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Conventional speakers . . these tend to be directional.They have good wide -range response only within a rela-tively narrow triangular listening area. Stereo "presence"is limited because not enough sound reverberates fromthe sides and rear of listening area.

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FORMERLY HI FI/STEREO REVIEW

Stereo ReviewAUGUST 1969 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 2

THE MUSICTHE BASIC REPERTOIREDebussy's Nocturnes MARTIN BOOKSPAN 49STEREO REVIEW TALKS TO LAURITZ MELCHIORContinuing a series of interviews with recording artists GEORGE JELLINEK 65MUSICAL METHUSELAHSSpending one's life in nt,usic seems to lengthen it HENRY PLEASANTS 66NONESUCH'S "SPECTRUM: NEW AMERICAN MUSIC"Three new discs show the breadth of our native serial school WILLIAM FLANAGAN 94HOWARD SACKLER'S THE GREAT WHITE HOPEA memorable play is now on disc (and tape) CLIVE BARNES. 109STEREO REVIEW TALKS TO HOWARD SACKLERAn interview with "the Toscanini of the Spoken Word" PAUL KRESH 110

THE EQUIPMENTNEW PRODUCTSA roundup of the latest high-fidelity equipment 18AUDIO QUESTIONS AND ANSWERSAdvice on readers' technical problems LARRY KLEIN 24AUDIO BASICSVirtue out of Necessity HANS H. FANTEL 28TECHNICAL TALKEquipment Specifications-Part III; Hirsch -Houck laboratoryreports on the Kenwood KT -7000 AA1 [Stereo FM tuner, the ThorensTD -125 turntable, and the Allied 395 AM [Stereo FM receiver JULIAN D. HIRSCH 33GUIDELINES TO SPEAKER SHOPPINGAvoiding the Awful Buy of the Month award LARRY KLEIN 53INSTALLATION OF THE MONTHAgainst -the -11'W! Stereo WILLIAM WOLLHEIM 57THE NEW MULTI -DIRECTIONAL LOUDSPEAKERS11 hat are they supposed to do? How do they work1 BENNETT EVANS 58THE LOUDSPEAKER AND THE ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENTAdjusting loudspeaker listening -room characteristics GEORGE AUGSPURGER 61TAPE HORIZONSThe On -Location Recorder CRAIG STARK 115

THE REVIEWSBEST RECORDINGS OF THE MONTI I 71CLASSICAL 77ENTERTAINMENT 101STEREO TAPE 113

THE REGULARSEDITORIALLY SPEAKING WILLIA.AI ANDERSON 4LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 6GOING ON RECORD JAMES GOODFRIEND 44INTRODUCING THE STAFF: JULIAN HIRSCH LARRY KLEIN 99ADVERTISERS' INDEX; PRODUCT INDEX 118COVER.: PHOTO BY BRUCE PENDLETON: DESIGN BY BORYS PATCHOWSKY

Copyright © 19139 by ZiffDavis Publishing Company. Alt rights reserved. Stereo Review, August, 1009. Volume 23. Number 2. Publishedmonthly at 307 North Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois 0110111. by Ziff -Davis Publishing Company-also the publishers of Airline Management:mit Marketing, Boating, nosiness tx commercial Aviation. Car and Driver. cycle. Eiectronics NVorld, Flying. Modern Bride. PopularPopular

Photography, Skiing. Skiing Area News. Skiing Trade News, and Travel Weekly. One year subscription rate for U.S.. U.S, Possessionsanti Canada. $11.00: all other eountries. $7.00. Second lass postage paid at Chicago. Illinois anti at additional tnalling offices. Authorized assecond class mall by the Post Office Department. Ottawa. Canada. and for payment of postage in cash. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE: Forms 3579and all subscription torrestin fence should be addressed to Stereo Review. Circulation Department. Portland Place. Boulder. Colorado 80302. Pleaseallow at least six weeks for' change of address. Include your old address, as well as new-elleiOsinff if possible an address label from a recent Issue.

4-CIRCLE NO. 101 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Stereo ReviewFORMERLY HI Fl /STEREO REVIEW

PUBLISHERPHILLIP T. HEFFERNAN

EDITORWILLIAM ANDERSON

MANAGING EDITORWILLIANI LIVINGS'I'ONE

MUSIC EDITORJAMES GOODFRIEND

TECHNICAL EDITORLARRY KLEIN

ASSOCIATE EDITORROBERT S. CLARK

ART DIRECTORBORN'S PATCHOWSKY

ASSISTANT TECHNICAL EDITORWII.I I.111 IA 01 11E1 M

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTNIICHAEL MARK

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSCLIVE BARNES

MARTIN BOOKSPAN1L NS H. FANTEL

WILLIANI FLANAGANDAVID HALL

DON IIECKNIANJULIAN D. HIRSCHGEORGE JELLINEK

IGOR KIPNISPAUL KRESH

REX REEDPETER REILLY

ERIC SALZMANCRAIG STARK

EUROPEAN EDITORFREDERIC: GRUNFELD

LONDON EDITORHENRY PLEASANTS

ADVERTISING MANAGERWI] , J. SULI.I\ \

ADVERTISINGSERVICE MANAGER

ARM s t ]LORAN

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERLARRY SPORN

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ZIFF-DAVI, 1.1111.i s 11 l'OYIPANYWilliam ZifT. PresidentW. Bradford Executive Vice Prie-itientHershel B. Sarbin, Senior Vice PresidentPhilip Sine. Financial N'ice Pre- PietWalter S. Alills, .1r., Vice Pre,,ident, CirculationStanley H. Creenlield. Vice Preident. :MarketingPhillip T. Heffernan, VII,

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EDITORIALLY SPEAKINGORCHESTRAS IN CRISIS

WHEN it comes to deficit financing, the U. S. government has nothing onour major symphony orchestras. It is no news to most music lovers that,

almost without exception, they suffer from a congenital weakness in the regionof the right hip pocket. They are fabulously expensive invalids, and the main-tenance bills that concert subscriptions and income from recording contractscannot begin to meet have for years been picked up by government, foundations,industry, and generous private donors. Economic individualists may cluck thatevery, enterprise ought to pay its own way or go out of business, but the arts,however indirectly, have always been handmaidens of commerce.

But, for our orchestras, the situation has become even more acute over thecourse of the past few years: costs (particularly salaries) have gone up, sub-sidies have gone down, and concert audiences overall have dwindled alarmingly.No one with any sense of fiscal fairness would begrudge instrumentalists theirrecent overdue salary increases, and few would claim that the diversion of publicand private funds into basic social rather than cultural programs is a perversionof priorities. What rankles, however, is that dwindling audience; the olderconcert -going generation is thinning out, and the seats it used to occupy are notbeing taken up by a younger one. Orchestra managers, impresarios, and publicscolds are full of explanations-the repertoire is stale, concerts are too stifflyformal, concert -going has become more a social exercise than a musical experi-ence, young people have been seduced by the simpler and more accessiblepleasures of popular music. What is missing from this catalog, it seems to me, isa little generational arithmetic. This is the year 1969. The long-playing record\vas born in 1948. Simple subtraction gives us twenty-one years-a nice figurefor the coming of age of the First Phonographic Generation. If it is true, as Ihave long been told, that "people who go to concerts do not buy records," thenthe corollary must also be true: "people who buy records do not go to concerts."Though it can be argued that there is a large element of snob appeal in con-cert going, it must also be admitted that it offers the potential for greater musi-cal enjoyment. This is not enough for the First Phonographic Generation.Raised on "canned" music and other technological aids to instant gratification,they can hear the music they want, when they want, in any of a dozen or moresuperb performances; they need not wait half a season or longer for an indifferentone. The way out of the woods for our orchestras is to find what they can do forthese listeners that recorded music cannot; I do not envy them their task.

ALITTLE over three years ago (April 1966) STEREO REVIEW offered to itsreaders a "Calendar of Classical Composers." Printed in color, on heavy stock,it listed the most important composers from the year 1400 to the (then) pres-ent, grouping them according to the major stylistic periods-Renaissance,Baroque, Classic, Romantic, etc. Popular demand now dictates that we repeatthis offer. New readers, and those who missed the opportunity the first timearound, can get a copy simply by circling number 145 on the Reader ServiceCard, page 9.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITORKit Convert I have enjoyed and gained much informa-tion from articles in your publication. How-ever, few have kindled me to direct action.Bennett Evans' article on kit building in theJune issue did this. It hadn't dawned on methat all the components I've been shoppingfor I could build-and that I really wantedto build them! I'm off on a new kibby,and thank you very much.

RICK JUDYPocatello,

The MostI .ixtteten-year-,1d girl who just hap-

pens to be a great fan of your magazine.think that James Goodfriend and Larry Kleinare two really cool cats.

I know it is very strange for a girl myage to like this kind of stuff. but I thin': it isthe most. Afy technical and recordings knowl-edge got me a job at a record and audioshop here. (They take S'arlIao REVIEW also.)Most of the kids at school make fun of mefor liking this sort of stuff.

I just wanted you all to know that In mybook you are number one. I consider yourmagazine to he the best on the market today.

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Lieder I have just one question for Robert S.Clark, the author of -A basic Library or Ger-man Lieder" ( June): does he even yet under-stand why the lied had to happen? Has herealized that in the German language therewas no poem-until German musicians be-gan to force the sentimental abortive shredsback into the creative womb for a recycling?A nation like EngLind, with Shakespeare. andDonne and Nfilton and Blake, could debouchinto the nineteenth century with a backlogand a currency of tough verbal music thatstaved off States. But poor Eichenclortf,Morike, and Goethe (especially this last sadfaker)-those babies had no present or re-membered music to tall back on.

1\1s -self. I don't complain: I'm glad thatEnglish poets have always come on stridingand not as crippled beggars for a composer'scharity-gives me something to read whenthe stereo's on the blink. And I'm equally

glad that no German poet arrived in time toforestall Schubert and Schumann. Effectivelythere was no art of verbal MUSIC in Germanbefore Rilke; German musicians had a freehand to use the crude jingles they found asthe ore of art.

HARL:\N SPoRE.Pine bluff, Ark.

AIr. atri- re/iliac. -Lite All-. Spore. I ',Ic-ier En jish po,try to German, on the wh,le.Bill it i, nothing ley' than .(1.111:10' to I, tillill German poctry before Rilhe 'crude fin -

Mr. Spore .teems to forget one real'important thing: frwn the time of the Min -

He gelS for W.Ifd e1111.1/1 poeha tr.r.r ill -/1111.11,11 Coll !Ice/ ed Wig) I11/1)1C. much mote soILO! El/gild) pOcir el <1 W.15. even while theEngli,l) madrigal ,end lute -song schools werei/ thclr pe.d. It Is little wonder th.a. In thenimte-enth canton. the Fut:11(h poetic itadi-tion had developed a greaier independenceof the regular line lengths and .1/rtss pat.tern c that pt so conveniently onto musical

independence being, I prefUllle,11.1).11 Air. Spore means by `tough verbal mu-sic.' But line lengths and stress patterns arehardly the whole of po4Irl. II -hen I lac asideChaucer, Donne, and Y1 iii. I can take up

Goethe. or /11orde with the ex-pcel.aion of finding life. if not equal.

I shudder to think of the number of peoplewho may nes er even go near the liederrepertoire because of Robert S. Clark's articlein the June issue, "A Basic Library of Ger-man Lieder.- Twice in his otherwise admir-able article, he says in effect that the worldof the lied is a closed hook to those who donot speak the language of the lied. In spiteof iny knowledge of perhaps ten Germanwords, I own a steadily growing library oflieder recordings, from which I derive greatjoy. I realize that I would. perhaps, under-stand lieder better than I do now if I knewGerman, but my enjoyment of them nosyknows no bounds.

BERNARD SPUNBERGNorth Hollywood, Cal.

Mr, ant replies: "I hope Ali. Sptinhergiv wrong about the effect of my article onthose who read it: io chief pmpose leaf to(irate uninitiated listeneis /o lieder. But isn't

(Continued On 8)

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he overreacting? (Shudders, yet!) I saidnothing about closed books or speaking thelanguage of the lied. I only said that get-ting to the heart of the genre required 'someacquaintance' with the language. I think thelistener must know pretty well from pointto point what the words mean; for this rea-son I recommended a couple of German -Eng-lish ponies. But as for the language itself,a general notion of its structure, its charac-teristic sounds, and its most frequently usedwords will suffice. As I said in the introduc-tory paragraphs of my article, 'the largershare of the lieder repertoire's pleasures isavailable to every music lover.'"

Sang PrizeI read with interest the notice in the New

York Times concerning the award of the

The New Mediterranean speaker systemby Frazier finished in dark oak looks asluxurious as its name. Designed for thediscriminating who appreciate visible aswell as auditory esthetics. The smoothnessextends to the full range of SOUND ...from the organ flutes to the silky over-tones of the violin-with perfection inpercussion sounds from tympani to thetinkling of bells. SEE and HEAR theMediterranean for yourself - the qualityreproduction of this system will thrill youmore than anything you haveever heard. Available in con-temporary styling as Mark VI.See your Frazier dealer-

Sang Prize in music criticism to your con-tributing editor Eric Salzman. I am of theopinion that the singling out of a recordcritic in this way is an important and goodthing for a whole branch of the profession,for it can contribute to securing for recordcritics the recognition they deserve from theirfellow music critics. I congratulate you andMr. Salzman.

INGO HARDEN, Editorfono forumHamburg, Germany

Steber's Knoxville Never, in the course of my own career, did

1 write a music critic to protest real or imag-ined injustice. I do so today, distressed bya rare bit of scurrility by William Flanaganin his review of RCA's new recording of

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Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915.Mr. Flanagan tenders well -deserved praise

to Leontyne Price, but in the process hescores a previous recording of the work byEleanor Steber. Mr. Flanagan is entitled todislike the Steber rendition; I happen tothink it is a good one. Here we have anhonest difference of opinion. It is the toneof the review that stirs my bile. Miss Steberdid many years of exemplary singing at theMetropolitan Opera. She is no mediocrity,no Florence Foster Jenkins, to be mocked bya reviewer. Mr. Flanagan's gratuitous abusehad, in my opinion, no journalistic justifica-tion. He should be ashamed of himself.

GEORGE LONDONArtistic AdministratorJ. F. Kennedy Center

for the Performing ArtsWashington, D. C.

Mr. Flanagan replies: "I have just rereadmy review of Leontyne Price's new record.ing of Barber's Knoxville. I have scrutinizedto the last comma what I assume to be thesame paragraphs Mr. London read. The re-sult is complete bafflement and a wistfulhope that either Mr. London has misread meor I am misreading him.

"There is not a single word in my reviewthat even suggests to me a denigration of(or even the wish to invoke the privilege,granted to me quite pointlessly by Mr. Lon-don, of being 'entitled to dislike') EleanorSteber's old Columbia version of the Barberpiece. His use of the singular in referring toSteber's recorded performances would sug-gest he is referring to the Columbia, throughwhich (I believe I made clear) I came toknow and admire the piece so unequivocallythat Price's recording 'was . . until I real-ized what she was up to, a bit of a jolt.'Any comment either following or precedingthis quotation front no notice teas not in-tended to downgrade Steber's first record-ing of the piece, but to contrast it withPrice's highly personal and, I suspect, inimi-table performance. Like Mr. London, I toobelieve that this Sieber rendition is a goodone.

"But Mr. London's letter could be refer-ring either to the original recording (nowavailable on the Odyssey label) or to Sieber'sunavailable second recording for her ownnot -defunct label, which I have discoveredwas called St/and. I have a vivid recollectionof the latter as a badly recorded, poorly sungconcert performance with an unquestionabbinferior symphony orchestra in New Jersey,coupled, I am all but certain, with a pieceby John La Montaine. In my review of thenew Price recording, I devoted one-ad-mittedly uncomplimentary-sentence to thisrecording, a disc I recall reviewing withdistress because it did a disservice to Bar-ber's piece and to Miss Sieber's reputation.If Mr. London, in fact, had ever heard thisrecording, I cannot believe he would seri-ously argue my contention that it shouldnever have been released. Even so, were Mr.London to surprise me by insisting that thissecond recording was also a good one, Iwould still fail to perceive the basis for theextreme way he reacts to my comment aboutMiss Sieber: 'the bloom [had] left hervoice. . . ! Observations akin to this one,ninny of them far more waspish, have beenwritten again and again about a Tebaldi or aCallas without anyone intending or inferring

(Continued on page 12)CIRCLE NO. 61 ON READER SERVICE CARD

8 STEREO REVIEW

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11

an implicit repudiation of an entire career.Surely, then, such a remark can be madeabout cm isolated and comparatively obscurefalse move in Mics Steber's career withoutMr. London or anyone else melodramatizingit into my reduction of her to 'a mediocrity'or 'a Florence Foster Jenkins.'

