a little too slow for the best Christus, Der ist mein Leben. Bach: Pre- LONDON LL 1194. 12 -in. $3.98. interests of the music, but he makes the lude and Fugue in D. Robert Crandall: Carnival Miss Blumental's sensitive and graceful choir sing with crystal -clear diction and Suite. Copland: Episode. Searle style is again apparent in this follow -up fine -spun line, and the massed tone of the Wright: Carol- Prelude on Greensleeves; Prelude Brother disk to an earlier collection of similar choir is even all up and down the line. on James' Air. music. Particularly valuable are the seven The Bach is almost too smoothly sung; Marilyn Mason, organ. examples of the Portugese composer Car- it seems dehumanized, but it has clarity of AEOLIAN -SKINNER. 12 -in. $5.95 each. los Seixas, who lived from 1704 to 1742, texture. In all other instances, the per- mostly in Lisbon, where he was for a time formances seem stylistically right. The The different emphases in the titles of these a young colleague of Domenico Scarlatti. Rachmaninoff is only the second excerpt two new Aeolian- Skinner disks are His music does not have the wealth of ideas from his Vesper Mass to be recorded, and justified. With all due respect to Mr. Wy- found in Scarlatti's, but its directness and the Kodály is an unusual and new addition ton, an unimpeachable musician, it is the large, simple expressiveness are unusually appeal- to the recorded choral literature. No notes complex organ at St. John's that is ing. R.E. about the music. R. E. Continued on page 78

76 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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MARCH I956

www.americanradiohistory.com of interest in Vol. VI; whereas the interest overdriven and ragged in performance, is in Vol. VII is quite clearly focused on the permitted to generate its proper rhythmic Here's the book you've remarkable performances of Miss Mason. excitement at a reasonable speed, with ex- The Aeolian- Skinner organ at St. John's tremely effective results. The Moldau was completed in 1954 - the same year seems to be flowing a trifle leisurely here, been asking for ... that Mr. Wyton, an English -born and but the Dvorak piece has plenty of lilt, even trained musician, now thirty-five, came to though the playing is not as polished the cathedral as organist and choirmaster. as it might be. All told, the final tally is The building is so vast that it presented fifty-five minutes of excellent musical fare. special acoustical problems to the organ J.F.I. designers, which they solved very well, producing a useful, flexible organ that is, LILY PONS as they claim, "a composite of the early Lily Pons Gala Classic instrument, the Romantic organ, and one which would be found in the Delibes: Lakmé: Bell Song. Verdi: Rigo Cathedrals of England." The Sowerby letto: Tutte le feste al tempio. Bellini: pike was written especially for the organ I Puritani: Son vergin vezzosa. Rossini: at St. John's and had its première only Il Barbiere di Siviglia: Una voce poco fa. last year. It makes good use of the famous Thomas: Mignon: Je suis Titania. Meyer- and formidable State Trumpet stop, which beer: Dinorah: Ombre légère. Delibes: gives the final climax a truly shattering Les Filles de Cadiz. Fauré: Après un rêve. power. Turn up the volume of your high Ponce: Estrellita. Rachmaninoff: Oh cease fidelity set on this and you will blow your- thy singing, maiden fair. Bachelet: Chère self right out of the room. nuit. Strauss: Blue Danube Waltz. Like many good organists, Miss Mason Lily Pons, soprano; orchestra, Pietro Cim- plays with nimble fingers, clean articula- ara, André Kostelanetz, and Maurice Ab- tion, and tidy phrasing, but she infuses ravanel, tonds. these musical disciplines with a rare rhyth- COLUMBIA ML 5073. I2 -in. $3.98. mic vitality. This is not a question of just playing in more lively fashion with Lily Pons's twenty-fifth anniversary as a stronger accents, but of keeping the Metropolitan Opera prima donna furnished the High Fidelity rhythms firm and flexible at the same the occasion for one of the big turnouts time. Her style in baroque music is not of the New York season when it was cele- RECORD ANNUAL so much imitative -baroque as a blend of brated on January 3. Columbia, in adding modern simplicity and warmth, and her this recorded tribute, has gone back into 1955 lyrical, winged performances remind me her older repertoire; if I'm not mistaken, more of Dinu Lipatti's pianism than of everything here has been with us before edited by Roland Gelatt anything else. The repertoire in which she in one combination or another. Strangely. is heard here is fresh and unusually at- the least hackneyed of her coloratura num- Don't fail to get the first volume tractive, even if of varying degrees of mu- bers steals in unobserved, for the band (containing High Fidelity record re- sical profundity. Of the contemporary assigned to Tutte le feste contains also Son views from July 1954 through July works, the four -part Crandell suite shows vergin vezzosa from I Puritani, although in what is planned as a perman- 1955) some modern French influence but has its nobody at Columbia seems to have been ent and continuing series the only - aware as one which will keep you up -to -date original touches. The 1941 Copland piece of this, there is no mention of it with the thousands of long-playing is brief and strong; the Wright preludes on jacket or label. The singing throughout records released every year. very ingratiating. is characteristic: the tone quality is sweet Miss Mason plays Aeolian- and appealing, the fioratura deft if a These are reviews the Skinner bit the that one fluttery. The songs reader called "marvels of literacy" organ designed by G. Donald Harrison are less impressive - than the is delightfully readable as well as fair and in 1935 for St. John's Chapel, Groton arias. She not too successful accurate audio and musical criticism. School, Groton, Mass. In her hands any- in sustaining the lines of Après un rêve, way, it is a honey, giving an impression and her style is not broad enough to make Edited of by Roland Gelatt, the re- the most of Chère nuit. But views have been entirely rearranged unity whether the mood is intimate or Lily has her fans, and and organized for easy reference. In proclamative, the tone multi -colored or they are going to like this record permanent form they will be a treasur- coolly dry. R.E. P.L.M ed addition to your library as well as an invaluable shopping guide. RICHARD PURVIS JONEL PERLEA A Richard Purvis Organ Recital in Grace Cathedral, Vol. 1 Composers (from Albeniz to Zeller) Smetana: Die Moldau. Enesco: Rumanian are arranged alphabetically; per- Rhapsody No. r, Op. r r. Purcell: Trumpet Tune. Bach: Arioso. El. formers are indexed. Kodály: Dances of Galants. Dvorak: more: Pavane. Shaw: Processional. Widor: Scherzo Capriccioso, Op. 66. Toccata, from Fifth Symphony. Purvis: More information about more Greensleeves; Supplication; Capriccio on the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Jonel - records for less money than in any other Per Notes of the Cuckoo. record review collection - only $4.95. lea, cond. Published by J. B. Lippincott. Vox PL 9500. 12-in. $4.98. Vol. II SEND FOR YOUR COPY A most enjoyable recording of four Central Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze. Franck: European scores in which Perlea's broad Pièce Héroïque. Dupré: Cortège et Litanie: NOW and rhythmic direction shares honors with Adagissimo. Purvis: March Grotesque; Noc- the excellent orchestral playing and Vox's turne; Les Petites Cloches; Toccata Festiva HIGH FIDELITY Magazine very handsome sound. It is perhaps no Richard Purvis, organ. The Publishing House accident that the Kodály and Enesco works, Great Barrington, Mass. HIFIRECORD R 703 (Vol. I) and R 704 which lie closer to the conductor's musical (Vol. II). 12 -in. $4.95 each. Please send me, by return mail, a copy heritage than their companions, are the of The HIGH FIDELITY RECORD most successfully realized. The Galanta Richard Purvis is organist and choirmaster ANNUAL- 1955. $4.95 enclosed Sorry, no C.O.D.s Dances, in particular, benefit from the of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where conductor's care in exposing every aspect he recorded these disks. The organ is an NAME of the composer's inner instrumental voic- Aeolian- Skinner built in 1934 and added ADDRESS ings and from the slight edginess in the to in 1952. Instrument and player together orchestral tone, so appropriate to this produce eminently respectable per- Hungarian folk music. The Enesco, often formances. Mr. Purvis is skillful but ap-

78 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com proaches the music with a carefulness that sopranos, and occasionally they find it con- This is the seventh Decca Gold Label disk makes his playing a shade stodgy, even in venient to transpose a duet for vocal corn - made by Segovia and as welcome and the fast and flashy toccatas. Very sensibly, fort. Nevertheless, these are two of the lovely as its predecessors. (Only the man he includes several of his own works, finest voices extant today, and they are who has to think up titles for the records which are conventional but effective, so well matched that at times it is im- must be tired of them). The unpretentious whether they aim to be impressionistic possible to tell them apart. P.L.M. lute songs are wholly delightful, and the (Nocturne), grandiose (Toccata Fe..tiva), contemporary works are atmospheric and or cute (Les Petites Cloches). No notes on unproblematic, all written for Segovia and the music, but organ specifications are ANDRES SEGOVIA designed to show off his art at its most listed. First -rate engineering. R.E. The Art of Andrès Segovia colorful and resplendent. R.E. Six pieces for lute from a sixteenth -century Codex. Manuel Ponce: Sonata No. 3; BARBARA TROXELL Song Recital SCHWARZKOPF - SEEFRIED Valse; Mazurka. Bach: Fugue from Sonata Duets in G minor for solo violin. Mario Castel- Britten: On This Island (Song Cycle);

: Tonadilla for Guitar on Fish in the Unruffled Lakes; Mother Com- Monteverdi: lo son pur vezzosetta pas - nuovo-Tedesco torella; Ardo scoprir; Tornate, o cari baci; the Name of Andrès Segovia. J. Crespo: fort; Underneath the Abject Willow; Homage to Aguirre. Lauro: Dance from Hindemith: Nine English Songs (1942) . Bel pastor. Carissimi : Detesta la catira sorte in amore; Lungi ornai; II mio core; Venezuela. Gaspar Cassadò: Sardana. Barbara Troxell, soprano; Tibor Kozma, A pic d'un verde alloro. Dvorak: Klänge Andrès Segovia, guitar. piano. aus Mähren, Op. 32. DECCA DL 9795. r2 -in. $3.98. MCINTOSH MC 1003. 2in. $4.45. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano; Irmgard Seefried, soprano; Gerald Moore, piano. ANGEL 35290. 12 -in. S4.98 (or $3.48). triumphant Monteverdi, besides being the first great return to opera composer, was a prolific writer in other fields: to the literature of the piano records! madrigal he contributed no less than nine ,.incomparable volumes, containing solos with continuo, ZECCHI duets, and trios, as well as works for larger combinations. The four two -voiced madrigals chosen by Schwarzkopf and See - fried have been to some extent adapted, for while the first is designated for two sopranos, the second and third call for two tenors, and the fourth for soprano and tenor. Not too surprisingly there is red - blooded drama in these brief pieces, and the two sopranos do not hesitate to bring it out. Carissimi, a younger contemporary of Monteverdi, and a follower of his in- novations, is chiefly celebrated as the father of the oratorio. His four duets have a declamatory justness hardly inferior to Monteverdi's, but they are more lyrical in style. Tonally the singing of all these works is superb, but Italian diction is not these singers' strongest point. Dvorak's Klänge aus Mähren (Strains from Moravia) have a special interest historically. In 1875, Dvorak applied for a grant from the Austrian government available to "young, poor, and talented artists." Among the judges who granted the petition were Brahms and the critic Hanslick, both of whom were greatly impressed with the young man's abilities. Sending the Moravian duets to his publisher, Simrock, Brahms wrote: "If you play them through, you will have the same pleasure from them that I do, and as a publisher you will be especially pleased with their piquant quality. Dvorak has written everything imaginable, operas, symphonies, quartets, piano pieces. He is decidedly a talented person. And besides that a poor man! I beg you to think it over." Simrock did; and in no time after he published the duets, Dvorak was receiving offers from all the rival houses. who but Zecchi plays piano so! Some years ago we had a Urania re- Titan of the piano since his student days with Busoni, he quit the keyboard cording of twelve of the thirteen duets for the podium, exclusively. Until Westminster prevailed upon him sung by Marta Fuchs and Margarete Klose. to return! Here, for the everlasting joy of his worshippers, the awe of newer Theirs was a more spontaneous, less care- not yet heard hint, is the triumphant first fruit: fully polished performance than this, but listeners who have the singers' voices were lovely and they a "Zecchi Piano Recital" of Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Scarlatti, Schumann. blended well. In one sense they were bet- Ask your dealer for factory -sealed WN or SWN 18139. ter suited to the music, as Dvorak wrote for soprano and alto; the two S's are both who but Westminster records it so!

MARCH I956 79

www.americanradiohistory.com This is an important recording, formerly points the prevailing weakness of all these Vitya Vronsky and Victor Babin, two issued under the WCFM label, now tidied songs; for Britten, like his model, has taken pianos. up technically so that a sheen of extra delight in torturing some of the words so DECCA DL 9791. 12 -in. $3.98. brilliance is removed from the voice and that more than excellent diction is needed the balance generally improved. The Brit- to make them clear. The more's the pity When they are at their best, as they are ten side of the disk presents the composer that no texts are provided with the record! here, Vronsky and Babin are virtually in- as of 1937, aged twenty-four. According In contrast to this we find scrupulous comparable as duo -pianists. The Schubert to Peter Pears, W. H. Auden was "so far regard for the poetry chosen in the Hinde- dances, unjustly neglected, have a wonder- Britten's poet for his adult songs ": not mith set, a product of his sojourn at Yale. fully happy artlessness, and they are only the five -song cycle but two of the Here the expressive gamut is a wide one, meltingly played. The Rachmaninoff and three remaining pieces draw their inspira- the technical mastery, needless to say, con- Poulenc items are amusing spoofs, the tion from this poet. Moth.- Comfort is set summate. The composer has made a moving Dvorak full of deep sentiment. Mr. Ba- to a text of Montagu Slater, librettist of thing of Charles Wolfe's On Hearing "The bin's arrangements of the Strauss and Peter Grimes. There is a lot of variety Last Rose of Summer," and he has ob- Borodin are respectively tactful and ex- in the songs, with perhaps some "feeling viously enjoyed treating Thomas Moore's citing, and the pianisim throughout is around" for the composer's authentic voice. Echo in canon and pointing up the dia- magically deft and sparkling. Recom- Pears points out that at the time of their logue in Thomas Lover's The Whistling mended. R.E. composition Britten knew few of the songs Thief. Perhaps the most beautiful of all of Purcell (though he was later to "realize" is Walt Whitman's Sing On There in the a goodly number of them for modern Swamp. Miss Troxell's voice is lovely in performance), and he finds the strongest quality, unusual in range and flexibility. influence that of Stravinsky. She sings both groups of songs with con- THE SPOKEN WORD Most hearers, however, will be struck fident mastery. P.L.M. by the Englishness of the opening song, Let the Florid Music Play, and its Handel - VRONSKY AND ian trumpetings. It is some distance, sty- BABIN Dances BURNS NIGHT listically, from this to the Nocturne, the for Duo Pianos Songs and Poems of Robert Burns most deeply impressive of the group, and Schubert: German Dances and Ecossaises, again to the flip As It Is, Plenty, which Op. 33 Richard Strauss: Rosenkavalier The Saltire Music Group, with Ian Gilmour ends the cycle. Fish in the Untroubled Waltzes. Rachmaninoff : Italian Polka. and Meta Forrest, speakers. Lakes is a quiet setting of a lovely poem; Poulenc: L'Embarquement pour Cythère. ANGEL 35256. 12 -in. $4.98 (or $3.48). the two remaining numbers are duets, sung Dvorak: Slavonic Dance No. ro, in E The many Burns Societies in America, here with Miss Troxell's voice on both minor, Op. 72. Borodin: Polovtsian now dead parts. Mr. Pears's reference to Stravinsky Dances from Prince Igor. or moribund or reticent, were alive and assertive until the war of 1914. They were of two kinds: those eager to dissemin- ate the work of a gifted satirical poet; and The Controversial Voice of Mrs. Murphy those afflicted with the kind of maudlin nationalism that worships any sentiment FOR THE INFORMATION of anyone makes Mrs. Simmons seem to breathe like couched in the sae bonnie sang o 'hame. who has spent the last few weeks snowbound a grampus, the participants sound sincere. Unless dialect can impart a natural sym- in the Himalayas, Doubleday and Company Indeed, they sound a little too sincere to be pathy, it is sickening to those who do not published in February a book called The convincing. A difficulty that must be faced use it. Even the best palls when it is over - Search for Bridey Murphy, by a man named in all hypnotic experimentation is overco- opera- lavished. Perhaps the late Sir Harry Lauder, Morey Bernstein. tion on the part of the subject. He (or she) via the phonograph, contributed more than In essence it is an account of a series of is responsive not only to the words of the anyone else to make Scotch roguery dis- experiments in hypnosis conducted by Mr. hypnotist's commands, but to every in- tasteful by repetition. Perhaps the propor- Bernstein, a businessman with a taste for clination and wish expressed in the nuances tional decline of the Scotch membership in the esoteric, and a Colorado housewife of his voice and manner. In this total con- the American ancestry has discouraged called in the book Ruth Simmons. Under centration (impossible to anyone fully con- demonstrations of a dialectal speech com- hypnosis Mrs. Simmons practiced recall of scious) on pleasing the mentor, quite ex- prehensible now to fewer than one American various parts of her past, which is nothing traordinary feats of memory and intellect in a hundred. Perhaps the surge of dialects unusual: even early childhood is commonly can be performed and these do - include from lands south and east of Caledonia has available to the memory under hypnosis. fabrication, often of great ingenuity. stifled the older voices. What was unusual was that when Mrs. S. Now, in the Bridey Murphy recording, At any rate, the had pretty well traversed her own past, she poems and songs on this Mr. Bernstein is far from scientifically de- record, the majority once as familiar as the began "recalling" someone else's. This tached. He is audibly very anxious to prove growler beer, come now to instill a faint latter person was, as self -identified through of Mrs. Simmons' earlier incarnation, and the sense of anachronism and surprise at the Mrs. Simmons' voice, an Irishwoman named survival of her spirit between lives, so to Bridey Murphy, who (she said) had lived recollection of something not forgotten but speak. Following the hypothesis (and you shelved. Perhaps the phonograph will be and died in Ireland in the early 1800s. All needn't if you don't want to) that Mrs. able to revive the interest the sessions were recorded on tape, and which the phono- Simmons was straining every faculty to graph through Lauder lulled. now an early one has been transferred to give Mr. Bernstein what he hoped for, her Perhaps not, since with the loss of disk by Research Recordings, a company evocation of Bridey Murphy can be ac- familiarity has a new started for the purpose by Mr. Bernstein. come difficulty in plain cepted as a likely result - even to the fact comprehension, especially when a woman Probably there will be others if the first that Bridey seems to have had an extremely one sells well. recites. Mr. Gilmour is easier to follow dull and uneventful life (and afterlife, too!), than Miss Forrest, who is, however, no bit The whole Bridey Murphy project be- easily described and undramatically plausible. less able than he. The speech is natural to came at once highly controversial. To some However, the record will stimulate many it has these people, who spare us the archness of people seemed a glorious proof of the an imagination. And if Mr. Bernstein in existence of the soul, and of transmigration. delivery, the little implied sniggers, and the the end has failed scientifically to establish pauses requiring sympathetic laughter that Others think the whole thing a hoax. At the transmigration of souls, he probably used to be so trying when the readers were the time of this writing I had not read the will be consoled by making quite a lot of not on the native heath. The songs too are book, nor heard what success, if any, has money. JOHN M. CONLY in unforced folk -style, even "Scots wha hae" been claimed for attempts to verify Bridey from a baritone of no vocal appeal. Two Murphy historically, through research in THE SEARCH FOR BRIDEY MUR- items from Burns's cantata The folly Beggars, Cork and Belfast. The opinion formed from PHY: Experiment No. I set by Cedric Thorpe- Davey, have a music of listening to the record, however, is that the highly apposite, sweaty swing and tease the experiments constitute neither a revelation Morey Bernstein, Mrs. Ruth Simmons; appetite for more. In these a small chorus nor a hoax. Even as relayed by the creaky hypnosis session. little home -style recorder they used, which RESEARCH RECORDINGS RR los. 12 -in. $5.95. Continued on page 82

8o HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com JOSEF HOFMANN LEON FLEISHER

"I would unhesitatingly say that Josef Hofmann was the " "Already Leon Fleisher is the outstanding pianist- musician greatest pianist I ever heard:' of his particular generation." Harold C. Schonberg-High Fidelity Roger Dettmer- Chicago Herald -American

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Josef Hofmann Golden Jubilee Concert (recorded Nov. 28, Sonata in B -Flat Major and "Lardler" op. l71 (Schubert). 1937 at the Metropolitan Opera House). Hear this great When Fleisher performed this sonata at the Artur Schna- pianist of our time as he sounded at the height of his bel Memorial Concert, the New York Times praised him career. Deluxe album includes illustrated brochure. saying, "The artistry in evidence was manifestly great." KL 4929 $5.98 ML 5061 $3.98

EXCLUSIVE! Vivaldi: Double Concerto in A minor -David Oistrakh & Isaac Stern STERN ORMANDY! OISTRAKH - - Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor -Isaac Stern

All on one 12 -inch (Ft) ML 5087 $3.98 Bach: Violin Concerto in E major -David Oistrakh The Philadelphia Orchestra /Eugene Ormandy g -Columbia" "R1a5[erw'or$s" T.M.

MARCH 1956 81

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is accompanied by piano and string quartet. his own translations of nine Lorca poems, Speech and song both benefit from a re- including the renowned Llanto Por Ignacio cording close to absolute reality. C. G. B. Sanchez Méjías, usually given the English title Lament On the Death of a Bullfighter. JOHN COLLIER While one could justifiably cavil at the Reading From His Works occasional freedom of Wheatley's translations Mary; De Mortuis; Back For Christ- - Lorca s poetry being unique in mas. that almost none of its power is lost in literal translation it is undeniable COLUMBIA ML 4754. 12 -in. $5.95. - that he has captured the full essence of these RECORD This is the first we have received of the sad, embittered lyrics. A kind of incan- individual records in the Columbia Literary descence informs Wheatley's readings, Series (released in the Fall of 1953), which communicating itself electrically to the Columbia is now beginning to release listener. His voice possesses a remark- INDEX separately. able flexibility - caressingly soft in Elegy To tell the reader (listener) in full the for Donna Juana the Mad, bluffly coarse story of one of John Collier's fancies would for the cruel eroticism of The Faithless Wife. be like standing over the shoulder of a And he scales dramatic heights in conveying man reading O'Henry and telling him, as the anguished, grandiose music of of all he finished the first page of the Gift of the the title poem, Lament on the Death of Magi, how Jim sells his cherished grand- a Bullfighter. To my mind this release father's watch to buy his wife, Della, a set - haunting in its imagery, of combs and Della cuts and sells her beau- haunting in its emotional intensity is tiful golden hair to buy Jim a watchfob. - without peer in the catalogue High :fide lity of recorded However, for those of you who poetry. Despite the fact that have not Westminster's come across Collier in your reading (those reproduction suffers from an almost unbelievably RECORD REVIEWS who have, of course, need no urging), per- prominent echo in the Lament, this haps a sampling will record is recommended help get you in the absolutely for mood: without reservation. H. L.

Mary is a story about a man (Fred) , 1954 his wife (Rosie) and the difficulties which beset Rosie in dealing with her chief rival available for Fred's affections -a pet performing pig (Mary) . De Mortius is about a doctor who is THE MUSIC BETWEEN discovered by two friends just as he is NOW smoothing over a large cemented hole in his basement. The two friends make much over the fact that the doctor's wife appears FRED ASTAIRE to be missing. The Band Wagon: I Love Louisa; New A complete index, alphabetical Back For Christmas also involves a Sun in the Sky; White Heat; Sweet Music; doctor, his wife and a hole in the basement by composer or collection- title, Hoops. The Gay Divorce: Night and Day; floor. I've Got You on My Mind. Maybe I Love of all the classical and semi- Collier's reading is very even and very, You Too Much. My Temptation. A Heart very British which is fine for Mary and of Stone. The Gold Digger's Song. classical, jazz and spoken word Back For Christmas, which have English Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire; record reviews contained in characters and settings, but not quite right Leo Reisman for De Mortuis, which depicts Americans and his orchestra, Arthur Schwartz, piano. HIGH FIDELITY Magazine in up -state New York. R. H. H., Jr. "X" LVA 1001. 12 -in. $3.98. during 1954. Discographies in- It is a great pleasure to report that "X" FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA (or Vik, as this label has recently been re- cluded. A "must" reference. Lament on the Death of a Bullfighter named) has done most handsomely by and Other Poems these old Astaire sides, cut more than Translated and Read by Alan Wheatley twenty years ago. The sound is remark- ONLY 500 EACH WESTMINSTER WN 18098. 12 -in. $4.98 ably good (though a good deal of juke- (or $3.98). box bass is still there) and the surface Send for your copy NOW noise is practically nil. The orchestral Elegy for Donna Juana The Mad; Ballad; arrangements seem a trifle "old hat," but Sleepwalking Song; With a Knife; The they certainly do not impair the freshness Fathless Wife; Romance of the Spanish of the fine Schwartz and Porter songs. Of Civil Guard; The Arrest of Antonito El course, Astaire was HIGH FIDELITY Magazine Dept. R14 (and is) no great Camborio; Escape; Lament on the Death shakes as a vocalist, but his winning Publishing House of a Bullfighter. personality and tremendous verve override Great Barrington, Mass. his deficiencies as a singer. Few Broad- Early one morning in July of 1936, in way revues ever enjoyed a better score Falangist- occupied Granada, a thirty-eight Enclosed find Please than the one Arthur Schwartz wrote for year old man was wantonly executed and send me a The Band Wagon, and the best of the copy of: his body thrown into an unmarked grave. songs are all here: the rollicking "I Love Thus, in 1954 Index an act of senseless brutality, died Louisa," "Hoops," and "Sweet Music" (the Spain's greatest modern poet - Fédérico last records Fred and Adele Astaire made NAME García Lorca. In retrospect, it seems altogether) and the rhythmic "New Sun most as if Lorca must have foreseen his ADDRESS in the Sky." The two songs from Cole end, for his poetry teems with hatred of Porter's Gay Divorce, Astaire's last show the vicious police systems which have al- before starting a new career in Hollywood, ways cast their shadow across Spain, the are given a typically breezy, debonair per- Civil Guards who "command / silences of formance; and if the remaining four songs dark rubber / and fears like fine sand." are hardly the equals of their companions, No C.O.D.'s, please On this disk Alan Wheatley, a versatile Astaire treats them with as much care and and immensely talented English actor, reads consideration. These recordings have long

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since become collector's items and their reissue is especially pleasing. The last four songs from The Band Wagon, as listed above, appeared originally on one of Victor's early 3311 -rpm records. As equip- EPIC RECORDS bring you a world of f` music ment for reproducing them at that time was extremely rare, these are virtually unknown recordings to most listeners. J.F.I.

ROBERT CLARY Meet Robert Clary Fleur bleue; Have You Met Miss Jones; Le Feutre taupe; The Chorale; Hoops; Out of This World; Un Rien me fait chanter; If I Only Had a Brain; Aimer comme je t'aime; I've Gotta Crow; Holding Hands; La Route enchantée. Robert Clary. EPIC LN 3171. 12 -in. $3.98. French performers are not always noted for their exuberance; indeed, among the post- war generation world- weariness à la Piaf has been more in their line. Robert Clary, a fairly recent importation, has happily turned his back on the mournful style. He sings with gusto, as though tomorrow might never come. Most at ease in bounc- ing allegro moments, like the marathon Fleur bleue or Hoops, he can also make a touching and worthy try at a difficult song like Out of This World. Very bright, this introduction to records, and it's accompanied on the envelope by Steig -like draw- ings created by Mr. Clary for each of his songs. R. K.

LENA HORNE It's Love I'll Do Anything; You Do Something to Me; One; Fun to be Fooled; You're the . Call Me Darling; It's All Right With Me; Amsterdam .. Frankie and Johnny; Let Me Love You; Love Is the Thing; Then I'll Be Tired of where Eduard Van Beinum You; It's Love. Lena Home, with Lennie Hayton and his and the Concertgebouw Orchestra Orchestra. RCA VICTOR LPM 1148. I2 -in. $3.98. record exclusively for Epic One of the great singing ladies of the day takes a big, fierce bite here out of eleven songs. Generally speaking, they stand up Eduard Van Beinum - now per- DEBUSSY: Images pour Orchestre, ((agues, Iberia, Rondes de fine, even though the singer is almost al- manent conductor of Amsterdam's Set III ways better than her material. An ex- Printemps). The N. Y. Herald Trib- tremely welcome record from Miss Horne, fabulous orchestra -has left a trail une labeled this performance "as near who doesn't appear on LP quite enough to of critical praise wherever he has to perfection as one can expect." satisfy anybody's needs. R.K. appeared. The combination of his LC 3147 $3.98 skill, the Concertge- LURLEAN HUNTER conducting BRAHMS: Symphony No. 2 in D Lonesome Gal bouw's playing perfection and Major. One of Van Beinum's justly famous Brahms interpretations -the Lonesome Gal; Alone Together; It's You Epic's dazzling Radial Sound hit of his recent American tour. or No One; You Don't Know What Love are makes for orchestra discs that LC 3098 $3.98 Is; You Make Me Feel So Young; My without equal today! Heart and I Decided; It Never Entered ,lly Mind; You'd Be So Nice to Come BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 8 in C \linor and SCHUBERT: Symphony Home To; Brief Encounter; A Stranger in THE NEW LABEL OF GREATNESS Town; But Not for Me; On Green Dolphin No. 3 in D Major. Both works on Street. two 12" long playing Radial Sound records, with Epic's customary tine AIDELITY Lurlean Hunter, with Al Nevins and his IGH descriptive notes. SC 6011 $7.96 Orchestra. EPIC RADIAL SOUND RCA VICTOR LPM 1151. 12 -in. $3.98. //I1 \ \\`\ Ask your dealer for FREE catalog. Lurlean Hunter, who makes her debut on records with Lonesome Gal, seems never A PRODUCT OF CBS to have appeared professionally outside of Chicago. This is a lucky break for Chi- cagoans if not for Miss Hunter, but it

MARCH 1956 83

www.americanradiohistory.com seems almost a certain bet now that the Love Thy Neighbor; Ain't She Sweet; Let's name comes this lively and bright recording Windy City is going to lose its girl to the Fall in Love; When the Red, Red, Robbin starring Sonny Fox, Ginger MacManus, and outside world. She sings, first of all, with Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along; If I Pud Flanagan, with a children's chorus and exceptional ease, producing a deep, well- Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight); the Ray Carter Orchestra. The children's set voice that is under sure control every Sing You Sinners; Don't Take Your Love enthusiastic singing about things to see minute of the time. She also sings about from Me; Goody Goody; As Time Goes and places to go in their own home town things, understanding naturally that lyri- By; Honey; Happiness is a Thing Called may well inspire other small people to open cists, after all, have intentions and mean- Joe; I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (If their eyes to interesting doings right around ings when they set pen to paper. In all, I Knew I'd Find You). them. On the reverse is Whoopy -Do, a rhyth- a worthy debut by a new pop -jazz singer Lillian Roth, with Orchestra mic song full of gay silliness. who squarely nails every note and word in under the direction of Don Costa. place. R.K. EPIC LN 3206. I2 -in. $3.98. MR. BELL INVENTS THE TELE- PHONE TEDDI KING Lillian Roth's singing style is straight GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER from Broadway of the 1920's. Its a big Bidin' My Time Enrichment Records ERL voice, and it's belted out for the very last IIO 33'fí rpm. Bidin' My Time; Once Too Often; That row, with every word heard clearly and In these days when the telephone is perfected Old Feeling; The I'm Not Supposed to every grace note and assorted curlicew and taken for granted, it is well to hear the Be Blue Blues; Careless Love; For All We there to linger loud and long. In short, dramatized story of its early beginnings, Know; When I Grow Too Old to Dream; not at all in contemporary fashion, but and an engaging story it is. Alexander I'm in Love with the Honorable Mr. frequently So fun to hear and always impos- Graham Bell's first work was to teach deaf and So; I Can't Get Started; Love Walked sible not to. R.K. people lip -reading so that he might earn In; I Poured My Heart Into a Song; Tak- money to experiment in his free hours for ing a Chance on Love. ROGER WILLIAMS a new type of wireless, a frustrating endeavor. Teddi King, with Al Cohn and his Or- Autumn Leaves; Wanting You; Hi Lili; Then came his idea for transmitting speech chestra. Just One of Those Things; Singin' in the across wires. There is an appealing, warm RCA VICTOR LPM 1147. I2 -in. $3.98. Rain; Beyond the Sea; Night Wind; Big account of his wife's constant encourage. Town; Summertime; Minute Waltz ment and of his progress up to the final Teddi King, until now known mainly Varia- as a tion; River Seine; My Dream accomplishment of telephones spanning the jazz singer, settles Sonata. down here with a pleas- continent from New York to California. ant try at pop and jazz -pop Roger Williams, piano solos and duets, vocals. She's This is coupled with the story of George chosen some tough problems with strings and orchestra directed by to handle - Washington Carver, the son of a Southern Careless Love and Glenn Osser. I'm In Love With the slave who worked and walked his way to Honorable Mr. So And KAPP KL I0I2. 12 -in. $3.98. So, among others college and became a great naturalist. Both but, generally speaking, the genuine - One of today's most are true and inspiring stories that should musicality of her transparent and alto- popular middle brow pianists at work be in every child's record library. gether sweet voice meets all of her reper- alone and together with himself in duet. In his toire's demands. Miss King's accents, it meanderings through a dozen classics, SING A SONG WITH CHARITY should be added, are unusually polite for semis, and pops, Williams never BAILEY a pop -jazz singer. R.K. creates much genuine excitement except for a Summertime that DECCA K 155. 78 rpm. $1.14. unfortunately ends up by suffering from LIANE just a little too much agitation. R.K. This record is unusual in that the fifteen Songs of Cole Porter children who sing these charming many - nation songs are themselves Night and Day; Love For Sale; So in Love; from many different Don't Fence Me In; Night and Day; Begin lands. Led by Charity's clear, happy voice, they the Beguine; My Heart Belongs to Daddy; CHILDREN'S sing Sambalele, a Brazilian song about the adventures a Magnifique; I've Got You Under My Skin; RECORDS of lovable little show- Rosalie; Wunderbar. off boy; an appealing Yiddish lullaby, Sleep, by H. S. Wallace my little Bird, with auto -harp accompani- Liane, with the Boheme Bar Trio. ment, and Same Train, an American Negro VANGUARD VRS 7029. Io -in. $3.95. folksong with rollicking, repetitive verses. Paris After Midnight HARVEST TIME Children - and grown -ups too - will find this record fun. YOUNG Trois cloches; Avril au Portugal; Le Gamin PEOPLE'S RECORDS YPR 900I. 78 de Paris; N'y touches pas; Mes mains; Que rpm. $1.25. THERE'S GOLD IN CALIFORNIA reste -t -il de nos amours ?; Darling, je vous Here are authentic folk songs from France, CHILDREN'S RECORD aime beaucoup; GUILD 9009 -A. 45 rpm. La Fille aux cheveux de England, Japan, South America, Bohemia, $1.19. lin; Pour un oui, pour un non; J'ai ta main and the United States, nicely arranged by dans An Irish immigrant boy with his ma main; Dansez avec moi; Mademoi- Carter Harman and sung by the Eugene concertina selle sets out from the docks de Paris; Un amour comme le notre; Lowell Singers. Kindergarten and primary of New York for Bolero. California in the days of '49. While teachers, especially, will appreciate the possi- on his long trek, other gold- seekers join him Liane, with the Boheme Bar Trio bilities of these charming rhythmic tunes. - a cow -hand from Texas who plays a guitar, VANGUARD VRS 2025. 10- in. They serve to acquaint young pupils with $3.95. a mule- skinner from Missouri the ways of other lands, and their content and his banjo. a boy from an iron ore boat on the Since her first Vanguard release, several lends itself easily to "acting out" various Great - Lakes who brings a harmonica. years ago, Liane has developed a highly activities of the deep- voiced Bohemian They find no gold on the streets, but combining their respectable authority in such slippery mat- father; the English Giles Scroggins and his instruments, they play gay hoe -downs ters as taste, projection, and linguistic turnip -hoe; peach -picking in Latin America; for more fortunate gold seekers, who, in return, ability. Most at home in German, she little Saki, the Japanese farmer, planting reward them richly. A good can also sing lyrics in their original French seeds, and black birds picking record for the them up six to ten group. or English with an accent that is never again, and, last, the Southern United States, eccentric for showmanship's sake and barely in "Pick a bale o' cotton." It is easy to THE MUSIC OF AARON COPLAND Viennese. Both of these new records, recommend this record for the six -to -ten which show off all her amiable and at- group. CHILDREN'S RECORD GUILD 408 A. 78 rpm tractive qualities at once, are recommended highly. R.K. LET'S TAKE A TRIP Segments of some of Copland's best -known

COLUMBIA J 259. 78 rpm. $.98. and best -loved music are excitingly presented LILLIAN ROTH here. A mother and child listen together, I'll Cry Tomorrow From the CBS Television show of the same with just enough conversation to keep ex-

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plaining the music. The sincere warmth and sturdy naturalness of the Great Emanci- You'll Enter a Wonderful pator are expressed in a wonderful way in A Lincoln Portrait excerpt. Billy the Kid, as of Sound ... the mother describes him, is a sort of New World cowboy Robin Hood. The feel of the coun- albums try is in the fresh, beautiful melody from as you listen to these Decca Appalachian Spring. A Mexican Dance Hall gives a musical picture of Latin American merriment. Copland weaves familiar folk tunes into his music in a friendly, intimate way. Walter Hendl conducts the orchestra. Highly recommended as a way of endearing one of America's greatest living composers to young Americans.

