The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1877-05-30
WarhlIng. by Wire.
TELEPHONE REHEARSAL IN srEISwAy HALL, NEw
roRK.-soNE WONDERFUL ACHIEVEMENTS.


A rELSrHoSE REHEARSAL IN srEiSwAr HALL, NEW
roRk-soNE WONDERFUL ACHIEVEMENTS.
The telephone rehearsal (says the New York
Herald) at Steinway Hall on the evening Of 3lst
March, WAS one OF the most interesting events
in the history OF music 10 this country, aud pro-
misses a revelation complete rs the first intro
duction Of steam and electricity. At about half.
past o'clock some twenty persons, including
| FIVE ladies' Mr.. S,rakosch Prof. Gray. of Chica-
20. the inventor Of the telephone; Mr.. Brown.
Superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph
/ Company. and the Messrs. Steinway. entered
Steiuway Hall. Immediately Professor Gray
assembled to tho stage and began pulling on two
/ pieces Of Telegraph wire which were dangling
| down on the right, and, with the aid Of Mr..
! Brown. attached them 10 a common Morse in
strument. Communication having been estab-
lishad with Philadelphia. the receiver" was
brought forth and placed upon n closed grand
| Steinway piano. The receiver is simply an
arrangement of long. narrow, hollow. closed
boxes sixteen in number taperiag from each
end to the centre, the end box being about two
feet long by three inches deep aud three inches
WIDE, thu Others taperug down to six inches long
/ IN the centre-looking like two cones OF boxes
! 9th the apeSes meeting. \ common magnet
joins the two smallest, or central, boxes. The
boxes are fastened together by two strips OF
wood. with thumb screws to tighten them at the
pleasure of the person regulating the apparatus
somewhat 4 yiOlIuiSt will tune bis instrument.
The receiver" having been stood upon the mar
row end on the closed piano. the wires were At
/ tached To the magnet and word was transmitted
to the player IN Philadelphia TO proceed with the
concert.
We went back 10 the rows oil seats further
from the stage, and awaited the first notes from
the gentleman teephonist in the Quaker city.
The two groups OF bright gas Jets on the stage
threw but sombre hight over the long row Of
empty seats. There was nothing upon the stage
bat the above named piano and the sounding
board OF another 1.-THE purpose Of which will pre-
sently be seen). the wires aud the 4" receiver"
Every whisper could be heard 10 the hall. The
enthusiastic StrakoSch was explaining in an
undertone to one OF his friends the wonderful
grandeur of the new system. why, my dear
sur" said he, 1T will be an iucaculabe blessing
| to the world. Ii will be the means OF convert
ing society. 1t will eventually lessen the long
and terrible list of crimes now upon our criminal
calendars. Men will learn 10 love music, and
their baser passions will disappear. Who ever
knew man devoted to music 10 commit murder?
We shall soon be able to give every family music
Just IA water aud gas are now received. We
shall plant monster telephone at some point,
say st. Louis, which is to cost about million OF
dollars, and supply the whole of the United
States with delightful melody. Then you can
have Il wire attached to little " receiver in
your house, and, r0ild you have the music of
the most bevitching kluG. tell you this Is but
in its infaucy-yes, sir, in Its very infancy
10 a few seconds the prelude to Home Sweet
Home" sounded, low and soft at first then loud
er and sweeter in tone. the notes gradually swell
ing into the quality of those Of hageolet. Every
sound was clearly heard, and when the last pro-
I | lOnrAI had eaa sadx voa N sla Ng
almost as heartily as though some prima donna
had been there aud had sung the grand old song.
After an interval OF about u minute the opening
notes of the Last Rose of Summer" were
sounded. This air was played somewhat quicker
and the pauses we're not perfect in the first tea
bars, but suddenly the higher notes of the score
peaed forth, strong, clear pathetic, revealing at
once the tenderness aud delicacy of the new
instrument and its power in transmitting melody
in the most delightful form. Next an air from
Bafes Bohemian Girl was ordered by the
operator, aud before the circuit could fairly be
completed the opening strains of = When other
lips and other hearts" were filling the hall.
This was rendered with iaultess precision, the
highest and lowest notes being executed with
special accuracy. To use simile the impression
was as though stringed orchestra was playing
at distance, the waves of sound following each
other IN regular, agreeable succession. 1t
must not be understood that there was all the
volume, the variety, the grandeur, OF an orches-
tra, but rather the echo Of band stripped OF
all the cIashing aud extreme tone. There is
a soitness, faeinating medium IN the notes OF
the telephone which are as pleasant as they are
lnexplicabls Yankee Doodle E" aud variety
of Scotch and Irish airs were next played much
to the qualification of those present, for it must
be said that many had expressed grave fears
that the performance would be failure.
most important series OF experiments follow
ed. Taking magnet with two wires attached
the professor placed it upon a small circular
wooden bar then put both upon the sounding
board Of the piano. to which reference is made
above. In few seconds the strains of ''Old
Hundred were heard all over the ball like the
lower notes OF a small organ. gracefully re-
eehoing, as it WERE the sounds from Philadel-
phis. Another order and the iull chorus of the
DOxOlogy were plainly distnguishable, the
chorus being as perfect as though the performer
had been on the stage with the apparatus, first
two, then three. four and five demonstrating the
wonderful scope to which the instrument can be
adapted, and the possibility of playing some very
intricate music. This delighted the audience
better than anything that had been done pre-
yiously. Hymns were then played. =" God Save
the Queen" the " Conquering Hero" We
won't Go Home Till Morning" Suwanee
River" and numerous pleasing airs.
Finally Mr.. Gray tested the audience as cir
cult. common transmitter was connected to
the battery aud held By the professor, who
placed his fore6nger against q disc faced with
zinc, shaped ike the human ear. The gentle-
men then ascended the stage and formed a circle,
one holding the wire, the others all joining
hands, and the last one OF the circle on the OPP
poste side, clasping the wrist of the professor.
The disc was started, and the air OF "Nicodemus"
was produced through this human current, start
ing from the one holding the wire and ending at
the tip of the professors fingers from which the
air was emitted, clear and distinct. Altogether
it may be said that this new instrument, when
worked with fall battery, will repeat melodies
in the sweetest and softest manner. The re-
| hearsal was a most dacldad success