"In the last analysis, if Mr. London con-strues anything I wrote about Steber's firstrecording of Knoxville as a denial of her'many years of exemplary' singing,' then Ithink I can ask that he do me the justice ofsubstantiating so unreasonable a charge fromthe text of my review. If he is referring,however, to the second recording, then, wereI Miss Sieber, I would feel uncomfortable if

colleague of Mr. London's stature feltcompelled to write for publication so hyper-bolic a rebuttal to a fleeting phrase of ad-verse criticism. For my own part, I respectMiss Steber's accomplishments far too muchto patronize her by treating her miscalcula-tions or failures with the Tender LovingCare a critic usually reserves for the con-scientious efforts of an artist of minor talentand small achievement."

William Flanagan's statement in his Junereview of Leontyne Price's new recording ofKnoxville: Summer of 1915 that the workwas "commissioned, first performed, and re-corded by Eleanor Steber, with WilliamStrickland conducting the Dumbarton OaksChamber Orchestra, in 1948," is slightly mis-leading. Despite his attention to punctua-tion, the reviewer lumps too much into onesentence. Eleanor Steber did commission thework; she did perform it first, but not with

the orchestra of the first recording. The worldpremiere was with Serge Koussevitzky andthe Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1948.

IRVING ROTMANElkins Park, Pa.

Speakers and Dealers In -Audio Questions and Answers" forJune, under the heading "Speaker Demon-stration," Larry Klein implied that all hi-fidealers will do anything for increased prof-its-even to tampering with the controls tomake one speaker sound better than anotherin a side -by -side comparison. The actual factis that two makes of speakers will alwayssound different from each other. We dealershave always stressed that speakers should bejudged by which one sounds best to the in-dividual doing the buying. After all, it is thesound of the speaker that the customer isbuying, not what is written about it. In manycases, the speaker that sounds best to a cus-tomer is a lower -priced, lower -profit speak-er. We would much rather have a customerremain confident in us as honest dealers thanlose this respect for the small gains in profitby misrepresentation.

This complaint aside, I have been, andstill any, an interested reader of STEREOREVIEW. Keep up the good work.

BOB SIDEBOTTOMGrice Electronics, Inc.Pensacola, Fla.

Mr. Klein replies: "If Mr. Sidebottom willreread my answer, he will surely realize Iimplied no such thing as he indicates. Thereis no doubt in my mind that there are some

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dealers in every field 'who will do anythingfor increased profits,' but I don't think thatthe stereo component area provides a particu-larly profitable haven for the dishonest mer-chandiser. I was addressing myself in myanszver to a specific situation that unfor-tunately is not as uncommon as it should be.

I disagree with Mr. Sidebottom on an-other point, :11.1-0.1 believe that it is possiblefor a dealer to do a disservice for a customerby simply selling a speaker that 'sounds bestto the individual doing the buying.' We allknow that, for some unsophisticated ears, thejuke box in the corner bar is the sonic stan-dard against which all other systems are mea-sured. A conscientious dealer who is con-cerned about long-term customer Li/Nat-lion-and who can all ord to do so-should de-vote some time to an educational effort,pointing out those speakers that producesound that bears some relationship to whatone hears .it a 'live' performance. In myview, only after a dealer has done this andthe customer still prefers juke -box boom andscreech is the dealer morally free to sell thecustomer the spzaf,r that sounds best tohim."

Dorothy Maynor on LP In his review of RCA's new disc "The Artof Dorothy Maynor" ( June), George Jel-linek says, "This is the first Dorothy MaynorLP ever issued." In the good old days, whenRCA was disinterring very valuable olditems for re-release on the Camden label, onedisc-CAL 344-was devoted entirely toDorothy Maynor, and included three of thetitles on the current release. That record isin my collection; I have a feeling there wasa second volume, but I am unable to trace it.

It is to be hoped that RCA will reissueother Maynor items still in their vaults.

GAYI.E R. CARVERBowling Green, Ky.

Mr. fellinek replies: "I am grateful toMr. Carver and the other readers who wroteto correct me. I am quite surprised that Ihave no recollection of the Maynor Camdenalbum at all-it must have had a very shortlife in the catdog."

The Friendly Locals I was fascinated by Mr. David Wilson'snotion, in his June letter to the editor, thatneighborhood record dealers went out ofbusiness because they refused to sell rareand unusual merchandise at discount prices.The dealer who cuts his markup must in-crease his volume, and you don't do a vol-ume business in josquin des Pres or JohnCage. Economics is indeed the dismal sciencewhen you are caught between pretentiouspseudo -intellectuals who think they ought tobe paid for entering your shop, and hard-headed distributors who know they oughtto be paid for merchandise delivered.

It might interest Mr. Wilson to know thatin the good old days the "money -hungry"dealer got a 40 per cent markup, if he paidhis bills promptly and took the two per centdiscount. Out of this he had to pay steadilyincreasing overhead and his own and hisfamily's living expenses. If he cut his mark-up in half, he would have to double hissales. A dollar off on a five -dollar list priceis not that impressive to the purchaser, is it?

As for the Editor's franchise plan, it seemsto me that successful franchise operations

page 14)

12 STEREO REVIEW

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CIRCLE NO. 38 ON READER SERVICE CARDAL' UST 1969 13

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deal with merchandise that can be bought inlarge quantity, limited variety, and stan-dardized quality, like chicken and hambur-gers. In the old days, a Victor or Columbiadealership was in fact a franchise operation.The dealer was assured that he would nothave a competitor directly across the street.Salesmen were knowledgeable and so werethe boys and girls at the phone desk: theyknew what they knew because their scope waslimited. In grocery stores there is a price dif-ference between cheddar cheese and Belugacaviar. In the record business, the price struc-ture is in no way related to quality, cost ofproduction, or demand. I don't know howit could he. Economics notwithstanding, weare dealing with matters of art and mattersof taste, where no strict system of evaluationapplies.

I have read hundreds of articles in all themagazines that publish record reviews, andI have yet to see one that reveals even afaint understanding of the economics of whatmay he essentially an anti -economic business.

F. H. GATESBerwyn, Ill.

Discovery"I hank you for the article "Taping Off the

Air- by Judy Raskin in your March issue.It led me to an important discovery. Inplaying tapes through my components,was getting far too much bass, and on manytapes I had to turn the bass all the waydown to get a realistic level. Miss Raskinmentioned in passing that any tape machinewith recording capability should not be con-nected to the tape head input on the ampli-fier. I took her advice and connected my re-corder to tape monitor. Lo and behold, I

now have beautiful reproduction and realis-tic sound at normal bass and treble levels.Half an hour ago I was resigned to bassosound and frequent tone adjustments. I amnow discovering new sounds in old tapes,and looking forward to a lot of pleasurablelistening. Thank you.

GEORGE CATHCART, ILL USAAPO, San Francisco, Cal.

Carre Your reviewer Eric Salzman, when talk-ing about Stockhausen's Carr'in the Marchissue, seemed uncertain of the origins of theperformance. This recording is a two -trackversion made specially by the composerfrom a four -track recording of the final dressrehearsal for the first performance on Octo-ber 28, 1960. There has e been no subsequentperformances.

STEPHEN C. TROWEL!.London, England

Music: Mirror of the Times? As a regular subscriber to y,Jur magazine,I have for some time now enjoyed readingWilliam Anderson's editorials. But onestatement in his column for May provokedin me a special response-that -it cannot bedenied . . . that the art of music has alwaysbeen one of the most accurate mirrors of thetime in which it was created...."

How, may I ask, does the art of musicmirror its times? Through the compositionaltechnique? The size of the ensemble? Thesound? I suggest that it is none of these, butrather the extramusical associations that be-come attached to the art. Would an unin-formed though musically literate listener of

(C,n/inut 4/ on page 16)

14 STEREO REVIEW

What impressedthe professionals mostwhen they testedthe new $79.50 Dual?

Speed Accuracy: "It is quiteimmure to ncrmal voltagechanges affecting its speed. ."(American Record Guide)

Varable pitch control:"... eachspeed is adjustable by means ofa 'pitch control' knob so thatyou can get on -the -nose speedaccuracy (or slight deviationsfrom it for special purposes)."(High Fidelity)

Tracking ability: "Significantly,the Dual 1212 went through itspaces fitted with the Shure V-15Type II, and it proved perfectlycapable of handling a cartridgeof this high quality." (HighFidelity)

Tonearm balance and design:"The arm is fully balanced...just as it is on the other Duals."(American Record Guide)

"Arm friction, laterally andvertically, was negligible at lessthan 10 milligrams each. Thearm needed less than 25milligrams to trip the automaticchange mechanism, whichbespeaks excellent balance anddesign in this area." (HighFidelity)

Tracking settings: "The built-instylus force adjustment provedabsolutely accurate." (HighFidelity)

"...anti -skating forceadjustment... really works, aswe verified by observing that thecartridge output waveform onhigh -velocity records wasclipped symmetrically on bothchannels." (Stereo Review)

Cueing: "...you can use the cuecontrol for a very gentle loweringof the pickup onto the record.You Can also interrupt play atany portion of the record andresume play as you please."(High Fidelity)

Total Performance:"...compatiblewith the finest amplifiers andspeakers, as well as the mostcompliant cartridges availabletoday..." (Stereo Review)

You may be equally impressedwhen you read the complete testreports. Write to United Audio,535 Madison Avenue,New York, N.Y. 10022. Dual

CIRCLE NO. 58 ON READER SERVICE CARDAUGUST 1969 15

When you'renumber one intape recordersyou don'tmake thenumber -twotape.

It costs a few pennies more.But Sony professional -qual-ity recording tape makes aworld of difference in howmuch better your recordersounds-and keeps on sound-ing. That's because Sonytape is permanently lubri-cated by an exclusive Lubri-Cushion process. Plus, itsextra -heavy Oxi-Coatingwon't shed or sliver. Sonytape is available in all sizesof reels and cassettes. Andremember, Sony profes-sional -quality recordingtape is made by the world'smost respected manufactur-er of recording equipment.

You never heard it so good.

1968 SUPERSCOPE. INC.

SunValley, (;alifornia 91352CIRCLE NO. 53 ON READER SERVICE CARD16

the future, hearing a composition by Babbittor Cage, recognize in it the conflicts now be-setting our civilization? What might he thesound of revolution in Beethoven withoutthe dedication "Eroica" or the editor's name"Emperor"? Could one find German nation-alism in the music of Weber's operas, with-out knowing the librettos?

Given the melodic, harmonic, and instru-mental -orchestral elements of a composition,one can recognize its place in the history ofmusical development, seeing, for instance,the musical revolution in Beethoven's crea-tions. But the Reign of Terror, or the ego-maniac imperialism of Napoleon? Or even"Romanticism"? I, for one, do not hearthem.

P. AIZUPITISDowningtown, Pa.

The Editor replies: "Though there arethose who claim otherwise, I do not believethere is such a thing as 'pure' music-it isnot simply a matter of notes, an). more thanpainting is just a matter of paint or archi-tecture a matter of stones. Even so-called'compute,' music bears the mark of its pro-grammer, and less mechanicll productionsare full of their very human composers. Andvery human composers are. like the rest ofus, full of their time-its id,as and ideals,its triumphs and its failures. its politics, itstechnology, and its manners. What it alladds up to is the spirit of the time, theZeitgeist, and not a series of mundane head-lines such a., 'Napoleon Suffers DisastrousDefeat in Russia,' or 'Spirit of NationalismSweeps Europe.' Such programmatic titlesas 'Eroica' and 'Wellington's Victory' areinteresting but gratuitous, for music operateson another level of significance. Mr. Aizupi-tis may not, but I can hear the Age of En-lightenment (rational man in harmony withthe universe) in Mozart as I can hear theRomantic Era (the exaltation of the emotionsover the intellect) in 11":egner. Both com-posers were accurate mirrors of their time.It goes without saying that all this doesn'twork for Hottentots or Fiji Islanders notsteeped in Irestern culture-but then theyhave their own clubs."

Koussevitzky and Disc Archives David Hall pays tribute to the ancientKoussevitzky 78 -rpm recording of Alsosprach Zarathustra in his April review ofZubin btehta's new disc. I believe the for-mer came out on Camden 173 for a shorttime, ages ago. Id like to point Out thateight Koussevitzky recordings are availablein England, including the especially fineSibelius Second, the Beethoven Fifth, the"Unfinished." Harold in Italy, Till Elden-spiegel, and some Ravel, Copland, andProkofiev. Those interested might write RCAurging that these he released on this side ofthe Atlantic to complement the recent Kous-sevitzky package issued here.

But why shouldn't ten or fifteen Kous-sevitzky recordings always be available; whycan't RCA do for Koussevitzky a quarter ofwhat it has always done for Toscanini? Ifthey feel they cannot, why not start a specialdirect -order service like Columbia's? Or theymight sell their archives, on tape, to librariesso that listeners could check them out like abook. David Hall makes this point in hisHarris discography (December 1968), call-ing for "archival audition services in themajor cities . . . together with a reissue ser-

vice ... of significant musical materials longdeleted from the commercial record cata-logs." And Eric Salzman (July 1967) calledfor master -tape archives. I think it's timesomething happened.

BOB ANDERSONDetroit, Afich.

Traditional vs. Integrated JazzI would like to make the suggestion that

Ile editors give Don Heckman for reviewonly those recordings that fall into the cate-gory of "integrated jazz," as he calls it. Ihave read his reviews carefully since buyinga "bargain" he recommended highly, "TheBlue Yusef Lateef." I was sick when I heardthis mongrel labeled jazz, and realized I

couldn't get my money back.There ought to be a clear distinction be-

tween traditional jazz and the "integrated"kind. "Rock-and-roll" incorporated "hill-billy" into the popular music of the day,and now "integrated jazz" has incorporatedrock-and-roll along with the ear-splittingsounds of modern combos with amplifiers.To those who are lovers of traditional jazz,this is a raucous, offensive mongrelization.

Rex Reed, on the other hand, has an ap-preciation of traditional jazz. I suggest hereview these discs, and Heckman be giventhe "integrated jazz."

HUGH C. PASCHALLChatham, Va.

Mr. Heckman replies: "Mongrelization,eh? Well, I'm glad to hear that I persuadedMr. Paschall to buy the Lateef record. It's agood one, by an definition, Besides, a littlemongrelizathm is good for the soul."

Who Wants the Standards?I am accustomed to opinions in reviews

and I allow a lot of leeway for the critics'judgment. But Peter Reilly was way out ofline, and arrogant, in reviewing Vic Da-mone's new record (May). The main faulthe found with the record seemed to be thatnobody wants the old standards Damonesings on it. I'll tell him who does wantthem: those of us who don't have them yet.Sometimes several versions of an old stan-dard will be listed in the catalog, but justlisten to them! They are jazzed -up or souled-up versions, apparently made to tease peoplelike P. R. into buying them. Those of us whowant to add these songs to our collectionshave to wait until someone like Damone de-cides to put out a "straight" version of thestandards,

LAURENCE PRICELong Beach, Cal.

Dropouts The May Schwann catalog looks like adisaster area, with the diamond deletion sym-bols scattered liberally throughout the cata-log, principally next to Deutsche Grammo-phon and Mercury records. Do you know ifeither company plans to reissue these to -be -

deleted discs on their respective budget -pricelabels? Among them are many I'd been plan-ning to buy, and their permanent loss wouldbe a great one to me.

STEPHEN SARPERPittsburgh, Pa.

Though neither of the companies Mr.Sarper mentions has specific plans, both saidthat it was likely that some of these deletionswould reappear in budget format.

STEREO REVIEW

Newdevelopmentsin the greatbass revival.

Last year, when we introduced the Fisher XP -18tour -way speaker system with its huge 18 -inch woofer, werenewed interest in bass among serious audiophiles.