CARL MARIA VON WEBER: Rondo for Bassoon and Orchestra

CHILDREN'S RECORD GUILD 4- RBO -13. 78 rpm. $1.19.

Here is the only extant recording of this bassoon piece, so some parents really will want to listen. The piece is happily well - chosen for young people. The bassoon, SING CROSSYi like the tuba, is a jolly, gruff instrument, and HIGH TOR when it is well tamed, as by Eli Carmen here, it is as much fun as a trained elephant in a circus. This is a record for children of all ages to fall in love with.

THE BEST OF JAZZ The Man With The Gold- High Tor: Bing Crosby, en Arm: The Sound Track others; Songs and Story by John S. Wilson from the Film; Shorty from the Ford Star Jubi- Rogers, Shelly Manne, lee -CBS Television Pro- others. duction. ( March 10, (DL 8257, ED 2335 -6 -7) 19.56.) (DL 8272) RUBY BRAFF The Ruby Brat¡ Special Romance in the Dark; When You Wish Upon a Star; Ghost of a Chance; Wishing; Where's Freddie ?; I'm in the Market for You; Sweet Sue; Linger Awhile. Ruby Braff, trumpet; Vic Dickenson, trombone; Samuel Margolis, tenor saxophone, clarinet; Nat Pierce, piano; Walter Page, bass; Jo Jones, drums. VANGUARD VRS -8504. 12 -in. 48 min. You Better Go Now: Jeri Queen Of The Gypsies: $4.98 Southern; "Something I The Rhythms of Carmen Dreamed Last Night," Anti ya; Sabicas, Guitarist. Despite the steady stream of Ruby Braff "When I Fall In Love," "Taranta," "Soleares," etc. (DL 8214, ED-774) others. (DL 9816) recordings pouring on the market, he manages to maintain a remarkably high level of interest. He has something of that easy, unforced brilliance which is such an inportant part of Louis Armstrong's playing and, fortunately, he doesn't sound quite like any other trumpet player currently recording. These are delightfully casual performances, based on an excellent rhythm section, punctuated by Vic Dicken- son's brashly humorous trombone and driven by Braff's warm, soaring, jabbing Virtuosi Di Roma: Rena- *Recorded in Europe by Deutsche Grammo- The Hi -Fi Nightingale *: horn. Samuel Margolis, a somewhat ten- to Fasano, Director; Con- phon Gesellschaft- Polydor Series. Caterina Valente; "The tative saxophonist and clarinetist, occa- certi by Durante, Galup- "DL" indicates 331/3 Long Play Recordings Breeze And I," "Jalousie," sionally works up to the level of the others pi, Paisiello. (DL 9730) "ED" indicates 45 Extended Play Records etc. (DL 8203, ED -771) in the group. j tl\ BARBARA CARROLL DECCA® RECORDS w%' Have You Met Miss Carroll? Everything I've Got Belongs to You; It's a New World of Sound All Right with Me; Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe; Almost Like Being in Love; Decca Records now feature an exclusive, new method of compression moulding Continued on page 88 on silent polystyrene surfaces, assuring flawless high fidelity reproduction.

MARCH 1956 85

www.americanradiohistory.com Forty -six Sides of the Benny Goodman Story

THE RELEASE of the film, The Benny rather well - Steve Allen, who plays 1935 to 1939. Here we hear the Goodman Goodman Story, has loosed a flood of Goodman in the film, leads a band studded band as it really was, not concentrating disks unparalleled in jazz recording. Twen- with ex- Goodmanites through the basic on the few specialties that emerge from ty-two freshly minted Goodman and Good- core of Goodman classics in close ap- the film but putting a swinging beat into man- derived LPs are at hand (twenty 12- proximations of the original arrangements everything that crossed its path - pop inch and two ros) and, as this is written, but with one significant change: Good - tunes, show tunes, jazz standards, originals, still another r2- incher is scheduled to be man's clarinet solos are replaced by Allen's and such otherwise banal items as Ti -Pi- cut. Through reissues, new issues, and piano solos - able and unpretentious. Tin and Peter Piper. This set is crammed emulations, they trace Goodman and his A slight variant on the re- creation idea with wonderful Goodmania that has long bands from 1927 to the present, skipping is Atlantic's Tribute to Benny Goodman. been unavailable. only the middle and late Forties when Recorded more than a year ago, before An earlier, pre -acclaim Goodman is Goodman was, first, bored and unhappy plans for the film had materialized, this spotlighted on Columbia CL 821 and and, later, inactive. was originally thought of simply as a get - Brunswick 54010. Columbia's Vintage Six of the disks cover almost identical together of some Goodman sidemen, led Goodman covers the years from 1931 to terrain - Capitol S -706, Columbia CL 82o, by Jess Stacy, to play a few of the tunes 1935 when Goodman led recording groups Coral CRL 57028, Decca DL 8252 from the old Goodman book in trimmed - that usually featured Jack Teagarden (who and DL 8253, and RCA Victor LPM down arrangements (the group used only sings Beale Street Blues and Basin Street 1099. All of them feature tunes used in one trumpet and one trombone). As it Blues and does a superb trombone chorus the film and - because of the subject of happened, they chose several of the runes on Moonglow). Billie Holiday's first the film - it is not only the tunes which which went into the film; and this disk is, breathless recording is included, along with are repeated but, in large measure, the in some ways, the most enjoyable of the a few of the very earliest sides by the actual arrangements. of latter -day Goodman revivals. big Goodman band. Both Columbia and Victor have gone "B.G. "- 1927 -1934, on Brunswick, to their files for performances of the goes even farther back although not quite Goodman classics by that early band with as far as the title suggests. It picks Good- which he made his reputation. Since man up in 1928 when he was still very Goodman was under contract to Victor much a Chicago clarinetist and dredges up when almost all of these tunes were first two almost forgotten samples of a very recorded, the Victor disk is made up en- early Goodman trio (1928) which are tirely of studio performances, while Colum- totally unlike anything done by the later bia, which didn't become Goodman's re- Goodman trios. It also shows Goodman cording outlet until 1939, has extracted as a developing stylist playing with Red Nichols, -Lang the same tunes from the Goodman Car- the Venuti band, and Adrian Rollini, with Jack negie Hall concert and from its set of Teagarden an ever present colleague. Fidelity on the 1937 -38 Goodman air checks. In general, early Chicago numbers is definitely low the recording quality of the Victor collec- but the spirits are high. tion is better than the Columbia, but the Columbia has also repackaged Columbia performances have more vitality some of its earlier Benny Goodman LP releases. and drive. The Columbia disk includes The Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (SL r Jess Stacy's lyrical and quite unexpected 6o) and 1937 -38 Jazz Concert No. 2 (SL 18o), piano solo at the end of Sing Sing Sing both originally made up of two 12 -inch at Carnegie Hall; an extended version of LPs, have each been rearranged so as to Don't Be That Way which builds to a spread out over three 12 -inch LPs. The tremendous rocker of a climax; and bril- Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert is now on CL liantly precise, biting performances of Beyond this, there is Ziggy Elman, ap- 814, 815, and 816, while 1937 -38 Jazz King Porter Stomp and Bugle Call Rag. parently playing his heart out and some- Concert No.2 has been retitled The Capitol, Coral, and Decca disks are The King how managing to make his lone trumpet of Swing on CL 817, 818, recent re- creations of the old Goodman and 819. No sound like the powerhouse of the whole new material has been added to standards. Capitol has Goodman himself either set Goodman trumpet section. This disk might despite the extra records. Sextet Session (billed as "Mr. Benny Goodman ") and a be Elman's swan song. Early in the ses- (Columbia CL 6052) , eight numbers band of top flight jazzmen, who plow into by the sion his lip began to bleed, but he insisted Goodman Sextet, has also the familiar arrangements with authority been repackaged on continuing and blew some of his best as The B. G. Six (CL 2564) and trimmed and more than a suggestion of the old work through bloody lips. Later, when down to six numbers to sell for $1.98. Goodman swing. the film soundtrack was being cut, Mannie JOHN S. WILSON There is, in fact, a startling contrast Klein was called in to play Elman's crea- between the small group numbers on the tion and most famous speciality, And the Capitol disk and those on the Deccas, Angels Sing. On Goodman's Capitol set STEVE ALLEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA which are taken from the soundtrack of Harry James takes this Elman solo, and on Let's Dance the film. In the film, the trio and quartet the Steve Allen disk Jimmy Maxwell plays Let's Dance; Don't Be That Way; Mem- performances suffer from Gene Krupa's it. If the Atlantic recording should mark ories of You; One O'Clock Jump; Moon - leaden drumming Avalon, which opens the end of Elman's career, he couldn't go - glow; Stompin' at the Savoy; with a delightful chorus and a half of un- out more gloriously. Sometimes I'm Happy; King Porter Stomp; And the accompanied Hampton, turns into a com- One final new Goodman item is Colum- Angels Sing; Sing Sing Sing; Goodbye plete disaster when Krupa gets going - bia's Date with the King, a miscellany of CORAL CRL 57028. 12 -in. 41 min. $3.98. and Goodman himself inexplicably en- recent Goodman small group performances. crusts his normally light, exhilarating style On three of these Rosemary Clooney sings BENNY GOODMAN with stiff, inappropriate legitimate phrases. huskily, pleasantly, but in much too inti- The Benny Goodman Story But there can be little complaint about the mate a relationship with the microphone. big band numbers from the sound track. The reissues brought on by the Good- Down South Camp Meetin'; King Porter For the most part they have force and man film are headed by Victor's plush Stomp; Sing Sing Sing; And the Angels body and much of the quality of the old five -disk set, The Golden Age of Swing, Sing; One O'Clock Jump; Don't Be That Goodman performances. which covers the band, trio, and quartet Way; Bugle Call Rag; Stompin' at the Coral's entry is an oddity that turns out at the height of Goodman's success, from Savoy; Good -bye.

86 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Quartet: Avalon; Moonglow. COLUMBIA CL 821. 12 -in. 35 min. $3.95 RCA VICTOR LPM c099. 12 -in 4o min. $3.98. A Hit In Any Room BENNY GOODMAN AND ROSE- BENNY GOODMAN MARY CLOONEY "B.G." -1927-1934 Date with the King DUCHIN'S Exciting Benny Goodman's Boys: Blue; Muskrat A Fine Romance; Can't We Talk It Over. Ramble; After Awhile; Wolverine Blues. Benny Goodman, clarinet; Buck Clayton, Record Cabinet Benny Goodman Trio: Clarinetitis; That's trumpet; Urbie Green, trombone; Claude A- Plenty. Thornhill, piano; Aaron Bell, bass; Bobby Red Nichols: Indiana; Dinah; The Shiek Donaldson, drums. Protects & Catalogs of Araby. That's A' Plenty. Venuti -Lang: Someday Sweetheart; Fare- Dick Hyman, piano, in place of Thornhill. 200 Records! well Blues. It's Bad for Me; Goodbye. Adrian Rollini Orchestra: Davenport Add Rosemary Clooney, vocals. Blues. Memories of You. BRUNSWICK BL 54010. 12-in. 34 min. Goodman; Hyman; Donaldson; Clooney. Top value, only $3.98. COLUMBIA CL 2572. Io -in. 20 min. $1.98. BENNY GOODMAN MR. BENNY GOODMAN $10.98 Freight Prepaid The Golden Age of Suing The Benny Goodman Story Always; Blue Skies; The Devil and the Let's Dance; Bugle Call Rag; One O'Clock Deep Blue Sea; Good -Bye; Mad House; Jump; Don't Be That Way; Down South Eeny Meeny Miney Mo; Basin Street Camp Meetin'; Stompin' At the Savoy; Sing Blues; If I Could Be with You; When Sing Sing; And the Angels Sing; It's Been Buddha Smiles; It's Been So Long; Goody - So Long; Shine; Good -bye. Goody; Get Happy; You Can't Pull the Quintet: Avalon; Moonglow; Memories of Wool Over My Eyes; Walk, Jennie, Walk; You; China Boy. for You; House Hop; There's Anything CAPITOL S -706. 12 -in. 48 min. $5.95. a Small Hotel; You Turned the Tables on Me; Organ Grinder's Swing; Peter Piper; MUSIC FROM THE SOUNDTRACK Alexander's Ragtime Band; Somebody OF "THE BENNY GOODMAN Loves Me; 'Tain't No Use; Jam Session; STORY" When You and 1 Were Young, Maggie; Smoke Dreams; This Year's Kisses; Good- Vol. I Camp Meetin'; night My Love; I Want To Be Happy; Let's Dance; Down South It's Been So Long; Rosetta; Peckin'; Can't We Be Friends; King Porter Stomp; 'Em; Bugle Call Rag; Don't Be That I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Roll Way; You Turned the Tables on Me; Baby; Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day; Goody Goody; Stompin' at the Savoy; One Loch Lomond; If Dreams Come True; Ti- O'Clock Jump. Pi -Tin; Lullaby In Rhythm; This Can't Octet: Slipped Disk. Be Love; Sing for Your Supper; Farewell DECCA DL 8252. 12 -in. 37 min. $3.98. Blues; Louise; I'll Always Be in Love with You; Sent for You Yesterday; Rose of Vol, 2 Washington Square. And the Angels Sing; Jersey Bounce; Sometimes I'm Happy; Shine; Sing Sing Trio: More Than You Know; Too Good Sing. Check off these terrific features to Be True; Where or When; Silhouetted Trio: Memories of You; China Boy. in the Moonlight; Sweet Lorraine; I Must Quartet: Moonglow; Avalon. FASHIONABLE . . . Have That Man. DECCA DL 8253. 12 -in. 38 min. $3.98. Perforated black wrought iron Quartet: Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider; Tea sparked with gleaming brass, for Two; Liza; I'm a Ding Dong Daddy; JESS STACY AND THE FAMOUS superbly crafted and con- Bei Mir Bist du Schoen; Sugar; 'S Wonder- SIDEMEN structed. ful; I Know That You Know; Opus 3/4. Tribute to Benny Goodman RCA VICTOR LPT 6703. Five 12 -in. 172 PRACTICAL . . . Let's Dance; King Porter Stomp; Where min. $24.95 Divided shelf neatly catalogs or When; Roll 'Em; Sing Sing Sing; Goodbye. every size record and album, BENNY GOODMAN protects valuable records. Holds Ziggy Elman, trumpet; Murray McEachern, The Great Benny Goodman full trombone; Heinie Beau, alto saxophone; size radio -phonograph too. Let's Dance; King Porter Stomp; Down Vido Musso, tenor saxophone; Chuck Gen- VERSATILE . . . South Camp Meetin'; One O'Clock Jump; try, baritone saxophone; Jess Stacy, piano; Ideal for rumpus Bugle Call Rag; Don't Be That Way; Sing Allen Reuss, guitar; Artie Shapiro, bass; room, patio, Sing Sing. Nick Fatool, drums. den, living room. 29 "x20 Quartet: Moonglow; Avalon; Stompin' at When Buddha Smiles; Don't Be That Way; "x13" the Savoy. Sometimes I'm Happy; Down South Camp Send check or money order to: Sextet: Memories of You. Meetin'. COLUMBIA CL 820. 12 -in. 5o min. $3.95. Ted Veseley, trombone, replaces McEach- ern; Babe Russin, tenor saxophone, re- UI aurice Crealions, Inc. BENNY GOODMAN places Musso; Joe Koch, baritone saxo- 230 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK I, N.Y. The Vintage Goodman phone, replaces Gentry; Al Hendrickson, Dept. H3 Beale Street Blues; Basin Street Blues; guitar, replaces Reuss; Morty Corb, bass, Your Mother's Son -in -Law; Why Couldn't replaces Shapiro. It Be Poor Little Me; Riffin' the Scotch; Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You; I Must FROM DUCHIN'S Love Me or Leave Me; Bugle Call Rag; Have That Man; Blues for Otis Ferguson; WROUGHT Moonglow; Nitwit Serenade; Keep on Do- You Turned the Tables EVERY on Me. IRON IS in' What You're Doin'; The Dixieland Stacy; Shapiro; Fatool. ANGLE BEST! Band; Music Hall Rag. ATLANTIC 1225. 12 -in. 40 min. $4.85

MARCH 1956 87

www.americanradiohistory.com Dialing Your Disks MARCH ISSUE OF All LP disks are recorded with treble boost following values in the table below. ROLL- and bass cut, the amount of which often OFF- ro.5: LON, FFRR. 12: AES, RCA, SCHWANN

varies from one manufacturer to another. Old RCA. 13.7: RIAA, RCA, New RCA, 1 To play a disk, the bass below a certain New AES, NARTB, ORTHOphonic. 16: turnover frequency must be boosted, and NAB, LP, COL, COL LP, ORTHOcoustic. CATALOG the treble must be rolled off a certain num- TURNOVER - 400: AES, RCA. 5ooC: ber of decibels at io,000 cycles. Recom- LP, COL, COL LP, Mod NAB, LON, mended control settings to accomplish this FFRR. 5ooR: RIAA, ORTHOphonic, are listed for each manufacturer. Equalizer NARTB, New AES. 5oo: NAB: 63o: LISTS control panel markings correspond to the BRS. Boo: Old RCA.

NEW OLD 1,166 LP's RECORD LABEL Turnover Rolloff Record No. or Date: Turnover, R, 11,IF Allied 500 16 Amer. Rec. Soc. 400 12 THAT ARE BEING Angel 500R 13.7 Arizona 500R 13.7 To 1955: 400, 12.7 tAtlantic 500R 13.7 Audiophile 500 12 DISCONTINUED Bach Guild 500R 13.7 No. 501 -529: 500, 16 *Bartok 500R 13.7 No. 901 -905, 308, 310, 311: 500R, 13.7 No. 906 -920, 301 -304, 309: 630, 16 Bethlehem 500R 13.7 BY Blue Note Jazz 500R 13.7 To 1955: 400, 12

: Boston 500C 16 *Caedmon 500R 13.7 No. 1001 -1022: 630, 16 Canyon 500R 13.7 To No. C6160: 400, 12 MANUFACTURERS Capitol 500R 13.7 To 1955: 400, 12.7 Capitol- netra 500R 13.7 To 1955: 400, 12.7 Cetra-Soria 500C 16 1,166 Classic Editions 500R 13.7 These listings are appearing Colosseum 500R 13.7 To January 1954: 500, 16 for the last time. So be sure to get *Columbia 500R 13.7 To 1955: 500C, 16. Concert Hall 500R 10.5 To 1954: 500C, 16. this invaluable March Schwann *Contemporary 500R 13.7 No. 3501, 2501, 2502, 2505, 2507, 2001, 2002: 400, 12. No. 2504: 500, 16 Long Playing Catalog at your tCook (SOOT) 500 12 -15 Coral 500 16 record store. Supply is limited. Deeca 500R 13.7 To November 1955: 500. 16 Elektra 500E 13.7 No. 2 -15, 18 -20, 24 -26: 630, 16. No. 17, 22:400, 12. No. 16, 21, 23, 24: 500R, 13.7 Love is a Simple Thing; Get Happy; Two EMS 50011 13.7 Ladies in de Shade of de Banana Tree; My Epic 500R 13.7 Heart Belongs to Daddy; You're Mine 13.7 517, EST 5, 6: 400, 12 Esoteric 500R No. ES 500, You; Have You Met Miss Jones; I'm Glad Folkways 500R 13.7 To 1955: 500C, 16 *Good -Time Jazz 500R 13.7 No. 1. 5 -8: 500, 16. No. 3, 9 -19: 400, 12 There Is You; Barbara's Carol. Haydn Society 500C 16 Barbara Carroll, piano; Joe Shulman, bass; HMV 500R 16 Ralph Pollack, drums. Kapp 500R 13.7 No. 100 -103, 1000 -1001: 800, 16 RCA -VICTOR LPM 1137. 12 -in. 39 min Kendall 500 16 $ *London, Lon. Int. 500R 13.7 To No. 846: 500C, 10.5 3.98. Lyrichord 500 16 Miss Carroll's previous disks have been McIntosh 500R 13.7 notable largely for a polished but lightly *Mercury 500R 13.7 To October 1954: 400, 12 contrived filigree woven over an easy MGM 500R 13.7 beat. Polish and lightness are still pres- Montilla 50011 13.7 ent in this set but there is also a new New Jazz 500R 13.7 - and welcome muscularity, a two- handed Nocturne 500R 13.7 No. LP 1 -3, 5, XP1-10: 400, 12 - Oceanic 500C 16 attack which may be less ladylike than her *L'Oiseau -Lyre 500R 13.7 To 1954: 500C, 10.5 earlier work but which brings a vitality *Overtone 500R 13.7 No. 1 -3: 500, 16 to her playing which was lacking before. Oxford 500C 16 This new punch turns up on Love Is a Pacific Jazz 500R 13.7 No. 1 -13: 400, 12 Simple Thing, on Get Happy. and on Philharmonia 400 12 Two Ladies in de Shade of de Banana tPolymusie 500 16 Tree. She also strikes a particularly happy Prestige 50011 13.7 RCA Victor 500R 13.7 To September 1952: 500 or 800, 12 note on Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe, Remington 500 16 taking it slowly but keeping it light. Riverside 500R 13.7 To 1955: 400, 12 feathery, and not too sweet. There is, in Romany 500R 13.7 fact, judicious balance throughout her play- Savoy 500R 13.7 ing as well as in the selection of material. Tempo 500 16 making this the most effective collection Tranaradfo 500C 16 she has produced yet. Urania 500R 13.7 No. 7059, 224, 7066, 7063, 7065, 603, 7069: 400, 12. Others: 500C, 16 Vanguard 500R 13.7 No. 411 -442, 6000 -6018, 7001 -7011, 8001- TERRY GIBBS 8004: 500, 16 Seven Come Eleven; Lonely Dreams. 16 unless otherwise specified. Vox 500R 13.7 500, Dickie's Dream; Imagination; King City Walden 500R 13.7 *Westminster 500R 13.7 To October 1955: 500C, 16; or if AES speci- Stomp; Pretty Face; The Continental; Bless fled: 400, 12 My Soles; Nutty Notes. *Currently re- recording old masters for RIAA curve. tBinaural records produced on this label have no treble boost on the inside band, which should be Terry Gibbs, vibes; Terry Pollard, Her- played without any rolloff. man Wright, bass; Nils -Bertil Dahlander. drums.

88 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com respectively, his slow, EMARCY MG 36047. r 2 -in. 47 min. Caravan. cellent examples of, brooding, and rollicking, clipped styles. $3.98. Lawrence Brown, trombone; Rudy Powell, But despite Green's excellence and the op- Green; Page; Jones. This is a superb collection of driving, clarinet; Berry; portunities provided for Jo Jones to take VANGUARD VRS 8503. 12-in. 41 min. swinging small group jazz. Gibbs plays off on his own, the disk is dominated by $4.98. with delightful directness, with an imag- Lucky Thompson, a rich -voiced and sound- ination that bubbles without getting en- As might be expected, considering the ly grounded saxophonist who got lost in tangled in fripperies. Wright, a rich - personnel, these selections have the light, the shuffle back in the Forties. This disk toned bassist, and Dahlander, an exception- loose, driving quality that is characteristic should help to regain for him the atten- ally tasteful drummer, supply excellent of Basie -based small groups. This is par- tion that his sturdy, cleanly conceived support, lifting and prodding both en- ticularly true of the two takes of Shoe playing deserves. sembles and solos. But it is Miss Pollard Shine Boy with the master himself present. who raises this disk to exceptional heights. Both are bright, crisp performances which THE MODERN JAZZ SOCIETY She is an incisive, driving pianist who ride along on a greased beat. The first A Concert of Contemporary Music generates tremendous excitement as she infectious take winds up with a delightfully The Queen's Fancy; Midsummer. builds her solos, whether it is in the vig- guffaw by trombonist Benny Green who, orous, slashing style of Seven Come Eleven a few moments before, has taken a J. J. Johnson, trombone; Anthony Sciacca, or the lighter but still vital manner of splendidly slippery break and who follows, clarinet; Stan Getz, tenor saxophone; James Dickie's Dream. Her playing - and that on Lover Man and Georgia Mae, with ex- Politis, flute; Manuel Zegler, bassoon; of Gibbs, as well - is in a distinctly modern vein; but it is projected with a great, riding strength that is lacking in the work of many jazz modernists. lflG' They combine, on this disk, to bring the (1141,4k U/l Ctjea,i7adEÓIL essence of swing brilliantly up to the present.

