Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-23
VOICE PHOTOGRAPHS.
Singing for the Photograph Has Be-
come a Lucrative Profession. ~

How many of those who on sum-
mer evening listen idly to the music
of the monograph reeled off SO easily
and carelessly ever stop to think how
those records were made or to wonder
what were the emotions of the music
ian who poured sweet sounds into in
animate ears, without any of the in
SEPARATION of lights. flowers, beautiful
clothes and an applauding audience?
Although it doesn't bring so much
glory as singing at the Metropolitan
opera house, this business of singing
for records is very lucrative one.
Caruso is said to make $150,oO0 a year
in this humble fashion, and stars of
lesser magnitude may count on $4,000
annually, which means much more
than it would if gained behind the foot
lights. because the phonograph does
not demand that its entertainers keep
up with the latest caprices of fashion.
In the beginning, however, il is rather
trying.
"The room where we make cur rec
ords,' SAWS young lady who is nav
singing fer the photograph, lis an alb
solutely bare, barnlilSe place, with a
board partition a one end, dividing the
room proper from the small space
where the recording instrument is piac~
ed. The horn into which one sings is
susren4ed from the ceiling and pro-
trudes through an opening in tie naFu-
! tien. Grouped around IL are tthe rnu-
nslcians. of the orchestra. seated on Gle
waited chairs, their music hung, in .frpnt
Of them On strings and weighted So as
not to. swing loo, much in any chance
breeze. The instruments themselves
are the strangest looking things, the
vioins. having instead of the regular
body q hollow tube affair. in which are
arranged. the strings. The 'cellos are
skeletons in construction-no sides and
very slight wooden supports separating
the top and bottom of the body. And to
every instrument is attached an alum
mum horn, directed toward the large
horn in the Wall, to concentrate the
sound waves.
"rhe singer is placed en- little plat
form directly in front of the large re-
ceiver, then when all is in readiness
he or she slips down out of the way Of
the sound waves. 4 light gives the
signal and the conductor who is perch
ed even higher than the musicians,
starts the orchestra. At the side of the
soloist is an assistant who, when the
orchestra begins puts into the mouth
of the horn large eXtenion, so as to
catch more of the sound, and when the
introduction is finished quickly removes
II. Then the soloist, rising and stand
ing quite close to the horn, sings. 1t is
rather distracting. for one hears one
voice become at once concentrated and
more vibrant than usual, and ore, must
remenlber those little sounds which an
audience world scarcely notice, hlit
which the horn records relentlessly.
sson finishing the verse one steps
down below the level of the horn. The
assistant once more puts on the eX-
tension and keeps it in place until the
second verse starts This assistant is Il
most useful person for those new to
making records, for he sways one first
forward when one is using the middle
or low register, then back for the high
notes. If the singer makes mistake
he stops. If anything goes wrong with
the recording instrument a bell rings
and all stop, to begin over again at q
given signal.
After the song is finished the record
is PLAYED. one listens TO see where II
can be improved. Perhaps in places the