Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-12-29
This and That
Ry Charles F. TraceweH


Many newcomers to the art and science
of recorded music will be playing records at
this time of year.
Some of them will play them at rs revolu-
lions a minute, others at 80 revolutions, and
others at As revolutions minute. more or
less
Which is better?
This is question most Of them, at some
time or other, will ask themselves.
This column has received several questions
along that line already.
Let us answer it this way:
To know which is best" in this matter
would require a long honest investigation
which few persons have the time to under
take.
The best way for the average person is
to play what he has, and enjoy it.
In music especially, Gas in all art), science
should not be permitted to intervene too
much. A certain amount is unacceptable, in
a scientific age. Of course.
1t must be kept in mind that the real
heart of music is emotion. about as far
from science as possible.
Too many persons believe that music is
mainly Intellectual
They congratulate themselves either
secretly or openly. on the fact that they
understand" this piece of music or that
piece of music.
But understanding, as such, is not the
heart of the matter.
Our point is that one may love and enjoy
music, whether one understands it or not
and whether the photograph turntable goes
around at one speed, second speed, or
third speed!
Music existed thousands of years before
the photograph was invented This wonder
instrument merely brings more music to
more people That is it's mission. That it
brings it more true to real music than ever
before is it's present day glory. The speed"
of the mechanical revolution of the disc
simply is testimonial to the fact that music
does, indeed. go round and round. -....
Little children are first introduced to
music by being allowed to keep time to it.
Time is part of music, and so this is good
way to begin.
Grownups would be doing music dis
service to think too much about the speed
of their records. or whether one type Is
better than another.
The important thing is to play what one
has-and like 1t!
If this is done, music fulfills its true func-
ton. After all, playing violin Is music!
Sometimes we are In danger OF thinking
that playing the piano. for instance. is not
as much music as listening to q great
orchestra. Both are music, different, but
both good. It is the same thing with what
Is, unfortunately, called mechanical music.
The electrical elements in modern phono-
graph music take it entirely out OF the class
Of the mechanical. The real life touch and
feel is there And this, let us insist, no matter
the turntable speed.
Seventy EIGHT revolutions a minute is
the old standard speed. Whether it will be
superseded remains to be seen. The splitting
of a long work into parts" with resulting
delays, is not particularly bad. A little work
with ones mind makes 1t a matter of little
moment.
The essential thing is to so love music
that, however one has it, music enters into
the heart. The emotional side Of music is
far greater than it's intellectual. This Is
easily seen in the plain fact that enforced
music becomes distasteful to many persons
who love music Their emotions are aroused,
and what they really like, they may say
they do not want under such circumstances.
Those who do not understand this do not
love music.
We would advise all persons who have new
monographs at this time to concentrate on
the type records they have, and by SO doing
to get full enjoyment and happiness
from them. Comparisons are neither neces-
sary nor desirable, since 1t still happens to
be true we believe, that both enjoyment
In, and happiness from. music comes more
from the listener than from the player,
more from the heart than from the BRAIN
more from being happy than from being
critical.