We pointed out that no bookshelf -sizespeaker, not even the top Fisher models thatare famous for their bass, could push the lowfrequencies around a room with quite the sameauthority as a big brute like the XP -18.

This came as no surprise to thosethat a 40 -cycle sound wave

is more than 28 feet long. That's why it takes adouble bass or a contrabassoon to sound a notethat low. Bass and big dimensions go together.

But the sound of the big XP -18did surprise a lot of people. They knew ithad to be good at $359.95, but they weren'tprepared for a completely new experience.

And then came the obvious request:Couldn't we make the XP -18 concept available inmore moderately priced speakers?

We could. And did: in the new Fisher XP -12 andThey're a little smaller (24" x 22'/2" x 133/4" and

27" x 27" x 143/4", respectively), but still twice as big as bookshelf speakers.They're three-way systems instead of four-way, but they have the same type of8 -inch midrange driver with molded rubber surround, plus the exclusive Fisherdome tweeter with a new half -roll suspension and an improved dual dome.

The main difference from the XP -18 is in the woofers: F.

predicted a

a 12 -inch unit with a 6 -lb. magnet structure in the XP -12 anda 15 -inch driver with a 12 -lb. magnet structure in the XP -15B.

The prices justify the slight comedown in woof -inches;the XP -12 is listed at $219.95 and the XP -15B at $289.95.

How do they sound? Not quite like the XP -18.Just better than anything but the XP -18.

The Fisher*

includes detailed information on allFisher components.

Fisher Radio Corporation11-35 45th RoadLong Island City, N.Y.11101

Name

Address

City State Zip

PRICES SLIGHTLY HIGHER IN THE FAR WEST.

FISHER RADIO CCRFORATION. IN 1:_54_,9 PDAD, LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. 11101. OVERSEAS AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS PLEASE wRirE TO FISHER RADISINTENNATIONAL, NG.. LONG ISLAND CITY, N.V. 11101,

The new XP -15B

The new XP -12

Mail this couponfor your free copy ofThe Fisher Handbook, 1969 !,edition. This reference guidellto hi-fi and stereo also

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I0208692


NEW PRODUCTSA ROUNDUP OF THE LATEST HIGH-FIDELITY EQUIPMENT

Listening Environment En-gineers has introduced the LEE"Music Chamber," a partially en-closed lounge chair with two built-in speakers. Each channel uses aninfinite baffled 8 -inch high -com-pliance, extended -range speakerwith an 8 -ohm impedance. Thepower -handling capacity is 20watts integrated program materialper channel. The minimum recom-

mended amplifier power is 5 watts. The chair comeswith a 25 -foot cable for connection to the amplifier. Itsoutside shell is made of white fiberglass and the inside islined with 2 inches of latex foam covered with Scotch -

Guard treated nylon. A variety of upholstery colors areavailable. The chair stands about 41/) feet high and weighsabout 70 pounds. Price: $599. A matching ottoman (shown)is available for $60.

Circle 146 on reader service card

Ercona is importing the Leak "Stereo 70" integratedstereo amplifier. Music -power output is 45 watts per chan-nel into 8 ohms. Continuous -power output, both channelsdriven, is 35 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and 28 wattsinto 15 ohms. Total harmonic distortion is 0.1 per cent atall power levels up to 25 watts per channel. Intermodula-tion distortion is less than 0.5 per cent for all power levelsup to full output. The signal-to-noise ratios are 66 dB atthe high-level inputs and 56 dB at the low-level inputs.

The controls include volume, balance, bass, treble, and afive -position input -selector switch. Seven pushbuttons con-trol power on/off, main and remote loudspeakers, high -

frequency filter, tape monitor, and mono or stereo modes.There is a front -panel headphone jack and DIN tape -

recorder socket. Jacks are provided for two phono inputs,one of which can he switched for either high- or low -outputcartridges. Overall dimensions of the amplifier are 13 x83/i x 41/, inches. At present, the amplifier is availableonly without a case. Price: $299.


Century General's Model4110 "Minigen" is a compact, low-cost audio -frequency generator.The unit, which is powered by astandard 9 -volt battery, can beswitched to provide three differentoutput frequencies: 400, 1,000, or10,000 Hz. The output level is

continuously variable from 0 to 2.5 volts. Instructions areprovided for an internal modification that makes possiblea 5,000 -Hz output signal if desired. Overall dimensions ofthe unit are 27/8 x x 15/8 inches. Price, including batteryand probe: $14.95.


Kenwood has added the KR -77 to its line of AM/stereo FM receivers. Total IHF music -power output is 70watts into 4 -ohm loads and 56 watts into 8 ohms. Continu-ous -power output into 8 ohms, both channels driven, is18 watts per channel. Other amplifier -section specificationsinclude less than 0.8 per cent harmonic and intermodula-tion distortion at full output and an IHF power band-width of 20 to 30,000 Hz. The signal-to-noise ratios are60 dB at the phono inputs and 70 dB at the high-levelinputs. The FM -tuner section has an IHF sensitivity of 1.9

microvolts and a capture ratio of 2.5 dB. FM harmonicdistortion is less than 0.8 per cent, the signal-to-noiseratio is better than 60 dB, and alternate -channel selec-tivity is 45 dB.

The controls include separate left- and right -channelbass and treble, volume, balance, a combined speaker-se-lector/power switch, a six -position input selector switch,and a tape monitor/mode switch. There are four addi-tional switches for loudness compensation, interstation-noise muting, and high- and low -frequency filters. Front -

panel jacks are provided for a pair of stereo headphonesand the tape -recorder output. Separate preamplifier -outputand power amplifier -input jacks are on the rear panel.Overall dimensions of the receiver in its walnut -finishmetal cabinet are 161', x 12,7, x 51/, inches. Price: $239.95.


Concord's Model F-101portable cassette recorder withintegrated circuits has a frequen-cy response of 50 to 10,000 Hzand wow and flutter of less than0.25 per cent. The recorder hasa built-in speaker and is pow-ered by four AA cells. An op-tional a.c. adaptor is available.

A single lever controls the transport. The other controlsinclude playback volume and record. The recording level isset automatically. The recorder's dimensions are 41/2 x 67/8x 2 inches, and it weighs 23/1 pounds. It comes with a dy-namic microphone with a remote on/off switch, an ear-phone, and carrying case. Price: less than $125.


Ampex has published a new 160 -page illustrated cata-log of its complete line of prerecorded stereo tapes. Thecatalog lists approximately four thousand tapes in reel-to-reel, cartridge, and cassette formats. In addition, there arefive short articles on various types of music, includingjazz, folk, and classical. Information is also given on theAmpex line of consumer tape recorders. The catalog isavailable for 50 cents from Ampex Stereo Tapes, Dept.SR, 2201 Lunt Avenue, Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007.


(Continued on page 21)18 STEREO REVIEW

the genus selectut* He's the musical nor -conformist, the diverse cat who

digs it all . . . who refuses to get hung -up on onekind of sound. His order of the day: SELECTION!He thrives on it. Like classical, pop, rock, folk, jazz,soul, showtunes, spoKen word, and anything else hecan put into his tape equipment.

Ampex Stereo Tapes keeps him well fed!Good thing he Enows about Ampex Stereo Tapes. No-body but Ampex can offer so many selections ... every-thing from soul to soundtracks! Ampex brings you all themajor artists, all the latest releases on open reel for theultimate in sound. Now choose from over 5,000 selec-t ons from more than 65 different recording labels . . .

available on 4 -track cartridge, 8 -track cartridge, cassette,micro -cassette and open reel, of course. For every kindof tape player/recorder, Ampex has it all!

AMPEXSTEREO TAPES

Whether you're a Gen.is Selectus or hung -up on onekind of sound, you should be feeding your tape equip-ment the very finest in pre-recorded stereo tape. After all,Ampex is stereo tape. Look for the AMPEX name on thecarton-it's the quality name! It's Artistry in Sound.

Even if you don't consider yourself somewhat of aGenus Selectus, write for our big new Ampex StereoTape Catalog. Just send 50c to: Catalog, Dept. S-70-3,P.O. Box 7340A, Chicago, Illinois 60680.

Ampex Stereo Tapes Division AMPEX CORPORATION Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007


Sunny Meyer,audio engineer,

plays Ampex tape whenshe works, plays

Ampex tape whenshe plays.

Sunny Meyer listens for a living. She knows tape fidelity. She findsit with Ampex tape. "I was impressed with the quality .. . highfrequency response and low distortion even at slow speeds. Ihaven't found that in other tapes."You may not have the trained ear of a SunnyMeyer. But you can hear the differencewhen you play Ampex home recordingtapes. One reason for the quality is thatAmpex audio tape is made in the samemodern facility as all Ampex profes-sional tape. This adherence to profession-al standards shows up in clean, purerecorded sound.All Ampex tape receives an exclusive finishingprocess that makes Ferrosheen® tapes of unprec-

On off -hours, Motion Picture Soun s unny eyer swings wit Ampex cassettes.

edented smoothness. This smooth surface gives you lowerhead wear and tape life for many years of undistorted

sound.Ampex home recording tapes offer full four -trackstereo capability and are available in all config-urations including the new 30, 60, 90 and 120minute cassettes.It's nice to know that the people who pioneeredtape recording are available to help you with yourtape needs as well. For a complete tape catalog,

call or write: Ampex Corp., Magnetic Tape Div., 401Broadway, RedwoodCity, Calif. 94063 AMPEX

TAPES FOR EVERY NEEDINSTRUMENTATION COMPUTER CCTV VIDEO STEREO


NEW PRODUCTSA ROUNDUP OF THE LATEST HIGH-FIDELITY EQUIPMENT

Epicure Products has introduced itsModel 1000 speaker system, the "Tower."The system stands 61/4 feet high, is 18 inchessquare, and has an omnidirectional radiationpattern. An 8 -inch acoustic -suspension woof-er and a 1 -inch tweeter are mounted on eachof the enclosure's four sides. Frequency re-sponse of the system is rated as 20 to 15,000Hz ±3 dB. Minimum recommended ampli-

fier power is 20 watts; maximum power -handling capacityis 250 watts. The enclosure is finished with stainless steelstrips on the four corners. Price: $1,000.


Pioneer's Model TX -500 solid-state AM/stereo FMtuner has a field -effect -transistor tuning section and an FMsensitivity of 2.5 microvolts IHF. Image rejection is 55

dB, signal-to-noise ratio is 50 dB, and stereo separationis 35 dB at 1,000 Hz. There is a built-in ferrite loopstickantenna for the AM tuner, which has a sensitivity of 10

microvolts. The controls include tuning, power on/off,multiplex -noise filter on/off, and mode. There is a signal -strength tuning meter and a stereo indicator light. Thetuner has a brushed -chrome front panel with rosewoodend pieces. Its overall dimensions are 13 x 131/8 x 5 inches.Price: $99.95.


Electro-Voice has introduced the Aries three-wayspeaker system with a frequency response of 25 to 20,000Hz. The floor -standing system is available in three differ-ent styles and finishes: contemporary (shown) in pecan,traditional (cherry), and Spanish (oak). The drivers area 12 -inch woofer with foam cone surround and a 91) -pound magnet, a 6 -inch cone mid -range mounted in its

own sealed sub -enclosure, and a 21/2 -inch tweeter. Thecrossover frequencies are 400 and 2,00(1 Hz. Nominal im-pedance of the system is 8 ohms, and the minimum rec-ommended amplifier power is 10 watts. Maximum powerhandling capacity is 35 watts program material. Overalldimensions of the system are 271/, x 221/4 x 163/4 inches.Price, for all styles: $275.


Frazier has brought out the Model SEE -24 "StereoEnvironmental Equalizer,- designed to "tune" a completestereo system (of any manufacturer) to the acoustics of theparticular room in which it 1s operating. The unit is apassive equalizer with twelve two -third -octave notch fil-

ters for each channel. The SEE -21 can reduce peaks re-sulting either from speaker -response irregularities or roomacoustics by up to 15 dB. It is installed in the circuit be-

tween the preamplifier and the power amplifier. There isno insertion loss except over those frequency bands thathave been set for a response cut. Tuning the system to aroom requires the use of special instrumentation, and can-not be done by ear. The equalizer unit has an aluminumface plate and a wood cabinet measuring 7 x 15 x 12inches. Price, including professional installation and tun-ing: $1,000.


Sherwood's Model S-6000 AM/stereo FM receivercomes in a walnut cabinet with its top precut to accom-modate any of the current Dual or Garrard SL -55 or SL -65automatic turntables. The receiver has a total IHF music -power output of 120 watts into 1 ohms, and 80 wattsinto 8 ohms. Continuous -power output is 10 watts perchannel into 1 ohms, 28 watts per channel into 8 ohms.At full output into 8 ohms, harmonic distortion is 0.75per cent and intermodulation distortion is 1 per cent. IHFpower bandwidth at 1 per cent distortion is 15 to 25,000

Hz and the signal-to-noise ratios are 65 dB at the phonoinputs and 80 dB at the high-level inputs.

The FM -tuner section has an IHF sensitivity of 1.8 mi-crovolts and a capture ratio of 2.4 dB. Alternate -channelselectivity is 55 dB, harmonic distortion is 0.15 per cent,and the signal-to-noise ratio is 70 dB. The controls in-clude tuning, input selector, vo:ume, balance, bass, andtreble. There are pushbuttons for switching interstation-noise muting, mono or stereo mode, tape monitor, high -frequency filter, loudness compensation, and main and re-mote speakers on/off. Front -panel jacks for tape outputand stereo headphones are provided. On the rear panel,there is a phono-sensitivity switch, a mono speaker output,and input connectors for 300- and 75 -ohm FM antennas.The receiver can be set to shut off automatically whenthe last record has been played Overall dimensions of theunit in its cabinet (not including a turntable) are 183/i x173/i x 53/s inches. Price: $119.50.


AUGUST 1969 21

22

thelaake the greateststereo receivers in the world"...

Sansui 350 46 watts 8199.95

Sansui 800 70 watts $249.95

Sansui 2000 100 watts $299..c.5

Sansui 5000 180 watts 8449.95

Sans_ElioSANSUI ELECTRONICS CORP. Woodside, New York, 11377 Los Angeles, California, 90007

SANSUI ELECTRIC CO.. LTD.. Tokyo. Japan European Office Frankfurt a.M.,West Germany Electronic Distributors (Canada), British Columbia

CIRCLE NO. 46 ON READER SERVICE CARDSTEREO REVIEW

The new Sansui SP1001 3 -way 3 -speaker system incorporating a newconcept in speaker design 35 to 20,000 Hz Frequency Response Special level controls to change output levels of the midrange & tweeterindependently Built-in electronic crossoN,er systerr terminals for theAudiophile dream system" Push button connection terminals Beautifully finished walnut with hand -carved fretwork grille ....$139.95

"and stereo control amplifiers,new power amplifiers, andmulti -channel dividers"

CIRCLEAUGUST 1969

NO 47 ON READER SERVICE CARD23

If you paymore than$75*you deservethe finest...Longinesthe world'smost honoredwatch.The Only Watch Ever to Win10 World's Fair Grand Prizes. 28 GoldMedals. Highest Observatory Honors forAccuracy. Official Watch for World'sLeading Sport Associations.

Longines honors are your guaranteeof the finest. The inherited skillsof generations of craftsmen in theLongines factory at St. Imier, Switzerlandare your bond of quality. Add Longines'unchallenged style leadership and youhave the World's Most Honored Watch.

* Longines start at $75; Automaticsfrom $95; Ultra-Chrons from$120. Creations D'Art to $15,000.See them at your FranchisedLongines-Wittnauer Jeweler.

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511 necessary. will be adjusted to this tolerance byLongines Jeweler. Guarantee is for one full year.

By LARRY KLEIN

AUDIO QUESTIONS & ANSWERSReviewer's Opinions

QI've been following the Hirsch-. Houck Labs test reports for sev-

eral years now and I'm curious abouta specific matter. To what degree do theopinions of the Hirsch -Houck Labs, orJulian Hirsch, reflect those of STEREOREVIEW? In other words, is Julian Hirschspeaking for the magazine when hewrites a review?

ARTHUR BROWNSpokane, Wash.