LIONEL HAMPTON Crazy Rhythm Crazy Rhythm; Red Ribbon. Bernard Hullin, Benny Bailey, Nat Ad- derley, trumpets; Dave Amram, French horn; William Boucaya, baritone saxophone; Maurice Meunier, clarinet, tenor saxophone; Lionel Hampton, vibraphone; Sacha Distel, guitar; Rene Urtreger, piano; Guy Pederson, bass; MacKac, drums. Night and Day: à la French. Hampton; Distel; Urtreger; Pederson; MacKac. EMARCY MG 36034. 12-in. 4o min. $ 3.98. Presenting Two Superlative Talents: The two big band selections can be readily dismissed. They are not as tasteless as the general output of Hampton's own Seefried Markevitch band, but these French musicians show one of Europe's most that they can be as dull as Hampton's Decca takes great pride in bringing you the Ilear Igor Markevitch, of our time, Irm- dynamic conductors, blend sensitive mu- men and can leave him just as uninspired. outstanding lieder singer gard Seefried, in three matchless albums sicianship with masterful direction in four Alone with a rhythm section, however, which have already received wide acclaim. highly praised high fidelity recordings. Hampton once again summons up the Chosen by the imagination and talent on which his repu- Irmgard Seefried Concert: Mozart: Mass in C Major, K. 317 ( "Coro- American Record Guide as one of 100 Best nation"); Soloists, Choir of St. Hedwig's is based. A la French starts un- tation Recordings of 1955. Miss Seefried sings Cathedral. Also, Symphony No. 38 in D promisingly with a mish -mash of deriva- Hindemith: Geistliche Motetten for So- Major, K. 504 ( "Prague" ). Both played by ations, but Hampton's creative instincts prano and Piano. Mozart: From "II Re the Berlin Phil. Orch. (DL 9805 ) warm up as he goes along. Night and Day Pastore," Non Temer, Amato Bene; Rondo Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition is one of his excellent, thoughtfully con- for Soprano. Vienna Symphony Orch., Fer- ( orchestrated by Maurice Ravel ) . Also, dinand Leitner, conductor. ( DL 9768 ) structed performances. On both selections Wagner: Siegfried Idyl. Both played by the Songs From The he is spelled by guitarist Sacha Distel, a Hugo Wolf: Twenty -Two Berlin Phil. Orch. ( DL 9782 ) youngster with an easy, flowing attack Italienisches Liederbuch; Brahms: Lieder Erik Werba, piano. Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14, and a nice rhythmic feeling which are und Volkslieder, ( DL 9743 ) played by the Berlin Phil. Orch. (DL 9783 ) slightly hampered by an apparent lack of assurance. In Person: Songs by Mozart: Symphony Schubert, Brahms, No. 34 in C Major, Mussorgsky, Bar- K. 338, and Schu- tók, Wolf and Rich- bert: Symphony JO JONES ard Strauss. Erik No. 3 in D Ma- The Jo Jones Special Werba, piano. Re- jor. Two superb corded at Miss See - performances, both Lover Man; Georgia Mae; Lincoln Heights; fried's actual glowingly played Embraceable You. concerts in Berlin, by the Berlin Phil- Munich, Hamburg, harmonic Orches- Emmett Berry, trumpet; Benny Green; etc. ( DL 9809 ) tra. (DL 9810 ) trombone; Lucky Thompson, tenor saxophone; Nat Pierce, piano; Freddie Green, guitar; Walter Page, bass; Jo Jones, drums. DECCA PpP1 %AG RECORDS Shoe Shine Boy (two takes). Count Basie, piano, replaces Pierce. a New World of Sound

MARCH 1956 89

www.americanradiohistory.com LI

Gunther Schuller, French horn; Janet Put- the accompaniment is the joyous, rocking nam, harp; Percy Heath, bass; Connie Kay, piano of Rushing's old Kansas City con - TbQ drums. frère, Pete Johnson. Spurring it is the original Basie rhythm section which played Sun Dance; Django; Little David's Fugue. behind Rushing in his heyday. Punctuating RColÍan=iMÍnnCr Lucky Thompson, tenor saxophone, re- it are two sturdy former Basie horns, Em- places Getz; Aaron Sachs, clarinet, re- mett Berry and Buddy Tate, along with a man Company places Sciacca. disparate and surprising pair of enlistees: NORGRAN MG N -1040. 12 -in. 3o min. Rudy Powell, a onetime Waller sideman $3.98. whose rugged alto fits in perfectly, and the velvet-toned Ellington trombonist, Law- This is John Lewis in amplified form - rence Brown, whose rough, expansive ele- amplified, that is, beyond the customary gance is equally right. Their playing is as instrument for his works, the Modern Jazz alert, relaxed and purposeful as Rushing's Quartet. Three of the selections Sun - singing. Groove by groove, this disk is Dance, Midsömmer, and Little David's an unmitigated joy. Fugue-were commissioned for this recording. Django and The Queen's Fancy are from JOE SULLIVAN the Quartet's repertoire, orchestrated for New Solos by an Old Master the present instrumentation by Gunther Gin Mill Blues; That's a Plenty; A Room Schuller. The instrumental expansion of with a View; Sweet Lorraine; Hangover these two compositions has left them more Blues; Little Rock Getaway; Honeysuckle static than they were originally, although Rose; Summertime; Fido's Fantasy; My presents the added instruments have made possible Little Pride and Joy; I Cover the Water- some interesting touches - the declaratory front; Farewell to Riverside. "THE KING OF INSTRUMENTS" pomp introducing The Queen's Fancy and Joe Sullivan, piano; the softly breathed ending of Django. Dave Lario, bass; VOL. 1 -THE AMERICAN CLASSIC ORGAN Smoky Stover, drums. VOL. 2 -ORGAN LITERATURE; BACH TO LANGLAIS Sun Dance and Little David's Fugue are RIVERSIDE RLP 12 -202. 12 -in. 39 min. VOL. 3 -ORGAN RECITAL; ROBERT OWEN bright, lyrical, and typically Lewis while VOL. 4- HILLIAR AT ST. MARKS Midsömmer is a long, affecting and re- S4.98. VOL. 5 -THE MUSIC OF RICHARD PURVIS flective bit of tonal painting. The tend- No matter how many musicians VOL. 6- MARILYN MASON IN RECITAL are hav- ency toward rigidity in this enlarged en- VOL. 7 -THE ORGAN OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE ing their efforts preserved on recordings, ALEC WYTON, Organist. semble is occasionally lightened and there are bound to be some glaring over- VOL. 8- NORMAN COKE-JEPHCOTT at ST. JOHN broken by the soloists, particularly by sights. For too long Joe Sullivan has THE DIVINE Lucky Thompson, J. J. Johnson, and Tony Each Volume 12 -in. LP $5.95 stood as one of these oversights, a fact Scott (masquerading as Anthony Sciacca). which makes this collection of his earthy Stan Getz, who plays on two selections, hand -to -hand encounters with the piano proves to be less suited to the saxophone a particularly welcome one. It contains requirements of these works than the some of the best playing this veteran stronger voiced Lucky Thompson who plays Chicagoan has put on records. He is at on the remaining three. As a variant on the height of his slugging, punching style Lewis' writing for the Modern Jazz Quar- as he whales into such worthy matters as tet, these performances are provocative. That's a Plenty, his own Little Rock Geta- But they make one appreciate more than way, and Farewell to Riverside. He is ever the clean, neat definitiveness of the philosophical and reflective - an attitude Quartets work. which seems to be a recent development - on the appealing A Room with a View ( not the Coward tune) and Summertime. JIMMY RUSHING And he probes some wonderfully dark Listen to the Blues brown undertones on Hangover Blues and Gin Blues. See See Rider; It's Hard to Laugh a Smile: Mill Sullivan has a starkly Every Day; Evenin'; Good Morning Blues: positive style, forceful and - when he takes off at a gallop as THE M. Roll 'Em, Pete; Don't Cry, Baby; Take Ale - heady and in- P. MILLER vigorating Back, Baby; Rock and Roll. as the first warm breath of ORGAN COMPANY Spring. It's all here -a Sullivan collec- Emmett Berry, trumpet; Lawrence Brown, tion which can supersede almost all the MUSIC FOR THE ORGAN Vol. 1 Bach, Elmore, trombone; Buddy Tate, tenor saxophone; solo recordings he has made in the past. Martini, others Rudy Powell, alto saxophone, clarinet; MUSIC FOR THE ORGAN Vol. 2 Reger, Widor, V lerne Pete Johnson, piano; Freddie Greene, gui- Demonstration Records Illustrating the Remarkable Dy- tar; Walter Page, bass; Jo Jones, drums; THE ART TATUM -ROY ELDRIDGE- namic and Frequency Range of the Moller Organ. Jimmy Rushing, vocals. ALVIN STOLLER -JOHN SIMMONS Each Volume 12 -in. LP $5.95 VANGUARD VRS 8505. 12 -in. 44 min. QUARTET $4.98. Night and Day; The Moon Is Low; In DISCURIOSITIES RECORDS a Sentimental Mood; This Can't Be Love; The return of Jimmy Rushing to the re- HIGH FIDELITY ORGAN SERIES I Won't Dance: Moon Song; You Took cording studios has been one of the hap- Advantage of Ale; I Surrender, Dear. Ernest White Plays Three Chorales for Grand pier events on the recent jazz scene. Al- Organ; Prelude, Fugue et Variation by Cesar Franck. though his voice can no longer be quite as Roy Eldridge, trumpet; Art Tatum, piano; Discuriosities BCL 7280 12 -in. LP $5.95 venturesome as it once was, he is still in John Simmons, bass; Alvin Stoller, drums. Edward Linzel Plays Robert Elmore's Rhythmic CLEF MG C Suite and Rhumba, plus other organ classics. complete control of his very personal and -679. 12 -in. 38 min. $3.98. Discuriosities BCL 7201 12 -in. LP $5.95 stimulating style of blues singing. On this The combination of two such polished jazz disk he is at latter -day perfection, driving professionals as Tatum and Eldridge would his way through a delightful collection Nationally distributed by seem to be a practically of blues and pop tunes which have either surefire proposition. On these well chosen selections, DAUNTLESS INTERNATIONAL classic or nostalgic merit. Of equal im- their meeting is almost as good as one might 750 TENTH AVE. NEW portance, he works with an instrumental YORK 19, N. Y. hope. Almost, but not quite. group which, for this purpose, could Tatum plays Write for Free Catalogs scarcely be improved upon. Dominating Continued on page 92

90 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com HERE IT IS .. UNUSUAL REC maN BY lit EIPILIIICIA for the Discriminating 1%j-F, Record Collector

A SERIES OF MODERN LONG PLAYING HIGH FIDELITY RECORDINGS AUDIO FIDELITY RECORDS presents Aleut >Qciaectiovied coti Saud Studied. HIGH FIDELITY sauKd

BASEMENT THE BRAVE BULLS! La Fiesta Brava BEAST IN THE - BRAVE BULLS. Music of the Bullfight Ring Me Leon Berry removed a Mighty Wur- litzer Pipe Organ from a theatre and Featuring the "Banda Taurina" of the has it set up in the basement of his Plaza Mexico world's largest bullfight house, console, hundreds of pipes. arena. A Hi -Fi presentation of an after- glockenspiels. drums, klaxon and all. noon at the bullfights. Complete with The sound is enormous; the dynamic book of 24 full color Bullfight Poster range, utterly fantastic. Greatest yet!! Reproductions. "brilliant engineering ", High Fidelity. REPLICA 509 12 -in. $5.95 AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 1801 12 -in. $5.95

audio fidelity .,,. TOO

FABULOUS EDDIE OSBORN MARIMBA MAMBO The "hit" of this season's Hi -Fi Shows. y CHA- CHA -CHA This album abounds in big sound and a The scintillating tropical rhythms of a sprightly mixture of polyphonic effects 6 man Marimba plus orchestra. A Total Pipe Frequency Range Recording of the unique on a Mighty Wurlitzer latest and greatest Latin dance tunes. Organ. AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 1802 12 -in. $5.95 REPLICA 511 12 -in. $5.95

eeam AR* w, BAWDY

BAWDY SONGS and BACKROOM AL MELGARD AT THE CHICAGO BALLADS STADIUM ORGAN Oscar Brand, noted balladeer sings Folk- Americana often heard but never This is the world's largest unit pipe recorded. Rollicking songs for people organ. A triple challenge for the with lusty appetites and strong musical modem audio system. tastes.

VOL. 1 -AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 906 VOL. 1- REPLICA 504 12 -in. $5.95 10 -in. $4.00 VOL. 2- REPLICA 510 12 -in. $5.95 VOL. 2 -AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 1806 12 -in. $5.95 Belt, Room Ballads by Pt'bTileAs11'Y xw O96,ïr ôrar i -- -

STRINGS OF PEARL MATINEE Pearl Chertok, harpist on the Arthur Godfrey Show plays a rare combination Arsene Siegel at the Great Oriental of the sophisticated and the primitive Theatre Organ. Depth of feeling and with the drum rhythms of Johnny limitless tonal resources. Rodriguez. An absolutely captivating REPLICA 513 12 -in. $5.95 recording. AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 1805 12 -in. $5.95

Glockenspiels Traps

GLOCKENSPIELS, TRAPS and THE TALBOT BROTHERS Pipes PLENTY OF PIPES of BERMUDA The greatest Hi -Fi demonstration rec- The greatest tourist attraction that ,rds ever made. "Sounds never before ever happened to any island, bar none. Rai ils Leon Berry mmitted to record" High Fidelity Calypso rhythms and pop favorites in I Magazine. - an idyllic tropical setting. VOL. 1- REPLICA 501 10 -in. $4.00 VOL. 2 -AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 903 VOL. 2- REPLICA 503 10 -in. $4.00 10 -in. $4.00 VOL. 3- REPLICA 505 10 -in. $4.00 VOL. 3 -AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 1807 VOL. 4- REPLICA 507 10-in. $4.00 12 -in. $5.95 ENJOY THESE REPLICA HIGH FIDELITY RECORDINGS studies in HIGH FIDELITY sound JOHNNY HAMLIN JAZZ QUINTET REPLICA 1000 10 -in, $4.00 MERENGUES AUDIO FIDELITY AFLP 905 10 -in. $4.00 10 -in. 4.00 MEMORIES OF OLD VIENNA (Zither) 200 10 -in. 4.00 DRUMS OF THE CARIBBEAN AFLP 902 AFLP 10 -in. 4.00 BILL KNAUS PLAYS "SWELL" to "GREAT" 508 10 -in. 4.00 CIRCUS CALLIOPE MUSIC 904 10 -in. 4.00 HELEN'S HOLIDAY (Pipe Organ) 512 10 -in. 4.00 MERRY GO ROUND MUSIC AFLP 901 1809 12 5.95 ORGAN ECHOES with KAY McABEE 506 10 -in. 4.00 TRINIDAD STEEL BAND AFLP -in. HAL PEARL, ARAGON PIPE ORGAN 502 10 -in. 4.00 LORD INVADER, CALYPSO AFLP 1808 12 -in. 5.95 1803 12 -in. 5.95 THE LATIN SET, (Pipe Organ Tropicale) 500 10 -in. 4.00 KATHERINE DUNHAM, DRUMS OF CUBA- HAITI -BRAZIL AFLP These records are available at your favorite Audio or Record Shop Nationally distributed by WRITE FOR 750 TENTH AVE. FREE CATALOGS DAUNTLESS INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK 19, N. Y.

MARCH I956 9

www.americanradiohistory.com ON

AK .. s:.. Ey.;s 2K?x:;:.í%??k: 10.4W"'< with his customary rolling, darting bril- material, the Festival Singers fail to gene- liance; and Stoller and Simmons provide rate much excitement. Engineering: ex- ; splendid support. Eldridge, however, shows cellent. only one facet of his work, - his tight, muted style - and this is a lesser side of AN EVENING OF FOLK SONGS this highly talented but erratic trumpet WITH THE TRAPP FAMILY SINGERS virtuoso. Despite this, however, these per- Dr. Franz Wasner, cond. formances have life and a captivating DECCA Dl. 9793. 12 -in. $4.98. swinging quality which is smack down the mainstream of jazz tradition. After 20 years of concertizing, the famed Trapp Family Singers have decided to call it an era; they are currently on their farewell tour and will disband at the end of the season. Never has their unique way with a FOLK MUSIC song been better demonstrated than in this well -engineered album. Their repertory, as RECORDED by Howard LaFay is the case in actual concert performance, ranges over an awesome spectrum of time ON and place - from the 17th to the loth centuries, from Sweden to Argentina. AFRICA For the Trapps' multitude of admirers, L'OISEAU -LYRE Music of the Princes of Dahomey Decca has contrived a superb memento. ESOTERIC ES -537. 12 -in. $4.98. Grand Prix du Disque. BAND CONCERT Purcell: COME YE SONS OF ART Like its predecessor, Music of the Malinké Salute to Allentown; National Spirit; Hand.r Alfred Deller with Soloists, Chorus and Across the Border; Hands Across the Sea; Orch. cond. by Anthony Lewis. and Baoulé Tribes (ES -529) - likewise a du winner this rec- Game Preserve; Hampden Firemen; Entry 10" DL 53004 -$2.98 Grand Prix Disque - of the Gladiators; Brooke's Chicago Handel: SOSARME ord is intended for the initiate in ethnic Marine Band March; Oneida; Alfred Deller with Soloists, Chorus and folk music. Finlandia; Cumana; Orch. cond. by Anthony Lewis. Under the sponsorship of l'Institut Fran- Perpetuum Mobile; The Irish Washer- (free libretto) 3 -12" OL 50091/3- $14.94 çais d'Afrique Noire and the Musée de woman; The Angelus. Handel: SEMELE l'Homme, in conjunction with UNESCO, The Allentown Band. Albertus L. Meyers, Jennifer Vyvyan with Soloists, Chorus Gilbert Rouget made this recording on cond. and Orch. cond. by Anthony Lewis. location in the ancient African kingdom of (free libretto) 3.12" OL 50098/100-$14.94 WFB WH 1203 L. 12 -in. $4.98. Alk Dahomey. His subject matter is the Fes- Mozart: LITANIAE LAURETANAE (K.195) tival of the Tohossou, a traditional poli- Under the sprightly baton of Albertus Jennifer Vyvyan with Soloists, Chorus tico- religious ceremony free of all white L. Meyers, America's oldest band (founded and Orch. cond. by Anthony Lewis. influence. With admirable skill, Rouget in 1828) , offers an entertaining, brassy romp 12" OL 50085-$4.98 has pieced together a neatly -synthesized through some old standbys. Also included is a less successful Mozart: LITANIAE DE VENERABILI sequence of the songs, dances, rhythms, - but not unqualifiedly so (K. 243) and rites that comprise the four day festival. - foray into the more complex Fin - Jennifer Vyvyan with Soloists, Chorus Handsome processing by the Esoteric landia. Although composed wholly of mu- and Orch. cond. by Anthony Lewis. engineers preserves a spacious sense of the sicians by avocation, the Allentowners 12" OL 50086 -$4.98 African outdoors with no loss of essential need defer to no competition in the mat- e Lully: MISERERE sonic detail. ter of musical effectiveness: witness the Alfred Deller with Soloists, Chorus and This record is recommended primarily skillful use of firebells and siren in Mr. Orch. cond. by Anthony Lewis. for those interested in native African music Meyers' delightful reading of The Hamp- 10" DL 53003 -$2.98 Kfa or religious customs. den Firemen. The Band's efforts are sup- C. Stamitz: CONCERTI IN D MAJOR AND ported by bright, full range reproduction. G MINOR FOR FLUTE AND ORCHESTRA. ALBUM TWO Kurt Redel, flute -Orch. cond. by Kurt Festival Singers BROWNIE Redel. The Irish McGHEE 12" OL 50035 -$4.98 Blues The Bold Fenian Men; The Battle Hymn, Rameau: HIPPOLYTE ET ARICIE She is Far From the Land; Lullaby; Sea Careless Love; Good Morning Blues; Sport- Solists, Chorus and Orch. cond. by Roger Wrack; The Wake Feast; Lane o'Thrushes; ing Life; Me and Sonny; Pawnshop Desormière. 12" 01 50034 -$4.98 Blues; Ireland; A Soft Day; O! Breathe Not His Move to Kansas City; Betty and Dupree. Arne: COMUS- Masque Name; Father O'Flynn; Lough Scheelin; Margaret Ritchie with Soloists, Chorus FOLKWAYS FP 30 -2. IO inch. $4.25. and Orch. cond. by Anthony Lewis. The Last Rose of Summer; The Meeting 2 -12" OL 50070/1 -$9.96 of the Waters; The Harp That Once Thrn' A brilliant run -down of traditional and ßiÿ? Tara's Halls. original blues by an eminent exponent of Blow: VENUS AND ADONIS the form. While Brownie McGhee vocalizes Margaret Ritchie with Soloists, Chorus Kitty O'Callaghan, Director and Accomp- and Orch. cond. by Anthony Lewis. anist. these songs in his usual inimitable fashion, 12" OL 50004 the record's -$4.98 ANGEL 65205. 12 -in. $3.98. most arresting feature is his miraculous guitarwork in the accompani- Leclair: EIGHT SONATAS FOR FLUTE AND Festival Sing- ments. CONTINUO. The best thing on the Irish Informative notes; top -notch repro- is Jean -Pierre Rampal, flute, Robert Veyron- ers' second Angel album Kitty O'Callag- duction. Lacroix, harpsichord. han's moving, dirge -like arrangement of 2 -12" OL 50050/1 -$9.96 The Bold Fenian Men, featuring some ECHOES OF BUDAPEST effective singing by Dermot Troy. The The Hungarian Gypsy Folk Orchestra of same soloist also gives a sensitive rendition Budapest under Sandor Lakatos Thomas Moore's The Meeting of the DON' :á of COLOSSEUM CRLP 201. 12 inch. $3.98. tO e>:;1 ,'.. Waters. For the rest, the group acquits itself Time was when Budapest - original home INTERNATIONAL INC satisfactorily in a repertory overweighted of the table -to -table Gypsy fiddler - was with the well -Anglicized songs of two recommended by travel agents as one of 539 WEST 25th STREET, well -Anglicized Irish composers, Sir Europe's "gayest" cities. Here, like an echo NEW YORK I, N. Y. Hamilton Harty and C. V. Stanford. Per- of yesterday, is a sampling of Budapest's <:;f::;;>,`::.?s>r:;s G by such by : . . fettered typical café music turns gay, lilt- : '.' %. Z : . . . sad : f : 5 :'; . . 'i G , ' : S because they are :f l: ïi f ï: i /.' : ï:': i; n . . . , , i 'i fi: ' ::i; i3 i ï F .M.. ''N'.) C r».f haps -

92 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com ing or wallowing delightfully in Danubian the record is free of pops, clicks, and other The songs of the Yemenite Jews betray a schmaltz - played in the best Gypsy tradi- assorted vinylite gremlins. Against this strong Arab influence, particularly manifest tion. velvety background, Emory Cook supplies in the drummed accompaniment. is the However, the sound is marred by a high suitably robust sound of exceptional clari- The most exciting of the rituals degree of distortion. Better listen before ty and delineation. If Brute Force Steel Tumba Francessa, Negro cult music out of buying. Band was down your musical alley, you'll Cuba by way of Africa and Haiti, with like its sequel even more. French overtones. Almost hypnotic in its SHIVAREE! unflagging, unchanging rhythmic back- THREE RITUALS drop, the Tumba is a hitherto little explored Cripple Creek; A Farmer's Wife; The Good tributary of Caribbean music. Peanuts; Bile Them Cabbage Down; Joe Shango, the voodoo of Trinidad; Tumba Sad to say, the album notes are inade- Clarke; Pretty Little Willow; Bury the Francessa from Cuba; Night Hymns of the quate. In each of the rituals, the subject Beneath the Willow; Down the Old Plank Yemenites from Israel. matter of the songs remains a closed book. Road; The Devil's Nine Questions; Short - Although recorded in the field, the sound COOK SOUNDS OF OUR TIMES to43. 12 -in. nin' Bread; I Wish I Was Single Again: is realistic. In the Tumba Francessa, however, $3.98. Roll on the Ground; The Blackest Crow: the chanters are somewhat distant relative Devilish Mary; Ain't Gonna Work To- Of this tenuously related material, the voo- to the drums. Made by the new micro - morrow; Railroad Bill; My Boy Billy; The doo Shango from Trinidad is the most fusion process, the record possesses abso- Arkansaw Traveller; Raise a Ruckus To- melodic and, musically, the most enjoyable. lutely noise -free surfaces. night. Jean Ritchie, The Bride; Oscar Brand, The Groom; Tom Paley, The Best Man; Harry and Jeanie West, The Married Couple. ESOTERIC ES -538. t2 -in. $4.98. The Shivaree (derived from the French chari -vari) came to rural America by way t of Louisiana. It is a kind of wedding / night pandemonium, perpetrated by / and groom, and / "friends" of the bride / dedicated to unmitigated and very earthly / hell- raising at the newly -weds' expense. The Shivaree still exists, but its original / vicious and somewhat lewd character has given way to singing, dancing, and harm- what is less practical jokes. Using this sadistic custom as a framework, Esoteric has festooned it with a well - LARGE chosen garland of American folksongs. Be- tween selections, acted -out transitions are intended to foster the illusion of an actual sound? Shivaree. Like most such artificialities, this one doesn't quite come off; but mer- It is found in musical works like these - majestic, sweeping, that dis- cifully the acted interludes are brief. moving. And in the incredible vastness of scope by Jonel Perlea. And in Vox' brilliant, The singing is of a high order and the tinguishes performances reproduction techniques, combining close -up realism with quality of the reproduced sound is superb. new over -all liveness. And in your hi -fi set ... with your hi -fi ears! Although occasionally a trifle shaky, Jean Ritchie's voice still possesses a full meas- Jonel Perlea conducts ... ure of Kentucky charm; Oscar Brand lends noble support, particularly in a fine duet of The Devil's Nine Questions. Tom Paley WEBER: OVERTURES: DER FREISCHUETZ and Harry and Jeanie West round out a EURYANTHE quintet of the most talented folk singers ever to grace a single disk. OBERON Well worth an audition - if you can MENDELSSOHN: OVERTURES: RUY BLAS develop an immunity to the contrived con- THE HEBRIDES (FINGAL'S CAVE/ tinuity. OVERTURE: ROSAMUNDE PL 9590 STEEL BAND CLASH Brute Force Road March: Miss Jacob; Anna; In the Mood; Loretta; Boncilla: TCHAIKOVSKY: ROMEO AND JULIET OVERTURE FANTASY Steel Band Clash; Over the Waves; Bila 1812 OVERTURE, OPUS 49 No. g; Anna; Kama - El Mambo; Mambo CAPRICCIO ITALIEN, OPUS 45 quit; Sunny Side of the Street; Quancito MARCHE SLAVE, OPUS 31 PL 8700 Meringue; La Veda ni Meringue. Big Shell Steel Band, Brute Force Steel Band, Hell's Gate Band. SMETANA: DIE MOLDAU COOK 1040. 12-in. $3.49. KODALY: DANCES OF GALANTA In every way a worthy successor to the ENESCO: ROUMANIAN RHAPSODY .71, OPUS 11 popular Brute Force Steel Band (COOK DVORAK: SCHERZO CAPRICCIOSO, OPUS 66 PL 9500 to42) . For a real "new sound" try In the Mood hammered out on the 55 gallon oil BEETHOVEN: of the Brute Force Band, or perhaps drums NO. 7 IN A MAJOR, OPUS 92 under SYMPHONY the Big Shell Steel Band's (playing Pl. 9120 NO. 1 IN C MAJOR, OPUS 21 the corrugated tin roof of Antigua's SYMPHONY Bucket of Blood) cool West Indian version of Sunny Side of the Street. "'Ultra High Fidelity 236 West 55th Street, New York 19, N. Y. Made by the new microfusion process,

MARCH 1956 93

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OPERATIC AND VOCAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NEW LONDON ffi-i- RELEASE

Now available .. . FERNANDO Verdi: LA FORZA DEL DESTINO -Complete CORENA OPERATIC DEL MONACO, TEBALDI, RECITAL Bastianini, Siepi, Corena, OF "BUFFO" GEMS Simionato, with Chorus and Il Maestro di Capella - Orchestra of l'Accademia de Santa Cecilia, Rome, Complete (Cimarosa). cond.: FRANCESCO MOLINARI -PRADELLI. Arias from : Don Pasquale 4 12 inch records with libretto XLLA. 37 $19.92 (Donizetti), L'Elisir d'Amore (Donizetti), La Gazza Ladra (Rossini), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini), Cosi fan Tutte (Mozart) , Don Giovanni (Mozart) , with Orchestra. LL. 1334 $3.98

PARIS OPERA-COMIQUE CARMEN -Highlights (Bizet) MARIO DEL MONACO Suzanne Juyol, Libero de Luca, Janine Micheau, OPERATIC RECITAL No. 2 Chorus & Orchestra of l'Opera Comique, Paris, cond.: ALBERT WOLFF. LL. 1115 $3.98 Arias from: Luisa Miller (Verdi), Fanciulla del West (Puccini), Manon Lescaut (Puccini), Tur- andot (Puccini), Aida (Verdi), Tosca (Puccini), for the Opera -Lover on a budget . . . Macbeth (Verdi), La Traviata (Verdi), Pagliacci OTELLO: Tenor arias (Leoncavallo), Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni), (Verdi). MARIO DEL MONACO, with Orchestra & Chorus. LD. 9194 $2.98 with Orchestra and Chorus. LL. 1244 $3.98 OTELLO: Salce, Salce and Ave Maria (Verdi). RENATA TEBALDI and MANON LESCAUT: Love Duet -Act II (Puccini ). RENATA TEBALDI and MARIO DEL MONACO. LD.9195 $2.98

MARIO DEL MONACO OTELLO: Duets -Act I, Act III (Verdi). FAMOUS OPERA DUETS MARIO DEL MONACO and RENATA TEBALDI. LD. 9196 $2.98

Duets from: Aida (Verdi) , Manon Lescaut RIGOLETTO: Ella mi fu rapita Cabaletta and La Donna e (Puccini) , Otello (Verdi) , with Orchestra. Mobile through the Quartet (Verdi). LL. 1256 $3.98 MARIO DEL MONACO, HILDE GUEDEN, ALDO PROTTI, CESARE SIEPI, GIULIETTA SIMIONATO with Orchestra & Chorus. LD. 9197 $2.98

GIANNI LA TRAVIATA: Opening Chorus and Brindisi, Un di Felice, Parigi o Cara! (Verdi).

POGGI RENATA TEBALDI and GIANNI POGGI with Orchestra & Chorus. ITALIAN SONGS LD. 9198 $2.98 Dicitencello Vuje, Non ti scordar di me, Torna a Sorriento, Mare - chiare, O sole Mio!, Maria, Mari!, and 8 other favorites, with Or- chestra, cond. Ernesto Nicelli. LL. 942 $3.98

94 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com HIGH FIDELITY DISCOGRAPHY No. 23

Prokofiev on Microgroove

by ALFRED FRANKENSTEIN

the year SERGE PROKOFIEV is a popular composer by virtue of first string quartet. He adopted it for good in 1934, The three works -the Classical Symphony, the Third Piano Con- in which he returned to Russia as a permanent resident. repeated visits certo, and Peter and the Wolf and is a widely accepted return to Russia, to which he had been making - new harmonic composer by virtue of perhaps half a dozen others. The great since 1927, may have been dictated by the he re- bulk of his output, however, is little known to the general palette rather than the other way 'round; at all events public or even to the musical profession, and the representa- mained a vital and original composer, and the developments tion of Prokofiev on records is correspondingly spotty. in his style manifested at this time were in keeping with a The short piano pieces and the operas are the most seriously world -wide movement. The contrast between Prokofiev's neglected, so far as records are concerned. Prokofiev composed "advanced" music of the Twenties as exemplified, say, in the well over a hundred short compositions for piano, but compara- Quintet, Opus 39, and his "conservative" music of the tively few of these are available on disks. None of his operas Thirties as displayed in a score like Romeo and Juliet, closely has been recorded complete; most of them, in fact, have parallels the contrast between early- and middle -period works not been touched upon in any form, and the record lists do of Aaron Copland ( the Short Symphony versus Appalachian not contain a single vocal excerpt from any of these works for Spring) . Copland, Hindemith, and others in the West argued the stage. Saddest of all the lacks in the current American for the new approach on the ground of the necessity for climb- discography of Prokofiev is the all but total absence of the ing down from the ivory tower and establishing a healthy, composer himself as executant. In 1935 he recorded a group functional relationship between the contemporary composer and has of his piano works which have recently been reissued on a his audience. Prokofiev obviously agreed - and the West years quite as readily French LP disk ( La Voix de son Maitre FJLP 5.048 ) , but so far accepted the works of his early Soviet as the American lists are concerned, he is currently repre- as did the Soviet Union. in the sented as a performer only as the conductor of the accompani- Trouble was brewing nevertheless, and it boiled over ment and accompaniment it unfortunately is - to his famous Soviet musical purge of 1948. This was the time - Prokofiev and Shos- Violin Concerto No. 1 (on Colosseum). when, in response to official crackdowns, The piano is peculiarly central to Prokofiev's work, especial- takovich took to the platform with breast -beating mea culpas. ly in its earlier phases, as witness the nine sonatas and five con- In some of the statements of these men, however, one perceives certos for that instrument. Prokofiev's way of writing for less of repentance and more of a helpless bewilderment at the the piano arose from his own distinctive manner of playing it. fact that the official Soviet esthetic, so loudly and demandingly He created not only an important corpus of literature for the proclaimed, was almost totally undefined. One feels that the piano but also a new school of pianistic technique. No one composers might have been happy enough to toe the party line who had the privilege of hearing Prokofiev at the keyboard if they could only have found out what it was. will ever forget the colossal, shattering impact of his style. What is involved here is not a knuckling -under to bureau- Its clean -cut, steely perfection was equally distant from the cratic demands but something infinitely more stultifying - the coloristic niceties of the impressionists and the rhetorical composition of music under the eyes of a censorship without thunder -punching of the romantics. It was one major expres- tangible principles, a censorship whose praise or blame could sion of the overwhelming gusto, the spouting, infectious joy of not be related to any demonstrable facts of musical existence. life which speaks through almost every note Prokofiev set The result, in Prokofiev's case, was a decision to play extremely down during the first twenty years of his career and which safe in large -scale works for broad public consumption and to frequently erupts in his later compositions as well. create a more personal, private world in smaller works not In the 1920s, Leonid Sabanayev said that Prokofiev was not calculated for the general audience. It seems scarcely acci- his a fledgling who would grow up into an eagle but a stabilized dental that most of Prokofiev's chamber music dates from eaglet who would remain such. Sabanayev was wrong, of last years, that it is strikingly superior in general quality to the course. Prokofiev did mature, and that maturing is expressed cantatas, symphonies, and ballets of the same era and never in such serious -minded, monumental, and relatively "abstract" exhibits the trite, cheap streak which often appears in the big- works as the Fifth Piano Concerto, the Fourth Symphony, and ger scores. There are some exceptions to this generalization The Prodigal Son. These compositions may not be as violently - the Fifth Symphony is a fine work and the Cello Sonata is way for iconoclastic as the contemporary efforts of Prokofiev's fellow - a poor one - but it is offered here in a speculative Russian Stravinsky, but they nevertheless display a pronounced what it may be worth. reaching out toward new structures and a new tonal fabric. The problems raised by Prokofiev's career await a full -length During the last twenty years of Prokofiev's life, however, critical biography for their analysis if not for their solution. So the evolution of his creative style went into reverse. far there has been only one book on this composer, at least in Prokofiev began to experiment with a more conservative English - the study by Israel Nestyev, published by Knopf in harmonic idiom at least as early as 1930, when he wrote his 1946 and now out of print. Excerpts from Prokofiev's

MARCH 1956 95

www.americanradiohistory.com autobiography were published in the Musical Quarterly for The present discography deals with all the works of Pro - October 1944, and in the Atlantic Monthly for November kofiev in current catalogues of American long -playing records; 1946 and July 1947. The best short article on Prokofiev is records no longer being pressed are ignored. The date given the one by Nicolas Slonimsky in the appendix to the Interna- after each opus number is that of its completion; suites from tional Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians (first published in operas and ballets (which always have opus numbers of their the fourth edition, 1946), and the best critical evaluation own) were, of course, completed later than the works from the one by Nicolas Nabokov in his book Old Friends and New which they were extracted, and in some cases much later. Music. The special Prokofiev number of the British magazine When there is more than one recorded edition of a given Tempo contains some good things. The extensive documenta- work, these editions are listed in order of preference. An tion of Soviet musical life given by Slonimsky in his Music entry in brackets signifies that the recording in question was Since 1900 (third edition, 1949) is invaluable. not submitted for study.

