The Origin of Stereophonic Sound
On May 1932, Stokovski highly recommended that the electric art has opened new horizon for music’s development at American Musical Institute by presenting a hundred or more recording segments which performed by Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. This series of Early Hi-Fi were chosen from them. Although for fifty years it has never came to us, it is still presented us thr timbre of extremely high quality through outstanding transcription of H.Ward Marston IV, who was blind but with sensitive ears. It tells of us much more things as the transcription of this musical segments are performed at the climax of Philadelphia Orchestra’s playing career. And it is why this is much more precious and truly original.
One side of the first version of Early Hi-Fi embodies Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overtune, Weber’s Invitation to the Dance, Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night's Dream or so, which are all of wide frequency and mono-recording. The other side has Scriabin’s Pictures at an Exhibition, part of which is stereophonic recording.
The second version was chosen from symphonic orchestra of Wagner’s Ring, as Stokovski’s so-called synthesizing symphonic orchestra. The first side of it embodies Ride of the Valkyries, Wortan’s Farewell or so, all of which are presented with stereo sound and mono-sound by turns.
It brings us unique appreciation and inspiration with such wide frequency and dynamic in a time as 1930s. It is never less alive for much noise heard. Take Ride of the Valkyries as an example, listening to it, we are likely in the same musical atmosphere as presented by directly-cutting Lp performed by LA Philharmonic with Lysyindov as its conductor and released by Sheffield Lab.
As time passes by, stereo recording has become nothing more than normal and Bell together with WE system started to play their roles behind the scene in analogue times. They had never released any recordings for they were not records companies. But we believe there are many great discs coming to us with the help of WE equipments. So it isa much better opportunity for us to know more about Western Electric Sound by way of getting more about its acoustic equipments. However, not many but few can have a chance of listening indeed. So we can gain a deeper understanding by listening to a series of CDs released this year by ABC (Int’l) Records.
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