AThis is a question that I had nev-er thought about until Alr. Brown

raised it. In the more than six years thatI have been dealing with the Hirsch -

Houck, Laboratories. the question hasnever arisen-probably because our views017 matters of technical concern, by andlarge, coincide. If Julian Hirsch mea-sures an amplifier or other piece ofequipment and his instruments providea certain reading. there is seldom anyreason for me to question his results.When he criticizes a piece of equipmentfor lacking a feature. or having ex-traneous features, or not "feeling" right,depending upon my 011'17 opinions onthe matter, I may temper his criticism,or let it go as is.

The one area where we do have somedifferences is in speaker evaluation. ;gr.Hirsch may be exceptionally, impressedby the sound quality of a particular sys-tem. and his partner Gladden Houckmay be somewhat less impressed. If Ialso have had a chance to audition thesystem. the description that appears inprint will reflect the reactions of allthree of us.

The reply to your question-to whatdegree does Julian Hirsch speak for themagazine?-is: more so than the recordreviewers, but not absolutely. Materialthat appears under my byline can beconsidered as representing the viewpointof STEREO REVIEW, but in general I donot deal with specific products. In anycase, none of us have pretensions to in-fallibility, nor do we wish to pose as ul-timate arbiters of audio matters. wesimply call the shots as we see thembased on objective tests and informedand trained subjective reaction, and wetry to differentiate between the too.

Electromagnetic SpeakersQWhen cleaning out my parents'. basement I came across a large

loudspeaker that had an electromagnetcoil instead of the usual permanent mag-net. I've been told that this type of loud-speaker was popular in consoles in the1940's and before, but I've been unableto determine what factors led to its dis-appearance. Could you provide some his-torical insight? Is there any possibility ofa reappearance?

EDWARD RUMMELWarrensville Heights, Ohio

AThe electromagnetic loudspeaker. teas a victim of technological ob-

solescence. In the old days powerful per-manent magnets were either not avail-able or excessively expensive, and henceelectromagnets (which were called fieldcoils) had to be used. The major disad-vantage of the electromagnetic speakeris the large amount of d.c. current thatmust be drawn from the amplifier ora separate power supply in order to de-velop an adequate magnetic field. Thereis /10 possibility of a reappearance sim-ply because there is no technical or eco-nomic reason for it to reappear.

Tape -Head Cleaningf" -N As long as I've had my tape re-

`a6. corder, I have cleaned its headsonly with carbon tetrachloride, whichwas recommended to me by the dealer.However, recently I have read somewarnings not to use carbon tetrachlo-ride on tape -recorder heads. To furthercomplicate the issue, a friend told methe other day that I should use isopro-pyl alcohol. What do you recommend?

RICHARD KELTERPhiladelphia, Pa.

A Some tape heads have plastic. parts. labels, or cellients that re-

act badly to certain kinds of cleaningfluids. This de-COI/01V for the 'various spe-cial warnings issued by some manufac-turers. And obviously any cleaning fluidthat leaves a residue should not be usedwith tape heads. Alcohol, in general.seems a safe bet, but the best procedure

(Continued im page 26)24

STEREO REVIEW

Two .3renadiers can make anyom sound like Carnegie I -al ...

o matter where you put them.Because they're the only speaker

stems tota ly engineered fcr full-ispersion, fulVidelity stereo.

You hear litelike, perfectly-bal-nced bass everywhere, becauserenad er woolers face downward.o other placement gives yon such

nstant, fJII-circle sound dispersion.o other design eliminates staniingayes for uniform sound th-oJgh-ut the room, fi ll-bodied sound thatoesn't reed walls or corners to re-nforce it.

You hear all the highs whereveryou are, because Grenadier's wide-angle acoustic lens spreads the musicacross a 160° arc... more thandouble the dispersion of ordinaryspeakers, with no need to aim orangle.

What you hear is spectacularsound: music as only Grenadier'smassive drivers can reproduce it.Bass all the way down to 20 cyclesfrom a 15 -inch woofer built aroundan 18 -pound ceramic magnet struc-ture. Living presence from a match-less midrange direct radiator. Crystal -pure highs through an ultrasonic

114TITU,( Of

HIGO ROEUTY

domed tweeter w th a low -massaluminum voice co I.

All together, a tiree-way systemwith enough magnetic power to lifta ton of s:eel. A speaker system thatcan turn 100 watts of amplifierpower into enougF music to fill aconcert hall.

Or to make your living roomsound like one.

EMPIREEmpire Scient ftc Corp.

1055 Stewart Ave., Garden City, N.Y.

CIRCLE 21 ON READER-SERVIZE CARD

THE ROYAL GRENADIER gooWi h imported marble top, $299.95.0 -her Grenadier speaker systems

from $179.95

These are not the finestADC speaker systems.They're just the finest you can buyat these prices.

Audio . Dynamics is famous for speaker systemscosting $300 to $500 designed for the most criticalaudiophiles who can afford the very finest compo-nents. But, if your appreciation of superb sound issomewhat limited by your budget, then we unhesi-tatingly recommend any of these under -$100 ADCmodels. While they obviously cannot have every qual-ity feature that goes into our deluxe ADC systems, theyhave many more of these features than you'll find inspeakers at comparable prices. In short, these speakersystems are the best buys for your money at ever$20 or $30 more. See them and hear them at yourhi-fi dealer or write for detailed specifications.

r AUDIODYNAMICS- - - -71CORPORATIONNEW MILFORD, CONNECTICUT 06776

Pleasesend

specificationson ADCspeakersystems.

Name

Address

City

State Zip

Quality Magnetic Cartridges Home Entertainment ElectronicsHi Fidelity Speaker Systems

ADC404 (left)Top -rated compact bookshelf unitthat won impressive independentratings. Matches the capabilitiesof most any amplifier. Fundamentalresonance extremely low. Suggest-ed resale $55.00

Specifications: Impedance 8 ohms.Frequency Response: 45-20,000 cps

3 db, average listening room.Bass Unit: High compliance 6"linear travel piston cone. TrebleUnit: High flux, mylar dome withwide dispersion. Dimensions: Only117/8" H x 73/4" W x 81/4" D.

ADC210 (center)We challenged our engineers tocreate a $100 speaker that wouldoutperform competitive speakers inthis range. To make it more diffi-cult we told them it would alsohave to sell for $25 less. The ADC210 is it. Suggested resale $74.50

Specifications: Impedance 8 ohms.6 to 60 watt maximum. Frequencyresponse 35 to 18,000 Hz ± 4 db.High flux long throw 8" woofer andcone tweeter. Removable grille forcustomizing to any decor. Dimen-sions: 231/4" H x 13" W x 11" D.

ADC303A and 303AX (right)The 303A is the top -rated winner ofthe most impressive independenttest in large system categories.(The 303AX is an advanced version.)Both are systems of exceptionalaccuracy, with a lack of distortionand coloration not available at ornear this price range. Suggested re-sale 303A-$89.95; 303AX $99.95

Specifications: Impedance 8 ohms.Frequency Response: 33-20,000 cps

3 db, in average listening room.Power Requirements: 6 watt min.60 watt max. Woofer: 8" (303A) or10" (303AX) high compliance.Tweeter: Hi -flux mylar dome withwide dispersion. Removable grillefor customizing to any decor.Dimensions: 223/4" H x 13" W x113/4" D.

is to get advice from the manufacturerof your recorder. In any case, whateverhead -cleaning fluid is used should be ap-plied with a cotton swab, such as aQ -Tip, and the head -gap area should bescrubbed vigorously. Cleaning is veryimportant with narrow -gap heads be-cause it takes so little dirt to cause lossof high frequencies and volume.

High -Efficiency NoiseQI am bothered by excessive noise

from my stereo system that haspersisted despite my changing the entiresetup except for the speakers. Record -

surface noise and FM pops and snapsare much louder through my system us-ing high -efficiency speakers than throughan identical system using good low -effi-ciency speakers. Is this an expression ofthe more efficient speaker's ability toreproduce all sounds, a difference inquality between the two equally pricedspeakers, or something more complex?Incidentally, music reproduction on thetwo systems sounds very similar exceptfor the increased noise on the high -effi-ciency system.

T. K. WEATHERBY, M. D.Columbus, Ga.

AFirst of all, the excessive noise. you hear on your system has

nothing to do, per se, with the fact thatyour speakers are of high or low effi-ciency. What it does mean is that yourspeakers probably have a fairly narrowpeak in the frequency range where thenoise occurs. I say "narrow," because thepeak apparently does not cover a suffi-ciently wide range of frequencies to in-fluence the reproduction of music greatly.For example, a 4- or 5 -dB peak confinedto between 8,000 and 10,000 Hz mightnot be particularly apparent on programmaterial other than as an increase inhigh- f req u enc y noise.

It is true that a high -efficiency speak-er will sometimes reproduce noise thata low -efficiency speaker of equivalentquality will not. If, for example, anamplifier has a few milliwatts of noiseat its output terminal, it may be repro-duced at an audible level by a very highefficiency speaker, whereas it would be be-low audibility with a low efficiency unit.But this noise will either be a hissy orsputtering sound that is heard regard-less of the volume -control setting andregardless of whether any music is beingplayed. However, if the noise of an am-plifier is obtrusive at normal levels withnormal program material, the amplifieris in need of servicing.

Because the number of questions wereceive each month is greater titanme can reply to individually, onlythose questions selected for thiscolumn can be answered. Sorry!

26CIRCLE NO. 6 ON READER SERVICE CARD


It's good for your system.

Stereo Cassette tape deck plugs intoyour stereo system. Now you canrecord and play back dour own ster-eo cassettes at a frac- on of the costof pre-recorded ones. You're nolonger limited to pre-recorded pro-gram material.

Push -Button Operation. Handsomesatii-finished metallic buttons forinstant, positive tape -transport.Rocker switch for power on and off.

Pop -out Cassettes. Just push a but-ton, and the cassette pops out. Newcassette snaps instantly in place. Nothreading; your fingers never touchthe tape.

Beautiful Wal-nut Base. Finewood enhancesany decor. Basecan be removed Forcustom installationof deck in either verti-cal or horizontal positior.

Sonymatic Recording Control. AJtornati-pally p-ovides proper input volume andstereo pa ante, assuring you of a pe-fectrecordiig every time.

Tape Sentinel Lamp. Visually indicateswhen tape is in motion and when the endDi the tape has been reached.

Noise-SJppressor Switch. Special fil-ter eliminates undesirable hiss thatmay exist pn pre-recorded tapes.

Moe Uri, Excellence. Stereo head-phone jac-c for personal listening andmonitories. Record interlock preventsaccidertat erasure of tape. Microphoneanc aux i wry inputs for complete versa-tiliti. Spe:ifi:ations include: frequencyresponse 50 to 10,000 Hz, signal-to-noise raio 45 db, wow and flutter0.2%. CD" netting patch cord supplied;six accor es available.

Sony Easymatic Cassette -Corder DeckModel 125. A beautiful instrument toadd snap to your stereo system. Under$129.50. For a free copy of our latestcatalog, please write Mr. Phillips, Sony/Superscope, Inc., 8146 Vineland Ave-nue, Sul Valley, California 91352.

I969, SUPERSCOPE, INC

SONY® SUPERSCOPE lyen,


amm

theEnticer THE

Only about the JENSEN

size of a bread box, TF-25but the new Jensen TF-25 givesdepth and excitement to themost intimate sound in a medium-priced 2 -speaker, 2 -wayloudspeaker system. Dura-synwalnut finish. $89.50.

Hirsch -Houck independent testlaboratories puts it this way: "TheJensen TF-25 has a balanced,uncolored sound which can belistened to for hours withoutfatigue. We can only agree withJensen's statements and claims."*

It's the kind of speaker you'dexpect from the company whichhas pioneered almost every majoradvance in speaker technologysince Peter Jensen's invention ofthe loudspeaker.

*For the complete report andJensen's new catalog, write:Jensen Manufacturing DivisionThe Muter Company5655 West 73rd Street,Chicago, Illinois 60638

JensenSee the man withthe button-yourJensen dealer-today.

AUDIO BASICSVIRTUE OUT OF NECESSITY

MONTH in this column I ventured the opinion that the engineering prin-t ciples involved in the design of loudspeakers have little if any significance

for the listener. Going further, I feel that the same statement can be made aboutother components. I, for one, do not care whether my turntable is driven by a

hysteresis -synchronous motor or by a squirrel on a treadmill. As long as the turn-table works well, that is all that matters to me.

Admittedly, such an attitude is deplorably unintellectual. But it has its re-deeming points. Not only will it simplify life for the average audiophile, but ifwidely adopted, it might even wring a lot of befuddling, occasionally nonsensicalverbiage out of audio ads. Take that turntable again. Unless you are an engineerspecializing in electric motors, I'll lay you odds that you don't know the differ-ence between a hysteresis -synchronous motor and a shaded -pole motor. But then,why should you? Simply stated, there are four things of importance to the con-sumer-performance, reliability, ease of use, and special features (remote con-trol, for instance). The techniques used to achieve these goals, interestingthough they may be, are of only secondary importance. The only other concernis, of course, the price.

As I listen to an FM broadcast, for example, I don't care whether the signal isdecoded by a Foster -Seeley discriminator or by a ratio detector-as long as thestation comes in clearly. Nor do I care that a certain tape recorder has three mo-tors, for another may perform just as well with only one. Granted, the three -

motor unit may be mechanically simpler or a bit faster on rewind. But it is as

likely that the unit has three motors in it because the design engineer happenedto be familiar with that approach as that there was some particular performancegoal in mind. None of this is to say that some design approaches aren't inherentlysuperior to others, at least for some specific application. If you need a tape re-corder with remote control, the three -motor design is advantageous. But there isno design approach, no matter how inherently superior, that cannot be-and hasn'tbeen-badly executed.

Similarly, a phono-cartridge maker may claim an advantage for the moving -

coil principle just because his company is geared to produce such units. But thisdoesn't mean that another cartridge principle, such as the moving -magnet, can'tdo as well. Most products owe their quality not so much to their design principleas to the finesse with which the design is executed. Different approaches maylead to equally good results.

There are many ways to get to heaven, even for audio engineers. And everyengineer worth his salt will tell you very earnestly that his way is best. How, then,can you, as a customer, make intelligent buying decisions? The answer lies in thespecifications. Not just those claimed by the manufacturer but, more importantly,the ones verified by independent tests. Those specifications measure the end result,not the methods of getting there. Familiarize yourself with the meaning of thechief specifications describing the performance of various kind of components.Those objective specifications alone-plus your ears-are the ineluctable measureof audio merit.

IRCLE NO VICE CARDSTEREOREVIEW

"Scotch" BrandCassettes preventtae hanuHere's theinside story."Scotch" Brand buildsin trouble -free performancewith exclusivefeatures:

Famous "Dynarange"Magnetic Tapeprovides highestpossible fidelity atslow recording speed.A slick, tough coatingaffords smoothtape travel, resistsoxide ruboff, assureslong tape life.

Precision -moldedcase is high -impactplastic, featurespermanent ultrasonicsealing, large integralwindow. Color codedfor recording time.

Anti -friction shieldscombat tape hangups.Exclusive, ultra -smoothmaterial reduces drag.Bowed shape cuardsagainst unevertape wind.

Fixed tape guideshelp prevent "wow"and "flutter"often causedby imperfectroller guides.Splined designcuts friction and drag.

SCO1CM" AMI3 AAAAA ARE 3.3113irli313 1.1103M11. Or 3M COMPMV.

One-piece hub locksleader tape securely,

eliminates "bump"that can distort

tape in winding.

Unitized pressure padconforms to recorder head to

insure better tape contact.

Extras: Cassettes are colorcoded to identify recording times

at a glance. 30, 60, 90 -minutecassettes available in album -style

or postal -approved plasticcontainers. Plus C-120 in

album only.

Helpful booklet,"Recording Basics"

is yours free with any"Scotch" Brand purchase

from your nearestparticipating dealer.Or send 250 coin tocover handling to:

3M Company,P.O. Box 3146

St. Paul, Minn. 55101.Also ask your dealer

for catalog ofspecial premiums.

COMPANY

AUGUST 1969 29

QUICK-CHA

We call our new Marantz Model 25 AM -FMstereo receiver /compact the "quick -change

artist" because it does just that-converts quicklyand easily from a quality Marantz receiver to a

space -saving record player /receiver combination.