PIANO SONATAS seems to belong with the other two move- Di Bonaventura are extremely able and sen- ments. Graf's performance is more energetic sitive musicians. Di Bonaventura uses more No. 2, IN D MINOR, OPUS 14 (1912) and exciting than Cornman's, but his re- rubato and more striking contrasts of tempo (3 Editions) cording is distressingly tinny. and nuance; Cornman's performance, by The prevailing mood of this four -movement -Robert Cornman. LONDON LL 553. 12 -in. the same token, has a firmer line and a sonata is lyrical and quiet, despite the $3.98 (with Sonata No. 2). bigger structure. Cornman's recording is diablerie of its short scherzo and the bril- -Hans Graf. PERIOD SPL 599. 12 -in. $4.98 somewhat better in quality and has the ad- liance its finale. of The three different re- (with Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 5). vantage of being coupled with the Third corded editions involve only two different and Fourth sonatas; Di Bonaventura uses interpretations, since the by one Gilds No. 6, IN A, OPUS 82 (194o) (2 Editions) both sides. appears under two labels. Both interpreta- Seventeen years elapsed between the Fifth -Robert Cornman. LONDON LL 748. 12 -in. tions are quite good, though Gilels is a and Sixth Sonatas. Prokofiev called the $3.98 (with Sonatas Nos. 3 and 4) more incisive virtuoso than Cornman. The Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth his "war sona- -Anthony di Bonaventura. CLASSIC CE Concert Hall processing of Gilds is very tas," and war seems obviously to be re- 1032. r2 -in. $498. much better than the Colosseum, but neither flected in the grim, epical first movement of measures up to the sonic competition offered the Sixth. The sonata as a whole is much No. 9, IN C, OPUS 103 (1947) (1 Edition) by London. larger in scale than those that preceded it, This record bears the legend "The Complete Cornman. LONDON LL 12 -Robert 553. -in. although it does not sustain the mood of its Piano Sonatas of Sergei Prokofiev, Vol. IV," $3.98 (with Sonata No. 5). beginning; it goes on to a mordant march - and the notes contain the statement that it -Emil Gilels. CONCERT HALL CHS 1311. scherzo, a rather curiously involved slow is the last in the series, all of which have been 12 -in. $4.98 (with Glazunov: Piano Sonata waltz, and a racy, slam -bang toccata of the done by the same artist; the first three vol- No. 2; short pieces by Tchaikovsky). kind said to be typical of Prokofiev because umes, however, had not appeared at the -Emil Gilds. COLOSSEUM CRLP 186. 12 -in. it is typical of his most popular works. time of writing. The entire set should be $3.98 (with Piano Concerto No. 1: Kahalev- Cornman's performance is more mature and very good, for Pressler is an admirable sky: Piano 2). Concerto No. broadly scaled than Pennario's and has been pianist and he has been admirably recorded given a finer recording. on this disk. The Ninth Sonata exemplifies No. 3, IN A MINOR, OPUS 28 (1917) (2 -Robert Cornman. LONDON LL 902. 12 -in. that marked return to a conservative har- Editions) $3.98 (with Sonata No. 7). monic style which is so characteristic of Pro - The headlong, hell -bent Prokofiev here -Leonard Pennario. CAPITOL P 8113. 12 -in. kofiev's last years, but in this instance har- makes his debut, so far as the sonatas are $3.98 (with Visions fugitives). monic conservatism does not imply a concerned, in a splashy, exhilarating piece weakening of creative power or a cheapen- in one extended movement. Both recordings ing of idiom. The sonata is No. 7, IN B -PLAT, OPUS 83 (1941) (1 Edition) quite large in are excellent but the Weissenberg is the feeling, more This is the sonata with the devastatingly capricious and whimsical in crisper, more powerful performance. percussive first movement and finale and its forms than many of those that preceded Weissenberg. COLUMBIA ML it, -Sigi 2069. the grandly sonorous, almost Lisztian, slow and typical of the eternal Prokofievian 10 -in. $2.98 (with Suggestion diabolique. verities in its movement which has long been a specialty rhythmic vivacity, its tuneful- piano pieces by Scriabin). ness, and its of the house of Horowitz. It is odd that bright palette of pianistic tone -Robert Cornman. LONDON LL 748. r 2 -in. Horowitz's colossal recording of it has color. $3.98 (with Sonatas Nos. 4 and 8). been withdrawn, though the finale alone -Menahem Pressler. M -G -M E 3192. 12 -in. may be found in that artist's 25th Anniversary $3.98 (with Ten Piano Pieces from Cinderella). No. 4, IN C MINOR, OPUS 29 (1917) (1 Album (RCA VICTOR LM 6014), an item that Edition) seems scarcely to call for listing as an edition SHORT PIANO PIECES Composed immediately after the scintillating of the sonata in a Prokofiev discography. SUGGESTION DIABOLIQUE, OPUS 4, No. 4 Third Sonata, the mood of the Fourth is Cornman does the whole thing magnificent- (1912) (1 Edition) prevailingly lyrical and introspective. It is ly, however, even if he is no Horowitz. The fabulous success of this mordant, especially noteworthy for a gorgeous an- tune- -Robert Cornman. LONDON LL 902. 12 -in. ful piece proves what a clever dante (second of the three movements) like title can do. $3.98 (with Sonata No. 6). Who has ever heard of the first three num- a Chopin nocturne complete with nightin- bers of Opus 4 Réminiscences, Elan, and gale trills. This is not the Prokofiev of the - No. 8, IN B -PLAT, OPUS 84 (2 Désespoir who could fail to popular legend, but it nonetheless reveals (1944) -but sit up Editions) and take notice of a Suggestion diabolique? an important aspect of his creative per- The Eighth does not sound like a "war Weissenberg is a masterly devil's advocate. sonality. Cornman is especially sympa- sonata" at all. Its rondolike first movement -Sigi Weissenberg. COLUMBIA ML thetic to the romantic aspects of Prokofiev 2099. is beholden to Schumann in its lyrical epi- 10 -in. $2.98 (with Sonata No. and plays the sonata superbly. 3: piano sodes and to Liszt in at least one of its pieces by Scriabin). -Robert Cornman. LONDON LL 748. 12 -in. flamboyant interludes. Its slow movement $3.98 (with Sonatas Nos. 3 and 8). is surely a Mendelssohn Song Without Words TOCCATA IN D MINOR, OPUS II (1912) edited by Prokofiev with just the right (I Edition) No. 5, IN C, OPUS 38 (1923) (2 Editions) number of wrong notes. Its finale is a A hurtling, rocketing bombshell of a piece The first two movements are crisp, sharp - toccata of exceptional length and com- with which the composer liked to clear the edged, and whimsical, recalling the Classical plexity; it is airy, vivacious, and brilliant, hall by way of final encore. Excellent per- Symphony, though there is little obvious and quite devoid of the irony one expects of formance and recording. neo-classicism after the Mozartean C major Prokofiev in a movement of this kind. -Samson Francois. ANGEL 35045. 12 -in. of the first few bars. The finale is a vehement, Making a clear -cut choice between the two $498 (with Piano Concerto No. 3: Virions rather enigmatic improvisation that scarcely records is difficult. Both Cornman and fugitives).

96 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com NOVAES ON TAPE VISIONS FUGITIVES, OPUS 22 (1917) (2 harmonic Orchestra, Kiril Kondrashin, cond. Editions, 1 complete, 1 partial) COLOSSEUM CRLP 186. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Prokofiev is scarcely an impressionistic corn - Sonata No. 2; Kabalevsky: Piano Concerto poser, but he approaches the impressionistic No. 2). in the general idea behind these twenty delightful miniatures, and he employs im- No. 2, IN G MINOR, OPUS 16 (1923) (1 pressionistic methods in a few of them. They Edition) are sketches, aphorisms, and notebook Originally composed in 1913, this work jottings, relieved of the necessity of de- was completely rewritten ten years later; velopment or formal pretense, and they hence the curious fact that Prokofiev's exemplify many different aspects of Proko- Second Piano Concerto is a more mature fiev's personality - the whimsical, the sati- and in some ways a more important com- ric, the effervescent, the naïvely lyrical, and position than his Third. It is less frequently so on. Francois has the better recording but performed, perhaps because it is more exact- provides only six of the twenty pieces, ing in the matter of ensemble between soloist scarcely more than a "vision fugitive" of and orchestra. The piano part is brilliant what the suite contains. Pennario's perform- enough, but the whole conception ap- ance is excellent and complete. proaches the sinfonia concertante, it is actually -Leonard Pennario. CAPITOL P 81:3. 12 -in. a symphony of great breadth, power, and $3.98 (with Sonata No. 6). epic scope, and one that should be much -Samson Francois. ANGEL 35045. r2 -in. better known than it is. Fortunately the One of the greatest $4.98 (with Piano Concerto No. 3; Toccata). performance and recording are ideally calculated to bring this neglected masterpiece pianists of our time: , its MUSIC FOR CHILDREN (SUMMER DAY SUITE), into own. -Jorge Bolet, piano; Cincinnati Symphony OPUS 65 (1935) (2 Editions) PHONOTAPES- SONORE has acquired Orchestra, Thor Johnson, cond. REMING- One and the same composition, but the two to the VOX catalogue TON R-199 -182. 12 -in. $1.95. the tape rights recordings bear different titles; and it is and proudly presents the sensitive just as well that they do, since the interpre- No. IN C, OPUS 26 (1921) (6 Editions) playing of Guiomar Novaes in a per- tations make them sound like two different 3, "How happy I could be with either were distortion -free setting. Novaes works. As played by Pressler (Music for fect, t'other dear charmer away!" Francois has Children) these twelve little pieces consti- tapes now available: the best of the six recordings of this famous tute a masterpiece of subtlety and tuneful- piece, but his tempos are the slowest and SCHUMANN: ness, equal in stature to the children's his whole performance lacks sparkle by Piano Concerto & Scenes From Childhood piano music of Schumann and Bartok, comparison with the others. Kapell lies PM 110 71/2 dual -$8.95; 33/4 dual -$6.95 though totally different in idiom from either. at the opposite extreme; his breakneck As played by Lev (Summer Day Suite) they CHOPIN: tempos are astonishing, but often one sus- conjure up a picture of little Serge Sergeye- Etudes, Op. 10 & Op. 25 (complete) pects he was thinking of little but speed, vitch, in a Buster Brown collar, earnestly PM 119 71/2 dual -$8.95; 33/4 dual -$6.95 and his recording shows its age. Mitropou- being a boy genius. los lacks pianistic finesse, especially when BEETHOVEN: -Menahem Pressler. M -G -M E 3010. 12 -in. compared to the five full -time men of the Piano Concerto #4 & Moonlight Sonata $3.98 (with children's piano pieces by Shos- keyboard with whom he is competing here. PM 121 71/2 dual -$8.95; 33/4 dual -$6.95 takovich, Bloch, Milhaud, and Starer). Katchen is an admirable pianist, an excellent -Ray Lev. CONCERT HALL CHC 26. 12 -in. 15" speed and single -track prices on request. interpreter, has a great conductor behind $4.98 (with piano pieces by Tchaikovsky). him, and has been given an extremely good 0+Ora, recording. Uninsky's interpretation is the TEN PIANO PIECES FROM THE BALLET CIN- wittiest and most varied of the six, and the The finest artists are on DERELLA, OPUS 97 (1943) (1 Edition) recording has a chamberlike crispness and _or Cinderella is a lush, imperial -style ballet PHONOTAPES- SONORE precision but is rather wiry in sound. Pen - fully adorned with the divertissements, set nario's interpretation is also very lively, and pieces, and side issues with which Russian Recorded tapes at their best! his recording is good. The upshot is a close choreographers commonly overload such tie between Katchen and Uninsky, with Extended signal to noise ratio productions. Prokofiev draws most of his Pennario a fair second and the others de- flat frequency response ten piano pieces from these picturesque in- Extended cently behind. 1 color tape cidentals; and since he was a past master of Durable, Grade Katchen, piano; Orchestre de la transcription, the suite sparkles most delec- -Julius Guarantee against accidental erasure! Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet, cond. tably until its final movement. At the end LONDON LL 12-in. $3.98 (with Bartok: DEMONSTRATOR Prokofiev made the mistake of arranging a 945. MUSIC Piano Concerto No. 3). grand balletic adagio; this sounds exactly -Alexander Uninsky, piano; Hague Phil- Your introduction to PHONOTAPES- SONORE like what it is and lets the whole thing down. harmonic Orchestra, Willem van Otterloo, Wonderfully realistic recording. excerpts from cond. EPIC LC 3042. r2 -in. $3.98 (with -Menahem Pressler. M -G -M E 3192. 12 -in. Gershwin: Porgy Bess Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto Classical Symphony; Suite from The Love for & $3.98 (with Sonata No. 9). Holiday in Naples shostakevIch: Symphony #5 Three Oranges). Grieg: Plano Concerto Schubert: Trout Quintet -Leonard Pennario, piano; 'St. Louis Sym- Ravel: String Quartet Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien PIANO CONCERTOS phony Orchestra, Vladimir Golschmann, Spotlight on Percussion P 12 cond. CAPITOL 8253. -in. $3.98 (with 71/2 speed Dual Track S" reel No. I, IN D -FLAT, OPUS r0 (1911) (2 Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 3). Editions) -William Kapell, piano; Dallas Symphony ONLY $1.98 The steely, kinetic, ceaselessly athletic Orchestra, Antal Dorati, cond. RCA VICTOR Prokofiev in one of his most exhilarating LM 1058. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Liszt: Mephisto and dramatic expressions. The concerto is IValtz). PHONOTAPES- SONORE has acquired the de la one devastating movement. Richter's in- -Samson Francois, piano; Orchestre exclusive tape rights to the VOX, FOLK- terpretation is identical in both recorded Société des Concerts du Conservatoire WAYS and PHILHARMONIA catalogues. versions, but the one under the Period label (Paris), André Cluytens, cond. ANGEL Write for the latest FREE listing of tapes. has much the finer sound. 35045. I2 -in. $4.98 (with Toccata; Visions -Sviatoslav Richter, piano; Moscow Sym- fugitives). phony Orchestra, Kiril Kondrashin, cond. -Dimitri Mitropoulos, pianist and conduc- PHONOTAPES -SONORE is another PERIOD SPL 559. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Piano tor; Robin Hood Dell Orchestra of Phila- fine product of PHONOTAPES INC. Concerto No. 5; Sonata No. 5). delphia. COLUMBIA ML 4389. 12 -in. $3.98 248 West 49th St., N. Y. 19, N. Y. -Sviatoslav Richter, piano: National Phil- (with Shostakovich: Piano Concerto).

MARCH I956 97

www.americanradiohistory.com No. 5, IN G, OPUS 55 (1932) (r Edition) the more popular work. Of the two re- silver filigree he wants, Prokofiev writes The most profound of Prokofiev's concertos corded performances of the Second Concerto high for the violins, with the result that and a far cry from that debonair show piece, that were available for comparison, the they usually play out of tune; the final the Third. (The Fourth is for left hand Heifetz is a bit finer in texture, but the chord of the symphony is, in many cases, a alone, is seldom played, and has not been Francescatti is newer and technically su- most unclassical blurred shriek. recorded.) The Fifth Concerto is strongly perior. On the basis of all these factors, the "abstract" in feeling, is quite experimental -Jascha Heifetz, violin; Boston Symphony Ansermet version comes out the best, fol- in structure (five movements, none in sonata Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky, cond. RCA lowed very closely by those of Markevitch form) and lays heavy emphasis on complex VICTOR LCT 6. 10 -in. $2.98. and Fricsay. Next is a group of excellent, problems of rhythmic and harmonic tissue. fairly recent recordings (Horenstein, Celi- The result is a certain reserve and austerity bidache, Steinberg, Martinon) which, largely of character that stands about equally distant because of the first- violin problem, are less from the tuneful, racy style of the earlier desirable. Third is a group of perform- works and the relatively traditional style ances by celebrated conductors (Kousse- Prokofiev was to develop during his last vitzky, Toscanini, Ormandy, Munch, Mi- years. Splendid performance and recording. tropoulos) made early in the history of LP, -Alfred Brende!, piano; Vienna State Opera or before, and now somewhat outmoded Orchestra, Jonathan Sternberg, cond. PERI- from the point of view of recording. OD SPL 599. I2 -in. $4.98 (with Piano Con- -Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du certo No. I; Sonata No. 5). Conservatoire (Paris), Ernest Ansermet, cond. LONDON LL 864. 12 -in. $3.98 (with short VIOLIN CONCERTOS works of Glinka, Borodin, and Mussorgsky). Same without couplings. LONDON LD 9114. No. I, IN D, OPUS 19 (1913) (7 Editions) Io -in. $2.98. Making a clear -cut choice here is almost im- -Philharmonia Orchestra, Igor Markevitch, difficult. All the solo in- possibly players cond. ANGEL 35008. 12 -in. $4.98 (with volved are superlative violinists and most of short works of Dukas, Falla, and Ravel). the recordings are superlative too. Even -RIAS Symphony Orchestra (Berlin), the Russian disks are better than Rus- the Ferenc Fricsay, cond. DECCA DL 9737. 12 -in. sian average, and the Colosseum has the $3.98 (with Tchaikovsky: Serenade for added interest of being the only recording Strings). now available in this country in which Pro- -Concerts Colonne Orchestra (Paris), Jas - kofiev himself participates. But when all is cha Horenstein, cond. Vox PL 9170. 12 -in. was Jascha Heifetz said and done, Szigeti, who the first to $4.98 (with Symphony No. 5). fight for this concerto and introduced it all -Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sergiu over the world, seems to have the clearest -Zino Francescatti, violin; New York Phil- Celibidache, cond. 12 -in. RCA VICTOR LBC its its harmonic- Symphony Orchestra, Dimitri Mi- understanding of lyricism, piquancy, 1009. $2.98 (with Ravel: Mother Goose). tropoulos, cond. COLUMBIA ML 4648. I2 -in. and its essentially classical line. -Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William Szigeti, violin; London Philhar- $3.98 (with Bach: Violin Concerto No. 2). -Joseph Steinberg, cond. CAPITOL P [- Drescher, violin; Berlin Symphony Or- 8290. 12 -in. monic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, $3.98 (with Tchaikovsky: Serenade chestra, Schreiber, cond. ROYALE 1483. for cond. COLUMBIA ML 4533. 12 -in. $3.98 Strings). 52-in. $1.89 (with Violin Concerto No. r.)] (with Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4). -Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux (Paris), violin; London Sym- -David Oistrakh, Jean Martinon, cond. EPIC LC 3042. 12 -in. phony Orchestra, Lovro von Matacic, cond. SYMPHONIES $3.98 (with Piano Concerto No. 3; Suite ANGEL 35243. 12-in. $4.98 (with Bruch: from The Love for Three Oranges). Violin Concerto No. 1). No. I, IN D ( "CLASSICAL "), OPUS 25 (1917) -Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, Dimi- Oistrakh, violin; National Phil- (15 Editions) -David tri Mitropoulos, cond. COLUMBIA RL 3021. harmonic Orchestra, Serge Prokofiev, cond. "I do not predict a return to Mozart," 52-in. $1.98 (with short works of Dukas, COLOSSEUM CRLP 123. 12 -in. $3.98 (with wrote Carl Van Vechten in his still stimulat- Rimsky-Korsakov, and Glière). Kabalevsky: Violin Concerto). ing essay Music After the Great liar, pub- -Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du -David Oistrakh, violin; Symphony Or- lished in 1915. The phrase was written in a Conservatoire (Paris), Charles Munch, cond. chestra, Alexander Gauk, cond. PERIOD tone of extreme irony; for an era be- that LONDON LL 169. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Tchai- SPLP 539. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Miaskovsky: lieved in straight -line evolution and had kovsky: Francesca da Rimini). Violin Concerto). just begun to absorb The Rite of Spring, a -Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, violin; Radio to was -Ricardo Odnoposoff, Zurich return Mozart indeed the farthest cond. COLUMBIA ML 2035 Io -in. $2.98 Hollreiser, all Orchestra, Heinrich cond. CON- north of unthinkables. Alas for critical (with Rimsky -Korsakov: Russian Easter Over- CERT HALL CHS I160. I2 -in. $4.98 (with prophecy! The Great War was not over ture). Stravinsky: Piano Concerto). before Prokofiev hoisted the banner "Back -NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Tos- violin; St. Louis Sym- in this -Nathan Milstein, to Mozart!" symphony. Before long canini, cond. RCA VICTOR LM 9020. 12 -in. phony Orchestra, Vladimir Golschmann, other banners were flying: "Back to Bach!" $3.98 (with Gershwin: An American in cond. CAPITOL P 83o3. 52-in. $3.98 (with "Back to Gounod!" back to this and that. Paris). Lalo: Symphonie espagnole). To mix metaphors slightly, the composer -Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Kous- The Rite of Spring [- Drescher, violin; Berlin Symphony Or- of then jumped aboard the sevitzky, cond. RCA VICTOR LM 1215. chestra, Schreiber, cond. ROYALE 1483. bandwagon and ousted Prokofiev from the 12 -in. $3.98 (with Rachmaninoff: Isle of $1.89 (with Violin Concerto No. 2).] driver's seat, and it has been rolling along the Dead). ever since without his aid. -"Schuyler Symphony Orchestra" (St. No. 2, IN G MINOR, OPUS 63 (1935) (3 It is impossible to give a bad performance Louis Symphony, Vladimir Golschmann, Editions) of the Classical Symphony; at least it would cond.). CAMDEN CAL 215. I2 -in. $1.98 Prokofiev especially liked the singing quality be more difficult than to give a good one, (with short works of Khachaturian, Rimsky- of the violin, and all his works for that in- and the experiment would not be worth the Korsakov, Franck, Chabrier, and Delius). strument are full of broad, long -spun, lyri- trouble. Of the thirteen recorded interpreta- [- Berlin Symphony Orchestra. ROYALE cal melodies. Since it is the nature of the tions of the work submitted for this study, 5420. 12 -in. $1.89 (with Suite from The solo instrument that dictates the style, both some are more fluent and flexible than Love for Three Oranges).] his violin concertos are very similar in man- others, and these are to be preferred, but [- Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Stase- ner, though they were written a quarter of a all are at least passable. Three other criteria vich, cond. KINGSWAY 251. $2.98 (with century apart. In the First Concerto, how- are important: the general quality of the Symphony No. 7).] ever, Prokofiev contrasts the prevailing recording, the manner in which the record- lyricism with a sensationally grotesque and ing brings out specific details of the or- difficult- sounding scherzo, and it is for this chestration, and the way in which the first No. 4, IN C, OPUS 47 (1930) (1 Edition) rather superficial reason that the First is violins behave. In order to obtain the rococo Composed on a commission from Kousse-

98 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com II NIM 11E11 1111 1111

vitzky as part of the Boston Symphony Or- Kingsway will have to be amazingly good . .' chestra's fiftieth anniversary observance, this to beat Columbia's superb offering. CoIou is a big, abstract, serious symphony, with -Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, LONG PLAYING RICOeO5,DBC .,.,.a..,, something of the same grandeur and reserve cond. COLUMBIA ML 4683. 12 -in. $3.98 hear these exciting, that characterize the Fifth Piano Concerto, (with Suite from Lieutenant Kije). complete Czech operas in authentic completed two years later. I confess, how- [- Symphony Orchestra, Samuel Samosud, PRAGUE NATIONAL THEATRE PRODUCTIONS ever, to finding the symphony more re- cond. KINGSWAY 251. 12 -in. $2.98 (with spectable than interesting, especially in its Classical Symphony).] last two movements. Perhaps another conductor might pull it together with greater MISCELLANEOUS ORCHESTRAL tension toward the end, but Sebastian makes WORKS a convincing case for the opening allegro and the andante, and so one suspects the SCYTHIAN SUITE, OPUS 20 (1914) (4 Editions) fault really lies with Prokofiev. Good but The Scythian Suite is Prokofiev's reply to not spectacular recording. Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Originally com- -Colonne Orchestra, George Sebastian, posed as a ballet for Diaghilev, rejected by SMETANA The Bartered Bride 2-12" CRLP 160/1 $8.96 cond. URANIA URLP 7139. 12 -in. $3.98 him, and so rewritten as a concert piece, it "superb performance" Burke, High Fidelity (with Suite from The Prodigal Son). SMETANA Dalibor with FIBICH The Bride from is music of the utmost barbarity of which Messina (highlights) 3-12" CRLP 181/2/3 812.91 Prokofiev was capable, and he was no mean "a pious service to the memory of Bedrich Smetana" Chicago No. 5, IN B -FLAT, OPUS 100 (1944) (3 hand at polytonal clashes, frenetic rhythms, Sun -Times SMETANA The Kiss (Hubicka) 212" CRLP 164/5 $8.96 Editions) and fantastic orchestral effects. Still and all, "delightful, non -tragic opera by the Bohem- The Fifth Symphony of Prokofiev is one of it is no match for Stravinsky's masterpiece. ian master" Billboard hear too Shostakovich's finest creations. It is a and one of the all -time conducting greats, Differences of interpretation are of no special VACLAV TALICH, with the Czech Philharmonic noble work, grand in scale and conception, importance in a work as unsubtle as this, Orchestra in DVORAK Stabat Mater (with soloists) and New better proportioned than the symphonies and it is difficult to tell the four recorded lt'orld Symphony 2-12" CRLP 162/3 $8.96 by Shostakovich himself, but suggesting interpretations apart; the Scherchen, how- DVORAK Slavonic Dances Op. 46 (complete) the influence of the younger man on the ever, is less satisfactory in sound than the CRLPX 007 $3.98 Slavonic Dances, Op. 72 (complete) CRLPX 008 $398 older in several ways, notably the strongly other three. (both containing shorter works also by less Slavic feeling of its opening andante and -Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Désiré well-known Czech composers) its adagio, the gaminlike antics of its scherzo, Defauw, cond. RCA VICTOR LBC 1057. and of course OISTRAKH recordings on and the enthusiastic, optimistic march of irs COLOSSEUM continue "best sellers" (Etude 12 -in. $2.98 (with Respighi: Pines of Rome). magazine) - for COLOSSEUM has the only finale. The Horenstein is the best of the -Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, complete recorded repertory of this great artist, three disks. It is the most dynamic and ex- over 25 Ip's. cond. COLUMBIA ML 4142. 12 -in. $3.98 AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! ANOTHER OISTRAKH citing of the three performances and the (with Respighi: Roman Festivals). FIRST ON COLOSSEUM! Oistrakh plays the Bruch best in the range of nuance and color and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos. Both on one -Symphony Orchestra of Radio Berlin, 12" 1p. CRLP 225 13.98 its afforded by recording. Tuxen's quieter Rolf Kleinert, cond. URANIA URLP 7138. Ask your favorite dealer or write for information and free approach is not without its virtues, however. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Kodily: Concerto for Or- catalog to Colosseum Records, Inc., Oakwood Road, R. R 3, Norwalk, Conn. The Koussevitzky is the work of a great chestra). master, but the registration is old. -Concerts Colonne Orchestra (Paris), Jascha Horenstein, cond. Vox PL 9170. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Classical Symphony). -Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra, Erik Tuxen, cond. LONDON LL 672. 12 -in. $3.98. -Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Kous- sevitzky, cond. RCA VICTOR LM 1045. 12 -in. $3.98.

No. 6, IN E -FLAT MINOR, OPUS III (1949) udiophile Records require little imagination and (2 Editions) are, therefore, not tiring to listen to. If your equipment A poor work, most of it in a lush, romantic - academic vein recalling Glière, Glazunov, is good, (by test - not by name) you will hear the and other dull Russian symphonists of 191o. program with reasonable clarity and good definition - The finale has some pleasant tunes, but is repetitive and structurally pointless. The neither your mind nor your ear will be burdened with Ormandy is decidedly the better of the two the task of separating the "crud "* from the program. recordings. -Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, The number of people who recognize the good from the cond. COLUMBIA ML 4328. 12 -in. $3.98. mediocre seems to be growing. Our interest lies in serv- -Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet, cond. LONDON LL 527. 12 -in. ing this segment of the audio world. $3.98. Audiophile Records are available, prepaid, from the No. 7, OPUS 13r (1952) (2 Editions) laboratory if your dealer does not have them. If in the Sixth Symphony Prokofiev returns to Glière and Glazunov, in the Seventh he A descriptive booklet will be mailed at your request. goes back still another generation to Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Brahms and Tchaikovsky, *Code for distortion - and all manner of things however, were much finer symphonists than that should not accompany the program material. their immediate successors, and by that same token Prokofiev's Seventh Symphony is a much finer work than his Sixth. It does not attain the stature and distinction of the Fifth, but it makes a very persuasive case AUDIO HILE RECORDS zric. for the conservatism of Prokofiev's later mr` v -7174:7-12- (': P,'ty --5Q-C-0-2C/L24.4 style. It was completed only a few months before the composer died and seems to be SAUKVILLE, WISCONSIN his last work. Only one of the two recordings was submitted for this study. The

MARCH 1956 99

www.americanradiohistory.com -Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Hermann this discography was to rediscover the fact Scherchen, cond. WESTMINSTER WL 5091. that Peter and the Wolf is really a delightful 12 -in. $2.99 (with Suite from Lieutenant piece of music, subtly and brilliantly made, Kije). and very well calculated to achieve its objective, which is to teach children something DIVERTIMENTO, OPUS 43 (1929) (I Edition) about the instruments of the orchestra. It The first and third of the four movements is said in some quarters that children don't were rescued from the score of an unsuccess- like it. Mine, however, were crazy about it ful ballet called Trapeze; they have a precise, ten years ago, and that is why I haven't sec, tick -rock quality not unlike that of listened to it since. Coming back to it after certain ballet episodes by Stravinsky. The a decade, one can easily see why it has out- other movements are broader, more sym- lived the swarm of imitations, bearing titles phonic in style, though the total effect is of like Tubby the Tuba and Vishinsky the Violin, a chamber -orchestra piece rather than a full - which were at one time so widely marketed. dress symphonic effort. Swoboda's fine Of the seven recorded versions submitted performance and perfect recording should for this study, the Guinness -Fiedler is by do much to bring this little -known work to far the best. Except for De Wilde, whose the broad audience it deserves. little -boy voice sounds horrible, Guinness -Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Henry is the only narrator of them all who does Swoboda, cond. WESTMINSTER WN 18081. not condescend to his child audience; and 12 -in. $4.98 (with Sinfonietta; Winter Holi- since he is the best actor of the seven, he BEST day). acts the least. Fiedler plays the music with great respect and finesse, and the re- SELLER SINFONIETTA, OPUS 5/48 (1929) (I Edition) cording is good. Rathbone's narration is Originally composed in 1909 and rewritten also good, but the recording is old. God- The one and only High Fidelity sound twenty years later; hence the curious double frey, Pickles, and Hale make far too much track from the loth Century -Fox opus number. The time -scale of the move- of a production out of the text, and there is ments is small, but there are five of them, nothing in the musical performances with motion picture of and so this sinfonietta actually adds up to a which they are associated to compensate RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S symphony of considerable size. It is also for their bad taste. The Camden version is CAROUSEL a most delectable symphony in its tuneful- a poor reissue of the original Koussevitzky- A dozen of the greatest show tunes ness, its rhythmic vitality, and the range of Hale, with a pronounced echo added. ideas it encloses; the is a ever written from the immortal Broad- slow movement -Alec Guinness, narrator; Boston Pops remarkable study in the sinister and macabre, way hit. Starring Gordon MacRae, Orchestra, Arthur Fiedler, cond. RCA the scherzo an outstanding example of VICTOR LM 1761. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Saint - Shirley Jones, Barbara Ruick. Prokofiev's unbuttoned humor, the first Saëns: Carnival of the Animals). movement a bit of neo- classicism to rival -Basil Rathbone, narrator; All- American the Classical Symphony itself. The per- ITS EXCLUSIVE ON Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski, cond. Co- formance is beautiful and the recording is LUMBIA ML 4038. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Rose: one of the most nearly perfect in the entire Treasure Island). Prokofiev discography. -Wilfred Pickles, narrator; Philharmonia -Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Henry Swo- Orchestra, Igor Markevitch, cond. RCA boda, cond. WESTMINSTER WN 18081. VICTOR LBC 1015. I2 -In. $2.98 (with Tchai- r2 -in. $4.98 (with Divertimento; Winter kovsky: Nutcracker Suite). Holiday). -Arthur Godfrey, narrator; Symphony Or- chestra, André Kostelanetz, cond. COL- FOUR PORTRAITS FROM THE GAMBLER, UMBIA ML 4907. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Saint - OPUS 49 (1931) (r Edition) Saëns: Carnival of the Animals). Same. The Gambler is an opera after Dostoevski COLUMBIA ML 4625. 12 -in. $3.98 (with that Prokofiev completed in 1927 and pub- Grofé: Mississippi Suite; Kern: Mark Twain). lished as Opus 24. Four years later he re- de Wilde, narrator; Pro Musica worked material selected from many parts -Brandon Symphony Orchestra, Hans Swarowsky, of the score into this series of Portraits. cond. Vox PL 9280. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Opus 49, in other words, is not simply a set Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra). of orchestral selections from an opera, and it must be considered here rather than under -Richard Hale, narrator; Boston Pops Or- the operatic heading. chestra, Arthur Fiedler, cond. RCA VICTOR The four characters limned in the music LM r8o3. 12 -in. $3.98 (with short works of are the youthful, indecisive hero, Alexis: Dukas, Saint -Saëns, and German). the stiff -necked, corrupt General; the -"Centennial Symphony Orchestra" (Rich- haughty, imperious Grandmother; and the ard Hale, narrator; Boston Symphony Or- slender, sly, catlike Pauline. There is also a chestra, Serge Koussevitzky, cond.). CAM- finale, called "Dénouement," in which themes DEN CAL Toi. 12 -in. $1.98 (with Strauss: from the preceding movements are re- Till Eulenspiegel). the finest in woven. Prokofiev seldom interested himself [ -Frank Philips, narrator; London Philhar- pre-recorded in psychological subjects like this, but he monic Orchestra, Nicolai Malko, cond. tapes. handles the theme with great penetration LONDON LS 151. 10 -in. $2.98.1 Write for and with marvelous touches of irony; the [- Walker, narrator; Symphony Orchestra, listing. result is a genuine translation of Dostoevski Leopold, cond. ROYALE 1246. 12 -in. $1.89 SONOTAPE into music. The recording is only fair, but (with Debussy: Children's Corner).) it is the only one ever made a unique. CORPORATION of impressive, and important work. WINTER HOLIDAY (1950) (1 Edition) 185 Madison Ave. -Philharmonia Orchestra, Wilhelm Schu- Another children's work, of undiscoverable New York 16, N. Y. i1 echter, cond. M -G -M E 3112. 12 -in. $3.98 opus number, the eight movements of which (with Kahalevsky: Suite from Colas Breug- describe the experiences of a group of boys non). on a winter -sports excursion into the country. This is no Peter and the Wolf; the obvi- PETER AND THE WOLF, OPUS 67 (1936) ousness and conventionality of the music (9 Editions) are incredible as coming from Prokofiev, One of the major surprises of compiling and the contrast between this and his best-

