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288 The Gramophone, December, 1929 would disappear to pace up and down the corridor, raging and whirling her arms and shouting "I will not record! I will not record! " Then a cup of tea was taken to her. This always achieved the seeming impossible. Five minutes later M~ame would return to the studio with a beaming smile and an apology for keeping us waiting. "Not at all" the orchestra would exclaim with one voice. r would like to say who the lady was, for she made glorious records once she had got going, but perhaps i t is better to be discreet! Another very temperamental artist was Vladimir Rosing. He not only expressed himself in front of the trumpet with his voice, but with his arms and legs and any other part of his body which he could bring into play. I t often required two men to keep him in front of the trumpet. Naturally, he found studio work soon made him perspire. Then off would come his coat, later followed by his waistcoat and then his collar and tie. Last of all he would discard his boots. I often think i t was as well that he descended from his waistcoat to his boots, not that r think that r should have altogether been surprised had he entirely disrobed. One well-known singer of oratorio had a habit of conducting his own solos with his hands-very disconcerting to the orchestra who were trying to keep their attention on me. Once one of the orchestra interrupted him and told him i t was difficult to follow two separate beats, and i t would be as well if he left the conducting part of the business to the right man. One of the great disadvantages of recording in the old days was the fact that the trumpet would not reproduce sibilants. In an endeavour to circumvent this Frank Titterton invented a gadget to supply the missing consonant. He showed me this with great pride and explained that all one had to· do was to depress a bulb, when the gadget would immediately emit an awful hiss at the identical moment when you were pronouncing the letter s. One morning he actually turned up at the studio armed with his invention, and proposed to record with i ts help. He got so excited trying to remember when to press the bulb that he entirely . forgot to sing, and the test record proved to be a masterpiece of recorded sibilants-never issued to the public! Actual orchestral recording is really hard work there always being an enormous amount of rehearsing to be got through before even the stage of the test record is reached. Often i t would be merely tedious drudgery if i t were not for the cheerfulness, sympathy and never-failing ready wit of the players, the latter quality often evoking laughter when i t was badly needed. Even when a recording session is over and you think you have done well, there is sometimes an unlooked-for snag which has spoilt the records. r remember our first electrical recording at King George's Hall. We did the incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream. Gordon Walker gave a magnificent performance of the flute solo in the Scherzo. Altogether I felt we had done excellently, especially when I heard the records played back over a land wire. The finished records eventually turned up, and I opened the parcel with an air of " Now we shall hear some playing!" When I played the records over i t was like hearing a toy orchestra performing miles away. Something had gone wrong. Whatever i t was was never discovered. At another session I conducted on a rostrum built up of orange boxes and ginger beer crates, with a chair on top. I t was a precarious perch and nearly collapsed as I made my final energetic climax. I dropped my baton. The sound i t made as i t hit the floor was the one noise that really came through on this particular set of records. A last word must be said with reference to Jltfr. A. W. Hanson, the Recording Manager. Even a conductor's position is a bed of roses compared to his. Never has he done those irritating things which upset and yet are justified. r think this explains the popularity of the Vocalion studios with our many and varied artists. I t was he who gave me my first chance ten years ago. r can never hope to have a better or more sympathetic colleague to work with. I t is a pity that these posts of Directors of Music are no more. Nowadays, everything is specialised and departmentalised. Although this is more pleasing to my own musical taste, yet r have no doubt that the many sacrifices r made on the altar of popular music has had i ts beneficial influence on me. I t has certainly broadened my outlook and often forced me to make as much as possible of a thing which I really detested. And this is a good thing! r look back upon ten very happy years with the Vocalion Company. STANLEY CHAPPLE. Handel. Are we going to see and hear a Handel " come-back" like that of Bach' More editions of Handel are being issued (note, for example, among the lat est N.G.S . re cords, one (137) of a delicious flute sonata of his). The Oxford University Press is printing a fine series of arias from Handel's operas, edited by Dr. W. G. Whittaker. Three new numbers in this series (2s. each) are to hand-a splendid scena for tenor, from Tamerlane (No. 35 in the seri !}s), the recitative and air from Xerxes, the latter part being the great Largo tune (No . 36), and the air Va godendo vezzoso e bello , a happy, l ight, florid piece from the same opera. The first is a particularly good dramatic thing, fiery and t ender by turn s (compass E flat to A flat). From the Oxford University Press al so come 1300ks I. and II. of "The String Class Instructor," by J. T. Bavin (Is. 6d. each). This" complete course for elementary classes" is the fruit of twenty-five years' experience, and is worth the attention of all who have any influence in forming village or town orchestras. It can be put into practice by any energetic teacher of the violin, viola or 'cello.
page 17
The Gmmophone, December; 1929 289 ~HE owners of the Gramophone rejoice -l9To hear i t likened to the human voice. The ownerS 01 the Human Voice disown Its least resemblance to the Gramophone. Epigramophones BY HILAIRE BELLOe. fTN Freer Climes, when Music's hard to bear , CJ Books, Bricks and Cats go hurtling thro ' the alr, But by the Gramophone's di scordant disc, The pa t ient li stener runs no sort of ri sk. If , a t the Opera , you'r e in the stalls You dare not bolt until the curtain falls. But, with the gramophone, i t needs no skill To stop the noi se at once, and when you will. Oppressed of years, the Human Organ grows Less pleasing- as the Prima Donna shows. The gramophone escapes our common curse. Bad to begin with, i t becomes no worse. Ii/ustrations by NICOLAS BENTLEY.

