GRAMOPHONE NOTES.

Shannon News, 16 September 1924, Page 1

GRAMOPHONE NOTES.

“Scratch-Dispeller” writes: “May I say that I find the angle of 45 degrees best with every'kind of record: even with the ordinary foggy full orchestral record, the detail comes put better at 45 degrees than at 60 degrees. .To-day i play more orchestra records than any other kind, always with the fine needle .and on a machine having correct needle track alignment, but they are all of one make.”

Frieda Hempel’s exquisite rendering of one of Schumann’s loveliest songs, on the other side of which is an equally exquisite lullaby of Mozart’s, must not be missed on any account, for the two songs are a sheer delight. At least two sound-boxes on the market to-day contain two diaphragms, the primary one for the production of tone and a secondary diaphragm for absorbing surface noise. Anyone can easily prove to himself that the interposition of a secondary diaphragm in the acoustic system will be in fact absorb much surface noise, and to do this it is only necessary to mould with the fingers a little capsule of paper over the end of a rod and then to place this capsule in the neck of his sound-box. There will be a marked reduction of surface noise when the capsule is in place, and also a less marked reduction in tone. If surface noise were a factor to-day- secondary diaphragms would be worth some study, but with fine needles in a good 65mm. soundbox, and decent records, surface noise noise is absolutely negligible. In the opinion of at least one of the .London gramophone cognoscenti, Wilhelm Backhaus comes off the best of the lot on the gramophone. He has just recorded a charming little arrangement of the (Serenade” from “Don Juan” on one side. It was Chopin’s arangements of “La Ci Darem la Mano” from the same s opera that evoked from Schumann the exclamation of “Hats off, gentlemen, a genius,” as he laid down on the table that wonderful opus two. On the other side of this record is a song of Schumann’s arranged by Liszt. Another piano record worth attention is one of Harold Samuel’s unparagoned Bach renderings, which is quite astonishingly satisfying* Tchaikovsky’ “Fifth Symphony,” ' in six double-sided records, is even more successful than the Sixth. Indeed (says a London critic), it is the most successful piece of orchestral record- 1 ing yet achieved. Some of the credit of this must be given to the composer himself, whose orchestration seems almost to anticipate the advent of the gramophone, so extraordinarily well does it suit it. It is not music that one wants to play every day, but if not abused by frequency, what enjoyment it can give'..