;OC HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com known children's piece serves only too suites from it, published as Opp. 64a, 64b. devastatingly to point up the failure of his and tot. The Federer recording contains creative powers toward the end of his life. all seven movements of the second suite, The little passage wherein a boy choir sings and the Mravinsky and Koussevitzky each %q a Russian version of Reuben, Reuben, I've contain four movements from it. The FitnNG Been Thinking is most delightful, however. Stasevitch provides the six movements of -State Radio Orchestra of the U.S.S.R., the third suite, while the Stokowski con- Samuel Samosud, cond. WESTMINSTER WN tains four movements drawn from all three 18o81. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Divertimento; suites. Sinfonietta). The music is extremely sumptuous and ?go'I'Ecl\ o N elegant, with much emphasis on the youth- BALLETS ful, wistful, nostalgic lyricism which this for your subject invariably calls forth; it is not for SUITE FROM CHOUT, OPUS 21A (1920) (2 nothing that Stokowski's record is issued Editions) in the same set with the matchless "Love HI -FI DISCS! Chout (The Buffoon, sometimes called The Scene" from the Romeo and Juliet of Berlioz, Jester Who Fooled Seven OtherJerters) is Proko- and Stokowski makes Prokofiev's music fiev's finest ballet score and one of his sound as great and moving. greatest works in any form. The extrava- From the mechanical point of view, the Alouar gant silliness of its folk -tale libretto has Stokowski is also incomparably the finest WALCO kept Chout from the stage in recent years, recording. It has that incandescent gorgeous- but the very madness of its fantasy helps ness of tone which one had thought Sto- to account for the nature and quality of the kowski no longer drew from his players; music. Here the satirical, grotesque, diab- hearing it is like returning to the Stokowski D/rY 171,1 olistic side of the composer's nature of the great days in Philadelphia, and it is reaches its ultimate expression. Both inter- certainly the finest single orchestral record- pretations on the disks are quite good; the ing listed in this discography. The Federer PROTECTIVE POLYETHYLENE Golschmann is slightly the better recording, and the Stasevitch are not good recordings, SLEEVES FOR RECORDS but the Horenstein contains all twelve move- but between them they contain a large part ments of the suite while the Golschmann of an extremely attractive score; they sup- contains only nine. plement each other and the Stokowski as with -Paris Philharmonia Orchestra, Jascha well. Mravinsky and Koussevitzky are Vox PL 9180. 12 -in. both excellent as far as they go. EXCLUSIVE/ Horenstein, cond. $4.98 (with Suite from Lieutenant Kije). -Members of the NBC Symphony Or- CONTOURED -St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir chestra, Leopold Stokowski, cond. RCA Golschmann, cond. CAPITOL P 8257. 12 -in. VICTOR LM 6028. r2 -in. $3.98 (with works BOTTOM! $3.98 (with Falla: Dances from The Three - of Berlioz and Tchaikovsky and readings Cornered Hat). from Shakespeare in boxed set, Romeo and Juliet). LE PAS D'ACIER, OPUS 41 (1925) (I Edition) -Rhineland Symphony Orchestra, Alfred The "machine esthetic" of the 192os is not Federer, cond. REGENT MG 5046. t2 -in. Protects Records from very exciting any more, and Prokofiev's $5.45. Dust, Scratches, Finger music for this Dance of Steel is one of its -Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Marks Slips Inside Original Jacket few surviving monuments. The square, Stasevitch, cond. CONCERT HALL CHS 1304. "Dresses Up" Discs rigid insistence of the rhythm in certain 12 -in. $4.98 (with Cinderella Suite No. 2). Because good hi -fi sound begins with a movements relates it to the subject (choreo- -Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Eu- clean record \Nalco- famous for phonographic goings -on in a Soviet steel mill) gene Mravinsky, cond. VANGUARD VRS graph needles and STATI -CLEAN but the composer's typical joie de vivre 6004. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Shostakovich: Anti -Static Record Spray -has devel- shines through every exhilarating bar. The Ballet Suite No. i). oped the new DISCOVER protective Symphony Orchestra, Serge Kous- recording is a beauty. -Boston sleeve for records. Made of soft, tear - RCA VICTOR LCT 1144. -Philharmonia Orchestra, Igor Markevitch, sevitzky, cond. resistant, pliable polyethylene with an cond. ANGEL 35153. 12 -in. $4.98. (In 12 -in. $3.98 (with Suite from Lieutenant Kije; exclusive, neat contoured bottom, DIS- March and Scherzo from The Love for Three boxed set, Homage to Diaghilev). COVERS are `fitting protection" in Oranges). more ways than one! Thousands of THE PRODIGAL SON, OPUS 46 (1929 ) users agree, all your hi -fi records de- 1 complete, 1 partial) CINDERELLA SUITE No. 2, OPUS 108 (1946) (2 editions, serve this deluxe, low -cost protection. The last ballet score commissioned by (I Edition) Diaghilev, and a work of great seriousness, Cinderella seems to have been an especially power, and dignity, with a strenuous vir- successful ballet, since it accounts for no BY THE MAKERS OF THESE OTHER tuoso emphasis in its orchestration that less than six numbers in Prokofiev's opus FAMOUS RECORD PRODUCTS 1 L bespeaks a similar emphasis in the original list: the original score of 1941, Opus 87; Balanchine choreography. The Barzin ver- the Ten Piano Pieces from Cinderella, Opus 97 wA,CO sion contains all ten movements, respect- (a recording of which is considered above STATI -CLEAN ably played with an inadequate, thin - among the short works for piano solo); a An anti -static record spray; elim sounding orchestra. The Sebastian is con- cello arrangement of one of the Ten Pieces, instes destructive dust. Less than o siderably better in sound and warmer in Opus 97a; and three orchestral suites, Opp. penny per disc. performance, but omits half the score. 107, 108, and 109. Only the second orches- - New York City Ballet Orchestra, Leon tral suite has been recorded. It places par- Barzin, cond. VOX PL 9310. 12 -in. $4.98. ticular stress upon courtly dances, a little - Orchestre des Concerts Colonne (Paris) , in the manner of the Classical Symphony; Record Brush George Sebastian, cond. URANIA URLP there is also a very Russian -ballet kind of hair record brush; clips 7139. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Symphony No. waltz, but the whole thing has great charm Camels to tone arm brushing away dust and character, and it is easy to see why 4) ahead of the needle. Sadler's Wells chose this score for its own ROMEO AND JULIET (5 Editions) choreographic treatment. The recording is Write for free Brochure Romeo and Juliet, composed in 1935 and only fair. and sample Discover given the opus number 64, is the most -Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra, Alexander elaborate ballet of Prokofiev's Soviet years. Stasevitch, cond. CONCERT HALL CHS 1304. It fills an entire evening; consequently 12 -in. $4.98 (with Romeo and Juliet Suite 60 -F Franklin St., Prokofiev was able to extract three orchestral No. 3). 3Ú East Orange, N. J. MARCH 1956 101

www.americanradiohistory.com Rid Your Records of Dust FIVE DANCES FROM CINDERELLA (e Edition) phony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky, cond. Slight and rather trivial arrangements, by RCA VICTOR LCT 1 144. 12 -in. $3.98 (with always use one Fichtenholz, for violin and piano. This Suite from Lieutenant Kije; Romeo and Juliet would scarcely be worth noticing if it Suite No. 2). were not for Oistrakh's creamy playing and I- Berlin Symphony Orchestra. ROYALE masters the superb recording thereof. 1420. 12 -in. $t.89 (with Chirico) Sym- ß111C -David Oistrakh, violin; Vladimir Yam - phony).] The Best ...The Dry Method polsky, piano. VANGUARD VRS Go2o. 12 -in. $4.98 (with short works of Brahms, Glazu- SUITE FROM SEMYON KOTKO, OPUS 81A nov, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and Kha- (1941) (1 Edition) NO SPRAYING chaturian). Very little information about this opera is NO WASHING available beyond the fact that it deals with GYPSY FANTASY FROM THE STONE FLOWER, the principal events in the life of a Ukrainian NO RUBBING g OPUS 118 (1950) (1 Edition) peasant who led a guerrilla uprising against The Stone Flower is a ballet on a romantic the invading Germans during the First folk -tale plot which is far too involved for World War. The suite, in eight movements, is the longest Brush while discussion here. The Gipsy Fantasy is only a one of works of Prokofiev little excerpt from it; and despite the fine on records. It is written generally in a record is rotating performance and recording, it sounds like noble, elevated, somewhat Mussorgskian little more than competent movie music. style, employing Ukrainian folk material, The An effective easy -to -use' -Bolshoi Symphony Samuel but it has enough of the firing squad and Polonium Orchestra, record brush that will pay Samosud, cond. CLASSIC EDITIONS CE 30o1. the burning village to give it punch: the Strip does serious Prokofiev the trick for itself many times over - 12 -in. $4.98 (with Glière: Horn Concerto, of the last years at his in the protection it will give and short works of Glinka and Amirov). best. The recording is good, the perform- your prized record collec- ance first -rate. tion. WEDDING SUITE FROM THE STONE FLOWER, -Symphony Orchestra of Radio Berlin, OPUS 126 (e. 1950) (1 Edition) Rolf Kleinert, cond. URANIA URLP 7135. Expensive compared with The Stone Flower contains an elaborate wed- I 2-in. $3.98. $1785 other products... but inex- ding scene which Prokofiev published sepa- pensive when noise -free rately with an opus number of its own. Like FILM MUSIC and longer lasting records the Gypsy Fantasy from the same ballet, it SUITE FROM LIEUTENANT are considered. sounds like a reasonably tasteful Hollywood KIJE, OPUS 60 (1934) (6 Editions) product, but it is appalling as a composi- Buy STATICMASTERS of your Hi -fi dealers or The first of Prokofiev's Soviet works and order direct...sent postpaid -cash with order. tion by the same hand as Chout, The Love for one of the most distinctive; in is Three Oranges, or Romeo and Juliet. Along this, fact, the only film score I can think of that has NUCLEAR with the Sixth Symphony, The Stone Flower PRODUCTS CO. all too sadly sustains the charge that long outlived its film. (Alexander Nevski 10173 E. RUSH ST. EL MONTE, e, CALIF. also as a Prokofiev's creative ability fell far off during began music for motion picture, Isis last years. but the picture is still decidedly and de- -New York Philharmonic- Symphony, An- servedly extant on the "art house" circuit.) The plot derives from an actual or imagined dré Kostelanetz, cond. COLUMBIA CL 809. VANGUARD incident in the life of the notoriously dull - recordings for 12 -in. $3.98 (with Weber: Invitation to the the connoisseur witted Czar Paul I, Dance; and Enesco: Rumanian Rhapsody who misread an entry in No. 1). a list of officers in such a way as to include 4 ways the name of a nonexistent Lieutenant Kije. Since the Czar had said there was such a to produce a "classic" OPERAS person, such a person there had to be, and his fellow officers set about to endow him 1 SUITE FROM THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES, with a personality and a career. The game os q. `6 ` OPUS 33A (1924) (5 Editions) in the music was to handle material of a Old Carlo Gozzi's fabulous farrago A Phonographic Classic now on a single disc of blatantly vulgar and obvious kind with witches and demons, clowns, acrobats, and wit, subtlety, and character, and Prokofiev MAHLER: DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN beautiful princesses provided Prokofiev with turned the trick to perfection. per- Lorna Sydney, soprano Alfred Poell, baritone The Felix Prohaska, conductor a libretto that suited his genius to perfec- formances by Koussevitzky, Scherchen, and Vienna State Opera Orchestra VR5 -470 tion, and the result is perhaps the greatest Désormière are appropriately light- textured; "el performance of definitive place in in Afahler's literature." KOLODIN, SAT. REV. opera of pute unreason the entire litera- Horenstein and Kurtz beat this froth with a ture. A complete recording of it is very heavier hand. When all is said and done, A Modern Composer turns to the Classics much in order. Of the four recordings of the Koussevitzky is the best version, even RESPIGHI: HOMAGE TO THE PAST the suite submitted for this discography, the though it is the oldest. Ancient Airs and dances for the Lute Désormière is the most vivacious in inter- -Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Kous- (Suites Nos. 1, 2 and 3 for orchestra, complete) pretation and the most The Birds, Trittico Botticelliano naturally orchestral sevitzky, cond. RCA VICTOR LCT 0144. Franz Litschauer, tond. -Vienna State Opera Orch. in sound. The Martinon is very brilliant, 02-in. $3.98 (with Romeo and Juliet Suite 2 12" in Silk and Gold illustrated album VRS -466/7 however, and the Rocher is a fine perform- No. 2; March and Scherzo from The Love "Beautifully phrased admirably repro. duced." KOLODIN, SATURDAY REVIEW ance, only slightly less perfect in its repro- for Three Oranges). duction than the other two. The Kousse- -Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Hermann The Great Classic Oratorio vitzky contains only the two shortest of Scherchen, cond. WESTMINSTER WL 5091. HAYDN: THE CREATION the six movements. 02-in. $2.99 (with Scythian Suite). Stich Randall, Felbermayer, Dermota, Guthrie, -French National Symphony Orchestra, -French National Symphony Orchestra, Schoeffler-Mogens Woldike, conductor- Chorus and Roger Désormière, CAPITOL P Orchestra of Vienna State Opera VRS -471/2 cond. 8149. Roger Désormière, cond. CAPITOL P 8149. "this becomes the classic disc edition of I2 -in. $3.98 (with Suite from Lieutenant 12 -in. $3.98 (with Suite from The Love for Haydn's masterpiece." CHICAGO AMERICAN Kije). Three Oranges). des Concerts Lamoureux, (Paris), A 20th century Classic -Orchestre -Paris Philharmonia Orchestra, Jascha Ho- Jean Martinon, cond. EPIC LC 3042. 12 -in. renstein, cond. Vox PL 9180. 12 -in. $4.98 WEILL: THE THREE PENNY OPERA $3.98 (with Classical Symphony; Piano Con- (with Suite from Choral. Liane, Rosewaenge and star -studded cast of Vienna State Opera -F. Charles Adler, conductor VRS -9002 certo No. 3). -Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Efrem "brilliantly recorded, a vibrant performance -Symphony Orchestra of Radio Berlin, Kurtz, cond. COLUMBIA ML 4683. 12 -in. MILWAUKEE ... superb voices." SENTINEL Arthur Rother, cond. URANIA URLP 7146. $3.98 (with Symphony No. 7). send for complete catalog 12 -in. $3.98 (with short works of Shosta- I- Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Ruhahn, VANGUARD RECORDING SOCIETY, INC. kovich, Kabalevsky, and Borodin). cond. ROYALE 1420. $1.89 (with Classical '0.4456 W. 55th Street, New York 19, N. Y. -March and Scherzo only. Boston Sym- Symphony).]

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www.americanradiohistory.com III III I IIII

CHORAL WORKS Overture on Jewish Themes, since it is based on the secular folk song of the Yiddish - ALEXANDER NEVSKY, OPUS 78 (1939) (2 speaking people of Russia and has nothing EVERY DAY Editions) whatever to do with the Bible or the syna- Early in the year 1242 a group of unemployed gogue. It is a short, sardonic, tuneful, EVERY WEEK Crusaders known as the Knights of the and amusing sextet for clarinet, piano, and Teutonic Order invaded Russia and were strings, written in New York in two days' EVERY MONTH defeated by Prince Alexander Nevsky in a time. Both recordings are excellent, but famous battle on the ice of Lake Peipus, the Period provides the more penetrating near Pskov. In 1938 this incident was made interpretation. more and more discriminating music the basis of one of Serge Eisenstein's greatest -Paris Chamber Orchestra. PERIOD SPLP listeners, owners of high fidelity equip- movies, with score by Prokofiev; and in the 512. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Quintet, Op. 39). ment, looking for perfect copies of Long following year, the composer transformed -New York Ensemble of Philharmonic Playing Records, are ,discovering the the music he had written for the picture into Scholarship Winners, Dimitri Mitropoulos, outstanding personal mail order record this monumental cantata. Of all his works, cond. DECCA DL 8511. 12 -in. $3.98 (with service of it is the one richest in tonal landscape paint- Quintet, Op. 39; Swanson: Night Music). ing, in medieval atmosphere, and in a sense of continuity with the historic past; further- QUINTET FOR OBOE, CLARINET, VIOLIN, THE MUSIC BOX more its "Battle on the Ice" is as blood- VIOLA, AND DOUBLE BASS, OPUS 39 (1924) curdling in the concert hall or on records (2 Editions) A unique mail order service which as it is in the theater. Both the disks are This music was originally sketched as a guarantees. that: extremely good, though the Vanguard has ballet on a circus subject; and though the edge so far as recording is concerned ballet is not even slightly suggested in its and is a little more vivid in its orchestral final form, it contains some entrancing * Every record mailed is a brand and choral performance. The Columbia jugglery with timbres, rhythms, and har- new, factory fresh, unplayed copy. provides the better interpretation of the one monic effects. It is one of Prokofiev's * Every record mailed is most care- short but crucial vocal solo and has the ad- most dissonant scores and a remarkably fully inspected for visible imperfec- vantage of being sung in English; the Van- colorful one, relying much less than usual tions. Every possible flaw is care- guard is in Russian. on tunefulness and more on an intricate fully spot checked, on the finest -Ana Maria Iriarte, mezzo- soprano; Chorus manipulation of materials. Another major equipment, and records that do not and Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, work wherein Prokofiev approaches the conform to our rigid standards are Mario Rossi, cond. VANGUARD VRS 451. idiom of Stravinsky. The better of the rejected. 12 -in. $4.98. two recordings is the one that happens to -Jennie Tourel, mezzo -soprano; West- be on the turntable at the moment; both are * Every record is dusted, cleaned and minster Choir, Philadelphia Orchestra, Eu- excellent in performance and superlative in enclosed in a polyethylene envelope, gene Ormandy, cond. COLUMBIA ML 4247. sound. to protect it from possible dust 12 -in. $3.98. -New York Ensemble of Philharmonic damage, while in transit. Scholarship Winners, Dimitri Mitropoulos, is carefully ON GUARD FOR PEACE, OPUS 124 (1951) cond. DECCA DL 851 I. 12 -in. $3.98 (with * Every record packed, to (i Edition) Overture on Hebrew Themes; Swanson: Night reach you in absolutely perfect An oratorio in ten movements that opens Music). condition. most impressively but soon descends to the -Paris Chamber Ensemble. PERIOD SPLP * Every order over $6.00 is mailed level of empty, tedious rhetoric. Excellent 512. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Overture on Hebrew POSTAGE FREE anywhere in performance and recording. Themes). the U. S. A. On orders of less than -N. Efron and A. Schwartz, narrators; $6.00, please add 40¢ to cover mail- Zara Dolokhanova, mezzo -soprano; E. STRING QUARTET No. I, OPUS 5o (1930) ing charges. Talanov, alto; combined choirs and or- (I Edition) chestra of the U.S.S.R., Samuel Samosud, In reviewing the first performance of this * Our service is fast, prompt and cond. VANGUARD VRS 6003. 12 -in. $4.98. work, one of the critics asserted that no courteous. string quartet since those of Brahms had All are at manu- SONGS opened with so bold and positive a sweep. * records sold the The parallel is apt, but a parallel with facturer's suggested list price only. FIVE POEMS BY ANNA AKHMATOVA, OPUS 27 Beethoven would have been even more to * We can supply you with any LP, (1916) (1 Edition) the point. This is Prokofiev's "classical" on any label, IF it is currently Although he published nine sets of songs, quartet, but its classicism is more mature available. Prokofiev's work as a lyricist for voice and and grandly scaled than that of his first piano is almost totally unknown, and this symphony. This is the first work to manifest * THE MUSIC BOX is devoted to is the only one of the nine sets to be re- that simplification of harmonic idiom which mail orders exclusively. The gen- corded. Its style is extremely subtle, re- was to be so pronounced a feature of Pro - eral public do not have any access calling the declamation of a Mussorgsky kofiev's style throughout the rest of his to our stock, which is handled only or a Debussy, and with equally important career. The performance on the one avail- by two people. and beautifully written piano parts. The able recording is quite good. Its registra- list songs of Prokofiev on this record stand up tion is full- bodied but a bit harsh. * When ordering, simply the records needed, plus your check or splendidly alongside the masterpiece by -Guilet String Quartet. M -G -M E 3113. Mussorgsky himself on the other side, and 12 -in. $3.98 (with Shostakovich: Quartet money order to cover their cost. To both serve amusingly to emphasize the obvi- No. 1). avoid delay, list substitutes, since ousness of the Gretchaninov songs with we will never make substitutions. which they are associated. Perfect per- SONATA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO, No. i, IN without your written permission. formance and superb recording. F MINOR, OPUS 8o (1946) (5 Editions) Sorry ... no C. O. D.'s. -Maria Kurenko, soprano; Vsevolod Pas - One of the most richly dramatic violin tukhov, piano. CAPITOL P 83to. 12 -in. sonatas in the literature, opening with two * $3.98 (with Mussorgsky: Sunless Cycle; movements recalling the dynamic "war Gretchaninov: Six Songs). sonatas" for piano. The third is a romantic slow movement oddly like parts of the ui CHAMBER MUSIC fountain scene from Mussorgsky's Boris 301C BON Godunov: the finale is a big, dazzling toc- OVERTURE ON HEBREW THEMES, OPUS 34 cata for both instruments. This sonata was MAIN STREET (1919) (2 Editions) written for David Oistrakh, of whose in- MASS. The title of this work is mistranslated on terpretation there are three recordings. By GREAT BARRINGTON, both the record labels. It should be called far the best of these is the RCA Victor,

MARCH 1956 Io;

www.americanradiohistory.com made at the time of Oistrakh's American STRING QUARTET No. 2, OPUS 92 (1941) Record Market debut, last November. The Oistrakh -Van- (4 Editions) guard is also very good, however, and the The Second Quartet bears the formidable version by Isaac Stern is likewise highly subtitle "On Kabaldino -Balkarian Themes "; distinguished. these, one gathers, are themes from the -David Oistrakh, violin; Vladimir Yamp- district in the Caucasus where Prokofiev olsky, piano. RCA VICTOR LM 1987. I2- was sent to escape the German air raids. in. $3.98 (with Leclair: Sonata No. 3, and It is a light, picturesque, tuneful piece, Locatelli: Sonata in F Minor). but not a very powerful one; folk -song -Isaac Stern, violin; Alexander Zakin, piano. quartets seldom are. Of the four inter- Send For Our COLUMBIA ML 4734. 12 -in. $3.98 (with pretations, those by the Hollywood play- WONDER VALUE Violin Sonata No. 2). ers and the Quartetto Italiano are the most -David Oistrakh, violin; Lev Oborin, gracious in style and the cleanest in re- CATALOG piano. VANGUARD VRS 6019. 12 -in. $4.98 corded sound. The Fine Arts version is OF LONG PLAYING (with Franck: Violin Sonata). mbbier, but that is almost a virtue, since CLASSICAL RECORDS -Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Marcel Gazelle, the more full -bodied registration lends an One Of The Largest Selections piano. RCA VICTOR LM 1087. 12 -in. $3.98 extra thrust to the thinnish score. The The Whole Country Write Dept. H (with Bartok: Sonata for Violin Solo). Gordon places delightful emphasis on the folkloric aspects of the music, re- CHAMBERS RADIO CORP. -David Oistrakh, violin; Lev Oborin, but this piano. COLOSSEUM CRLP 152. 12 -in. $3.98 cording shows its age. 97 Chambers St., New York 7, N. Y. (with Beethoven: Spring Sonata). -Quartetto Italiano. ANGEL 35296. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Malipiero: Quartet No. 4) -Hollywood String Quartet. CAPITOL P B 8151. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Hindemith: Quartet No. 3). Y -Fine Arts Quartet. MERCURY MG 10045- LP INDEX TABS 12-in. $3.98 (with Shostakovich: Trio in K33 M E minor). -Gordon String Quartet. CONCERT HALL The ideal filing system for your LP Now you can use the marvelous record cleaner A the leading radio and TV networks use and CIIC 8. r2 -in. $4.98. collection. Names of the too most approve. K 33 eliminates surface noise and recorded doubles record and stylus life - will rejuve- composers printed on nate even oldest records. SONATA FOR FLUTE AND PIANO, IN D, sturdy index tabs to be attached to K 33 is recommended by broadcast engineers, OPUS 94 (1944) (1 Edition) record critics and Hi Fi authorities. Harold D. your LP sleeves or cardboard Weiler, author of "Wear and Care of Records A work of wonderful elegance, clarity, and dividers. Also many miscellaneous and Styli," says "K 33 is the world's finest O wit, and one of the few compositions of record cleaner." Prokofiev's last years whose stylistic in- categories, and a generous supply of Send 51.95 for 1(33 and complete instructions. Enough to make 32 quarts of concentrate, suf- N tegrity is unassailable. It is played to per- blank tabs. $I.00 postpaid from ficient to clean thousands of records. fection here and beautifully recorded. Perspective Records, 55o Fifth ORIGAN, INC. L -Doriot Anthony Dwyer, flute; Jesus Maria Avenue, New York 36, N. Y. P.O. BOX 218, MT. KISCO, N.Y. Y Sanroma, piano. BOSTON B 208. 12 -in. $4.98 (with Roussel: Trio for Flute, Viola. and Cello).

LP RECORDS SONATA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO, No. 2, IN FOLK D, OPUS 94A (1944) (3 Editions) ARE DUST AND STATIC FREE MUSIC The second violin sonata is a transcription with the of the flute sonata. It is adorned with SAMPLER! double stops, extra floridities, and all man- STAT I -MUTE ner of other devices to make it sound Clips On ELEKTRA Issues a special High violinistic, but their total effect is only to Fidelity 10' Long Playing record underline the cool superiority of the original Negligible Weight featuring selections from twelve of our folk releases. version. Once again Stern's interpretation Lasts Indefinitely Each Folk Music Sampler Is pressed on pure vinyl, triple inspected and is the most interesting, and his recording the American Record Guide Recommends the carefully packaged in a dust -free is also the finest in tone quality. Stati -Mute: plastic envelope, which in turn is "Used it successfully for months ... pref- protected by a hard jacket. -Isaac Stern, violin; Alexander Zakin, This unique Elektra release U erable to liquid applications . . no u%rtal specially priced $2.00 piano. COLUMBIA ML 4734. 12 -in. $3.98 ball of Aug. 1955 issue. at (postpaid) dust ... - and is available only from: (with Violin Sonata No. 1). -Nathan Milstein, violin; Artur Balsam, WILLIAMS CO. ELEKTRA RECORDS BOX 348 $2.95 piano. CAPITOL P 8315. 12 -in. $3.98 (with 361 Bleeder St., N. Y. C., N. Y. WHITE PLAINS, N. Y. Postpaid Handel: Violin Sonata No. 4; Vitali: Chaconne). -Ruggiero Ricci, violin; Carlo Bussotti, piano. LONDON LL 770. I2 -in. $3.98 GIBSON GIRL TAPE SPLICERS (with Strauss: Violin Sonata). "HI-Fl" splices in a wink! SONATA FOR CELLO AND PIANO, IN C, NO SCISSORS. OPUS 119 (1949) (2 Editions) RECORD NO RAZOR BLADES, A dull, pointless composition which neither It the huge, massive style of Piatigorsky nor At eYourDealrs FANS! the nimbler style of Kurtz manages to make ROBINS INDUSTRIES CORP. interesting. Both versions are well recorded, Model TS -4 $8.50 List Where do YOU store your "HI- FIDELITY" discs? but when it comes to evaluating them on a Scattered around the house? Squeezed into a drawer Model TS -4DLX (íllust.) $11.50 List comparative basis, one wishes the subject . or near the DANGEROUS HEAT of your player? All these cause WARPING! And Warped records CAN- Heavy Duty Models for Industrial Use had never been brought up. NOT produce "HI -FI" SOUNDS! New collector-de- and Special Purpose Tapes -Gregor Piatigorsky, cello; Ralph Berko- signed Wrought Iron Record Cabinet holds over 200 discs VERTICALLY CORRECT! Modular TS -250 for :.t " Tape $55.00 Net witz, piano. RCA VICTOR LM 1792. I2 -in. "HI -FI" T5.500 for L." Tape $55.00 design subdivides collection into 10 handy compart- Net $3.98 (with Bach: Cello Sonata No. 2). mente. Sturdily constructed, 25" x 22" x 100. Nothing TS-625 for ," Tape $55.00 Net to assemble! Please remit $9.95 with order, shipping TS -750 for i.," Tape $55.00 Net -Edmund Kurtz, cello; Artur Balsam, piano. TS -1000 for 1" Tape $55.00 Net chgs. collect. Positively not in stores. Money $9 95 COLUMBIA ML 4867. 12 -in. $3.98 (with Back Guarantee. Ask about our 45 rpm & Taps Rack, too! At your dealer or write to us for information. Kodaly: Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello). LESLIE CREATIONS Boa 9516 Dept. 209A Phila. 49. Pa.

104 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com Equipment reports appearing in this 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 TITH 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.

