November 60 cents SIBELIUS AT 90 by Gerald Abraham A SIBELIUS DISCOGRAPHY by Paul Affelder www.americanradiohistory.com FOR FINE SOUND ALL AROUND Bob Fine, of gt/JZe lwtCL ., has standardized on C. Robert Fine, President, and Al Mian, Chief Mixer, at master con- trol console of Fine Sound, Inc., 711 Fifth Ave., New York City. because "No other sound recording the finest magnetic recording tape media hare been found to meet our exact - you can buy - known the world over for its outstanding performance ing'requirements for consistent, uniform and fidelity of reproduction. Now avail- quality." able on 1/2-mil, 1 -mil and 11/2-mil polyester film base, as well as standard plastic base. In professional circles Bob Fine is a name to reckon auaaaa:.cs 'exceed the most with. His studio, one of the country's largest and exacting requirements for highest quality professional recordings. 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'5 -c ó _a ° " rn t c i u_ T ó Ó C °>. >.0 ° ÿ O O Ñ , - c t Ñ v ° - « - a a: ó E ° r 9 ` > a' aì - v ó a ' ~ w r v ç v T c i ó Ou° 0 c v c a' r a 3' v 0 « > ..- U -1c -o O -° ° O c _ >, v - ó. ° á ó > >° Óu' r uó vvT. ó á C E T Ñ} Y a' t W L H -D 4) °O "0 ,Z d ó ' S a, ° ó 0' ó a; ö d } ó. 4- CD _c 4) ó o ó 17, c> 5 -0 > o I- ñ. á ti 3 ç c ú v c 1 " T rn uw T c a ...-L) - a' Q. 0....:: ç ° u d E u } ó v I 5 cL. z° ° p Ñ O ' 0 O ar ó óy a C ú v4) d 13 T L T 0 = ó o r Q É c O d -c Ñ www.americanradiohistory.com THE izavaLVE_ PICKUP the first really new pickup in a decade The FLUXVALVE is made by perfectionists - for With this revolutionary new pickup, (lacking distortion, perfectionists. Literally the cartridge of the future, its record and stylus wear are reduced to new low levels. unique design meets the demands of all presently envi- The FLUXVALVE will last a lifetime! 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PIONEERS IN HIGH FIDELITY << Oode ZGti Cu/i4 e Den,onslraled and sold by Loading Radio Parts Dislr ibutors everywhere. For the one nearest you and for detailed Merriam; write Dept. H -9 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE www.americanradiohistory.com Jliqh f ilelit g T H E M A G A Z I O R M U S I C L I S T E N E R S This Issue. Neither the late Premier Stalin Volume 5 Number 9 November 19 55 nor the late Field Marshal Baron Manner- heim had any special talents to constitute them musical taste, but in a arbiters of AUTHORitatively Speaking 5 sense they were. The ill -timed attack on Finland which Stalin launched in 1940 Letters 9 gave the music of Jean Sibelius a tremen- dous boost in popularity, at least in the Noted With Interest 19 United States. This popularity was short - lived, for when the Phony War gave way Swap -a- Record 26 to the Blitz, the Finnish army under Man - As the Editors See It nerheim lined up with the Germans. It did .. 33 so under duress, it is true, but nevertheless Sibelius at 9o, by Gerald Abraham 34 the result was an alienation of American The dean of twentieth- century composers is a straightforward affections. And the music of Sibelius large- man who lives simply, but there is an odd aspect to bis modesty. ly vanished from the concert repertoire. In his Sibelius discography, Paul Affelder ob- Aye Aye, Trovator!, by Gerald E. Martin 37 serves that the same effect can be perceived What is your reaction when the announcer discourses on Figaro's in the long- playing record repertoire. Many notch'', orMellisend's friends Pellius? major Sibelius works that were available on Take Pen in Hand by E. C. Wharfield shellacs are not available on microgroove. ..., 38 If you don't live near a metropolis, audio shopping by mail is an It is something that ought to be remedied, art you should master. for the music of the Finnish master is peculiarly effective on present day wide - Custom Installations ?, by Charles Rodrigues 40 range phonographs and records. A cartoon feature. Another American casualty, or almost, of World War II )was the dance band, jazz Bach to Brubeck ... and Back, by H. S. Rummell 42 and /or swing. There has been a renascence The jazz modernists have a vast and vocal following -but not of jazz and /or swing, but in different guise. quite everyone has joined it. Its followers today don't dance. They Muse in Search of a Racket, by Oliver Gilman couldn't, or they'd miss much of the point 45 A feat of whimsical whithering. of the music, which gets subtler and more complex all the time. Is this the path to Notes - Not Negotiable, by William J. Murdoch 46 eventual dessication? Among those who When you have a brilliant idea, always jot it down immediately! think so is Harry Rummell. See if you can follow him from Bach to Brubeck ... and Music Makers, by Roland Gelatt 49 Back. We'd like some opinions. Record Section 51 -87 Records in Review; Dialing Your Disks; Building Your Record CHARLES FOWLER, Publisher Library; A Sibelius Discography by Paul adder JOHN M. CONLY, Editor Microphones on Parade, Part II, by J. Gordon Holt 89 ROY H. HOOPES, JR., Managing Editor Tested in the Home 95 ROY F. ALLISON, Associate Editor Janssen Electrostatic Tweeter; Alter Lansing Control Preamplifier J. GORDON HOLT, Assistant Editor & Amplifier; Jensen Imperial Speaker System; Thorens Players Up- Dated; Electro-Voice Aristocrat Speaker Systems; Heath kit ROY LINDSTROM, Art Director WA -P2 Preamp & W -5M Amplifier; KAL Audette Speaker Miriam D. Manning, Editorial Assistant System; Bogen PR -zoo Audio Control; Vee -D -X Antenna Rotator; Bell Golden Twins Amplifier & Tuner. ROLAND GELATT, New York Editor Contributing Editors The Listener's Bookshelf, by R. D. Darrell 128 C. G. BURKE Audio Forum .. JAMES HINTON, JR. 135 CORA R. HOOPES Trader's Marketplace 139 ROBERT CHARLES MARSH MANSFIELD E. PICKETT, Director of Professional Directory 140 Sales Advertising FM Directory 141 WARREN B. SYER, Business Manager Index SEAVER B. BUCK, JR., Circulation Advertising 143 Director High Fidelity Magazine is published monthly by Audiocom, Inc., at Great Barrington, Mass. Telephone: Great Barrington 1900. Editorial publication, and circulation offices at: The Publishing House, Great Branch Offices (Advertising only): New York: Barrington, Mass. Subscriptions: $6.00 per year in the United States and Canada. Single copies: 60 cents Room 600, 6 East 39th Street. Telephone: each. Editorial contributions will be welcomed by the editor. Payment for articles accepted will be arranged Murray Hill 5 -6332. Fred C. Michalove, Eastern prior to publication.