RECORDED MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 20132, 23 March 1929, Page 17

RECORDED MUSIC

fßy Kbaio,] THE GRAMOPHONE IN SCHOOLS. Music is wanted in the .I? 0111 for a variety of purposes. Children march to it and dance to it; they Produce it themselves, study its lorin, and are trained to fathom its meaning. Until recent years the tunes lor. marching and dancing, and the examples for study have had to be sunplied out of the resources of the teachers and scholars. Unfortunately technical virtuosity does not always go with taste and desire, and even when skilled executants are available, instrumental work is practically | restricted to the pianoforte and the violin. i\ ith the gramophone, however, it is now easy to bring into the school good performances of every variety ot composition, and to range over the whole gamut of vocal and instrumental combination. While mechanical music can never displace music produced first hand, it can be an invaluable aid and complement to it. . So far the school lias had to depend for its recorded pabulum on the rations issued for the consumption ot the general public, but there are now signs of endeavour to meet its special needs One company has sponsored the recording of lectures by eminent specialists. Others have issued records of lessons in foreign tongues. And now the British Gramophone Company has set out to serve the very young school child. It has issued a set of live discs, and in the accompanying handbook explains that “in planing this experimental section of a scheme of gramophone records for young children the aim has been the presentation of a lew elements or fundamental ideas in music which reach easily to the children in the form of certain experiences, to which they make their own natural

reactions. Conversely, in other examples presented, an attempt has been mad© to reduce to elemental form something of the complex make-up, the bewildering sea of musical sound, into which, with scant preparation, little people are_ often plunged.” The choice of pieces is discerning, and the actual recording is good. Small children will march with determination to the strains of ‘The Minstrel Boy,’ ‘ Men of Harlech,’ ‘ Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory,’ ‘John Peel,’ ‘ When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again,’ and ‘"The British Grenadiers,’ and will drill and dance joyfully to ‘Yankee Doodle,’ ‘On' the Bridge of Avignon,’ ‘Hunting the Have,’ ‘Once I Loved a Maiden Fair,’ ‘The,Lass of Richmond Hill.’ ‘Polly Oliver,’ and a waltz from Delibes’s ‘Coppelia,’ ‘ Lillibulero.’ ‘ Here’s to the Maiden.’ Beethoven’s ‘ Minuet in G,’ and Schumann’s ‘The Wild Horseman.’ This material tah.es up the first three discs. The value of the fourth disc, which demonstrates vocal exercises, is not quite so clear. On the fifth a lullaby by Schubert is presented by solo soprano, violin, and ’cello in succession, each accompanied by pianoforte and then by stringy quartet. This is an interesting exhibition of the employment of a graded series of tone colours in the interpretation of a lovely theme. This first instalment shows that the people responsible for planning the scheme know what the problem is. and, on the whole, are on the right lines for its solution. Further instalments will he awaited with interest. As the publishers admit the experimental nature of the initial venture they will no doubt agree that a string quartet supplemented by a flute and a side drum has neither the balance nor the coherence required for the really first-class performance of even simple compositions. CARE OF THE GRAMOPHONE. The gramophone is a simple instrument in itself, but, as with any other piece of apparatus, it requires correct handling to get the best results. It is the purpose of the writer to give a lew' hints in so doing. —Speed.—

Speed of rotation of the turntable is all important; a difference of even one or two revolutions per minute from the correct speed will make an appreciable difference in the quality of reproduction. The proper speed is always marked on the record. It is usually either 78 or 80 revolutions per minute. The indicated speed on the gramophone indicator should not be relied on when setting the speed, as the screwing down of the motor, lubrication, and other factors are all liable to upset the correctness of the calibration. A watch should be used, and the speed set while playing a record. —Needles.— The importance of changing the needle after playing each record must be stressed. The directions always given to do so are not, as is often supposed, a device to enhance the sale of needles. One authofity has computed the load on the point of a gramophone needle to be in the neighbourhood of three tons to the square inch, so that rapid wear is bound to take place, and a blunt needle will soon spoil a good record. Another point worth noting is always to run the needle on the smooth outer rim of the record for a few revolutions before pushing it into the sound groove. This burnishes the point of the needle and removes any excessive sharpness which might otherwise cause undue damage to the record. Needle pressure is important, too. To give good playing results, the weight of a sound box or pick-up should be about three or four ounces. If more, a balance weight should be fitted. This refers particularly to pickups. Modern sound boxes do not offend to any great extent. —Keep the Lid Closed. — In operating a gramophone, the lid should be kept closed in order to ensure that sound is only emitted through the horn, and not direct from .the sound box. Records should always be cleaned with a soft duster before playing, to remove any particles of grit, dirt, etc., which would otherwise be ground in by the needle. —Motors. — Gramophone motors may be either spring or electrically driven, and require no special mention. One trouble which sometimes occurs in new motors is a bumping noise coming from the spring barrel. This is due to the grease

with which the spring case is packed not having fully worked in. and the trouble entirely disappears when the instrument has been played a few .times. i Electric motors require care in fitting to existing cabinets, so that the motor unit is entirely suspended on rubber, otherwise the vibrations of the motor will be taken up and amplified by the woodwork. As most electric gramophone motors incorporate a series resistance, ventilation holes arc necessary in the cabinet to dissipate the heat generated, otherwise warping of the cabinet sides is likely to take place. NEW ELECTRIC MOTOR. Messrs Brookes and Co. demonstrated a,new gramophone motor, a product of the General Electrical Company, this week. In this compact little motor the flaws and difficulties associated with many electric machines seem to havi. been eliminated. The motor takes 230 volts, with a reserve of ten volts, and the current, which can be taken from any electrical connection, is carried through four coils to plate. There are no commutators and no brushes. One striking feature of the motor is that mechanical noise is reduced to a minimum. In fact, it is difficult to hear any noise at all. The cost of running the motor works out at about one penny for twety-five hours. The whole motor works with great smoothness.