Ampex Stereophonic Ampex stereophonic system a very appeal- and woodwind instruments, and was pre- ing item, even in view of its price. pared to write a luke -warm report on the System Most important, of course, is the way Ampex system. it sounds. The system we received for test- At the New York audio fair, though, I DESCRIPTION: a complete stereophonic tape player system, consisting of the Model 612 7.5 ips tape ing was housed in the portable Samsonite changed my mind. At a private audition player, and two Model 620 amplifier- speaker units. accompanied by one and at some of the public demonstrations The 612 will play stacked stereo tapes or standard luggage cases, and was half-track or full -track pre -recorded tapes. Three sample pre- recorded tape. It was found of the system, I came to realize that the units in identical tan Samsonite carrying cases. that, even with the very small model 620 tape I had heard was not doing the sys- Dimensions: 612 and 620 - 16 inches long by 13 wide by 8 high. Weight 612 - 28 lbs., 620 - 25 speaker units, the sound was almost un- tem justice. Stereophonic recording is a lbs. each. Prices: 612 - $395. 620 - $149.50 each. realistic. The fairly new field, and has not yet been de- MANUFACTURER: Ampex Corporation, 934 Charter believably full- bodied and Street, Redwood City, Calif. sense of direction and individuality dis- veloped to the refined state of standard played by the different parts of the or- recording techniques. Stereo tapes vary Stereophonic recordings have been around chestra was something that I could hardly from one to another, but a good one played for quite a while in one form or another, believe. There's no doubt about it; stereo - through the Ampex system creates the and they have elicited much enthusiasm phony adds a degree of realism to the most amazing illusion of realism I have from those who have heard them at audio sound that is, by comparison, definitely yet heard from reproduced sound, with fairs and in store demonstrations. But the lacking in even the most elaborate con- none of the minor annoyances noted in major deterrent for the hobbyist or music ventional systems. Another thing I im- the first tape I heard. lover has always been the very high cost mediately noticed was that the somewhat The system in use at the New York of assembling such a reproducing system, "hard," steely sound, which is audible audio fair was the cabineted, non -portable involving as it does duplication of the en- from massed violin sections in many re- system, which is slightly more bulky than tire reproducing chain, from pickup to cordings and was evident in this tape when the portable system I tested. Unless my speaker. Much of the stereophonic reproducing equipment has tended to be clumsy and too delicate for the average user, and certain necessary compromises in one field cut the uninterrupted playing time down to a fifteen minute maximum. So while many people were highly enthusiastic about the aural benefits to be gained by stereophonic reproduction, there were few who had the courage or the excess wealth to purchase a stereophonic system. The Ampex stereophonic system may be the turning point as far as public acceptance of stereophony in the home is concerned. The system, which consists of two model 62o amplifier- speaker systems and a 612 The Ampex stereophonic system in its three -piece Samsonite luggage carrying cases. stereophonic -monaural tape player, simpli- fies installation almost to the point of ab- surdity, eliminates most of the complica- only one channel was used, was replaced ears were deceiving me, the furniture sys- tions and hazards of playing stereophonic by a lush, velvety sheen when the other tem puts out about an octave of deeper recordings, and is priced well within the channel was switched in. bass than the portable system. range of many serious music lovers. This With the tape that I listened to, how- The units are very easy to set up, and isn't to say that the system is in the medi- ever, the actual stereophonic effects of require no more adjustment than the bal- um- priced category; for the $694 that it depth and direction seemed limited to ancing of the volume controls on the two costs, someone could assemble a pretty middle and middle -low frequencies. Cellos 620 amplifier- speaker systems, so as to ambitious monaural (conventional -type) and violas had it to a startling degree, but properly divide the total sound output. high fidelity system, but there are a num- I was a little disappointed by the artifi- ber of other considerations that make the cial disembodied quality of the trumpets Continued on next page

MARCH 1956 I07

www.americanradiohistory.com TESTED IN THE HOME between low and high fidelity equipment. through the internal or external speaker. That this should be so is particularly re- The built -in speaker system includes a Continued from preceding page markable in view of the Ensemble's size - r z -in. woofer, with two small cone tweet- only 25 Min. wide by 281/4 high by 161 ers mounted on the same frame in a Physical spacing between the two speakers deep - within the size limitations of the totally -enclosed chamber of about 3 cubic is not overly critical, and the stereophonic smallest apartment. feet. The entire inner surface of this effect is remarkably independent of the The cabinet itself has a neat appearance, enclosure is covered with acoustic pad- listener's position in the room. This may as can be seen in the photograph. The ding material. In the same space, but vary somewhat with different room acous- sealed off separately, is a 61/2 -in. mid- tics, but I noticed little difference between range speaker; this and the woofer have the rooms I heard it in. separate level controls located on the The model 612 tape player, which is back panel. Maximum bass efficiency oc- the basis of the Ampex system, resembles curs at about ioo cycles. Response begins the model boo recorder that was reported to drop audibly at 85 cycles, undoubtedly in this section in the August 5954 issue because of the small enclosure. The sound of HIGH FIDELITY. It uses the same me- is smooth all the way up to 16,000 cycles chanical system, suffers from the same except for accentuated response in the harmless but slightly annoying rewind ir- ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 and from regularities, and has the same excellent 9,000 to I1,000 cycles (according to the control and speed regulation characteris- ear). These slight bumps make the over- tics. The amplifier, however, differs from all sound somewhat more hissy than usual, that in the Goo in that it is a playback although otherwise it is of quite adequate unit only. Besides the AC switch, the quality. I should have preferred a level controls are for volume and to select control on the tweeters rather than the stereophonic or conventional playback. In woofer - but that is a matter of taste. the conventional position, standard mon- And the built -in speaker system will do aural tapes may be played through both very well temporarily for those who plan of the speakers, which adds a great deal on something more elaborate when the of dimension to the sound but is of course budget will permit. lacking in the directional and spatial quali- If you want a basic high fidelity phono- ties of stereophonic playback. graph system in simplest form, or Really a remarkable little system in all a compact system that can be profitably respects, and one which, in terms of sheer The Ensemble: a complete phono system. expanded later, the Ensemble is certainly realism, can make some of the finest mon- a good buy. - R.A. aural systems sound a little pallid. - J.G.H. MANUFACTURER'S COMMENT: HIGH FIDELITYs entire counterbalanced top opens on a reporter is to be complimented for detecting one of our engineering secrets. 7'he acoustic response piano hinge at the back. Slightly recessed of model PT -1030 does indeed have slight peaks in in a well at the left is the changer, and the frequency ranges noted. They have been introduced deliberately to obtain the quality of the amplifier controls are in a row at the "liveness" or "'presence" in reproduced sound, right, from front to back. Below, in a especially at low volume. without sacrificing smooth reproduction at high volume. The mid -frequency separate section in the base, is the speaker speaker compartment is sealed off from the main system. The entire cabinet is solidly built enclosure to prevent the high pressure built up by the woofer from acting upon the rear of the mid - Pilot Hi -Fi Ensemble from material of 3/ in. minimum thick- frequency speaker cone with resultant distortion. ness, and has a finish equivalent in quality The reason for using a separate level control for Phonograph the mid-frequency speaker is to permit emphasis to that of most commercial furniture. or suppression of vocalists or brass sections with- There are free -running casters hidden by out introducing imbalance to the other instrumental SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): a sections. high -quality record player, amplifier. and speaker the bottom trim, and this is a welcome system combined in one console. Record Player: Garrard model RC -80M changer, with GE triple - convenience because the unit (despite its play magnetic cartridge installed. Speaker system: small size) weighs well over ioo pounds. 12 -in. woofer and two 3h -in. tweeters (mounted on woofer frame) installed in totally -enclosed cham- It isn't necessary to say much about ber in cabinet base; 6 -in. mid -range speaker mounted the changer and GE in separate sealed chamber. Level controls supplied Garrard cartridge; for bam and mid -range speakers. AMPLIFIER -In- they are both well known and respected. puts: magnetic phono (used for record player); Leak Dynamic Pickups high -level inputs (jacks on back of cabinet) marked One item of importance, though - we Radio, Aux 1. and Aux 2. Controls: combined AC found the stylus force to be more than SPECIFICATIONS (supplied by manufacturer): mov on -off and volume; combined selector and equalisa- 12 grams, as the Ensemble was shipped. ing -coil pickup cartridges for microgroove and tion switch (For LP, NAB, AES, and RIAA standard records, which plug into low- inertia. phono positions, Radio, Aux 1, Aux 2. high -level We found that it could be reduced easily counter -weighted arm. Stylus: .001 inch diamond input positions); treble ( 14 db, 10,000 cycles); to the recommended value (about 8 grams or .0025 -inch diamond. Stylus pressure: 2 to 3 bass (t 14 db. 50 cycles); speaker control switch grams for microgrooves; 5 to 6 grams for standard (Internal, Both, External). Outputs: to internal or for 78s) by a simple screwdriver adjust- grooves. Frequency response: 1 db, 40 to 20,000 external speaker system both. t or Power output: ment. cycles, including transformer supplied with pickup. 10 watts. Response: t 1 db, 15 to 40,000 cycles. Output: II millivolts from transformer into pre- Distortion: 0.1 % harmonic at 1 watt output; I % Specifications for the amplifier are, if amplifier. Dimensions: 9% in. from pivot to front at 10 watts; 2% IM at 10 watts. Noise: on high - of head; 2 in. from pivot to rear of arm. Mounting level inputs, 80 db below 10 watts; on phono anything, on the conservative side. Over centers: 8 17/32 in. from pivot to turntable spindle. channel, -70 db. Output Impedance: 8 ohms. most of the range it will produce 13 watts Pivot Might: adjustable to suit any turntable. Tubes: 2- 12AX7, 12AU7, 604, 2 -6V6, 5Y3GT. Price: $59.00 for arm, transformer, microgroove P rice: $289.50 in cordovan mahogany; $299.50 easily, and the distortion and stability cartridge; $32.50 extra for 78 rpm head. DISTRIBU- in blonde mahogany. MANUFACTURER: Pilot characteristics are both very good. In- TOR: British Industries Corporation, 164 Duane Radio Corporation, Long Island City 1, N. Y. Street, New York 13, N. Y. dividual bass and treble tone controls are Readers of this magazine know full well supplied, as well as a five -position record Among the first of the light -weight pick- that there have been marketed in the equalizer. ups to make its appearance in the United past few years many so- called "high fideli- The amplifier's output is fed through States, the Leak created considerable in- ty" console phonographs, and that these a selector switch to a set of terminals on terest here for its ability not only to ride have for the most part been travesties of the back of the cabinet (for an external LPs at 3 grams, but also to do equally true high fidelity systems. Readers can, speaker system) , to the internal speaker well at 6 grams on 78s. The latest models therefore, be expected to look with sus- system, or to both simultaneously. When represent the result of five years experi- picion on any packaged unit that comes using the external speaker terminals, the ence and further development in dynamic along. Ordinarily this skepticism will be sound can be as good as that from a pickup design. well -founded, but not in the case of the good- quality hi -fi system, depending on the Our test units confirm this. At 3 grams Pilot Hi -Fi Ensemble: this is the genuine quality of the external speaker. A tuner, the Leak puts out clean, smooth sound article. In my opinion, it is well on the TV sound, and tape recorder can all be right side of the indistinct dividing line plugged into the amplifier and played Continued on page z ro rob HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com You're the Sultan ...with 70 watts in your harem

Our impressionable friend is high on his atlÌUStmertt of erclttsit'c Rogen IYnriable Become a high fidelity Sultan. Hear these two Dnutpitrp Fact or Cireuit I pntt. peud. i: Built -in units at your f:n'orite Sound Salon tomorrow. by Sche- ,(,'/(((( Persian carpet ... transported k('(' Select S wit elt iu'rutits separvtte or And remember to send 250 for our 3rd edition herazade and the princely new Bogen Sint ttltntteotts tts'e of two soya tents, of "Understanding High Fidelity" to Dept. $129.50 in .1lnhoynrtrl-ar-BLi pule -fin ish metal 1)070 power amplifier. Small wonder, with WC, David Bogen Company, Inc -, 29 Ninth eut'ln.ear e. For itorizontvtl or ('('('tifo! mounting. 70 pure watts at his fingertips. If you are Avenue, New 'York 14, N. Y. with plebeian equipment, add NEW Bt1GEN 11710 FM -AM TUNER AND I'REA.MI'I,I- frustrated FII:R: F.11 Response, ± 0.5 db front 15 to 15,000 the Bogen 1)070 to your hi -fi harem. Its cps; FM Sensitivity, 2.5 .mic royal' s for 30 db ± magnifie ... but why not read the astound- quieting. Prctunip 0.5 db from 10 to 6'0,000 cps, with distortion. Under t rated out - ing spec's for yourself: put. C'on rots: nete calibrated "Zero -In" Tuf - intt 11eter; 5- position Record Equalizer; Input NEW 5f GEN D070 70 WATT AMPLIFIER f RIGHT) : Selector Switch; Dual Couccutrie Totte Coo - The finest tmplifier we're euer manuf act etred trols; Separttt(' Loudness Contour Selector; o en (and, we think, the finest on the market). 70 Sera te cut -off ?- position filter switches. Iht- HIGH FIDELITY watts at less than 0.5c, distortion, wit tntdis- pttts for phono, tape, outer proyruttt. sources. because it sounds better toeted peaks of 300 tt'ttttol Calibrated Power 1271 o Chassis, $159.50..11tthttta n p- finish or Output Indientor; Light Indicator for positive Klonde-f nish metal enclosure, $7.50.

www.americanradiohistory.com about 8,000 cycles. It was found necessary $75.00. MANUFACTURER: Brociner Electronics Cor- TESTED IN THE HOME poration, 344 East 32nd Street, New York 16, N. Y. to terminate the pickup's input transformer Continued from page rob with a resistor of 33,000 ohms in order It is great consolation to any high fidelity to obtain what seemed to me a truly flat equipment testing department to be able from microgroove records, and takes high - sound. This is a lower value than the to believe quite firmly that shortcomings level passages with a minimum of audible manufacturer recommends, but to my ear, in the sound of an amplifier will show up stress. On shellac records, the sound is results were improved nonetheless. as poor test bench results, and that, con- surprisingly good also; better, in fact, than The standard and microgroove cartridges versely, imperfect test results will be re- I might have believed was on the records. . are instantly interchangeable, simply by flected in poor sound. But every once in a while something like the Mark to comes along and shakes my faith to its foundations. This isn't to be misunderstood as meaning that the Mark Io tests out poorly

. . . nothing of the sort. But neither its specifications nor its closely -corresponding bench test results are what would be called ideal. Harmonic distortion of I per cent Plug -in heads provide the correct tracking force for standard or microgroove records. at full output is a rather modest distortion rating for a top -quality modern amplifier, and my initial reaction on seeing it was that here was a in which too many Groove distortion from rather worn shellac unplugging one and plugging the other in unit corners might have been cut. Its disks was much lower than it should have its place. Adjustment of the needle pres- other measured characteristics, too, were very been, considering the mutilated condition sure from 3 to 6 grams is taken care of good but not outstanding. of some of the disks. This was probably automatically by an additional weight in- I got I because the .0025 -inch stylus radius drop- side the standard -groove cartridge. a surprise, though, when listened to it. This little amplifier is really good! ped the tip of the stylus below that part All in all, a very nice pickup, with It any of the groove walls that was chewed up clean, smooth sound and a handsome ap- isn't powerhouse, and it hasn't the smoothness and by the .003 -inch styli that most American pearance. Its small size makes it ideal for crispness of the best high -powered amplifiers, but its perform- pickups use. On English shellac pressings, use where space is at a premium; it can ance quite belies its modest price. And odd- which were initially cut for use with be readily installed in an equipment cabi- .0025 -inch playback styli, the surface-noise net of modest dimensions which would ly enough, it did not seem to produce lis- was lower than I had come to expect from not accommodate a longer transcription them, since in the past I had heard them arm. Enclosed installation is, however, played only on .003 styli. of paramount importance to reduce the But this is one pickup that should effects of needle -talk. - J.G.H. either be used in a cabinet with a closable MANUFACTURER'S COMMENT, Why does this pick- lid or relegated to the next room. Using up "put out clean, smooth sound," "better, in fact. it uncovered, in the same room as the than I might have believed was on the records ?" Why was "groove distortion from worn shellac loudspeaker, the needle -talk from it is disks much lower than it should have been?" Be- much too high for comfort. Even at high cause the moving parts are designed to fulfill the most important function of a pickup; to convey a levels from the speaker, the sound of the replica movement of the sinuosities in the groove Leak stylus tracing heavily -recorded pass- to the place in the pickup where electrical signals are generated. To do this one needs an infinitely ages is sufficiently prominent to be audible stiff mechanical link from stylus tip to electrical through the music. And the subjective generating point. This is impossible because no materials are infinitely stiff, but in the Leak pickup effect is that of gross distortion from the we approach the ideal, hence your comments. If record. My initial impression was we had a compliant stylus such as a fibre needle that the there would be no needle -talk; there would also The Mark ro's pe:f rmance belies its price. pickup was "breaking up" on highly - be poor sound. If we had a compliant cantilever such as on many pickups there would be no needle modulated record grooves, but when the talk and better sound than from the fibre. We use pickup was moved out of immediate ear- a very stiff stylus assembly. hence we get more needle talk and better sound still. We certainly shot, the dirtiness disappeared. recommend that everyone, whatever their pickup, tening fatigue, as I would have expected I suspect that the Leak's comparative mount it in a cabinet having a lid, for 25 minutes from an amplifier with the Mark Io's dis- exposure to room dust will do no record any good. lack of vertical compliance accounts for tortion ratings. As I said, it shook my a great deal of this needle -talk. At high faith in test readings. recorded levels, particularly near the in- The only thing I can suggest that might ner grooves, high frequencies are recorded account for the Mark to's surprising de- as very sharp lateral undulations in the finition and smoothness is the fact that as groove. Since the groove is cut with a far as I could determine, it is almost totally needle that is triangular in cross -section, Brociner Mark 10 free of incipient instability; it exhibits no rather than being circular like a playback significant trace of either high or low stylus, these grooves tend to become nar- Amplifier frequency oscillation. It is also possible rower as they sweep from one side to the that the Mark to bears out my long- enter- SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): a other. A playback cartridge with high 10 -watt amplifier-preamplifier -equalizer. Inputs: tained suspicion that front -end distortion vertical compliance is free three at high -level high -impedance, for Tape, TV, is to ride up and and Radio. One at low -level high -impedance, for usually the major contributing factor in down in the grooves as they change in magnetic phono or constant- amplitude (crystal or listening fatigue. Indications are that most width, but when vertical compliance is FM) pickup. Controls: channel selector (Radio, of the distortion in the Mark to originates TV, Tape, Phono - full range, Phono - rumble lacking, the stylus can only bang its way filter); equalizer (LP, RIAA- NARTB, AES, in the power stage, which is a straight NOISY, 78 - domestic, 78 - foreign, HI -CUT across the tops of the grooves instead of filter for noisy records); bass ( +16 to -20 db, beam -power output circuit. This is all following them up and down. 50 cycles); treble ( +12 to -15 db. 10,000 cycles); speculation, but the fact remains that the loudness and AC power. Hum balance control on With the pickup's radiation suppressed, rear of chassis. Outputs: two, high impedance to Mark to is considerably more listenable the sound from it is very good, and re- recorder, 4, 8, 16 ohms to speaker. Switched AC than some other units I have encountered convenience outlet. Frequency response: 1 db, sponse checks on our test bench show ex- 20 to 20,000 cycles. Gain: 10 db from high-level that have lower over -all distortion. treme smoothness over the rated range, inputs to tape take -off jack; 42 db from phono in- Physically, the Mark to resembles many put to tape take -off jack. 10 watts output from 8 with a large resonant peak at the arm millivolts into phono channel, 0.3 volts into high - other medium- priced amplifiers. It is all resonance point, around 25 cycles. From level inputs. Rated power: 10 watts, 20 watts contained in an attractively -styled, compact peak. Distortion: less than 1 % harmonic at 10 watts. a music recordings, however, the extreme 1 % IM at 5 watts. Power response: + 0, -3 db, case, suitable either for installation on high end seemed to be accentuated, sound- 40 to 20,000 cycles. Damping factor: 15. Tubes: 3- 12AX7, 2 -6AQ5, 6X4. Dimensions: 4% in. ing as if the response were rising above high by 10 7/8 long by 8% deep, overall. Price: Continued on page 112

IIO HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com "Scotch" Magnetic Tape solos in "The Benny Goodman Story 99

Star of the Universal-International Technicolor Film and the NBC -TV SHOW "TONIGHT"-Steve Allen in the role of Benny Goodman

IT'S STEVE ALLEN not Benny Goodman you'll In film studios, in business and in the home - see in the new Universal -International Techni- wherever flawless recording results are required, color Film, "The Benny Goodman Story ". But "SCOTCH" Magnetic Tapes take top honors. the music you'll hear is by the "King of Swing" Produced by the world's largest manufacturer himself - as originally recorded for this picture of coated products, "SCOTCH" Magnetic Tapes on "SCOTCH" Magnetic Recording Tape. enjoy an established world -wide reputation for Actually, "SCOTCH" Magnetic Tape plays unsurpassed fidelity, two important roles in the new U -I film. Not reel -to -reel uniform- only were the original Goodman performances ity and technical recorded on "SCOTCH" Brand, but the entire superiority. Put these finished sound track as well. The brilliant results tapes to the test by make "The Benny Goodman Story" an audio using them on your

as well as visual success! own machine ... soon ! 44 fftil

The term "SCOTCH" and the plaid design are registered trademarks for Magnetic Tape made in U.S.A. by MINNESOTA MINING AND MFG. CO., St. Paul 6, Minn. Export Sales Office: 99 Park Avenue, New York 16, N.Y.

MARCH 1956 III

www.americanradiohistory.com TESTED IN THE HOME Brociner Mark 30A the Mark 3oA is that it makes the bass end from a mediocre speaker system sound Continued from page i to Power Amplifier thin and a little insipid. But used with a SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): a top -quality system, the bass is crisp and table -top or bookshelf, or panel -mounted, compact single -chassis power amplifier. Input: very well defined. A good test for clean- high -level high -impedance. Outputs: 4, 8 and 16 in a cabinet. ohms to speaker. Power rating: 30 watts. Fre- liness at the low end is the ease with The record equalization is about as basic quency response: t 0.5 db, 15 to 100,000 cycles. which a bass drum may be distinguished as it can be, and was apparently designed Power response: t 1 db, 20 to 20,000 cycles. IM Distortion: 0.05 % at 5 watts output; 0.25 % at 20 from a plucked double -bass; the Mark 3oA with an eye to the long -time record col- watts; 1.0% at 30 watts. Hum and noise: 90 db differentiates between below full output. Sensitivity: 0.8 volts required them with unusual lector. Three of the six equalizer positions for full output. Damping factor: 24. Tubes: 2- 12AX7, ease. provide playback characteristics for 78- 2 -5881, 5V4GA. Dimensions: 3% in. wide by 125 long by 8% high. Price: $98.25. MANUFACTURER: So there it is; one of many currently rpm records, including an extremely effec- Brociner Electronics Corporation, 344 East 32nd available 3o -watt amplifiers, but one which Street, New York 16, N. Y. tive high -frequency filter that removes every gives every indication of being a few This department see lots of power ampli- steps closer to perfection than most of fiers from one year to the next, and is its competitors. The quality in the Mark frequently hard put to find anything to 3oA is up in the realm of diminishing re- say about one that hasn't already been said turns, and considering its price, it is much about countless others. But it isn't often that we come across a unit with the simplicity and excellent performance of the Mark 3oA. Appearance -wise, the Mark 3oA is de- ceptively unimposing. A perforated metal shield covers all the components with the exception of the tubes, which protrude slightly from the top of the case. All input, output, and power connections are located on top of the case, under the overhanging metal flanges, which I have yet to figure out the function of. Definitely trace of hiss from noisy records, along with a neat looking amplifier, very cleverly de- most of the high frequencies. Actually, signed for ease of installation in a cramped many 78 rpm records will play satisfactorily space. with the RIAA curve, or with the AES The unit is fused and equipped with plus a little bass boost. a convenience AC The last (clockwise) position of the outlet (both also on better than anyone could reasonably expect selector control cuts a rumble filter into it to be. Definitely a unit to be used with the phono circuit, very effectively suppress- top -quality associated components, since ing all bass below about 3o cycles. The it is well in that category itself. - J.G.H. filter provides a fairly sharp cutoff (r 2 db MANUFACTURER'S COMMENT: Just to resolve the per octave), so the effect on musical bal- mystery of the overhanging flanges; their primary function is to ensure that enough space is left ance is insignificant on any but the finest above the tubes for ventilation when the amplifier speaker systems. is installed in a cabinet. The Mark ro does not, however, have Thank you! En. any input level -set controls. Bench tests - indicated a rather wide safety margin, but some of the input equipment available today could conceivably exceed this margin, with resulting overload of the early stages. Admittedly, most tuners and tape recorders have their own playback volume controls, Astatic 55 -TJ Cartridge that can be used to establish input level, The Mark 3oA: thirty SPECIFICATIONS (furnished I'm a little dubious about the wisdom watts of clean sound. by the manufacturer): a but turnover- stylus ceramic phono cartridge. Compli- of completely eliminating input controls ance: 0.8 x 10-6 centimeters per dyne. Response: from the amplifier, particularly in view of 20 to 15,000 cycles. Output: 0.7 volt. Tracking force: 8 grams. Price: $9.50 list. Dual -stylus assembly is the lack of provision for cutting out the replaceable. Manufacturer: The Astatic Corpora- top of the but tion, Conneaut, Ohio. loudness compensation in the volume con- case), since it lacks an AC switch itself, it must be used with trol. A higher- than -average input signal By now, just about everyone a control unit that has at least one switched knows that would necessitate running the loudness con- ceramic cartridges are AC outlet on it. capable of wide -range trol at a fairly low setting, well within its reproduction; that they are usually less ex- The Mark that I tested performed bass boost range, where it would provide 3oA pensive than magnetics; and admirably on test instruments, falling well that they are boost even at full room volume. But then, physically rugged and insensitive within the manufacturer's specifications in to hum we can't expect everything from a $75 am- pickup. Unless an adaptor is used, though, all respects as far as I could determine. plifier, either. they can't ordinarily be plugged into a mag- It sounded equally good. Summing up, my general reaction to netic cartridge input circuit. Since most Possibly the most appropriate observa- the Mark ro is that it is definitely better amplifiers' variable equalization controls are tion I can make about its sound is that than most of its similarly priced com- effective only on the magnetic input channel, it is characterless. It petitors, and is capable of competing with seems to add or and more record -playing flexibility can be subtract nothing from some that are much more expensive, at the original sound, obtained with a variable equalizer, ceramics being neither least at low volume levels. It is not a de- brilliant nor subdued. It still haven't achieved wide acceptance in luxe amplifier in any sense of the word, handles high -level passages with ease, and hi -fi circles. generally produces but for someone who wants very clean, nice, smooth sound This is unfortunate, because some of the its smooth sound at moderate cost, it repre- over entire operating power range, newer ceramic cartridges are really quite which is appreciable. It can be listened sents an unusually good buy. - J. G. H. good; given more encouragement by the to for prolonged periods without causing buying public, it is entirely possible that MANUFACTURER'S COMMENT: You have stated the aural fatigue, and its definition over the they would receive more intensive case with remarkable clarity . an amplifier is develop- good only if it sounds good! Sound quality cannot audible spectrum is excellent at all levels. ment and could be made to equal or surpass be defined by specifications. Certain design fac- One result of the high damping factor tors are difficult to express in printed form, but we are building them into our amplifiers. and excellent low -frequency stability of Continued on page z 14

I I 2 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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www.americanradiohistory.com TESTED IN THE HOME is 8 grams tor 78s, probably less for LPs Hallmark Amplifier Kit (although we tested the LP side at 8 grams). Continued from page 112 Vertical compliance was high also; the net SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): a power amplifier kit employing the original William- result should be reasonably low record and son circuit, special transformers, tropicalized corn - the performance of the best (and most ex- stylus wear. The cartridge as supplied, in- ponents, and a pre -wired circuit board. Tubes: 2- KT -66, 2- 12AÚ7, 531CÚ. Frequency response: pensive) magnetics. At this time no one cidentally, has two sapphire styli. r 0.5 db from 10 to 50,000 cps. Inlermodulation will claim seriously that they're that good. According to our workbench checks the distortion: less than 0.7 % at 15 watts, 2.5 % at 20 watts. Price: $102.00. DISTRIBUTOR: British Still, some even now can give the lower - response matched the RIAA playback curve Radio Electronics Ltd., 1833 Jefferson Place, priced magnetics stiff competition; among quite closely, at the high end, out to be- N. W., Washington 6, D. C. them is the Astatic 55 -TJ. yond 12,000 cycles. At the low end some Some of the mail order houses, such as The 55 -TJ has a replaceable -stylus dual bass boost was required, about 5 db at 5o Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery -Ward, will assembly connected directly 11/2 to the turnover cycles. Termination was megohms; if a loan do- it- yourselfers the necessary tools lever. The shaft on which the styli are higher load were used, perhaps the bass for plumbing, electrical, and other home would come up. Peaks and dips in the projects. While most audio equipment response curve were moderate and not sharp builders have all the tools with which to this accounts for - the complete absence of construct the Hallmark amplifier, one visible sine -wave distortion, and the smooth special tool could well be loaned: a small and well -balanced sound. Brilliance was derrick. I'm not joking (too much, any- lacking, compared to many cartridges. Per- way); once the transformers are installed, sonally, I like it that way, because it com- pensates for the accentuated lower -treble response of most speakers. The 55 -TJ matches RIAA playback curve. Until variable equalizers are more generally provided on amplifier high -level in- mounted directly opposing one another puts, then, the 55 -TJ can be highly engages a longer drive lever that produces recommended for replacement of low -fi stress in the ceramic element; in this way, cartridges in standard phonographs and for a double leverage is obtained and compli- hi -fi systems in which simplicity is em- ance is increased. Tracking force required phasized. - R. A.

GE 850 Speaker and hearing from such small systems. The high end is quite smooth, and lacks the shrill- A1-411 Enclosure ness that is sometimes associated with SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): an "presence" in speakers. In a large room the 8 -inch extended range speaker and small distri- bass tends to be quite boomy. In a smaller, buted -port enclosure. MODEL 850 SPEAKER - Fre- quency response: 50 to 12,000 cycles. Power rating: bright- sounding room, though, the over -all 15 watts integrated program material. Impedance: balance is quite pleasant. The low end Completed Hallmark power amplifier kit. 8 ohms. Cone resonance: 90 cycles. Magnet weight: 6.8 oz. Diameter: 8 in. Price: $9.93. MODEL A1-411 holds up to about 8o cycles, and further ENCLOSURE Type: distributed -port bass reflex, down, well below the range of the speaker, this amplifier seems to weigh the major cutout for 8 -inch speaker. Lining: ),"-inch thick glass wool. Dimensions: 10 in. high by 26 wide by there is no trace of cone doubling. This part of a ton. Actually, it weighed 39 lb. 11 deep. Price: blonde $34.79, cherry $32.59, may be responsible for the lack of muddi- on the bathroom scales! mahogany $32.59, unfinished $30.38. MANUFAC- TURER: General Electric Company, Electronics ness in the sound it produces within its Naturally, weight isn't necessarily a sign Park, Syracuse, N. Y. useful range. Just above its cutoff frequency of performance, but this whole unit be- there is a fairly large peak in the response, speaks battleship ruggedness and quality As long as there are modest incomes and which probably accounts for the full sound (it's even painted battleship gray! ) . Five modest living -quarters there will continue from the system. oil -filled capacitors are used, not just ordi- to be moderate- sized-to -tiny speaker sys- The speaker is rated at 15 watts, and I nary electrolytics. The components are tems, and while this is possibly not the believe it. At high volume levels it stands tropicalized, to withstand humidity and smallest enclosure I have seen, it is certainly up very well, and it can take a pretty fair heat. The nuts and bolts glisten with one of the smaller ones. Proportioned with amount of bass boost without going off chrome plating. High stability resistors an eye to cramped space requirements, it is into distortion. are used and, when required, are matched small enough to fit into a record storage Nothing spectacular here ... it won't take to a tolerance of considerably better than ten inches high. the place a full -sized high -priced speaker shelf of the claimed 1 %. And so on. The unit we received for testing came with system. But used where space is at a pre- But I can hear you saying, "the power a GE model 85o speaker. so the description mium, or as the remote speaker it was de- rating is maybe 15 to 18 watts. It's a kit, to follow will be for both items. The 85o signed to be, it puts out sound that is easily yet the cost is $102.00. That's pretty steep, isn't it ?" That's a tough one, and there isn't any black- and -white answer. It's rather this way: I think a 1956 Mer- cury, Dodge, or what have you, kicks up a lot more horsepower than a Rolls Royce, but people who have the money to buy either one often choose the Rolls. I don't think many will argue with me if I therefore say that the Hallmark certainly appears to be the Rolls Royce of power amplifier kits. Whether or not it is worth its price is something only you can decide. I can tell you that the sound it gives off GE distributed port speaker enclosure and 85o speaker: "smooth highs, balanced sound." is beautiful. Under normal room listening conditions, the bass is remarkable; those s, according to the manufacturer, designed listenable and is at least as clean as that from who say "All anyone needs is ten clean for use as an extension speaker for larger some of the monsters. watts" should try out this unit to uphold systems, and I have, frankly, heard some Cabinet construction is remarkably solid, their end of the argument. I put 0.03 much larger speaker systems that I liked with little tendency to "drum," and the volts (by meter) of square wave at 4o less than this one. speaker is readily accessible from the back cycles into the amplifier and got out, with The 85o in its cabinet produced nicely - of the enclosure. Plenty of acoustic padding, balanced sound that I'm not accustomed to and a neat, cozy appearance. -J. G. H. Continued on page 116

