Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1912-09-06

SINGING FOR
!. The "REcORDS"
Odd and Interesting Occupation In
Which Men and Women Receive
Good Compensation.
How many Of those who on sum
mer evening listen idly to the music
OF the photograph reeled of so easily
and carelessly ever stop to think now
these records were made or to won
der what were the emotions OF the
musician who poured sweet SOUNDS
into inanimate ears, without any OF
the inspiration OF lights, flowers. beeu-
tiful clothes and an applaudinSlau-
dience? -
Although 1t doesn't bring so much
glory as singing at the Metropolitan
Opera house, this business OF sing
ing for records is a very lucrative one.
Caruso is said to have made $150.OOO
a year in this humble fashion, ana
stars Of lesser magnitude may count
on $4,000 annually, which means much
more than it would II gained behind
footlights. because the photograph
does not demand that its entertainers
keep up with the latest caprices OF
fashion. In the beginning. however.
1t is rather trying.
stage fright is nothing to the feel
ing with which one confronts that aw-
full horn," testifies a young woman
who is now singing for those silent
audiences, according to the New York
Tribune, land afterward, when the rec
ord is played and one hears every
false note, every clearing OF ones
throat, even an audible swallow, 1t Is
a wonder any one ever had the cour-
age to try again. Yet it is wonderful
experience, and one realizes as ono
never could otherwise how truly mar
velous is the talking machine, the pho
nograph.
THE room where we make our rec
ords is an absolutely bare. barnlike
place, with a board partition at one
end, dividing the room proper from
the small space where the recording
instrument is placed The horn into
which one sings is suspended from
the ceiling and protrudes throughfpa
opening in the partition. Grouped
around 1t are the musicians of the or
chestra, seated on elevated chairs,
their music hung in front Of them on
strings and weighted so as not to
swing too much in any chance breeze.
The instruments themselves are the
strangest looking things, the violins.
instead of the regular body, hollow.
tube affair. In which are arranged the
strings. The cellos are skeleton In
construction-no sides and very slight
wooden supports separating the top
and bottom of the body. And to every
instrument is attached an aluminium
horn directed toward the large horn
in the wall, to concentrate the sound
wave.
"The singer is placed on little
platform directly in front OF the large
receiver, then when all is In readiness
he or she slips down out OF the way
Of the sound waves. A light gives
the signal and the conductor, who is
perched even higher than the musi-
clans. starts the orchestra. At the
side of the soloist is an assistant, who.
when the orchestra begins, puts into
the mouth of the horn a large extern
sion. so as to catch more Of the sound.
and when the introduction is finished
quickly removes it. Then the soloist.
rising and standing quite close to the
horn. sings. 1t is rather distracting,
for one hears ones voice become at
once concentrated and more vibrant
than usual, and one must remember
those dreadful little sounds which an
audience would scarcely notice, but
which the horn records relentA
ION finishing the verse oneY steps,
down below the level of the horn.
The assistant once more puts on the
extension and keeps it in place until
the second verse starts. This assist
ant is a 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 a mistake. he stops. If any
thing goes wrong with the recording
instrument bell rings and all stop,
to begin over again at given sig
nal.
After the song is finished the rec
ord is played. One listens to sec
where it can be improved. Perhaps
in places the orchestra is scratchy. II
SO. they rehearse the weak spots once
or twice; then again they take their
positions. await the red starting sig
nal and try once more.
THE wax disks on which the rec
ords are actually made are behind the
partition. and all about is a mass Of
what at first looks like fuzz or fun,
but is in reality wax spun on by the
needle. These wax imprints are sent
to the factory-about four or Ave are
made Of each song-where q metal i'm
preston is taken from them. From
this pattern the hard block records
are manufactured.