The Marantz Model 25 starts out as a full-fledgedAM -FM stereo receiver with 30 watts RMS

per channel continuous power. (That's compar-able to 90 watts IHF music power the way other

manufacturers rate equipment.) Then, any timeyou're ready, you can add on your favorite -model Dual, Garrard, or Miracord record

changer. (Unlike other manufacturers, we don'tbelieve in saddling you with our choice.)

And to make the conversion a cinch, the Model 25

©Marantz Co., Inc., P.O. Box 99B, Sun Valle,MARANTZ CO INC 1969 MARANTZ

CIRCLE 37 ON RE

NIGE ARTIST

comes complete with free do-it-yourselftemplates so you can cut out the cabinet top.

Or, if you prefer, your Marantz dealer can supplyyou with a precut top. Either way, simply drop

in your favorite record changer and ...Voila!

As in our most expensive stereo components,the Model 25 gives you a multitude of Marantz-

quality sophisticated features throughout. Forexample, super -smooth Gyro -Touch* tuning-a

marvel of design that lets you rotate the actualtuning flywheel. Circuits built to rigid military

specifications-utilizing such state-of-the-artrefinements as field-effect transistors and

integrated circuits. And Variable -Overlap Drive

Waiamillt2E8

-a Marantz exclusive that reacts instantly toprevent overloads under any conditions,

completely protecting both power amplifierand speakers at all times.

No wonder the sound and specs of the MarantzModel 25 are so impressive ! But don't confuse

masterful innovations with high prices. Youare closer to owning a Marantz Model 25 thanyou think. Only $329.00-extraordinarily little

for an extraordinary instrument.So see your franchised Marantz dealer soon

and ask him about the new Marantz Model 25receiver/compact. Listen for awhile. Then let

your ears make up your mind.

*Patent Pending.

California 91352. Send for free catalog.A SUBSIDIAR', OF SUPEPSCOPE.,NC

DER -SERVICE CARD

ali

Erich Leinsdorf has directed symphony orchestras and operacompanies all over the world. He uses AR high fidelity componentsfor home listening.

Acoustic Research Inc.24 Thorndika Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141Overseas Inqu ries: Write to AR International at above address


Music Director of the BostonSymphony Orchestra, ErichLeinsdorf is intimatelyacquainted with the sound ofthe world's great orchestrasand the concert halls in whichthey perform. His recordedperformances with the BostonSymphony Orchestra onRCA Victor Red Seal Records,which now consist of nearly80 works, represent a majorcontribution to the classicaland contemporary recordedmusical literature. For hisprivate listening, Mr. Leinsdorfuses AR -3a speaker systems,an AR turntable and an ARamplifier.Acoustic Research makes ARspeaker systems, amplifiersand turntables. All aredescribed in our catalog,obtainable for the asking.

32STEREO REVIEW

SPECIFICATIONS 3-AMPLIFIER DISTOR-

TION LEVELS: 1 had originally planned, in this

month's 1 imical Talk, to discuss the rather confused(and confusing) question of amplifier power ratings.However, Peter Sutheim's excellent treatment of thesubject in the June issue has said just about everythingthat needs saying, and I will take up where he left offand talk about the audible significance of distortion.

Unlike some of the parameters in high fidelity, dis-tortion is readily measurable, in almost all of its manyforms, and with considerable accuracy. Unfortunately,there is room for argument as to the subjective effects ofdifferent types of distortion.

It is only a slight over -simplification to say that alldistortion (I refer to nonlinear distortion, not frequencyor phase distortion) arises from the same cause --a lackof linear relationship between the input and outputwaveforms. This can occur in any component of thesystem. If the output of an amplifier were strictly pro-portional to its input, there would be no distortion. Inthis real world, however, we cannot achieve perfection,and our discussion will therefore center about the ques-tion of how much distortion is tolerable.

For the present, we are concerned only with ampli-fiers. The other components of a music system havetheir own peculiar distortions,most of them much more seriousthan those of the amplifier. Atany practical listening level, thedistortion contributed by even amediocre amplifier is far less thanthat of the record, phono pickup,or speaker, yet the average hob-byist is nonetheless often ob-

sessed with the importance of amplifier distortion.If a single -frequency (sine -wave) tone is amplified

by a nonlinear device-and this category includes thebest of amplifiers-the output contains not only theoriginal frequency, but one or more multiples (or har-monics) of that frequency. Which harmonics are present,and in what amounts, depends on the shape of the dis-torted output waveform. A gently rounded or flattenedwave contains the lower orders of harmonics, principallythe second and third. Any sharp discontinuity in thewaveform, such as the hard clipping of most good am-plifiers when driven to overload or the minute "cross-

over notch.' near the zero -voltage axis, produceshigher -order harmonics.

Even in small amounts, high -order harmonics can bevery irritating, and it is quite possible that they accountfor most of the differences allegedly heard between anytwo amplifiers with extremely low harmonic distortioncontent. I say "allegedly- simply because I am not per-sonally convinced that I can hear these minute differ-ences. Tolerance of distortion is a matter of conditioning,among other things. Millions of people listen to TVsound, portable transistor radios, and automobile radioswithout evidence of physical distress. Electrical distortionof 5 to 25 per cent is the rule among these devices,with considerably more distortion added by the loud-speakers. Only their restricted bandwidth makes themtolerable even for the noncritical listener. By limitingthe overall frequency response to 3,000 or 4,000 Hz,many of the higher harmonics are eliminated or re-

duced, and their irritating effect is correspondinglydiminished.

When listening to wide -range program materialplayed through good speakers in my own home, I canusually hear the difference between an amplifier having1 per cent distortion and another having only 0.1 percent distortion at normal listening levels of a few watts

or less. The difference is not gross,by any means, but there is an "easy"quality to an amplifier with verylow distortion which often showsup in an A -B comparison. How-ever, most people (other thanhard-core audio fans) wouldprobably not be aware of any de-ficiencies in the 1 per cent ampli-

fier, and probably would not detect the improvementwhen switching to a better amplifier.

I hesitate to say at what point I could no longer de-tect a reduction in amplifier distortion. A guess wouldbe in the range of 0.2 to 0.5 per cent. At any rate,when I compare two amplifiers whose distortion I

measure at 0.1 per cent or less, I cannot distinguishbetween them on the basis of the distortion factoralone. Differences in disc -playback equalization or damp-ing factor between the two amplifiers will affect theoverall frequency response and quite possibly couldbe responsible for audible differences. (overleaf)

REVIEWED THIS MONTH

Kenwood KT -7000 AM/FM TunerThorens TD -125 Turntable

Allied 395 AM/FM Receiver

AUGUST 1969 33

What about intermodulation (IM) distortion? Itarises from the same source as harmonic distortion, andis produced when two or more frequencies are presentin the input signal (the usual case). New frequenciesare created as sums and differences of the input fre-quencies and their harmonics. Being nonharmonicallyrelated to the input frequencies, IM products are par-ticularly unpleasant to the ear.

However, I know of no practical situation whereaudible IM distortion is produced without the presenceof audible harmonic distortion as well, except in thecase where there is a lower "difference" frequency be-tween two high -frequency signals whose harmonics areabove audibility. In general, the measures taken to re-duce one form of distortion have a similar effect on theother. IM distortion usually measures a little higher thanharmonic distortion, but the shapes of the power vs.distortion curves are similar. I do not think that anyfurther distinction between IM and harmonic distortionis warranted for the purposes of this discussion.

Although I am still waiting to be shown that twosimilar amplifiers with different amounts of distortion-both under 0.1 per cent-sound in any way differentfrom each other, I do not mean to imply that no audibledifferences exist between amplifiers. As soon as oneattempts to play music above a modest background -

listening level, program peaks can call for rather high

momentary power levels. A good 25 -watt amplifier maysuffice for 99.9 per cent of listening situations, but thefirst time a peak calls for 26 watts, you will becomevery aware of its limitations. Increasing the amplifierpower rating to 50 watts will help a little, but oncebeguiled by the resulting ease and naturalness of thesound, you may he tempted to increase the volumeslightly-say, by 3 dB-and the power limitation isagain audible.

Most of us rarely, if ever, listen to music at ear -

shattering volume, but even at normal listening levelsI often detect an effortless quality when using a verypowerful amplifier, as compared with one of consider-ably lower power rating but equally low distortion. I

conclude, in the absence of contrary information, thateven infrecuent overloads on program peaks can add anirritating quality to the sound. I would not recommendthat anyone skimp on amplifier power just to save a fewdollars. Twenty watts per channel will do fine for back-ground music, but 35 watts is much better for seriouslistening. I am happy to note a trend toward integratedreceivers with amplifiers that provide 50 watts per chan-nel, especially since they usually carry with them evenlower distortion at average listening levels. Incidentally,the watts I am talking about here are not music- ordynamic -power watts, but continuous power into therated impedance of the speakers.

EQUIPAVNT TEST REPORTSBy Hirsch -Houck Laboratories

KENWOOD KT -7000 AM/STEREO FM TUNER

DESPITE the popularity of integrated stereo receivers,there is still a strong demand for separate tuners and ampli-fiers. When we tested the Kenwood KA-6000 amplifier re-cently ( STEREO REVIEW, December, 1968), we appreciatedits operating refinements and handsome appearance andlooked forward to testing its companion AM/stereo FMtuner, the KT -7000. It was worth waiting for.

The Kenwood KT -7000 matches the KA-6000 amplifierin styling and size. Its numerous circuit refinements resultin audible and measurable performance advantages whencompared with good tuners of more conventional design,and they help establish the KT -7000 in the top echelon oftuners. For example, the FM front end has two FET r.f.amplifiers, with three tuned circuits preceding the FETmixer. As a result, the KT -7000 is highly resistant to over-load from strong local stations and from cross -modulationeffects. The i.f. amplifier, with four integrated circuits(IC's), also has two crystal -filter stages replacing theusual i.f. transformers. These filters give the KT -7000 analmost ideal bandpass characteristic, with outstanding re-

jection of adjacent- and alternate -channel signals. Mosti.f. alignment requirements are eliminated, and other sec-ondary benefits include a linear phase characteristic thatshows up in the form of very uniform stereo separationover the full audio range.

The ratio -detector output goes to a conventional multi-plex demodulator, in which the 38 -kHz subcarrier is re-constituted by frequency doubling of the 19 -kHz pilotcarrier. The KT -7000 has interstation-noise muting andautomatic stereo switching on FM using some moderatelycomplex circuitry. The details of their operation are notexplained in the instruction manual (which is quite ade-quate for its purpose), but we noted from the schematicdiagram that some nine transistors and a number of diodesare employed for these functions. The left- and right -chan-nel audio signals from the multiplex circuit go to indi-vidual three -stage audio amplifiers with low -impedanceemitter -follower outputs. Within the audio amplifiers arethe 38 -kHz traps that effectively eliminate ultrasonic com-ponents from the outputs, thus preventing "birdies" whentape recording from FM broadcasts.

The audio outputs are normally taken through a six -

position step attenuator, which matches the tuner level tothe requirements of the associated amplifier and speakersystems. A second pair of outputs are taken off ahead ofthe attenuator for feeding a tape recorder. There is alsoa mono output that is connected at the input of the multi-plex section.

The Kenwood KT -7000 presents a handsome appear -(Continued on page 36)

34STEREO REVIEW

DYNACO SYNERGISM*or

how two units combinefor even greater

value

We have always tried to give outstanding value atDynaco; and when we work on new designs, our primary

objectives are quality and value-quality second to none,and prices far below the levels of competitive quality.Following this philosophy, we have designed our newestpower amplifier, the transistorized Stereo 80, in the tradi-

tion of the famous Dynaco Stereo 70-extreme relia-bility, conservative operation and specifications, out-standing quality, and moderate price. The Stereo 80 iscompact (it fits any remote space, but is handsome

enough to keep on display), cool -running, simple, andelegant. It delivers 40 watts continuous power per chan-nel, with both channels operating simultaneously, from20 Hz to 20 KHz.

The Stereo 80 and our PAT -4 preamplifier create anoutstanding combination which delivers crystal clearsound, free of noise and distortion, and with excellentflexibility as the control center for the most completehi fi installation.

Further, we have combined these units into a single,

transistorized integrated package, the SCA-80, andthrough careful design have achieved SYNERGISM*, the

combination giving even greater value than the sum ofits parts. The SCA-80 has all the qualities of the Stereo80 plus the performance and many of the featuresof the PAT 4-center-out tone controls, low noise, mul.tiple input facilities, headphone output, center -speakeroutput without the need for a separate amplifier, and soon. It provides complete control facility and yet it is sim-

ple to operate with a basic two -knob control action forthose who do not require sophisticated features such asloudness, filters, blending, and other subtle variations.

The SCA-80 gives quality plus compact flexibility. TheStereo 80 plus the PAT -4 gives quality, increased flex-ibility for installation, and greater range of control func-tion. The Stereo 120 plus the PAT -4 gives all this plusextra power plus the benefits of a stabilized highly filteredpower supply which makes performance independent of

power line variations. In all these choices, quality and

value are outstanding-ard in the SCA-80, the syner-gistic benefit enhances the value of the unit.

SYNERGISM-"Cooperative action of discrete agencies such that thetotal effect is greater than the sum of the two effects taken indepen-dently . .."

dynraco 1111C. 3060 JEFFERSON STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA. 19121IN EUROPE WRITE: DYNACO A/S, HUM LUM, STRUER, DENMARK

AL"( 1 S 1969 35

ance. It has a gold -colored front panel with a brushed -

satin finish, an edge -lit slide -rule dial 1 which is opaquewith power off), and fluted control knobs. The tuningknob, which is larger than the others, had a peculiar "'rub-bery" feel. However, the tuning is unusually smooth andnon -critical, probably because of the -flat-topper i:f.-re-sponse characteristic.

There are two meters, a signal -level indicator for FMand AM, and a zero -center tuning meter for FM with ared stereo -indicator lamp at its center. We found this tohe most convenient, since there is a tendency to watch thepointer while tuning a station, and one's eyes need notmove from that spot to determine the presence of stereo.

The AM tuner, which we did not test except by listen-ing, appears to he quite conventional. It has a ferrite -rodantenna, tuned r.f. stage, separate mixer and oscillatorstages, two i.f. amplifiers, and a diode detector. However,there is evidently more to it than appears on the surface,since it is one of the best sounding AM tuners we haveheard in years.

The control lineup, in addition to the tuning knob andmode selector (AM, FM AUTO, MPX FILTER and FM MONO)includes a combined power and FM interstation-noisemuting switch and the output attenuator. The latter, wefeel, could just as well have been located in the rear, sinceit is unlikely to he used once it is correctly set. Two bluepilot lamps on the front panel indicate the use of mutingand the multiplex filter. The filter reduces noise on weakstereo signals at the sacrifice of some separation but with-out affecting frequency response.

With its advanced design, one would expect the Ken -

wood KT -7000 to be a good performer, and it is. The IHFsensitivity was a high 1.8 microvolts with steep limitingand a measured harmonic distortion of about 0.5 per cent.This is the residual level of our signal generator. Fre-quency response was as flat as we have ever measured onan FM tuner, within ±0.5 dB from 30 to 15,000 Hz.Stereo separation clearly showed the benefits of the superiori.f. handpass characteristics of the tuner, being excep-tionally uniform over a wide frequency range. Separationwas between 25 and 32 dB from 30 to 8,000 Hz, and wasstill a strong 15 dB at 15,000 Hz.

+10

Du 10

z

UJW -30

f -

Jtr -40

-50

! AUDIO OUT-1, de VOLTS

S 10 20 50 400 5k Ok 20k 50k /00kR.F. TEST -SIGNAL INPUT IN MICROVOLTS (WV)

In listening tests, we were immediately aware of thesuperior qualities of the KT -7000. It has a definition andclarity that are matched by very few tuners we have used,and both are distinctly superior to those of many tunerswhose measured performance does not differ greatly fromthat of the KT -7000. The interstation-noise muting workswell, though there is still a slight burst of distorted modula-tion just as the circuits switch on or off. The selectivitywas most impressive, permitting us in many cases to receiveclear signals from weak stations only 200 kHz removedfrom much stronger stations. Credit this also to the crystali.f. filters.