I4 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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MARCH 1956 115

www.americanradiohistory.com TESTED IN THE HOME and tried to be extra neat with my wiring; as such above the other sound, the differ- its been a long time since I've pushed ence is immediately noticeable when Continued from page 114 spaghetti over bus bar and tried to do switching between the Duplex r2 and a right -angle job like this! Also, I took another speaker having less extended and a speaker load, a square wave that was in- some short -cuts. I did not wire in the smooth bass. distinguishable from the input. This was AC switch, nor the power outlet octal The dark patches visible on the cone a cruel test; all too many amplifiers are socket. are so- called mid -range stabilizers, presum- tested with a resistive load - and you All in all, I like this kit! - C. F. ably to control cone breakup and reflections should see what happens to some of them in the range above I,000 cycles. They when confronted with actual conditions; a seem to be quite effective, since the over- speaker in an enclosure. Incidentally, the all sound of the Duplex - although bright 0.03 volt was enough to give off ample - is smoothly bright. The range from sound; in some ways, a very low signal about 3,000 to 5,500 cycles is elevated a such as this is more difficult for an ampli- Beam Stentorian 12 -inch bit too much for me, although long -time fier to handle than stronger ones which Speakers readers will recall that I am perhaps overly drive it into its normal operating zone. critical of presence ranges. Still, the sound Further, I ran right up to 20,000 cycles SPECIFICATIONS (furnished by manufacturer): the remains clean because this is a smooth 12 -inch Duplex is a true coaxial speaker with phe- with the same input; output did not vary nolic tweeter horn and built -in crossover network. and relatively wide peak. Above that the half a decibel. That was another tough Flux density: woofer voice coil, 14,000 Gauss; high - frequency driver, 17,000 Gauss. Response: 20 to test; frequency response remained flat even 20,000 cycles. Cambric cone with mid -range at very low levels. The square wave at stabilizers. Bass resonance: 35 cycles. Impedance: 15 ohms. Power rating: 15 watts. Crossover: full - zo kc was excellent; it showed a trace of half- section LC, 3,000 cycles. Price: $119.00. Model HF 1214 is a 12 -inch extended range speaker with mid -range stabilizers and uncured cambric edge suspension. Flux density: 14,000 Gauss. Response: 25 to 14,000 cycles. Bass resonance: 39 cycles. Impedance: 15 ohms. Power rating: 15 watts. Price: $49.50. Both units have non -resonant die -cast frames. DISTRIBUTOR: Beam Instruments Corporation, 350 Fifth Ave., New York 1, N. Y. Here are two more Stentorian speakers, having the same bass performance characteristics which made my review of the HF 1012 -U so favorable (TITH, Sep- tember 1955). These, however, are both 12 -inch models, much smoother in the middle range, and able to handle con- Duplex model has deep bass, bright sound. siderably more power comfortably. They are also more expensive, of course. Let's take the HF 12 Duplex first. This response goes out nicely level to 15,000 is a very heavy (161/2 lb.) coaxial unit cycles, followed by a slow roll -off. with individual voice coils for the low - The HF 1214 seems to be basically the frequency cone and high -frequency driver. cone section only of the Duplex 12. It The magnet accounts for 111/2 pounds has the same stabilizing patches, and the same superb bass reponse. Perhaps sur- Bottom view shows pre-wired circuit board. of the total weight. The tweeter horn is of phenolic plastic, heavy and non- reson- prisingly, it is not at all bright, but is and smooth ant; the woofer cone is stiff and has a well -balanced (to my ear) ringing, but that could be cured with a very pliant suspension of uncured cambric, from 4o to 14,000 cycles. Although the little fussing around. highs are quite directional, this which gives it a low natural resonance fre- extreme In an A -B listening test with a jury of is not a serious disadvantage with a corner seven, in comparison with a kit having the location; there are highs aplenty if you're same specs but twice the power rating and used to sitting in the center section or costing about half as much, the vote was farther back at a concert, and they are five to two in favor of the Hallmark. In clean and undistorted. Used by itself, the a second test, this time running against an HF 1214 is very much better over -all than assembled amplifier, the jury voted five to the HF 1012 -U. If you like to sit in the two in favor of the assembled amplifier - first few rows, on the other hand, the but it was rated at 7o watts and cost nearly Duplex 12 would be a better choice. 1 $300! These voting ratios held even when would choose the HF 1214, even if the volume was pushed up to a point where prices were the same - actually, it costs peak powers were exceeding 20 watts. Of less than half the price of the Duplex six amplifiers tested at this listening ses- model. sion only the $300 unit and one experi- Both models have die -cast frames with mental 3o- watter out -rated the Hallmark; deep mounting holes that are standard for its bass was not as good but the extreme American -made t2 -inch speakers. The highs were a shade better. Duplex 12, though, is supplied mounted So - to get on with the subject - the on a board that has drilled holes spaced Hallmark is a splendid kit, and it is an for a standard 15 -inch speaker. Since it expensive one. The performance may or should be used in a cabinet large enough may not be worth it - to you. for an ordinary 15 -inch speaker anyway, The kit is not hard to assemble, pri- this ought to be a genuine convenience. It The HF -1214, showing stabilizing patches. marily because so much of the work has has a cloth cover also, to keep out bits already been done on the pre -assembled of padding material and sawdust. - R.A. and pre -wired circuit board. You can see quency. In a properly -tuned bass -reflex MANUFACTURER'S COMMENT: Introduction of the the board in the illustration. enclosure, response at the low end is full mid -range stabilizers in our 12 -inch cones is the The instructions are not difficult to fol- and smooth to well below 4o cycles. Really logical development supplementing the wide success achieved with the Stentorian "uncured cam- low, and I commend British Radio Elec- deep bass passages, from organ, drum, or bric" cones in the "Universal" 8, 9 and 10 -inch tronics for suggesting a series of tests to bass viol cause more of a tactile sensation models. It is to be noted that the unusually good low- frequency response also makes the HF -1214 be run before plugging into the AC line. than an audible one, as they should; very a first -class inexpensive woofer, when used with This made me feel a little safer when that low beat -notes from the piano are repro- a suitable dividing network and tweeter. great, final moment arrived. I went slowly, duced and, although they cannot be heard

I16 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com ANTONIO STRADIVARI: CRAFTSMAN

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MARCH 1956 r17

www.americanradiohistory.com ENGLAND - 185 Meet Hermon Hosmer Scott, Audio Pioneer! Continued from page 44

such important results in his school for choral music, and who died of grief when, for the sake of economy, the July Monarchy cut off his subsidy. And yet by means of three or four institutions which could easily be established in France, nothing would Hi -Fi prevent our giving in Paris after a certain number of years a parallel to RECORD CHANGER the English music festival, on a small but perfected scale. We have no St. quality "intermix" Paul's, true; but we have the Pan- changing at theon, which affords, if not the size, at least a similar internal structure. economy prices The number of performers and au- Mr. Scott is well known for his significant dience would be less huge; but the contributions in measuring and reducing edifice being also less vast the effect noise. Scott noise level meters and ana- might still be most unusual. lyzers are widely used in industrial Tabora tones and Scott's remarkable Supposing that the ramp from the invention, the Dynamic Noise Suppressor, uncannily elimi- top of the central door of the Pan- nates noise from all records and poor broad- theon could hold no more than five cast reception without any loss of music. As thousand, it would still make a res- every audiophile knows, Scott manufactures pectable gathering, and would, as I a most distinguished line of audio equipment. think, suffice to seat all those in Paris who possess an understanding of, and Typical of the quality components that bear the Scott name is the versatile 210 -D, a a feeling for, art. Suppose next that combination preampequalizer, power ampli- instead of 6,5oo ignorant children, we fier. Dynamic Noise Suppressor, and featur- audiophile net in $4495 had the amphitheater 1,50o young ing unusually complete tape recording musicians, goo musical women with facilities. "In designing equipment for per- Enjoy superior record performance and real voices, and 2,000 men singers fectionists," says Scott, "associated com- unsurpassed listening pleasure with the sufficiently equipped by nature and ponents must be of equivalent caliber, We magnificent DEKAMIX automatic inter- mixing changer. Wow, flutter and rumble training. Suppose further that instead find the wide dynamic range and tonal are things of the past because of the of allotting the central space of the response of the Berlant Concertone most quality that expert craftsmanship has hexagon under the dome to the public, useful in our laboratory test and design built into this outstanding changer. we placed there a little orchestra of work. Of equal importance, we find we can three or four hundred instrumentalists, depend on it in continuous daily operation." DEKAMIX changes stacks of inter- mixed 7, 10 and 12 -inch records at and entrusted to that well- trained mass Visit your Berlant -Concertone distributor all 3 standard speeds, automatically, of 4,30o musicians the performance this week for a demonstration of the unusual without distortion or interference. of a fine work, written in a style features that have made Berlant -Concertone Heavy-duty 4 -pole motor is so well to designed that it minimizes any ten- suited such means, on a subject in the first choice of audiophiles, according to dency towards rumble. which grandeur blends with nobility, a recent independent survey The Concertone

Balanced turntable is of rubber - and in which one is stirred by the recorder is priced from $445. The Berlant covered non -magnetic metal, with a expression of all the elevated thoughts Recorder with hysteresis synchronous motor, weighted top -plate to insure against specifically designed for broadcast and record damage. that can move the heart of man: I believe that such a manifestation of recording use, from $595. Both recorders are available as complete sound systems An acoustically -balanced the most powerful of arts, aided by with matching playback amplifiers and high -fidelity tone arm the magic of poetry and architecture, has minimum low- fre- speakers. For detailed literature fully would be truly worthy of a nation like quency resonance and describing these recorders, write Dept. am negligible tracking error. ours and would leave far behind the Supplied with 2 plug-in shells, one of vaunted festivals of antiquity. H. H. Scott BerlantConcertone which accepts the new GE Reluctance With exclusively French resources cartridge, the other accommodating most other standard hi -fi pickups. such a festival would be possible within ten years; Paris has only to will it Also available with a high -performance so. Meanwhile, relying solely on the crystal cartridge with two sapphire stylii 210 -D Amplifier . personal choice and one spare shell for the GE cartridge first rudiments of music, the English of leading ... a tremendous value at only $5.00 do will it and do do it. audio manufacturers additional. A great people, which still has an instinct for AT LEADING HI -FI MUSIC CENTERS what is great! The soul of Shakes- WRITE TODAY FOR COMPLETE LITERATURE peare survives in it! Audio Division of American Electronics, Inc. ERCONA CORPORATION * 4917 West Jefferson Boulevard (Electronic Division) Los Angeles 16, California 551 Fifth Ave., Dept.® New York, N. Y. Continued on page 122 Consult Recordata Division tor industriai requirements I18 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com There is a distinctive look about Harman -Kardon High Fidelity instruments that makes them instantly recognizable. They don't look at all like conventional radios or phonographs - and they don't sound like them either. In fact, when used with an appropriate loudspeaker and record player, reproduction of radio and records is so good that, in many respects, it actually surpasses the concert hall's best. A high fidelity performance in your living room is fashioned from program material, broadcast or recorded under ideal technical conditions. This material is faultlessly received or amplified and is then reproduced with precise adjustment for the acoustics of the room and the hearing characteristics of the listener. Thus, free of the acoustic limitations of the concert hall, uncompromised by the accident of seating location and untroubled by audience noises, a superb high fidelity performance is assured ... you and the music meet under ideal conditions. Send postcard for FREE illustrated catalog HF -3 harman kardon

u N CO R POR ATEO 520 MA'!W STREET, YESTBUR", L. I., N. Y.

MARCH 1956 121

www.americanradiohistory.com ENGLAND- 1851

RIDER Continued from page ix R BOOKS THERE IS NO city in the world, FOR HI -FI FANS I am sure, where so much music NE HI -FI LOUDSPEAKERS & ENCLOSURES is consumed as in London. You are by Abraham B. Cohen pursued by it into the very streets, and Here is a long- needed, long -awaited book that is destined to become a clas- the music made there is by no means sic volume in the field of hi -fi literature. always the worst. For a number of The subject is covered so completely, II/dH talented artists have discovered that that every question any hi -fi fan may ask about high fidelity loudspeakers and the profession of itinerant musician is enclosures is answered in its informa- infinitely less arduous and more lucra- tion- packed pages. ,' !"! It is supremely au- tive / / /A, thoritative and brilliantly written! The than that of an orchestra player author is a recognized authority, a in any theater whatever. Playing in musician and an engineer who has been the street takes only two or three intimately connected with the field of acoustics, and particularly with loud- hours a day, as against eight or nine speaker and enclosure design. Ilis in the theaters. In the street you are richly imaginative writing skill has re- out in the open, you breathe fresh t sulted in a book that is not only in- NE C formative, it makes for very interesting air, you move about, and you only reading as well. Vivid and equally have to play a little piece from time imaginative illustrations increase this to time. In the theater you stand a effectiveness, and further help you in selecting, using and enjoying hi -fi stifling atmosphere and the heat of loudspeakers and enclosures. It is a the gas, you have to keep sitting and volume that will increase your pleasure in hi -fi reproduction, and save you playing without interruption, some- money at the same time. A MUST times even during the intermissions. book for all audio and hi -fi technicians and enthusiasts! In a theater, moreover, a second -class No. 176 Only $4.60 musician earns hardly more than six HIGH FIDELITY SIMPLIFIED pounds a month ( $30 ) . The same by H. D. Weiler musician making a debut in the pub- Tells you how to achieve concert hall lic is THE reception in your home. Discusses squares almost sure to take in tuners, changers, amplifiers, tape re- twice that amount in a month, and often corders, speakers, record players, etc. more. The result is that one can hear No. 142, Soft Cover: 224 pp , 5% x 8%" illus Only $2.50 with actual pleasure in the streets of GUIDE TO AUDIO REPRODUCTION London small groups of good English The Citation, finest port- by D. Fidel man musicians, who are as white as you able tape recorder in the An A to Z explanation of the reproduc- and I, but who have deemed it ad- field, tion of sound, covering design, con- moderate -price struction, assembly and testing of visable to attract attention by blacken- is as modern and hand- sound systems and their components. ing their faces. some in design as it is No. 148, Soft Cover: 240 pp., 53/2"x8% ", in illus. These sham Abyssinians accompany rich and clear faithful Only $3.50 reproduction. RIDER'S SPECIALIZED HI -FI themselves on a violin, a guitar, a tam- AM -FM TUNER MANUAL bourine, a couple of kettledrums, and More important, the An informative, factory accurate manu- castanets. They little five Citation makes it possible al covering the 20 most popular brands sing -part of AM or FM hi -fi tuners. Gives you airs, most agreeably harmonized, quite for you to afford profes- comparative specifications and charac- melodious, and sometimes original in sional levels of full teristics, detailed information on and undistorted ad- rhythm. And the men, too, are lively frequency justments, etc. fidelity - with features No. 7001, Soft Cover: 192 pp., 8 11 and full of spirit, which shows that %x ", usually found only in tape illus Only $3 50 they like their work and are happy. RIDER'S SPECIALIZED recorders for professional TAPE RECORDER Shillings and even half -crowns rain MANUAL, Vol. 1 use. Fact -filled pap on every recorder down around them after each of their decide, see the made by the 12 wost prominent manu- pieces. Before you facturers, from 1950 through 1954. All Citation. To be convinced, details of operation, adjustments, trou- Besides these strolling bands of real hear the Citation. ble diagnosis, etc. musicians one will also stop and hear No. 6001, Soft Cover: 288 pp., 8% x11", Write for full information, or ask illus a fine Scot garbed in the curious cos- Only $4.50 your Magnecord dealer for a HOW TO SERVICE TAPE RECORDERS tume of the Highlands and accom- demonstration. He's listed in the by C. A. Tuthill panied by his two children, also wear- classified telephone directory Completely describes operation of re- ing the plaid and the checkered kilt. under "Recorders." cording heads, types of electronics circuits, drive mechanisms, etc. He plays on the bagpipes the favorite No. 167, Soft Cover: 160 pp., 5 .-x832 ", tune of the clan MacGregor. He too illus Only $2.90 is excited by the sounds of his rustic agnecord,/nc. FREE CATALOG ON REQUEST -re jfilc;eZ`.ur ore ire .recivd.i9 AVAILABLE AT YOUR JOBBER OR BOOKSTORE, instrument; and the more his pipes OR WRITE TO chirp, drone, squeal, and frisk, 1101 S. KILBOURN AVE. JOHN F. RIDER Publisher, Inc. the 180 Canal Street, New York 19, N. Y. more his gestures and those of his CHICAGO 24, ILLINOIS In Canada: Charles W. Pointon, Ltd. children become swift, proud, and 8 Alcina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario menacing. One would think these

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www.americanradiohistory.com Gaels were going to conquer England, just the three of them. COMPLETE HI-FI the Sound Next you see coming toward you, r, drowsy and melancholy, two poor that Hindus from Calcutta with their once CGfesG ltC white turbans and once white robes. STANDS Their whole orchestra is made up of two small drums shaped like kegs, by ALONE nauland such as one saw by the dozen at the BEAM Exhibition. They hang the instrument -k in front of them by a string around Tuner, Preamp and Amplifier in a the neck, and gently beat both sides single, compact BALANCED HI -FI unit of it with the extended fingers of at extremely low cost ... STENT ORlAN each hand. The feeble noise produced DUPLEX has a rather peculiar rhythm, which LOUDSPEAKERS in its continuity resembles the rapid 7g V gatfrta(-/ Acclaimed by experts the world over click -clack of a windmill. as a truly great audio achievement, One of British -made Beam Stentorian Duplex them sings to it, in some dialect of loudspeakers provide thrilling, realistic India, a pretty little melody in E listening for music -lover and techni- cian alike. minor that stays within the compass Just a few of the many Stentorian de- of a sixth ( from E to C) . It is so sad sign features which ensure smooth, in spite of its brisk movement, so full full -range response are: maximum energy in 111/2 lb. series magnet sys- of pain, so exiled, so enslaved, so tem, adjustable, one piece impregnated disheartened, so sunless, that as you Here's the quality unit for simplest in- L.F. cambric cone with compliant sus- listen to it you fall a prey to home- stallation- merely add speaker and pension, light- weight aluminum self - sickness. Here again there are neither record changer and have your complete, centering H.F. diaphragm and voice superb FM -AM -Phono home music coil system, machined center pole, thirds of tones, quarters, nor half - system. No cabinet required -saves phase- matched H.F. horn and acoustic quarters - and it is singing. money, space, installation problems. transformer, built-in mid -range stabil- You get the ultimate in wide -range musi- izers, built -in half pi crossover network Judging from the instruments sent cal enjoyment and you pay less for it. and non -resonant die -cast frames. by India to the Universal Exhibition, Features are outstanding. Response: FM ± 0.5 db, 20 to 20,000 cps; AM, STENTORIAN 12" RANGE the music of the East Indians must FULL DUPLEX - Re- ± db, 20 to 5,000 cps; Phono, ± 0.5 sponse 20. 20,000 cps; Bass Resonance 35 cps; differ 3.0 Power Rating 15 watts; Two 11/2" concentric but slightly from that of the db, 20 to 20,000 cps. Sensitivity: FM, voice coils; 11í/2 Ib. Alcomax 3 magnet sys- Chinese. I have examined among 3 mv. for 20 db of quieting; AM, 5 mv. tem - L.F. gap 14,000 gauss - H.F. gap 0.5 watt Harmonic 17,000 gauss; Input Impedance 15 ohms; those childish machines, mandolins for output. distor- Fitted crossover network; Non -resonant die - tion: Radio input, less than 2%; Phono cast frame, Total weight 161/2 lbs. $119. with three or four strings, and even input, less than 0.7 %. Separate front with only one, whose fingerboards ends for AM and FM; tuned RF stage 10" WIDE RANGE DUPLEX - Response 30- on FM; discriminator with dual limiters; 16,000 cps; Bass Resonance 35 cps; Power were divided by frets, as with the Rating 10 watts; Two 1" voice coils; 31/2 Ib. AFC with defeat on function switch; Alcomax 3 magnet system - L.F. gap 12,000 Chinese. Some are small, others of FM dipole antenna; AM has RF stage, gauss - H.F. gap 13,000 gauss; Input Im- pedance 15 ohms; Fitted crossover network very great length. There were big ferrite loop. Separate bass, treble con- Non -resonant die -cast frame, Total weight trols; RIAA record equalization; choice 61/2 lbs. $44.50. drums and small drums, the sound of of standard or equal loudness control; 12 But specifications and features are not which differs little from that produced full watts output, etc. Ultra -compact design, only 53/4" high; decorator -styled enough. Stentorian Duplexes must be heard by tapping with your fingers on the to be appreciated. So visit your dealer today. in handsome charcoal black with marble- crown of a was a Hear Beam Stentorians - the sound that top hat. There ized gold finish. Fits anywhere beauti- stands alone -for yourself and be convinced! double -reed wind instrument akin to fully. See and hear the "Golden En- our oboe, whose tube, having no holes, semble" soon. STENTORIAN MODEL HF 1214, 12" EXTENDED RANGE SPEAKER - Response 25-14,000 cps; produces only a single note. The lead- Bass Resonance 39 cps; Power Rating 15 watts; 11/2" voice coil; 5 lb. 8 oz. Alcomax er of the musicians who came to Paris 3 magnet system - 14,000 gauss; Input Im- NEW! HI -FI SOUND FOR TV! pedance 15 ohms; Mid -range stabilizing discs Continued on next page impregnated into front of cone; Die -cast EXCLUSIVE RAULAND frame, Total weight 93/4 lbs. $49.50 TV55 TELEVISION SOUND TUNER Unusually good L.F. response also makes Model HF1214 an ideal woofer. Designed for use with the "Golden En- MODEL T-12 SUPER TWEETER - Response semble". Makes your TV sound "come 3,000-20,000 cps; 11/2" diameter aluminum FM STATION alive" for thrilling listening or tape record- voice coil; 15 ohms; Power Rating 15 watts; ing. Just plug in tune and enjoy Hi -Fi on channel, 9 lb. 16,000 gauss Alcomax 3 magnet. audio any VHF played $58.50 DIRECTORY through your RAULAND music system! See it -hear it now. MODEL T -10 TWEETER - 2,000- 16,000 cps; 15 ohm voice coil; 5 watts. $19.95

STENTORIAN CX3000 CROSSOVER - Half pi Visit your Hi -Fi dealer for a personal matching network for 15 ohm woofers and In NEW YORK CITY RAULAND Hi -Fi audition. See and tweeters. Input impedance 15 ohms; Cross- hear over at 3,000 the "Golden Ensemble" and TV 55 Sound cps. $9.25 FOR QUALITY MUSIC Tuner -and you'll know you're getting the For Literature and Detailed Specifications, Write: NIGHTLY very best for less. BEAM INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION Write for full 6 P.M. to 12 Midnight 350 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y. details covering dial the complete In Canada: Cossor Ltd., 8230 Mayrand St., Montreal 9, P.Q. RAULAND Charter MemSen Institute of High Fidelity Manufacturers, Inc. Hi -Fi line T /M Whiteley Electrical Radio Company RAULAND -BORG CORPORATION World famous speaker manufacturers for 30 years. WWRL-FM---105.1 Mc 3515 W. Addison St., Dept. F, Chicago 18, III

MARCH 1956 123

www.americanradiohistory.com ENGLAND 18 Exciting High Fidelity Firsts! - 51 In these superb matched instruments -enjoy Continued from preceding page the foremost advances in High- Fidelity -startling realism - lowest distortion - precision craftsmanship -gleaming polished chromium some years ago with the nautch -girls chassis. of Calcutta used this primitive oboe. He would make an A hum for whole 6 hours, and those who love this parti- N TERELECTR °HICS cular note got their money's worth. Coronation 400 The Exhibition's collection of WAYS TO GUARD Oriental instruments also contained: WATT traverse flutes, in all respects similar 40 AMPLIFIER to that of the Small- footed Lady's YOUR HEART music master; an enormous, crudely built trumpet of a pattern differing only slightly from that of European trumpets; several bowed instruments as clumsily worthless as the one used on the junk by the Chinese fiend I mentioned; a sort of dulcimer whose strings are stretched over a long sound- 1. AVOID SELF -DIAGNOSIS ing- board, and are apparently sup- In case of doubt see your doctor. posed to be struck with a stick; a ridiculous little harp with ten or Greatest amplifier buy today! COMPLETELY twelve strings attached to the body of NEW, NON -RINGING NEGATIVE FEEDBACK the instrument without pegs to stretch CIRCUITRY - over 50 DB feedback. CUSTOM CRAFTED - sealed transformers, encapsulated them, and which are as a result con- 2. AVOID WORRY networks, finest molded components on Bake- lite terminal board. DISTORTION -FREE - less stantly discordant with each other; Worrying cures or prevents than 0.05% at 30 watts. POWER RESPONSE and lastly a great wheel fitted all nothing. -0.1 DB 16 to 35,000 cycles at 30 watts. Sur- passes FCC requirements for FM broadcasting. around with small gongs, the din of 5 to 200,000 cycle response. 40 WATT WIDE - which as the wheel moves is as de- RANGE OUTPUT TRANSFORMER, sealed multiple section windings, thin strip core. FOOL- lightful as the noise of the bells on PROOF DAMPING CONTROL for startling the harness of a carter's horse. That's speaker performance. BUILT -IN POWER for preamplifiers and newest electrostatic tweeters. the battery: take off your hat to it! 3. AVOID OVER -FATIGUE To sum up, this is my conclusion When you rest or sleep, your the Chinese and Indians would have heart's work load is lightened. a music similar to ours if indeed they had one. But they are still plunged in Coronation 85 the dark depths of barbarism, and in a childish ignorance where one can CONSOLETTE PREAMPLIFIER - EQUALIZER hardly detect some vague and impotent instincts. The Orientals more- 4. AVOID OVER -EXERTION over give the name of music to what Exercise in moderation, particu- we should call a din: for them, as for larly if over 40. the witches in Macbeth, "foul is fair."

$79 50 WHISTLE (VIVALDI) S. AVOID OVER -WEIGHT Incomparable companion to the "CORONA- Continued from page 4( TION 400 ". EXCLUSIVE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK Excess weight loads extra work CIRCUITRY. Over 50 DB- virtually eliminates of Rome's Santa Cecilia Conservatory. on your heart. distortion. Surpasses FCC requirements for FM Broadcasting. 5 to 200,000 cycle response. The prime mover and guide of the CUSTOM CRAFTED -polished chromium chassis, satin gold front panel. Encapsulated precision Virtuosi is Renato Fasano, who in networks, molded components on Bakelite addition to being the conductor of this panel. LOUDNESS CONTROL, continuously variable. FIVE INPUT SELECTIONS, 16 PRECISION thirteen -man group is also its impre- PLAYBACK CURVES. FULL 20 DB DISTORTION - sario, with a gift for organization that Ca FREE Bass and Treble compensation. Phenom- enal lowest noise Z -729 input tube HUM IN- equals his musical talent. He has, in 6. SUPPORT YOUR HEART FUND AUDIBLE with all controls on full. Highest fact, built it into a world- famous en- Your contribution advances the gain. Built -in power for motion picture photo- nation -wide fight against the cells, FM phono cartridges, condenser micro- semble. The Virtuosi have already phones. Ultra compact, easy front mounting. heart diseases through research, been to America four times, touring education and community heart Now ut your local dealer.' the country from coast to coast, en- Write Dept. /I for literature programs. chanting the critics ( including even INTERELECTRONICS Chicago's hard -hearted Claudia Cas- HELP YOUR 2432 Grand Concourse HELP YOUR dr, a sidy), and establishing the fact that in New York 58, New York HEART FUND HEART America. as in Italy, "there is" - to o

HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com quote the Herald Tribune's review of their concert - "a large and enthusiastic audience for music outside the standard repertory." I Musici have also toured America once, and they are planning a return during 1956 -57. Though the twelve musicians who now form the group are not all part of the original team, they have, if anything, improved and refined their playing. And they have,

in their brief existence, won the praise CD AC = CO CD d 3 = 131 .7-C 0 m of concertgoers everywhere among o CD° a N - O + N O V, N yi5 N a _dl..s.C: them Toscanini, who called them r.ND g C I s-; N CD N 0 0 /t and said, n s. "perfect chamber orchestra" even more eloquently, bravi, bravis- simi! The Maestro is not aroused to enthusiasm by mere intentions. The rosters of these organizations shift considerably. Some members of I Musici have left to do solo work. In other cases, musicians go from one organization to another ( Aldo Redditi. m N- O_ 0) O O° (D of the Trio Redditi, is also first violin N ...... l"1 = tn Ñ O ? K 0- N ]C r0-Y co of the Piccola Accademia Musicale, a CD CO D° Q - 03 -= . chamber orchestra) And this season, CD ) C 0,1 0- two former members of the Virtuosi, G G F FE the pianist Ornella Puliti Santoliquido ÿ m ó -Nf_ and the cellist Massimo Amfiteatroff. ó m m 2 0 Ì Cr Cr N. were instrumental in organizing a new sd fDO.ço Ó m real chamber group of twelve players, the Complesso da Camera Antonio Vivaldi. high fidelity which gave its initial concert last No- music vember in the Aula Magna of Rome University. Though some of the per- made easy- formers seemed a bit shaky in this first concert, Amfiteatroff played master- You no longer need to under- fully in the Boccherini cello concerto stand the complications of high in D major, and Signora Santoliquido fidelity sound systems to have was brilliant in an unfamiliar piano the very finest music in your concerto (that in C major) by Paisiello. home. MusiCraft experts will These two soloists also play together as the Duo di Roma. The Vivaldi recommend the best combina- 'nt tion of components in your price Complesso is already off on tour and is dickering with a record company. range and demonstrate them in They may be expected in the United an atmosphere like that of your States probably within a year or two. own living room. Florence - or rather, its beautiful We will handle all or any part suburb Fiesole - is the home of the ÿ of a high fidelity installation ... Piccola Accademia Musicale mentioned from supplying a single compo- above, a twenty-piece orchestra which, nent to designing special cabinet though its members are for the most Italian, was organized and is con- W N work or built -in construction part cg°°órnóm detail. We are also prepared to ducted by the young American scholar Ñry w w ° *Fs * work with your architect or in- and conductor, Newell Jenkins. Hav- W ing studied at Yale with Hindemith mu'á-_._"._ .. terior decorator. x -..E2 Ám wp Ap and in Germany with Orff, Jenkins is fJ OC faithful in his transcrip- ñ particularly o -! fm tions of eighteenth -century works; and . m?ó ° ./YIuQ17C b9 p Ñ co :. the Piccola Accademia has uncovered _ 00 3.= Q^ Ñ 4) 6G f0 lD a number of minor masterpieces from Doá mócóO 48 East Oak .. Cr NO'áñmñ3;46'.' 2 11 N Chicago DElaware 7 -4150 the period, among them the Brunetti C' o. : ó ° á,D, G minor symphony, Locatelli concerto m COMPONENTS AND COMPLETE INSTALLATIONS - x Om . .. IN ALL PRICE RANGES Continued on next page

MARCH 1956 125

www.americanradiohistory.com WHISTLE (VIVALDI) Continued from preceding page

11 pianto di Arianna, and the Viotti double concerto. Though they have not yet visited America, this orchestra (.5rre re tiba 6,--t,AvvIC is well known not only in Italy, but t throughout ( Europe since its organization in 1953, it has toured extensively

every year ) . It has also made two series of recordings for the Haydn So- longer is it necessary to consult a swami to discover which pickup is best. ciety under the general heading "The Classical The latest re- evaluation of phonograph cartridges by The Audio League Italian Symphonists." When one writes of musical activi- again reveals ESL in first place. America's authoritative high fidelity ties in Italy, one must inevitably con- testing organization continues to acclaim the ESL Professional and Concert series clude with some mention of the Italian cartridges as "by far the finest phonograph reproducing instruments..'" Radio, the RAI, which has been the greatest patron of all towards the corn - The details of these tests are available from ESL without cost. Hear the posers of the past. Hardly a week goes sensational new ESL electrodynamic cartridge at your audio by without some kind of performance of a formerly "neglected" author. In dealer's, and treat yourself to the world's most advanced pickup. its May 1955 issue, HIGH FIDELITY spoke of the RAI's intense and intelli- gent activity, which covers every FOR L I S T E N I N O AT ITS B E S T period and kind of music. This year, as a matter of fact, the Scarlatti Orches- Electro -Sonic Laboratories, Inc. tra will become the permanent orchestra of the Naples Radio. With this as 35-54 Thirty -sixth Street Long Island City 6, N. Y. a start, it is hoped that some of the other cities will be able to support Soloist Series from $14.95 Concert Series $35.95 Professional Series arm and cartridge $106.50 local chamber organizations. In any

`Authorized quotation s No. 6. Please consult Vol. t, Nos. 6 -7 & so (March -April & Nov. 1955) of The Audio League Report, Pleasantville, case, thanks to the enthusiasm of a few N. Y., for the complete technical and subjective report. scholars twenty or thirty years ago and thanks to the growing, answering enthusiasm of the Italian public, the day may not be far off when, throughout the country, people will be whistling Vivaldi as commonly as they now whistle the best known airs of Puccini and Verdi, the veteran "Red Priest's" distinguished successors. POOR RICHARD the drama Continued from page 5i of Carmen the phonograph listener can compare Olivier's rendering with John Barry - moré s ( Audio Rarities 2203; the . the pageantry of Aida speech is wrongly described, at least in the Long Player catalogue, as being from Richard III.) Olivier's excerpts from Henry V mean more to OPERA NEWS readers and Hamlet are currently available on one RCA Victor record (LM 1924 ) . ... who find up -to- the -minute reviews of opera recordings The presentation of both plays is open ... pictures and timings of broadcast operas in action to most of the criticisms made of the ... behind -the- scenes glimpses of opera life new Richard III above. Though in ... advance European festival news neither case is a complete movie sound track inflicted upon us, even the THE METROPOLITAN OPERA GUILD, INC. 654 Madison Ave., NewYork 21 Henry V passages, which are not Please enter my subscription to OPERA NEWS (24 issues). I enclose $4.00 (U.S. funds). excerpted from a sound track, have Name been fixed up to simulate one, with Address lots of fanfares and William Walton. When will Sir Laurence learn that we City . . . Zone State love him for himself alone?

