Evening star., 1936-12-28
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

One Of the happy come-backs Of the
past year, and especially Of the holiday
season, was the disc record business.
Electrical recording is coming into its
own, with electrical reproduction, but
the same records may be played with
great satisfaction on older instruments
The old phonograph Is by no means
dead, as many a person has found out.
Hidden away In attic, or basement, or
in a corner Of the living room, the phono-
graph was put into commission again In
many homes this Christmas.
Just what Is responsible for this vogue
is not altogether clear perhaps.
Modern recordings are wonderful, and
their electrical reproduction far ahead Of
anything ever known.
But many will feel that certain psyche
logical features play an important part
in this revival. For one thing, the re-
corded music has no "blurb." It does not
insist that you patronize anything. 1t is
not forever dinning into your ears how
fine the piece of music is, or who wrote it.
You are supposed to be interested enough
in music to find out such things for
yourself. Every record is q subtle COM
pliment.
Then, too, there is the urge to play what
you want when you want it. Il Want
What Want When Want It," an old
musical comedy hit" might very well
be taken as the theme song Of this revival.
Over the radio the listener must take
what he finds on the air Often much
the same sort Of thing Is coming into the
home over practically every station on
the dial.
Records permit, now as always, the Sc
lection Of music to suit exactly the mood
of the moment.
There Is in music something for every
mood. That is one of its glories. From
the dashing, pulse stirring march, to the
lullaby, and the waltz, every wish of the
temperamental listener can be gratif1ed.
This is to know and possess music at its
best. The magical bow of the master
violiniSt would seem entirely out of place
in q parade. The thrum of the ukulele
would not do in church. Yet for every
mood Of the human mind and heart there
is some music, played by some instrument.
or combination thereof, or sung by some
voice or voices, which Just suits the oc-
casion. Whether we demand tears or
laughter, we find some melody divinely
made for the occasion.
- -
What marvellous instrument was and
is, the old phonograph.
If there Is one secreted around the
house somewhere, dust 1t on, put . little
polish on the finish, and rub it down
carefully.
The chances are 100 to that in q few
minutes it will look almost like new.
As for the mechanism, it Is timeless.
Some Of these old boxes are Is to 20
years old, yet almost without exception,
all stand ready at a moments notice to
play sweet music.
The reproducer, the heart of the affair,
seems to be able to resist all weather and
every other influence, including tempera-
ture changes, which might have destroyed
its usefulness.
As for the sound chamber, that was 20
carefully constructed long ago that
even the dryness of the average modern
home in Winter seems to have left 1t
without crack or mar.
BY the time radio appeared on the
popular scene 1929 the photograph had
been worked up to a point of great ef-
ficiency. The motors which hummed
around inside, in most instruments, were
as "fool-proof' as q mechanical thing