A bonus with the Kenwood KT -7000 is its price of only$249.95 including walnut side panels. Most FM tunersthat are comparable to the KT -7000 are considerably moreexpensive, and even if they include AM coverage, it isfrequently of inferior quality. On the other hand, theAM sound of the KT -7000 was quite acceptable to our-hi-fi-tuned" ears.

For more information, circle 157 on reader service card

THORENS TD -125 TURNTABLE

THE TD -125 is the newest and most refined turntableto come from Thorens through their American distributor,Elpa Marketing Industries. It combines some novel de-sign approaches with the fine craftsmanship which hasalways characterized Thorens products, and its perfor-mance reflects the care that has gone into its creation.

One of the goals of a turntable designer is to reducerumble to a minimum. Vibration transmitted from themotor to the arm and turntable platter structure is theprime cause of rumble, and it can he minimized by severaltechniques. One approach is to use a rotating platterwhose mass is much larger than that of the drive -motorrotor, and by having a very compliant coupling between

the motor and the turntable. A motor with a slowly ro-tating armature further reduces the rumble, with the add-ed advantage that whatever vibration is transmitted can heat a frequency below audibility, and if low- enough in level,it can he regarded as nonexistent.

The three -speed Thorens TD -125 has an 8 -pound alumi-num turntable platter mounted on a heavy plate togetherwith the tone arm. The entire assembly, weighing morethan 15 pounds, is isolated from shock by being floatedon soft isolators and is connected to the drive motor onlythrough a rubber belt, which greatly reduces transmittedvibration. The arm -mounting hoard, which is removable,will accommodate normal or transcription -length tonearms, and is also available predrilled for the Ortofon 212tone arm.

To keep motor speed at a minimum, Thorens uses asixteen -pole synchronous motor driven by a transistorizedWien -bridge oscillator and a 20 -watt power amplifier ( themotor actually requires about 5 watts). The oscillator fre-quency is adjustable from 20 to 55 Hz, corresponding tomotor speeds of 125 to 350 rpm and turntable speeds of162/3 to 45 rpm. A three -position switch changes the turn-table speed electronically by switching in two sets of ca-pacitors. There is a vernier adjustment of 2 per cent above

(Conli»ned on page 38)36 STEREO REVIEW

"The Harman-KardonCAD4 has avert' uniformand extended low endwhich, in fact, surpassesthat of maw far moreexpensive reel-to-reel

taperecorders (ELECTRONICS WORLD, June 1969)

In a recent ad, we stated thzt ourCAD4 Cassette Tape Deck had the gutsto talk specs.

Electronics World magazine obvi-ously agrees.

In addition to the above, they alsosaid:

"The flutter was in the vicinity of0.2% for the Ampex and Sony and0.3% for the Norelco, but an impres-sively low 0.12% for the Harman-Kardon."

. the Harman-Kardon CAD4had uniform output to about 10.000-12,000 Hz but the other three began toroll off between 8,000 and 9,000 Hz."

"The CAD4 had 20-12,000 Hzrecord/playback response withHarman-Kardon tape."

A copy of the Electronics Worldreview of the CAD4 is available uponrequest. It's a review worth reading.And a cassette deck worth hearing. TheCAD4 is at your Harman-Kardon dealer

now. Listen to it. Compare it to thecompetition. We think you'll agree withElectrcnics World that it is "ale best ofthe grcup in performanc:, ."

For more information, and thecomplete text of the review, write toHarman-Kardon, Inc., 55 Ames Court,Plainview, N.Y. 11803, Dept. SR -8

harman kardonA subsId.ury 0 ler,s Corp, o. _

AUGUST 1969CIRCLE NO. 25 ON READER SERVICE CARD

37

-

;'

n.

and below each of the three speeds. An illuminated strobo-scopic pattern, viewed through a window in the motorboard, simplifies exact speed adjustment. The ThorensTD -125 can be operated from 110- to 130 -volt or 200- to240 -volt power lines, either 50 or 60 Hz. Although its speedis unaffected by line -frequency changes, the stroboscopeis accurate only at 50 and 60 Hz.

The TD -125 is available by itself for custom installa-tion, premounted on a base, or as a complete system on abase with an Ortofon RS -212 arm and Ortofon SL -15Tcartridge. We tested the latter version. The measuredrumble (unweighted) was -38 dB in both lateral andvertical planes and -43 dB with vertical rumble canceledout by paralleling the cartridge outputs. Since these figuresare nearly identical with those we have measured on twoor three of the best turntables, we rather suspect that theyare actually the residual rumble of our test records. Thorensclaims about 10 dB less rumble than we measured, withunspecified test records. We used two test records, onemade by Acoustic Research and the other by Dataservice,with identical results. Similarly, wow and flutter were aslow as we have ever measured, which may also reflect the

ALLIED 395 AM/STEREO FM RECEIVER

limitations of the Dataservice record. They were respec-tively 0.06 and 0.07 per cent at 162/3 rpm, 0.05 and 0.015per cent at 331A rpm, and 0.07 and 0.02 per cent at 45rpm, which is very low indeed.

The speeds, which were easily adjusted to exact values,did not change detectably over a line -voltage change from85 to 140 volts, nor did they drift during extended use ofthe turntable. About 3 to 4 seconds were required for theturntable to come up to speed after switching on.

In its operation, the Thorens TD -125 was totally quiet,and its smoothly operating controls were a pleasure touse. Its isolated arm/platter mounting makes it relativelyimmune to physical shock and to acoustic feedback. As amatter of fact, we could operate it directly in front of aspeaker with no difficulty.

The Thorens TD -125 is unquestionably one of the eliteamong record players. It would be hard to imagine a unitthat performs better. This quality has its price, however.The basic turntable sells for $185, and on a walnut baseit is $200. The complete unit, with arm and cartridge, is$385, plus $15 for a plastic dust cover.


THE Allied 395 is represented by Allied Radio as thefinest stereo receiver ever offered under their own brandname. After testing it, we must agree, and we can addthat it ranks among the best stereo receivers one can buyunder any brand name.

The Allied 395's FM section has an FET r.f. amplifier.Automatic gain control (AGC) is applied to the r.f. stage,and the separate oscillator has switchable AFC. Like mostmodern receivers, the Allied 395 is rock -stable and reallydoes not need AFC, but it is there if you want to use it.

The i.f. section has four integrated circuit ( IC) stages,with the high gain and excellent limiting characteristics wehave come to expect from a well -designed IC amplifier.They are followed by a ratio detector. Separate diode de-tectors in the i.f. strip operate the tuning meter, theAGC control line, and the interstation-noise muting cir-cuits that control the first audio stage in the multiplexsection.

The multiplex board (each section of the Allied 395 isconstructed on its own circuit hoard) is simple and straight-forward, but quite effective. It operates a stereo light on thedial face when a stereo signal is received, and switchingbetween mono and stereo FM is automatic.

The audio amplifier has feedback -type tone controls anda high -cut filter. There are separate tone controls for eachchannel, mounted concentrically. The preamplifier unithandles all signal inputs, including the high-level tunerinputs. Its negative -feedback components are switched toprovide the required gain and equalization. The mainamplifier board contains the amplifiers, phase splitters, anddrivers for the output transistors, which are chassis mount-ed on heat sinks. The power supplies include a number ofelectronically regulated outputs for the low-level circuitsof the receiver.

The AM -tuner section, like most we have seen, is ratherbasic. It has a ferrite rod antenna, tuned-r.f. stage, self -

oscillating mixer, two i.f. stages, and a diode detector. ItsAGC action, which controls both the r.f. stage and thefirst i.f. stage, is effective.

The Allied 395 has an exceptional array of controlfunctions. In addition to separate left- and right -channeltone controls, balance and volume controls, and smoothflywheel tuning system, it has selectable inputs for AM, FMMONO, FM AUTO, PHONO (two magnetic cartridges, or onemagnetic and one ceramic, can he selected by a separatelever switch), TAPE HEAD (with equalization for either33/.1 or 71/2 ips), and an external high-level AUX source.Other lever switches control loudness compensation, low -

and high -frequency filters, muting, and AFC.(Continued on page 42)

38 STEREO REVIEW

TheSecondKLHTapeRecorder

THE IDEA of the first KLH tape recorder, theModel Forty stereo tape deck, was to do every-

thing any serious user would want to do, easilyand right. The idea of the Model Forty -One stereotape deck is to do the main thing the Model Fortydoes at less than half the price.

That main thing is to do full justice to the bestmusical source material you can find to record athome, at a tape speed of 33/4 inches per secondinstead of the usual 71/2 ips.1

It does this so well that if you record properlyon both it and the Model Forty you may well hearno difference. And since the Model Forty's 33/4 ipssound has been compared favorably with a $3500studio recorder's at 15 ips, that is an interestingaccomplishment.

For a suggested price of $229.95, then, you canbuy a stereo tape deck that sounds as good, tomost people on most music, as the best homerecorder we have made or know about.

What you don't get for that price is the almostendless versatility of the Model Forty. The ModelForty -One is half the size, has fewer than half asmany controls, uses a straightforward mechani-cal system instead of solenoid -operated, relay -switched tape motion controls, and-also for

reasons of cost - uses the customary pair of VUrecording -level meters instead of the ModelForty's more precise single meter which scansboth channels and "reads" the louder. (Thatmeans it will take you a little longer to set levelsfor super -critical recordings-something like usinga separate light meter instead of having one builtinto your camera.)

What you do get is a tape machine that - owingin part to its Dolby2 audio noise reduction system- records superbly at 33/4 ips and 71/2 ips (for usewith tapes made on other recorders) and surpris-ingly well at 17/8 ips into the bargain.

It records in mono and stereo, four -track, andis ideal for use with our three-piece stereo musicsystems. There are individual input level controls,a single master recording level control, microphoneinputs, high and low gain auxiliary inputs, a four -digit tape counter, and a tape motion control thatprotects against tape spillage and breakage. TheDolby system can be switched out for compati-bility with other recorders.

To sum up: The KLH Model Forty -One is lessthan half the price of the Model Forty, has fewerthan half as many controls, and is just over half asbig. The dissimilarity ends there.

1The reason for making that big a point of 334 ips is that the precious standard of 712 ips is, we think, the wrong onefor full enjoyment of tape at home. It doesn't provide enough uninterrupted recording time for many musical works,makes tape costs higher per minute than they should be, and encourages "solutions" for its own ills (such as a varietyof tape thicknesses and recorders with automatic tape reversing) that only make things a little different and/or worse.

2" Dolby- is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories.

I*A TRAL ['HARK CV ALA RI SEARCH AND DEVELVE,ENT /CRP.

KLH Research and Development Corp.. 30 Cross Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02139

CIRCLE NO. 30 ON READER SERVICE CARDAUGUST 1969

39

We figureyou're smart enough

to fill in themissing pieces.

Milan

The missing pieces are the tuner,amplifier, record player and tapedeck. We figure if you're discern-ing enough to choose Altec, youprobably know exactly whatcomponents add up to your ulti-mate hi-fi system.

All we do is provide the ulti-mate in speaker systems.

The same ones professionalschoose for recording and motionpicture studios, Broadway thea-tres and concert halls.

Systems with such thrillingdynamic range they make youthink you're in the 10th row, cen-ter section, with the house lightsbeginning to dim.

Which is why we call ourspeakers "The Voice of theTheatre®:' Massive 15" woofersfor a gutsy low end. High fre-quency drivers coupled to 18"sectoral horns for broad disper-sion and smooth, brilliant, effi-cient performance clear out tobeyond audibility.

They're housed in cabinetrythat's almost boastful in itsbeauty. The Milano, for exam-ple, is furniture at its finest. Care-fully constructed of hard -as -nailshickory with a warm pecan fin-ish, it's hand -rubbed to a richand lustrous sheen.

And, since the speaker enclo-

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sures are separate from the com-ponent cabinet, you can placethem anywhere. To suit youridea orTioW stereo sound shouldsound, or to suit your fancy. Orside -by -side, as shown.

In addition to the Milano, wealso make the Valencia and Fla-menco. To match, accent, orharmonize with your particulardecor. Which is for you? Makethat beautiful decision at yourAltec dealer's.

Or write for our full -color bro-chure on ensembles. Then seehow beautifully all the pieces ofyour dream stereo system fallinto place.

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2

g. 0.5

I 0.2

0.101 02 05 2 5 0 20 50 00

CONTINUOUS ANO EQUIVALENT SINE -WAVE POWER OUTPUT PER CHANNEL IN WATTS

BOTH CHANNELS DRIVEN WITH LOADS,ONE CHANNEL MEASURED

111Hz TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION60/100011 (4:11 IM DISTORTION

ALLIED 395

It

There is a single rotary switch that controls both themode (stereo, or right or left channel through both speak-ers) and the tape -monitoring function. The same choiceof modes available for the other inputs is also availablefor tape monitoring, which is useful in playback of monotapes. A speaker -selector switch connects either or bothpairs of speakers or disconnects both for headphone listen-ing via the front -panel jack. It also serves as the powerswitch for the receiver.

In the rear of the Allied 395, in addition to the variousinput jacks and the ferrite rod AM antenna, are twoa.c. outlets (one of them switched) and special speakerconnectors that virtually eliminate the possibility of acci-dental short circuits. The speaker lines are wired to rubber -

covered polarized plugs which fit into the four outputreceptacles.

In our laboratory tests, the Allied 395 had an IHF FMsensitivity of 1.6 microvolts, placing it near the top of thefield in this respect. Signals as weak as 3 microvolts couldbe received with low noise and distortion, attesting to itssteep limiting characteristic. The FM frequency responsehad a rising characteristic, reaching +6 dB in the 7,000- to11,000 -Hz region. The stereo separation was between 18and 23 dB from 30 to 9,500 Hz, and even at 15,000 Hz itwas 10 dB.

The tone -control characteristics, typical of feedback -type circuits, allowed a considerable range of control at thefrequency extremes with negligible effect at middle fre-quencies. The basic amplifier frequency response was -.2:1dB from 60 to 20,000 Hz, falling to -5 dB at 20 Hz. Thefilters had gradual 6 -dB -per -octave slopes, with responsedown 3 dB at 90 and 3,000 Hz. The loudness compensa-

".. . Hi, tape pen pal! illy name is Bobby. I am nine yearsold. I live in Akron, and I like goldfish, Batman. . . ."

2ov.n nnnnn cLs univLN wi 1 n b -U11,4 LOADS, ONE CHANNEL

I I I IIIIIT I I I

MEASURED

ALLIED 395

1REFERENCE POWER (40w)

HALF POWER -3681- - - LOW POWER ( 10d8)

2.5

2.2 i

...... ww ..... ..r. =ww. w4k

\0.1 t

'Li -1

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20 50 00 200 500 MHz 2 HzFREQUENCY IN Hz (CYCLES PER SECOND)

0

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30

40

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51111 10kH z 201111

::::: IIIIIIIIMINII PA 1111MS

ii"

11111111:min ""na:::: AUDIO OUTPUT INERIM1011112: 0 68 078 VOLTS

(TAPE -OUTPUT JACKS) ---T- Ciraii:

Z l ZEN ! LI:i1 Iiii

ALLIED 395 iiiiI. SECTION (MONO)

91 -411A!E!11

1 :::1... ' 111111.111!

JilliMEOPMPIFV. INF SENSITIVITY ii

il ides :111111111101111Eli wsmilm inummuuni11: i 1::Esn:oll ... ...

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011

RE. 1005. MOD. AT 4001-1,

8 40 20 50 100 511 1011 2011 5011 100kR.F. TEST -SIGNAL INPUT IN MICROVOLTS

tion, which boosted both low and high frequencies, sound-ed quite pleasant. Both the RIAA and NAB (71/2 ips)equalization were acceptably accurate, within ±2 dB from30 Hz to 15,000 Hz.

The power amplifiers of the Allied 395 were very goodby any standards, and were especially impressive for amoderate -price receiver. At 40 watts per channel into8 -ohm loads, distortion was under 0.2 per cent from 180to 20,000 Hz, rising to 2 per cent at 50 Hz. At half power,the distortion was 0.45 per cent at 20 Hz, less than 0.1per cent from 30 to 1,000 Hz, and only 0.15 per cent at20,000 Hz. At one -tenth power (4 watts), which is typicalof fairly loud listening levels, the distortion was wellunder 0.2 per cent from 20 to 15,000 Hz, and less than 0.1per cent over most of that range.