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288

The Gramophone, December, 1929

would disappear to pace up and down the corridor, raging and whirling her arms and shouting "I will not record! I will not record! "

Then a cup of tea was taken to her. This always achieved the seeming impossible. Five minutes later M~ame would return to the studio with a beaming smile and an apology for keeping us waiting. "Not at all" the orchestra would exclaim with one voice. r would like to say who the lady was, for she made glorious records once she had got going, but perhaps i t is better to be discreet!

Another very temperamental artist was Vladimir Rosing. He not only expressed himself in front of the trumpet with his voice, but with his arms and legs and any other part of his body which he could bring into play. I t often required two men to keep him in front of the trumpet. Naturally, he found studio work soon made him perspire. Then off would come his coat, later followed by his waistcoat and then his collar and tie. Last of all he would discard his boots. I often think i t was as well that he descended from his waistcoat to his boots, not that r think that r should have altogether been surprised had he entirely disrobed.

One well-known singer of oratorio had a habit of conducting his own solos with his hands-very disconcerting to the orchestra who were trying to keep their attention on me. Once one of the orchestra interrupted him and told him i t was difficult to follow two separate beats, and i t would be as well if he left the conducting part of the business to the right man.

One of the great disadvantages of recording in the old days was the fact that the trumpet would not reproduce sibilants. In an endeavour to circumvent this Frank Titterton invented a gadget to supply the missing consonant. He showed me this with great pride and explained that all one had to· do was to depress a bulb, when the gadget would immediately emit an awful hiss at the identical moment when you were pronouncing the letter s. One morning he actually turned up at the studio armed with his invention, and proposed to record with i ts help. He got so excited trying to remember when to press the bulb that he entirely . forgot to sing, and the test record proved to be a masterpiece of recorded sibilants-never issued to the public!

Actual orchestral recording is really hard work there always being an enormous amount of rehearsing to be got through before even the stage of the test record is reached. Often i t would be merely tedious drudgery if i t were not for the cheerfulness, sympathy and never-failing ready wit of the players, the latter quality often evoking laughter when i t was badly needed.

Even when a recording session is over and you think you have done well, there is sometimes an unlooked-for snag which has spoilt the records.

r remember our first electrical recording at King George's Hall. We did the incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream. Gordon Walker gave a magnificent performance of the flute solo in the Scherzo. Altogether I felt we had done excellently, especially when I heard the records played back over a land wire. The finished records eventually turned up, and I opened the parcel with an air of " Now we shall hear some playing!" When I played the records over i t was like hearing a toy orchestra performing miles away. Something had gone wrong. Whatever i t was was never discovered.

At another session I conducted on a rostrum built up of orange boxes and ginger beer crates, with a chair on top. I t was a precarious perch and nearly collapsed as I made my final energetic climax. I dropped my baton. The sound i t made as i t hit the floor was the one noise that really came through on this particular set of records.

A last word must be said with reference to Jltfr. A. W. Hanson, the Recording Manager. Even a conductor's position is a bed of roses compared to his. Never has he done those irritating things which upset and yet are justified. r think this explains the popularity of the Vocalion studios with our many and varied artists. I t was he who gave me my first chance ten years ago. r can never hope to have a better or more sympathetic colleague to work with.

I t is a pity that these posts of Directors of Music are no more. Nowadays, everything is specialised and departmentalised. Although this is more pleasing to my own musical taste, yet r have no doubt that the many sacrifices r made on the altar of popular music has had i ts beneficial influence on me. I t has certainly broadened my outlook and often forced me to make as much as possible of a thing which I really detested. And this is a good thing! r look back upon ten very happy years with the Vocalion Company.

STANLEY CHAPPLE.

Handel.

Are we going to see and hear a Handel " come-back" like that of Bach' More editions of Handel are being issued (note, for example, among the lat est N.G.S . re cords, one (137) of a delicious flute sonata of his). The Oxford University Press is printing a fine series of arias from Handel's operas, edited by Dr. W. G. Whittaker. Three new numbers in this series (2s. each) are to hand-a splendid scena for tenor, from Tamerlane (No. 35 in the seri !}s), the recitative and air from Xerxes, the latter part being the great Largo tune (No . 36), and the air Va godendo vezzoso e bello , a happy, l ight, florid piece from the same opera. The first is a particularly good dramatic thing, fiery and t ender by turn s (compass E flat to A flat). From the Oxford University Press al so come 1300ks I. and II. of "The String Class Instructor," by J. T. Bavin (Is. 6d. each). This" complete course for elementary classes" is the fruit of twenty-five years' experience, and is worth the attention of all who have any influence in forming village or town orchestras. It can be put into practice by any energetic teacher of the violin, viola or 'cello.

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