1 z6 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com The most modern CONTROL CENTER and PREAMPLIFIER D you can buy! J

SIR: total speaker circuit. As far as the with FAIRCHILD I must say that I disagree with your speaker is concerned, an amplifier Model 240 answer to Mr. Getchell's letter in the infinite damping factor would present a PREAMPLIFIER October issue. You state that it is complete short circuit to any back -EMF I EQUALIZER not advisable to connect speakers in generated by the speaker, and would totally damp out the reverse voltage. Ob- where PERFORMANCE ... not PRICE series, since it adversely affects the is PRIMARY! voice coils damping of the cones. I see no reason viously, inserting additional Modern One -knob equalizer (type used for this at all if the speakers are identi- into the circuit will increase the DC resis- in professional studios) - gives correct equalization quickly, automatically and cal. I hope the following discussion tance seen by each voice coil, and will con- the same everytime -both turnover and will convince you that there is nothing sequently reduce the total effectiveness of the roll off. Modern Cascode input circuit, gives wrong with this type of connection. damping on each speaker. highest gain with least noise (another Let us assume that the nominal im- Referring to the specific case you men- Fairchild "first "). tioned, the effective impedance presented to Modern Exclusive "Red- Knob" Listen- pedance of a speaker is 4 ohms, and ing Level Control - Obsoletes conven- that it is connected to the 4 -ohm tap each woofer would be 0.4 ohms plus the tional loudness controls-gives low -level compensation that sounds right. amplifier with a damping factor DC resistance of the other woofer, which on an Modern Exclusive "Balanced-Bar" Tone of io. This makes the internal im- would bring the total to about 2.8 ohms Control -Easiest of all to see -Easiest to pedance of the amplifier 0.4 ohm. When for each woofer. use. Modern Styling by Raymond Loewy the speaker is vibrating, it produces a Even regardless of the theoretical con- Associates. voltage across its terminals which is a siderations, it is only necessary to try the And many other features...Net $98.50 two average speakers See your nearest Quality Hi -Fi dealer function of the cone velocity, gap flux series connection of or write: density, and the number of turns on to prove just how detrimental it is to the CO. the voice coil. This voltage produces results. Better -quality woofers mounted FAIRCHILD RECORDING EQUIPMENT 9th Ave. & 154 St., Whitestone 57, N. Y. a current in the circuit which is equal in a well-designed non - resonant baffle do to the voltage divided by the total not have to depend as much upon amplifier circuit impedance. The current sets damping as do lesser- quality installations, up a magnetic field around the voice so such systems may be series connected coil which, according to Lenz's law, without sacrificing quality. THIS IS THE BOOK acts to oppose the direction of motion FOR EVERYONE INTERESTED IN for of the cone. This accounts the SIR: TAPE RECORDING damping action on the speaker. Experts seem to agree that one of With another identical 4 -ohm speak- the decisive factors in the performance er connected in series and in phase of an amplifier is the quality of the "Tape Recorders - with the other, the two are now con- "front end," the preamlifier- equalizer. How They Work" nected to the 8 ohm tap on the ampli- There are many different makes and I by fier, and see a source impedance of front ends on the market, types of Charles G. Westcott .8 ohms. The total circuit impedance some with and some without their is now twice the value it would be if own power supply. I noticed that one speaker was used. The voltage some front ends have one tube, prob- applied to the circuit is also twice its All the important facts in one book ably used exclusively for preamplifica- of value, since we now have two Now you can have an expert understanding original tion, while others have three or even tape recording. Explains magnetic recording of tape. Tells generators whose voltage adds when are apparently also theory; describes characteristics more tubes, which how a recorder operates; discusses motorboard in series and in phase. The current mechanism, drive motors, volume indicators, used for equalization. circuits, ampli- the is therefore the bias oscillators, equalization through circuit The question arises as to whether a fiers and magnetic heads- includes diagrams, Tells you how same as it was in the previous case is inferior photographs and schematics. front end with only one tube to get best frequency response with lowest and each speaker is damped exactly to those using several tubes, or is the noise, how to avoid tape overload, how to obtain best bias settings; includes procedures the same as it would be if used singly. of performance not dependent for testing tape recorders and tape. The com- quality 176 I hope this letter clears up any prehensive book about Tape Recorders. on the number of tubes used? pages; 53/6 x 8A "; over 150 illustrations. Use doubts your readers have about con- Dr. Eric Bock coupon below to order your copy today. $2.75 necting speakers in series. 1716 Washington St. Postpaid, only Charles Ciznillzica Waukegan, Ill. HOWARD W. SAMS & CO., INC. --- 2011 Yates Ave. I 2201 E. 46th St., Dept. 17.06 Indianapolis 5, Ind. Bronx 61, N. Y. (or The number of tubes in a control unit Send me your book: "Tape Recorders" ($2.75) front end) is no indication of its quality. For an amplifier of given damping factor, Better indications are the unit's in- Name the effectiveness of the control it imposes termodulation distortion (the lower I Address on the speaker cone is a function of the I Zone State City U.S.A.) amount of DC resistance represented by the Continued on next sage (priced slightly higher outside

MARCH 1956 i2

www.americanradiohistory.com AUDIO FORUM Continued from preceding page

the better) , frequency range ( the wider STEREOPHONIC the better), smoothness (plus or minus the least number of decibels), and number of phono equalizer positions. BROADCASTING Look through some catalogues and compare units one with another. EACH SUNDAY 2:05 P.M.

SIR: It has become increasingly apparent to me that most long -playing records begin to show wear in the form of high - frequency fuzziness after about ten playings. Since I have always taken special care to see that Precision stylus pressure the stylus was gauges available in 2 models positioned exactly perpendicular to the calibrated from 2 to 15 grams playing surface, that or 3 to 30 grams each way from the stylus tip center position. maintained its correct shape (by fre- The extra indicator "hand" will remain of quent microscope inspections), that the maximum reading of fhe device until the correct ßuckWntTe1Z reset by a knob on the dial face. stylus pressure was main- CORRECT STYLUS PRESSURE NOT ONLY tained, that the transcription arm was GUARANTEES MINIMUM STYLUS AND perfectly free to function properly, RECORD WEAR, BUT ASSURES SOUND and that all of the other necessary PICK -UP AT MINIMUM DISTORTION. pre- Dealers - cautions designed to reduce record CRB Why not investigate... wear were attended to, I am absolutely 1330 AM 102.5 FM Send for Folder Code GIOJU astounded at the reduction in fidelity between the first few playings of a new Boston's recording and the tenth or twelfth GEORGE SCHERR CO., Inc. spinning. Concert Music Station 200-HF LAFAYETTE ST.NEW YORK 12,N.Y. Since I also take particular care to A Good Music Broadcasters Affiliate guard against dust and grime reaching the record surface, by using a radium Do YOU static- neutralizer and keeping my al- Like bums in plastic dust -covers, I absolute- To Waste Money? ly cannot fathom this rapid decrease in fidelity through apparent surface wear. Can You AFFORD Is this a situation which one must face due to ownership of a speaker like To Throw Money mine which can produce such clean Away? ? highs (and such clean record -wear frequencies), or do you have some other answer to this problem? If not, there are some things you Frankly, I am should know before becoming rapidly dis- buying any gusted high fidelity equipment, regardless at sinking money into outstand- ofwhere you plan to purchase. ing high -fidelity recordings only to have them lose their clean sound after TELEFUNKEN ELITE After three years in the audio field, a dozen or so playings! I should great- ¡FM1 PORTABLE H/ -F/ during which time we have become ly appreciate any light which your staff one of the largest distributors in may be able to throw upon this SYSTEM the nation, High -Fidelity House problem. FM, Standard and Short Wove broad- has published Bulletin G. John R. Steven casts . plug -in for phono, tape re- 5242 Edna Street corder and additional external speaker. This bulletin contains some start- Los Angeles 32, Calif. ling information, much of which has never before been put into The apparently short life you are get- print. It can help you to prevent ting from records could be traceable to y TELEFUNKEN costly mistakes, and you will find it any or all of the components in your most fascinating reading. We sug- system. gest you write for your HIGH FIDELITY copy at Raggedness in the sound from rec- once. Bulletin G is absolutely free. SYSTEMS ords is initially caused by inability of Imported by the pickup stylus to follow the groove Dept. 35 HIGH -FIDELITY HOUSE AMERICAN Park Avenue undulations, and the degree to which ELITE. INC. T Dept. H603 N. Y. 16, N. Y. it is noticeable to the listener is deter- 536 South Fair Oaks, Pasadena, California Write for details mined by the over -all smoothness of

I 28 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com the high frequency response of the system. High -frequency peaks of 2 db or Two important steps higher in either the speaker or pickup hailed by will begin to add a dirty "edge" to the budget -conscious toward achieving sound of even the cleanest record, and better sound... if a slightly non -compliant pickup is audiophiles! having trouble riding the groove undu- lation, the resulting groove distortion III is accentuated by the peaks. the maraniz Further aggravation of this dirtiness o is contributed by distortion in the am- h power amplifier plifying equipment. The noise gener- 40 WATTS ated by groove distortion bears little or no harmonic relation to the music, but a distorting amplifier generates harmonics from the noise just as readily as from the program material, so the noise is emphasized out of proportion to its actual magnitude. Harmonics TAPE RECORDING that are generated from musical sounds do bear a direct mathematical relationship to the original tones, so they do UNITS not become as prominent as do the noise components. This puts extreme demands upon the amplifying equip- A power amplifier which ment; so much so, in fact, that it has meets the unusually high been found that reducing the amplifier's total intermodulation distortion performance standards now from 0.5 to 0.1. per cent can completely recognized in the clean up a case of ragged sound. In your case, the first thing to sus- maraniz pect would be the pickup cartridge. STAFF OK TESTED BY Many cartridges tend to suffer from TAPE RECORDING MAGAZINE audio consoleHHe hardening of damping materials after

they have been in use for a while, to resulting in greatly decreased compli- o: ance. This condition increases groove to distortion and accelerates record wear. and the only place qualified to check compliance is the factory. So we would suggest you get your pickup off to the manufacturer for a thorough check. Second, you might have your amplifier tested at a reputable audio service Now! Custom install your own recorder. Low cost. Ready to plug into any ampli- agency, for higher- than -normal distor- fier and speaker. combine them for ... tion. If its distortion is higher than Tape mechanism has UniMagic 1 -lever superb sound quality the manufacturer's intermodulation control for record -playback, fast forward and rewind with instant braking. 2 speeds ratings, it should be repaired or re- -71/2 and 33/4 ". Separate record -playback and erase heads. POWER AMPLIFIER placed with one that will perform Matching tape preamplifier-40- 12,000 properly. For the utmost cleanliness of cps ± 3db, signal -noise ratio 50db. Push - Superior performance sound, you should contemplate ulti- pull oscillator. Professional controls. VU and construction meter. Brushed copper and jet black fin- replacing it anyway, with one ish. Carries Pentron warranty. net $189 mately whose intermodulation distortion at r is cent or less, and does AUDIO CONSOLETTE watt o.r per not exceed r.o per cent at rated output. Send for Bulletin ... New Tape -Monitoring switch! Third, your pickup arm may be at Name of Nearest Hi -Fi Dealer Finest performance and construction fault. The bearing assembly in it is of Hum -free operation a type that invariably rattles at certain PENTRON CORP net $162... frequencies, passing the resulting dis- 786 5. Tripp Ave.. Chicago, 34, III. without cabinet $147 tortion along to the cartridge. Replace- ment with another type, perhaps a Name See your audio dealer or viscous- damped one, may clean up write for specifications Address lour sound considerably. For use with City Zone_State , maraniz company microgroove cartridges, a viscous - Canada: Atlas Radio, Ltd. Toronto 44 -15 VERNON BLVD. LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. Continued on next page

MARCH 1956 129

www.americanradiohistory.com AUDIO FORUM To Help You Get Truly ULTIMATE PERFECTION Continued from preceding page NOW HI -FI PERFORMANCE IN TONE ARM PERFORMANCE adjusted for Use These Exclusive damped arm should be G.A. Components the minimum damping that it will Ortho-sonic v/a provide, and should be set up strictly TRACKS COURSE OF ORIGINAL RECORDING STYLUS VARIABLE AUDIO NETWORK according to the manufacturer's in- and AMPLIFIER structions. This tube- operated net- If you still have this trouble after \ work permits you to vary the crossover point of your getting your pickup checked, and after speaker system from 90 to having made sure your amplifier is in I. 401) 1.000 cycles, and to adjust the level of your low - working order, you can be certain that range and high -range speakers for precise ba ance. The VAN -AMP, un- the rough high end of your speaker is VITAL ENGINEERING like fixed networks, does not introduce a power loss! Instead, each output gives up to 8 times amplification. the major contributing factor. It should PRINCIPLE SOLVED Here's what Charles Magnante, top accordion artist, says about his VAN -AMP: be replaced by something that is, above TRACKING ERROR "I never experienced so much fun from my hi -fi all else, smooth at the top, and as de- ELIMINATED equipment as I have since I installed the G. A. VAN- AMP which, incidentally, I wired myself. The ex- void of peaks as possible, even at the FLAWLESS REPRODUCTION ATTAINED. perience of balancing my speakers is absolutely fan- Stylus moves in straight line from tastic. It puts me in the recording engineer's seat!" sacrifice of some of the extreme high The VAN-AMP is particularly recommended for use edge to center as originally recorded. with a Janszen or Pickering electrostatic speaker in end. INSPIRED DESIGN: Increases record combination with an ARL, Bozak, or other high quality woofer. This matter of dirtiness from records life . fits smallest cabinet . . . VAN -AMP Kit, complete with tubes, instructions.. $39.95 plays all size records ... ao scratch- VAN-AMP completely assembled, ready for use.. 56.95 is something that demands the very ing possible . . . all popular cart- VAN -AMP instruction manual, and circuit details.. 1.00 best equipment, in every respect, be- ridges fit. AIR- COUPLER* f ore it can be completely ironed out. Never before in the history of Hi -Fi for BASS REINFORCEMENT If you are interested in the cleanest development has the introduction of Hi -Fi enthusi- a single component created such asts are using so sound that it is possible to get, it wide interest, laboratory and edi- many, and are would pay you to replace each one of torial endorsement. Get ORTHO- so enthusiastic SONIC V/4 with its 10 incompar- about G. A. Air - the items suggested, in the order men- Coupler per- able features. ONLY $44.50. formance, that tioned. this G. A. enclosure is now generally accepted as the AT BETTER HI -FI DEALERS EVERYWHERE finest way to get low- frequency response, right down to the bottom of the low- frequency range, at moderate SIR: Write For Illustrated Literature cost. Since there is no directional effect, you can hide the Air -Coupler, build it into a cabinet, or mount it If two speakers, each rated at 25 under your floor. free ORTHO -SONIC INSTRUMENTS, Inc. Send for booklet on construc- watts, are in parallel, tion and speaker systems. connected how 66C Mechanic Street, New Rochelle, N. Y. AIR -COUPLER Kit. accurately cut from high grade % "- plywood, complete and ready to strong an amplifier can I connect to assemble $29.95 AIR -COUPLER completely assembled, ready them? If they are connected in series, to install woofer 39.95 how many watts can I feed to them? TRADER'S MARKETPLACE Altec 12 -in. 600B Speaker, recommended for the Air -Coupler and for mid -range, 8 ohms.. 42.00 I have two woofers 16 University of ohms 4408 Tweeter, 8 ohms 17.50 6 ELEMENT BROAD BAND FM antennas. All seamless University HF206 Super Tweeter and network each, and when they are connected in aluminum, $10.95 ppd. Wholesale Supply for 4- speaker system Co., 36.00 parallel I understand the impedance Lunenburg, Mass. FIXED NETWORKS would be 8 ohms. The two tweeters with AIR -CORE SPEAKER WANTED - WESTERN ELECTRIC 7288. COILS are 8 ohms each, so their total im- Write: Foote, 2438 Palmetto, Oakland, California. You will get definitely superior performance from your speaker system pedance when paralleled is 4 ohms. with G. A. networks because all Is it 8 ADIRONDACK RADIO SUPPLY carries a full line of G. A. inductors are of precision air - good practice to place an -ohm Hi -Fi components completely equipped sound room core design. The advantage is par- resistor in series with each tweeter - custom installations trade ins - P. O. Box 88, ticularly noticeable at low frequen- Amsterdam, New York. cies, for the inductance of iron-core inductors changes with the signal to make them 16 ohms each, giving a distortion! level, introducing G. A. networks are offered three ways: 1) total of 8 ohms? coils only, 2) complete network kits, 3) completely AMPEX 400A RECORDER (n¡-in. - 15 -in. full track), assembled, ready to connect to your speakers. Use D. L. Fowler practically new. Make best cash offer. Might accept the network impedance value nearest the impedance Sylvania Polymeter and other Sylvania test equip- of the lower -range speaker in a 2- speaker system; or 47o Carroll Street ment if new. ALTEC 21 -B MICROPHONE and P -518 -A between woofer and mid -range, and between mid- power supply (both new) also for sale. E. Harold range and tweeter in a 3- speaker system. Following Akron 4, Ohio Alcott, 80.06 237th Street, Bellerose Manor, N. Y. are the types available: Two speakers TIMPANI PROFESSIONAL Recording Tape. Formerly of identical impedance rat- sold only to stations. Better sound quality or money I I I back. List $5.50 (1200 ft.). Special trial: Two Reels ñ e. I ings will have the power equally divided I $5.00. Bob Freund, 56 -M Bennett Avenue, New York '&_á, I I 33, N. Y. k I h I ai I w between them whether they are connected I:° i vó I °)x 41 in series or in parallel. When they are SELL: Hartsfield: N -500H network $76.50, sell $60.00. 9 175 8 $20.00 $24.00 $32.50 paralleled, the impedance value is half 5 175 16 20.00 24.00 Unfinished woofer Klipschorn cabinet made by 32.50 Klipsch. $180.00, sell $160.00. Goodman Axiom 6A 2,200 8 6.00 12.00 18.00 that of each individual speaker. Series 80's sell each $45.00. Conditions guaranteed. Fisher 1 2,200 16 7.00 13.50 19.50 Also connection would give double the individual 50 AZ $99.00. Tom Groom, 324 North Spring Street, available: Networks for 85, 275, 350, 550, 700, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 1,100 and 4,400 cycles. impedance rating. *Licensed by Stromberg- Carlson Company under Patent No. 2,627,931 Since your woofers are 16 ohms each, MAKE $100 WEEKLY spare time with your tape re- Manufacturers of Fine Radio and Audio Equipment you could not match them to the amplifier corder. Send 25c, refundable. RECORDS FROM YOUR Since 1920 TAPES. Finest professional equipment. Low prices. if connected in series. Connected in parallel, Free list of services. Valentine Sound, 4253 Farmdale, North Hollywood 3, California. ENERAL they would require a source impedance of 8 ohms, and could handle 5 o watts of KLIPSCHORN with woofer only $135.00. Call LAsell APPARATUS power. We should, however, point out 7 -0826 (Newton, Mass.). COMPANY that there are few of us with the intestinal RECORDS FROM YOUR TAPES. PROFESSIONAL QUAL- 346A East 32nd Street, New York 16 fortitude to stay in a room where a speaker ITY TAPE OR DISC TRANSFERS AND REPRODUCTIONS. ALL SPEEDS. LOWEST PRICES. Patmor Sound Systems, Phone: ORegon 9 -5112 is w orking with 25 watts going into it, 92 Pinehurst Ave. 3K, N. Y. 33.

I 3C HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com let alone 5o watts! The average operating 'CONTINUALLY MOVING AHEAD level of a high -fidelity system is less than i watt. Higher powered equipment simply LECTRONICS TOWARDS PERFECTION IN SOUND' cleans up the sound and makes peak passages considerably more listenable. So you will not need more than a to- watt amplifier to get plenty of output from your speaker system, regardless of its maximum capabilities. Anything higher than that will depend upon how critical you become of cleanliness and ability to take peaks without audible stress. For -- -,.. most purposes, a 3o -watt amplifier is -, recommended, to allow plenty of room for peaks. An improvement in sound might be effected by a good 5o watter, at considerably increased cost. But remember WITH This self -powered Brociner development of that the amplifier will be putting out less THE simplified design has all the controls you need than 1 watt most of the time, and if the for accurate and authentic sound reproduction. high -power amplifier isn't at least as dis- BROCINER It sounds better .... it is better, than any tortion-free at r watt as the io- watter, pre -amp on the market at any price. Built and by Brociner Laboratories the sound is likely to be worse. Ma/Lk 30C STABILIZED - an organization that has more pre -amp ex- tweeters at Since your are probably AUDIO perience than any other in the field. Recom- least 3 db more efficient than your woofers, mended by Irving M. Fried as the ideal com- a resistor in series with them will probably CONTROL panion for the finest 50 -60 Watt amplifiers - be a necessity anyway, regardless of the CENTER particularly the LECTRONICS "Custom 55 ". fact that such a resistor will also improve FEATURES: Printed circuit - Negative feedback in every resistor stage - Separate turnover and roll -off controls - 24 record your impedance match. The series compensation curves-Provision for 2 turntables- "Hinged" however, be 4 ohms rather than bass and treble controls - Sharp cutoff rumble filter - should, Automatic mounting feature - Feedback type phono -level 8 ohms, as there is no need to use two control. PRICED AT $88.50- IMMEDIATE DELIVERY separate resistors with one in each tweeter CITY LINE CENTER lead. Simply parallel the tweeters and put LECTRONICS PHILADELPHIA 31, PA. the resistor in one side of the line going to them. This will give you the required

8 -ohm load to match the woofers. -. . _- - - - 1'. .:.... -- ' - -'i. A --y --, Then, if the tweeter level is still too high, y-°° an 8 ohm T-pad should be inserted be- "llllillltil.lí11IlIg,1teaidiIlilh4t ,ilGll'ihliL11;VIäINtiilh'ï;11ÍiiiV,',if II I\Il `. tween the divider network or high -pass filter and the tweeters, to allow them to be balanced with the woofers. Remember, if you operate a divider network at a differ- Do all diamond needles ent impedance than that for which it was designed, you must change the values of protect your records? the components. If it is to be operated at twice its original impedance, the capacitors Not all diamond needles protect your records ., have the same kind of polishing. must be halved in value and the inductors because not all doubled. If it is to be operated at half its Don't be misled. Eliminating every chance of the original impedance, capacitor values must slightest microscopic burr that could feather -cut of your records and bruise the be and inductors halved. the delicate grooves doubled sound you hear comes only with the diamond If it is found that the tweeter level is polished to absolute concentricity. too low with the series resistor inserted, it why a master polisher polishes each will be necessary to use a special divider That is Duotone diamond tip by a special radius control network designed for use with speakers of :. method 15,000 times -never less. different impedances. - To be sure of the polishing on the diamond needle you are buying, look for the picture of the master SIR: polisher in the Duotone Diamond Needle Package. a perfectly polished I believe you might be interested in It certifies that you are getting diamond tip to protect your records. The Duo - the following surprising experience. tone Company, Keyport, N. J., Manufacturer and As a layman, I cannot explain it tech- Supplier. Exp. Div., Ad Auriema, New York, N. Y. nically or scientifically. Recently, I purchased a 15-inch coaxial speaker and housed it in an en- i closure of limited size (32 by 18 by . .. .w-- -s- . - 41Z113;44, Continued on page 133 `ti Design after an American Artists- Asa'n. frame. MARCH 1956 131

www.americanradiohistory.com PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY CALIFORNIA ILLINOIS NEW YORK AND VOICE VISION DON'T EXPERIMENT ... r HI-FI S P E C I A L I S T S HIGH -FIDELITY HOUSE CONSULT A SPECIALIST IN COMPONENTS Most complete stock of Audio CUSTOM DESIGNING TRUE HIGH FIDELITY components in the West INSTALLATIONS NEW YORK CITY AREA SERVICING Phone: RYan 1.8171 Specialist in the best in sound. 536 S. Fair Oaks, Pasadena 1, Calif. RUSH 8 WALTON CHICAGO 11, ILL. BOHN MUSIC SYSTEMS CO. WHitehall 3 -1166 PL 7 -8569 550 Fifth Ave., N. Y. 36 MASSACHUSETTS OHIO

EVERYTHING IN HI -FI SOUND EQUIPMENT NEW ENGLANDERS IN CINCINNATI ,\\n II ++ Your search for a complete Custom TRI -STATE AREA WORLD'S Iligh Fidelity music system will end FEATURING FINEST * COMPETENT ENGINEERING with one visit MAGNETIC ucoaoru TAPE to RECORDERS * COMPONENTS AT NET PRICES THE LISTENING POST * SERVICE ON ALL HI -FI COMPONENTS SANTA MONICA SOUND 161 Newbury Street, Boston COpley 7.7530 12436 Santa Monica Blvd. C'cati:J,nuha/Au, _Inc. First in Boston to serve the High Fidelity West Los Angeles 25 GRanite 8 -2834 field 1rrtusi'ety. 2259 Gilbert Ave., CA 1.3153 - Cincinnati 2, Ohio ".1 r ''r'pnnent or a Complete Swim,'"

the finest in Hi -Fi A NDERFUL CUSTOM INSTALLATIONS featuring H g7 b76kt 65 Kent St. BOOKLET HIGH FIDELITY COMPONENTS Brookline 46 ASSOCIATES Mass. "UNDERSTANDING HIGH -FIDELITY" A very inlormative A interesting booklet explaining SOUND ASpinwall 7 -3135 the wonders L magic of hi-fl, compiled 6 edited by the "Bogen Co." mfrs. IL pioneers In the electronic C O R P O R A T I O N 'I'IIE High Fidelity Center field. Hurry -while supplies last- write, wire or call (111nponents Professional Servicing W. ,4eø, RADIO CO. 820 Olympic Blvd. L.A. 15, Calif RI 7 0211 .11Inl.tII' Consultants ('ahinet Design 509 ARCH ST., PHILA., PENNA. NEW JERSEY PENNSYLVANIA Since 1944 DELAWARE VALLEY HDQTRS. CREATIVE AUDIO FOR RCA HI- FIDELITY Sets Components Color TV HOLLYWOOD ELECTRONICS * Quality Components Radio Victrolas Tape Recorders hl -FI COMPONENTS EXCLUSIVELY * Custom Cabinetry Records Cabinets Kits Com- f('IltIiriii * Professional Installation pare all leading makes Terms Trade -Ins. Unlimited Parking. Special demonstration facilities. One -year gle.CIJiOyO7CL warranty and service on oll Installations. .1/on., Wed., Fri. eves. FREE >s Open evenings until 10. catalog. 7460 MELROSE AVENUE SHRYOCK RADIO EEITV CU, 1922 214 Glenwood Ave. E. Orange, N. Los Angeles 46, Calif. WE 3 -8208 J. IONWIT-TELLER SLOG. Midway 2 -1920 Studio 207 OR 6 -5229 WYNNEWOOD, PA. (Philadelphia Suburb) ILLINOIS NEW YORK CABINET MAKERS AIREX in the PHILADELPHIA area

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EVERYTHING IN HIGH FIDELITY In 11--esfclesle'r il-.. In PITTSBURGH and the 3 ALLIED HIGH FIDELITY STUDIOS TRI -STATE AREA 100 N. Western Ave., Ch icago 80, III. HAymarket 1.6800 n C/ L OTL -L 2025 W. 95th St., Chicago 43, III. for high fidelity BEverly 8-1067 CONSULTATIONS COMPONENTS WOLK'S HIGH FIDELITY CENTER SERVICE CUSTOM INSTALLATIONS 602 Davis St.. Evanston, III. right next to lVolk's Kamera Exchange DAvis 8.8822 SHeldrake 3-6233 2475 Central Avenue Yonkers, N. Y. 306 Diamond Street Pittsburgh (22), Pa. Spencer 9-6400 Express 1 -0220

I32 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

www.americanradiohistory.com AUDIO FORUM fortable listening in a very big living Experiments with this kind of treatment room. It still lacks the rich overtones also seem to indicate that it is very useful Continued from page 13I and resonance of my other large speaker in reducing the boom that comes from in- is and ex- adequately- braced enclosures, although it 12 in.), in a book shelf. It sounded system, but this an unfair awfully boomy, and the high notes ceptional standard for comparison. is not recommended purely as a substitute construction. Used in an were severely subdued. It was quite a So I can recommend solidly packing for good cabinet disappointment; very unpleasant listen- the space in a small enclosure with this adequately large, well -constructed coming. insulating material. pletely- enclosed cabinet, it does much to clean up the lower end response, particularly I tried lining the entire compartment Alex E. Gold, M.D. 131 Ave. on speakers that do not need resonances with ozite but to no avail. Then I Hilton tried acoustic tile with no appreciable Hempstead, N.Y. to augment an inherently thin low end. should be noted that this is only success. I wrote to the speaker manu- It facturer asking for advice on an infinite This concept is fairly new in high fidelity part of the principle of the acoustic suspen- system. For explana- baffle and gave the dimensions. In circles, and the precise reason why it sion speaker a fuller tion, see in Octo- return, I received an excellent resumé works as well as it does still seems to be Tested the Home for of loudspeaker enclosures and a letter somewhat of a mystery, but it does do a ber, 1955. inferring that it is hopeless when the great deal to improve small -enclosure per- cubic content is less than six cubic ft. formance. SIR: the re- About ten ft. would be better. This Your results would probably have been I would like your advice on point stylus disillusioned me terribly. improved even further by the use of glass placement of the diamond my Pickering cartridge. Then I remembered Edgar Villchur's wool for the bulk of the lining, but the of I anyway, articles, and the advertisements for the protective lining over the rear of the woofer need a change of needle as I have played this one heavily for a AR -1 acoustic -suspension speaker sys- is recommended regardless of what ma- year. I am satisfied with the present tem, which gives such good results in a terial you use in the enclosure. The padding I seem to get too much small cabinet. I took the hint experi- should not, however, be "solidly" placed cartridge, but from it. mentally. in the enclosure. Better results are obtained needle talk I'll appreciate your comment as to I bought a big bag of the thickest when it is used in fairly large pieces (aver- whether I might do better with a rock wool I could find. (Fiberglass aging 6 inches square, with actual sizes newer or whether a was unavailable locally). Stripping varying from one piece to another) and model cartridge, away the sheaths of insulating paper packed very loosely. Continued on next page backing the rockwool, I used these pads in two ways. First, I lined the sides of the compartment; then I packed the whole inner space very solidly. Finally, I wrapped a sheet of rock wool around the metal frame of the speaker. When I tried it, I got a most pleasant surprise! The boominess had completely disappeared, the subdued high tones became clear and sharp, and the bass response was gratifying - nice com- THE CENTER OF SCIENTIFIC CANADA RESEARCH CANADA'S FIRST HIGH -FIDELITY RADIO, PHONOGRAPH, RECORD AND TELEVISION CENTRE Stromberg -Carlson "Custom 400" Brociner - Freed-Eiseman - Bogen Fisher Radio - Concertone Tape Recorder All Makes of High Fidelity Records A top -grade High Fidelity Amplifier and eLfíSt. sourui d v!í1.1ß42 1. rd. tit Remote Control Unit from the world -famous 390 EGLINTON WEST TORONTO, ONT. t PYE Research Laboratories in Cambridge, Phone HUdson 9 -2117 England. Smooth, highly flexible controls Provost and facilities for record player, tape recorder, microphone and radio tuner inputs. Fre- Power Amplifier HF25 CANADA quency response substantially flat from 2 IN to 160,000 c.p.s. Infinite damping factor. There's one place where you can find and - Intermodulation distortion under 1°,/,, at hear - all your high-fidelity equipment needs. We carry a complete stock ... come in, or write Proctor output of 25 watts. in, for a chat, a look, and a listen. Remote Control Unit HF25A PYE LTD., CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND ¿,LECTRO-VO10E A SOUND U.S.A.' BRITISH RADIO ELECTRONICS SYSTEMS DISTRIBUTORS 1833 JEFFERSON PLACE, N.W. WASHINGTON 6 D.C. 141 Dundas St., West, TORONTO CANADA PYE CANADA LTD. AJAX, ONTARIO

MARCH 1956 133

www.americanradiohistory.com AUDIO FORUM Continued from preceding page

certain amount of tracking noise is inevitable. Charles F. Althaus Hazel Green Hospital Hazel Green, Wis.

A certain amount of needle -talk must be expected from any pickup cartridge, no matter how good it is. Usually, though. the audible needle -talk is likely to be lower from a cartridge that has high compliance and operates at a low stylus pressure. There is, however, so much audible difference in the coloration of sound from CANADA'S FIRST HIGH- FIDELITY RADIO, different pickups that if you are pres- PHONOGRAPH, RECORD AND TELEVISION CENTRE ently satisfied with your cartridge we would not recommend replacing it Complete stock of Stromberg- Carlson, Fisher, Berlant- with a different type. Concer:one, Brociner, Scott, Weathers, Sonotone, Electro- Voice, Bogen, National and General Electric Hi -Fi equipment. Some cartridges do have a tendency to become less compliant after a few months Promp: attention to mail orders - We ship from coast -to -coast in Canada, aircargo, express or freight. use, and when such stifféning takes place the only thing to do is return the cartridge Custom Sound and Vision Ltd. to the factory for an overhaul. Since you are already contemplating replacement of Telephone HUdson 390 E:glintoi West 9-2117 Toronto, Ontario your stylus, the general overhaul may he conveniently done at that time.

SIR: I have read a number of references in your pages to methods of cleaning CROWN records; and I am so pleased with fessional Tape Recorder results from a simple procedure recommended to me that I thought I would pass the word along. Most good photo supply stores carry a small (3 by 4 by 3/4 inch) close -grained cellulose sponge, made SPECIFICATIONS by DuPont for use in sponging off "Micro- Linear" Hecds photo film during the finishing process. Three Speeds Its size is ideal, and its texture Three Motors perfectly suited for sponging dust and Meets NARTB Standards lint off records. In fact, since using "Micro- Sync" Timing mine, clicks and pops have virtually Straight Line Threading disappeared from my records. 4" Dual Lighted Meter C. H. Sumner Magnetism Braking 76o University Ave. Perfect Erasure CROWN IMPERIAL Palo Alto, Calif. Breaks Sound Barrier! Breaks Price Barrier! No recorder at even doue-le the price carries GUARANTEED the guasn' eed performance and featu es of This sounds like a good idea. A damp CR WN RECORt,ER9. Heavy construction Racord & Playback Pullman assures years of perfect performance sponge of this type would get most of the IPS 15 71/2 1% /E dust up, but watch out for water getting %WOW .12 .18 25 2 ¿ Full Track DB ±2 ±2 t] $ f J into the grooves. CPS 20 to 30 to 3C te Complete with case 22,000 16,000 0000 If the sponge is too wet, and you have a NOISE Write for literature. Address Dept. F -3. RATIO 55 52 44 "hard" water supply, it will leave a for Fall Track I6.adr residue in the grooves that may show up as surface noise after awhile. It should be INTERNATIONAL RADIO & ELECTRONICS CORP. just dry enough that it doesn't leave water Elkhart Indiana droplets as it goes across the disk.

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