Operating at 1,000 Hz, the harmonic distortion was0.17 per cent at 0.1 watt, under 0.1 per cent from 1 wattto 22 watts, and about 0.14 per cent at the full power of40 watts. It increased rapidly at higher powers, to 2 percent at 47 watts. The IM distortion was about 0.2 percent from 0.1 to 20 watts, and reached 1 per cent at 40watts. The Allied 395 can deliver 57 watts per channelinto 4 -ohm loads, and about 30 watts into 16 -ohm loads.

The audio sensitivity was high, requiring only 90 milli-volts into auxiliary or 1 millivolt into phono inputs for 10watts output. Hum and noise were extremely low -70 to75 dB below 10 watts-and were totally inaudible underany listening conditions.

The measured performance of the Allied 395 was out-standing, and it sounded as good and handled as well asit measured. We found it to be one of the more attractive,functional, and flexible receivers we have used, and itsaudible performance would be difficult to improve upon.In this day of moderate -price low -efficiency speakers, itis encouraging to find a high-powered receiver of excel-lent quality at a similarly moderate price. And price isindeed one of the more outstanding aspects of the Allied395-only $299.95 with a metal case. An oiled walnutcase is available for $19.95. The Allied Model 395 is oneof the best values on the high-fidelity market today.


42STEREO REVIEW

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NuGusT 1969CIRCLE NO. 45 ON READER SERVICE CARD

43

GOING ON RECORDOLD MEN

ELSEWHERE in this issue Henry Pleas -ants has a delightful and fact -filled

article on music's longest -lived practi-tioners. In it, he addresses himself to thenames and the dates and the conceivablereasons why some musicians can live tosuch tortoise -like ages, working and pro-ducing right up to the end. I, on theother hand, am simply interested in oldmen's music, in what it is that theseoctogenarians and nonagenarians canbring to us that the performing springchickens cannot.

A number of years ago Artur Rubin-stein was quoted pretty much to the ef-fect that the difference between GlennGould and himself was that he was sev-enty years old and played as if he weretwenty, whereas Glenn was twenty andplayed as if he were seventy. It was acute remark and a telling one, perhapsabout both of them. It certainly allowedthat there is a difference in playing stylesaccountable to age, and it marked Rub-instein himself as (perhaps until justrecently) one of the major exceptions.Certainly, he did play like a young man.Tune in to a broadcast of one of his rec-ords sometime, not knowing beforehandwho is playing, and prove it to yourself.

Let's leave the question of whetherGlenn Gould plays like an old man ornot to some other time, and go on tosome of the characteristics of old men'smusic. First of all, there is the matterof historical connections. Pianists andpiano fanciers, especially, make a bigthing of this, with their pupils of pupilsof Liszt, and their last living connec-tions to Clara Schumann. Sometimesperformer rediscoveries rationalized bysuch connections turn out to be busts,for the longest -lived student may nothave been the most talented nor theone with the best memory. But no onecan take away the importance, for ex-ample, of Bruno Walter's associationwith Mahler. Many of us may think ofMahler's music quite differently today,but Mahler knew Walter's interpreta-tions and endorsed them and there willnever be another conductor of whomthat can be said.

'S MUSICThere are many other such examples.

Who will be able to come up with some-thing to match the sympathetic under-standing (drawn partially, certainly,from personal relationship) of Sir Thom-as Beecham's recreations of Delius' mu-sic? What will substitute for Pierre Ber-nac's total understanding of the songs ofFrancis Poulenc when he is no longerhere either to sing the songs or teachothers to sing them? Such historical con-nections mean something, and-thankGod-we have records, at least, to re-capture some of that meaning.

Apart from direct historical connec-tions, older musicians bring with thema feeling of style born of another age,almost of another world. Probably themajority of performers (and some com-posers) establish a personal style rela-tively early in their careers and follow itinto old age, refining, perhaps, andgradually re-evaluating and modifyingcertain aspects of it from within. Tos-canini, for example, retained relativelythe same approach to music throughouthis conducting life, merely further em-phasizing certain aspects of it (for me,the least likable aspects of it) as he gotolder. Stravinsky's conducting style, onthe contrary, I think has changed drasti-cally-but then, he is a continuously de-veloping composer, and there can belittle question that composers tend tosee their earlier compositions in a dif-ferent light from the vantage point oflater development.

BUT, to get back to those who havepersisted in their original aims: certainlythe pianism of Egon Petri, WilhelmBackhaus, Josef Lhevinne, and SergeRachmaninoff, the harpsichord playingof Landowska, the singing of JuliusPatzak, Giuseppe de Luca, and othersderive from a different age. They sim-ply carried it (and, through records, stillcarry it) into our own. Their music isa less specific link with the past than adirect historical connection would be-but it is on the other hand probablymore meaningful.

Old men's music has certain draw-

hacks. A violinist's pitch tends to get alittle wavery with age, and the bow armmay not be capable of the rapid-firearticulation of youth. A pianist's fingersget stiff, and they cannot get from oneend of the keyboard to the other asquickly as before. Voices lose their topnotes. Composers tend, perhaps, to getcareful. In all there is a certain holdingback, a disinclination to take a chance,make the daring gesture-because itmight not work. In the case of Sibeliusit became an unwillingness to attemptanything. When he died, at ninety-two,after more than twenty-five years ofcompositional silence, many expected thediscovery of a cache of late compositions-at the very least, of an Eighth Sym-phony. There was nothing.

"WHY should not old men be mad?"asked the poet Yeats; but they are notmad, they are merely careful, believingthat there is more to be lost than to begained by being too brave. But whatelse they have to offer us!-mastery, forexample. Older pianists may not havethe facility of a twenty-year old, butsomehow they do seem to retain thepower. A Backhaus never has difficultyin producing a full fortissimo, and thatis less because he is a powerful man thanbecause he has mastered the instrumentto the extent that he knows the exactdegree and the correct method of apply-ing strength to produce that dynamicwithout wasted effort. Gieseking hadthe most exquisitely controlled pianissi-mo because the degree of tension neces-sary to it had become an ingrainedpart of his pianistic technique. He wasnot walking on eggs the way so manyperhaps similarly talented but less ex-perienced younger pianists are.

Furtwangler could take the sort of in-terpretive liberties that no young con-ductor could ever get away with, be-cause he had come to know the precisevalue of every degree of pause, of everydiminution of tempo. The late scores ofRichard Strauss are so totally masterlyin technique, accomplish their intentsthrough such elegant means, that manyare dazzled by the craftsmanship andcannot even see the artistry he has cre-ated through it.

And, finally, there is the deepeningof personality that comes of having livedin this world for a humanly long time,of perhaps not understanding it better,but feeling it more intensely. To certaincomposers-Franck, Janacek-that hasbeen a prerequisite to their major ac-complishments. To certain performers ithas given something that was necessaryto successfully recreate a few rare, spe-cial masterpieces. Sviatoslav Richter,when asked some years ago why he didnot play certain Beethoven sonatas,gave a thoughtful answer. He said hedidn't feel that he was yet matureenough for them.

44 CIRCLE NO. 23 ON READER SERVICE CARD -4-

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46 STEREO REVIEW

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CIRCLE. NO. 31 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Have a heart-to-heart with your ears.

They'll probably tell you a lot of thingsyou'll like to hear. Like how they can't tellthe difference-the difference betweenthe Craig 2405 Stereo Tape Deckwith auto -reverse and the $400 superdeck with auto reverse.

That's nice.

Because in addition to having lots ofpower and a wide, wide frequency response,

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By Martin Bookspan THE BASIC REPERTOIRE Item One Hundred Fifteen

HI r.,m the 17,0 rcri 1,1m', If, in II r

Debussy's NOCTURNESr i 894 Claude Debussy composed his first purely or-chestral score, the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun,inspired by a poem by Stephane Mallarme. It was a

great success and had to be repeated immediately afterits first performance. In one stroke the thirty -two -year -oldcomposer had placed himself at the center of Parisianmusical life.

While he was putting the finishing touches on the Pre-

lude, Debussy conceived the idea of writing a work forviolin and orchestra for the great Belgian violinist EugeneYsike. He wrote to Ysalye in September 1894:

I am working at three nocturnes for violin and orches-tra that are intended for you; the first is scored for strings,the second for three flutes, four horns, three trumpets andtwo harps; the third combines these groups. This is, infact, an experiment in the various arrangements that canhe made with a single color-what a study in grey wouldbe in painting.

Another letter from Debussy to Ysaye of two years laterseems to indicate that the Nocturnes for violin and or-chestra were completed, and Debussy hoped Ysaye wouldgive the premiere of the score in Brussels. Nothing cameof the project, and between December 1897 and Decem-

ber 1899, Debussy converted the Nocturnes into the formwe know: three orchestral tableaux with effulgent instru-mentation, the third of them using a wordless femalechorus.

The reference to the art of painting in Debussy's letterto Ysaye establishes the frame of reference for the word"nocturne- ; Debussy's Nocturnes relate not to the nightpieces for piano of John Field and Chopin, but to thenocturnes of the painter James McNeill Whistler, whosepurpose was to evoke a mood or impression. On the titlepage of the finished score, Debussy wrote: "The titleNocturnes is to be interpreted here in a general and, moreparticularly, in a decorative sense. Therefore, it is notmeant to designate the usual form of the Nocturne, butrather all the various impressions and the special effectsof light that the word suggests."

Each of the three Nocturnes was given a characteristi-

cally impressionistic title: Nuages, Fetes, and Sirenes("Clouds," "Festivals," and -Sirens"). Debussy himselfdescribed them in these words:

Nuages renders the immutable aspect of the sky and theslow, solemn motion of the clouds, fading into poignantgrey softly touched with white. Fetes gives us the vibrat-

4- CIRCLE NO. 13 ON READER SERVICE CARD 49

^1 Ul1,1,1 N11

Nif)N:TEI

Three stereo recordings of Claude Debussy's Nocturnes are especially atmospheric: Ernest Ansermet's (London)with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Carlo Maria Giulini's (Angel) with the Philharnzonia, and Pierre Monteux's(RCA Victrola) with the Boston Symphony. Giulini's disc also contains a shimmering performance of Debussy's La Mer.

ing, dancing rhythm of the atmosphere with sudden flashesof light. There is also the episode of the procession (adazzling fantastic vision) which passes through the festivescene and becomes merged in it. But the background re-mains persistently the same: the festival with its blendingof music and luminous dust participating in the cosmicrhythm. Sirenes depicts the sea and its countless rhythmsand presently, among waves silvered by the moonlight, isheard the mysterious song of the Sirens as they laugh andpass on.

o clarinets and two bassoons begin Nudges in aTwrocking alternation of thirds and fifths-a direct quotationfrom the piano accompaniment to one of Moussorgsky'sSunless songs. An oboe joins the discourse in the thirdbar, followed by a phrase on the English horn that willrecur several times later. Another important section isgiven to the flute and harp against sustained chords in thestrings. Out of these materials Debussy weaves an atmos-pheric feeling of diaphanous drift and languor.

Fetes opens with a breathless rhythmic pulsation in thestrings, followed by woodwind glissandos and brasspunctuations. The atmosphere of pageantry is climaxedby a herald -like fanfare on the trumpets, and then awinged ascending glissando on the harps leads to musicof bustling merry -making, in which Debussy conjures upvisions of festive and rollicking crowds. The section risesto a climax, and then, over a repeating rhythmic accom-paniment, a procession approaches and recedes. The bril-liance of the first section returns briefly, but the end issubdued and restrained, as if the revelers had exhaustedthemselves.

Sirenes hauntingly evokes the image of the intoxicatingsea and the seductive sirens seated on their rocks ready tolure unsuspecting ships and sailors to their doom. Thereis an impassioned climax for orchestra alone in the middleof the piece, but then the voices come in again, and the endis enigmatic and unresolved, as if to suggest that thevoices of the sirens will continue to sound for all eternity.

The Nocturnes are among the most frequently record-ed of all Debussy's orchestral works: the current cataloglists ten accounts of the three parts, and an additional half -dozen of just Nuages and Fetes (without Sirenes). What-

ever the expediency of concert -hall economics that justifiesthe separation of Sirenes from its companions (the needto engage a female chorus for little more than five minutesof singing, perhaps), violence is done to Debussy's con-ception when Nuages and Fetes are heard by themselves.

The newest recording of all three Nocturnes is the onemade in Paris last December by the Orchestre de Parisunder the direction of Sir John Barbirolli (Angel S36583). Nuages and Sirenes both are given evocative,highly colored performances that are most persuasive;Barbirolli's account of Fetes, however, is devitalized inthe extreme-the whole thing plods along on feet of lead,and removes this new issue from contention. My favoritesamong other complete recordings of the Nocturnes arethose by Ansermet (London CS 6023), Giulini (AngelS 35977), and Monteux (RCA Victrola VICS 1027).All three arc sensitive and responsive to the atmosphericdemands of the music. Ansermet's, one of London's earli-est stereo ventures, receives perhaps the most detailedsonic reproduction of the lot, with marvelous definitionand excellent balances between the several orchestralchoirs. On the reverse side of Ansermet's performance isan equally successful one of the ballet version (with itsadded prologue) of Ravel's Mother Goose. Giulini choseDebussy's La Mer as his companion piece, and he gaveit a shimmering performance; the coupling for the Mon-teux recording is the familiar Suite from Stravinsky's Fire-

bird, but there are more colorful and voluptuous perform-ances than this one in the catalog.

Four among the available recordings of Nudges andFetes only seem to me to be worthy of recommendation:those by Bernstein (Columbia MS 6271), Cantelli (Sera-phim 60077), Monteux (London CS 6248), and Munch(RCA LSC 2668). Here it is the Monteux recording(with the London Symphony Orchestra-his earlier ver-sion of all three Nocturnes is with the Boston Symphony)that I would single out because of its overall bite andauthority.

My recommendations for tape buffs are the same as forrecord collectors: Ansermet (London L 80011) for allthree Nocturnes, Monteux (London L 80108) for thosewilling to settle for only Nuages and Fetes.

REPRINTS of the latest review of the complete "Basic Repertoire" ore available without charge. Circle Number 160 on reader service card.

50STEREO REVIEW

Anyone whowants the best,and is worried aboutspending an extra '20,

ought to havehis ears examined.

Look at what you're gettingfor the extra $20.00.

The Papst hysteresismotor for reduced noise andrumble, unvarying speedaccuracy. An exclusivefeature of the Miracord 50H.

The cartridge insert withslotted lead screw for precisestylus overhang adjustment.Without this Miracord exclusive,your whole investment ina record -playing instrumentcould go down the drain.Because if the stylus overhangis incorrect, the finest cartridgewill not track accurately.

The exclusive Miracordpushbuttons-the gentlesttouch is all that's needed toput the 50H into automatic pray(stacks o' 10 or single records),Or you can start the turntableand play single recordsmanually by simply lifting thearm and placing it on the record.

In addition to theseexclusive features, theMiracord 50H offers a metalcam (not plastic) for greaterreliability; piston -dampedcueing: effective anti -skate; adynamically balanced armthat tracks to 1/2 gram. another quality product from BENJAMIN,

CIRCLE NO 8 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Finally, consider what theleading experts are sayingabout the Miracord 50H. That$20 bill looks pretty tiny now,doesn't it? Miracord 50H lesscartridge arm and base,$159.50. The Miracord 620($99.50) and the Miracord 630($119.50) follow in the greattradition of the 50H. See whatwe mean at your hi-fi dealer.Benjamin Electronic Sound Corp.,Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735.Available in Canada.

MIRACORD 50H

AUGUST 196951

We've closedthe degeneration gapTests show that a symmetricallydesigned speaker - round, rectan-gular, square, conical, triangular-gives rise to degeneration in thevibration mode at specific frequen-cies. Distorting natural sound.That's why the Yamaha NaturalSound Speaker has such an unu-sual shape. It operates on the samesound concept as the soundingboard of a grand piano, violin orguitar. To prevent sound degener-ation. To give you natural sound ...the way your ear was meant tohear it.THE NATURAL SOUND SPEAKERshapes the sound so that you don'tget those unreal, booming basssounds ... nor the strident, irritat-ing highs. The system is based onthe principles of acoustic musicalinstruments such as the piano. Thequality of sounds produced isdirectly correlated to the acousticaldesign of their sounding boards.They are called BENDINGMOTIONS of sound. And they arenatural.

Following this concept, Yamahadeveloped the Natural SoundSpeaker. It is entirely differentfrom the conventional cone. It hasa rigid diaphragm constructed of aspecially formulated polystyrene.The entire edge of the speaker isfirmly fixed on the frame. And it isshaped for natural sound ... likethe sounding board ofa piano.

So, if you've been lis-tening to degeneratedsound - close the gap.With Yamaha.The specifications:NS -15Impedance -8 ohmsPower capacity -

30 wattsTone control -

Continuouslyvariable

Speakers -Natural Sound:13" x 17"Cone: 2"

CabinetRemovable grilleStraight -grainAmerican WalnutOpen pore, oil finish

Dimensions -Height: 23"Width: 16"Depth: 7"Weight: 22 lb.

5 models avail-able, starting at$69.50.

Now available. Twooutstanding newreceivers that dothe YamahaNatural SoundSpeakers justice.

Yamaha International Corporation, Audio Products Division7733 Telegraph Road, Montebello, Calif. 90640

Please send me your 1970 catalog containing complete specificationson all Yamaha audio products.

Name

Street City State Zip Code

YAMAHAL

52CIRCLE NO. 60 ON READER SERVICE CARD

STEREO REVIEW

Lee Boltin photo. courtesy Electronic Workshop

The Technical Editor offers some

GUIDELINES

TO

SPEAKER SHOPPINGBy LARRY KLEIN

ABOUT TO GO OUT loudspeaker shopping? Well,this is your h:g opportunity to qualify for theAwful Buy of the Month award. Perhaps I

should explain why loudspeakers especially are con-tenders in the ABM sweepstakes:: primarily becausethere is no necessary correspondence between the priceof a speaker system and the quality of its reproduction.This is not true of other audio components. A name -brand amplifier or receiver, for example, that sells for$100, $200, or $300 is going to have the same generalperformance capabilities as any other similarly pricedname -brand amplifier or receiver. This is nut to say that

AUGUST 1969 53

there are no differences in the features provided, in theease of operation, or even in the specifications, but thedifferences between a best buy and a mediocre buy at agiven price level in amplifiers and receivers is not onlynot extreme, but it is usually not even detectable in alistening test.

Not so with loudspeakers, however. I have found nodirect correlation between the cost of a speaker and thequality of the sound it reproduces. A speaker may have abig voice coil or a little voice coil, a large cabinet or asmall cabinet, high efficiency or low efficiency; no one ofthese factors by itself insures quality reproduction. What,then, does determine quality? The answer, I'm forced toconclude, is the critical judgment-in effect, the taste-of the designer. I say taste, rather than knowledge, be-cause I have heard some abominable systems producedby companies with top-notch test facilities and highlytrained engineers, and I have heard some fine systemsproduced by accountants and school teachers working inbasement workshops. Good speakers are most likely tobe produced, then, by someone who has the propertheoretical background, adequate test facilities, and agood ear.

INCE there is no direct correlation between price andSquality in a speaker system, and since loudspeaker en-gineers have different ideas as to how a speaker shouldsound, what guidelines can a speaker shopper follow toinsure achieving at least a reasonable acoustic return forthe cash he spends? First of all, let me make clear mybasic criterion (it is also that of Hirsch -Houck Labora-tories) for judging a speaker. Simply stated, we believethat it is the function of a loudspeaker to provide anaccurate acoustic analog of the electrical audio signal fedto it. In other words, a loudspeaker should have nocharacter or sound quality of its own. It should not have"presence"; it should have "absence." It should sound"warm" only when the music embodied in the electricalsignal being fed to it is warm, it should sound brightwhen the music is bright, and so forth. It, in itself,should be neutral. A little thought will show you whythis should be. Insofar as a speaker has a sonic characterof its own, it is going to add that character to whatevermaterial it is reproducing. Sometimes the special colora-tion of a particular speaker may enhance the sound for agiven individual on a given piece of music. But for mostmusic, the speaker's contribution will probably be inap-propriate and will degrade the reproduction.

Under the best of circumstances, and after years ofcritical listening, I still find it no easy matter to makeinstant and precise critical evaluations of a speaker sys-tem at an audio show or in a dealer's showroom. Thereare some techniques I've worked out, however, thatcan be very helpful. In general, I find it easier to makeevaluations if I'm listening to one speaker rather than to

a stereo pair. However, when auditioning a single speak-er in a showroom, one runs the risk of having its loca-tion influence its frequency balance between highs andlows. This can be easily checked by switching to theother member of the pair, which probably will not beinstalled in as advantageous (or disadvantageous) a lo-cation. However, when auditioning omni- or multi -di-rectional speaker systems (discussed elsewhere in this is-sue), it is necessary to listen to them as a pair in order toappreciate their special qualities.

An important aspect of a speaker system's bass per-formance is its freedom from spurious resonances. Thiscan be tested simply by tuning in several FM stationsand listening carefully to the various announcers on thespeaker(s) under consideration. One or two of the an-nouncers may have naturally deep voices, but if every oneof them sounds as if he were addressing you from thebottom of an oil drum, you can be sure that the loud-speaker under test (not the announcer) has a bass res-onance peaking somewhere in the 100 -Hz region. Forsome people this resonance provides a pleasant overlayof bass on classical material and enhances the beat onpopular music, but the price paid is loss of upper -bassclarity and (usually) absence of genuine low bass. (Inrespect to the speaker's ability to reproduce low bass, Icannot do better than recommend that you check itsreproduction of band 5, side 2 of STEREO REVIEW'SStereo Demonstration Record. Listen for a "solidity," a"thud" quality, rather than a boomy quality in thesound. The disc is available for $4.98-see descriptivebox on page 56.)

As far as the high -frequency performance of a speakersystem is concerned, a good test is to listen to recordingsof music that includes cymbals or triangles (such asband 4, side 2 on the Stereo Demonstration Record).Try to isolate the ringing or shimmering sound that istypical of these instruments. You will probably have tolisten carefully for this quality in several speakers be-fore you can easily distinguish between those that haveit and those that don't. Note, also, while listening forshimmer, the amount of record noise (hiss) present.

54STEREO REVIEW

You'll find that some speakers will have the shimmerplus a liberal helping of record noise, and that somewill have the shimmer without the noise. Emphasizedrecord noise is usually the result of an irregularityin the speaker's high -frequency response, which may ormay not audibly affect other aspects of its performance.

Another quality essential to good performance is widedispersion-a speaker's ability to spread the high fre-quencies in a broad arc across your listening room.Without it, the sound will he closed in and localized atthe speakers; with it, there is a superior stereo image anda sense of openness and airiness. You can make a fastcheck for adequate high -frequency dispersion by usingthe interstation noise on an FM tuner (you may have toswitch off the interstation-noise muting and AFC to dothis). Tune between two stations to get the interstationnoise (it has a rushing, hissy quality), and stand di-rectly in front of the speaker. Then, concentrating onthe hissy quality in the sound, walk off to one side of thespeaker system; at some point you will find that thehissy quality disappears. You will find the same effecton the other side of the speaker-and, depending onwhere the speaker is installed, the hiss will probably di-minish also if you duck your head toward the floor.The wider the area covered by the very -high -frequencyhiss, the better the high -frequency dispersion of thespeaker system, and the more open and natural -soundingwill be the music it reproduces. This test should bemade only after you have already established that thespeaker's on -axis high -frequency response is everythingit should be-if it is already short on highs, you maynot notice any falling off at the dispersion limits.

. . An outstanding exampleof self-denial, Brother Cyprian. . . ."

For many speaker manufacturers, the mid -range is stilla problematic area. In the past, a number of manufac-turers (they are fewer eadi year) deliberately set out todesign speaker systems with a 5- to 15 -dB boost in themiddle frequencies. On certain types of material thismid -range boost imparts a sense of projection, a front -row center quality, to everything played. This is the so-called -presence" phenomenon, and it is a hindrance,not an aid, to accurate reproduction. The overly brightand projected quality that comes from a boosted mid-range may be impressive on first listening, but it is ac-companied by unfortunate side effects. Minor side ef-fects are harshness and emphasis of high -frequencynoise and distortion in the program material. A majorside effect-for me, it can make a speaker unlistenable-is a kind of nasality or honkiness that accompanies anddiscolors everything the speaker is reproducing. I haveworked out a simulated "live -vs. -reproduced" techniquethat makes it possible for anyone to imitate-and to de-tect-this type of objectionable coloration.

First set up an FM tuner as you did for the high -fre-quency dispersion test. It should be tuned between sta-tions with the AFC and muting circuits switched off.Then cup your hands over your mouth (as though you\\Pere trying to warm them with your breath) and make

a loud "shhh" sound. Now remove your hands andmake the same sound. Repeat several times until youhear the difference clearly. The hollow, rather nasal

quality heard with your hands in front of your mouth isa good approximation of the nasal or honky quality as-sociated with mid -range difficulties in a speaker. If youare in a hi-fi showroom, have the salesman switchamong a number of speakers while you are listening toFM interstation noise. You will be able to pick out the

speakers with the nasal quality rather quickly. And withpractice you should be able to detect this same quality onmusic and voice if a speaker is particularly afflicted in

this range. Remember that if a speaker is suffering eitherfrom bass boom or a hanky mid -range, the effects will

pervade everything coming through the speaker. For

this reason, it is relatively easy to determine whether thefault lies with the speaker or with the program material be-

ing played through it.

If a loudspeaker system rated highly by Hirsch -HouckLaboratories or Consumer Reports sounds much inferiorto some other system when being demonstrated in a deal-

er's showroom, there are two possible explanations. Itmay be that your taste in sound is such that you do notprefer an accurate or neutral reproducer, but want onewith, perhaps, an overly heavy bass or a peaked mid-range. If you listen only to pop or rock material, such aspeaker may be adequate for you. However, if your tasteis more catholic and includes Bach and Beethoven, along

with the Beach Boys and the Beatles, then you are better

AUGUST 1969 55

off with the sort of neutral reproducer that I describedearlier.

The second factor that may cause you to dislike one ofthe speakers we have rated highly is more serious and,unfortunately, all too common: the audio salesman maybe deliberately fouling up the speaker's performanceusing any of several different techniques. His motive fordoing this is simple: he makes a larger profit on theother brands. His technique ranges from a simple mis-adjustment of the mid -range and tweeter -level controlson the back of the speaker he wants to downgrade (anumber of well-known systems sound best with theircontrols full on) to using gimmicked program material,or placing resistors or capacitors across the wires going tothe speaker's terminals.

MUSIC TO LISTEN TO SPEAKERS BY

FXCERPTS from twelve different-and sonically ex-cellent-commercial discs are gathered togeth-

er on STEREO REVIEW'S own demonstration record,making it a handy tool for the speaker shopper. Eachselection is designed to show off one or more specificaspects of musical sound and its reproduction. in-cluded with the recording is a booklet describing theaspect of stereo sound to listen for in each selection.The recording is available in both 331/y and 45 -rpmversions. To get your copy (postpaid), send $1.98(and a note stating which speed you want) to:

Stereo Demonstration RecordP. 0. Box 3163Church Street StationNew York, N. Y. 10008

Outside the United States, the cost is $7.00. NewYork State residents please add local sales tax.

In general, it's best to avoid a dealer's house -brandprivate -label speakers unless objective test reports onthem have been published. It is standard practice for anumber of discount operators to sell a name -brand re-ceiver with house -brand speakers, apparently at anenormous discount for the buyer. Actually, the dealer'sprofit margin on such combinations is usually higher

than on any "package" that includes name -brand speak-ers. This is true because the house -brand speakers cost thedealer far less than the name brands. This is not to saythat the dealer's own brands are automatically inferior,but you should be very careful when faced with such a

choice. If at all possible, compare the sound of the housebrand (using the techniques described earlier) withsome well -reviewed name brands to see what the audibledifferences may be.

Be aware of room acoustics, both in your home and inthe showroom, as factors that can strongly determine thesound of a speaker. If the showroom is relatively wellpadded and you intend to use the speakers in a finishedbasement, you'll find enormous differences in the soundunder the two circumstances. In addition, if the speakeris designed to be a floor -standing unit and you intend tomount it on a shelf, or if the speaker is a shelf modelthat the dealer has on the floor, make sure that you get achance to audition it in a reasonable approximation ofthe location and height at which it's going to be installedin your home. The sound quality of a speaker can changeradically in respect to the balance between the treble andbass, depending on where it is installed.

Don't be tempted to buy a cheap speaker just becauseyour "ear isn't trained.- You'll find quickly enough thatyour ear will become trained, and that the speakers thatlack a smooth frequency response will become irritatingto listen to after a while.

A piece of advice we frequently repeat is: don't beoverconcerned with speaker theory as a guide to choosinga system for use in your home. There are at present onthe speaker market good and bad examples of practi-cally every design theory extant. And no one, howeverskilled and trained, is in a position to know how gooda speaker system is solely on the basis of informationProvided in sales literature. A complete set of anechoic-chamber measurements, tone -burst tests, harmonic -dis-tortion checks, and so forth can, for a knowledgeableengineer, separate the good from the mediocre. But it is,in my opinion, beyond the talents of any engineer to dif-ferentiate between the excellent reproducers and those thatare merely very good, on the basis of test data alone.

I'm fully aware that the foregoing guidelines are justthat-and I have no illusion that I've provided defini-tive advice that will guide you unerringly to the idealspeaker at your budget level. At almost every price levelyou'll find beauties and bombs, and it's sometimes verydifficult for the neophyte to differentiate between thetwo. Consult your friends and the dealers, listen to thesystems in the showrooms, and most important, readcarefully the test reports in the publications that evaluatespeakers. All of this may not take you totally out of therunning for the Awful Buy of the Month award, butit can at least prevent you from being a leading con-tender for the prize.

56STEREO REVIEW

INSTALLATION OF THE MONTH

AGAINST -THE -WALL STEREOUNLIKE some audiophiles, Mike Foley of Orein,

Utah, doesn't feel that more money guaranteesbetter sound. His present stereo installation is

his third in six years, and he writes that although hisprevious setup cost more, this one is the best yet.

The installation covers an entire wall and consists oftwo identical cabinets suspended from the wall. Allof the components, other than the speakers, are housed

in the lower cabinet, and the upper one is used as stor-age space for books and magazines. Mr. Foley designedthe cabinets and built them with the help of a localcabinet shop, which precut the walnut panels and madethe tracks for the sliding glass top on the lower unit.

The components are a KLH Model 27 AM/stereoFM receiver, an AR turntable with a Shure V-15 TypeII cartridge and a dust bug, and two Ampex tape re-corders-a Micro 50 stereo cassette deck and a reel-to-reel machine for "more serious" recordings. Playback isthrough either a pair of Koss Pro stereo headphonesor a pair of KLH Model Six speaker systems. Thespeakers are located above the top cabinet behind thefull -width fabric nanel.

At both ends of the lower cabinet there is storagespace for records, with enough room for about threehundred albums. Whenever servicing becomes necessary,the two center front panels of the cabinet can be re-moved to provide easy access to the equipment.

When Mr. Foley relaxes (with five children all underten years old, you keep busy), he divides his listeningequally between classical music and such popular groupsas the Mamas and the Papas.

AUGUST 1969 57

T'HOUGH the advent of stereophonic sound over a'decade ago has since been acknowledged (by allbut a few diehard purists) as a definite step for-

ward in the quality reproduction of sound in the home,no one would claim that it constituted any final solution.Stereo recording techniques have themselves improvedover the years, more sophisticated microphone handling,placement of instrumentalists, and clever mixing havingdone away with unrealistic ping-pong effects. Addedcenter -channel speakers and even reverb units have alsobeen tried to improve the stereo "image," and rumors ofexperiments with four -channel (and more) reproduc-tion continue to tingle along the audio grapevine.

The latest tangible evidence of the industry's continu-ing concern with improvement in this area, however, isthe appearance on the market of a number of new"multidirectional" speakers, which offer yet another op-tion to the already bewildered speaker buyer. Just whatare these "multidirectionals"-what are they intendedto do, and how do they work? It might help for a start-er to look upon them as speakers designed to radiatemost of their sound energy aurae from the listener. Willthis approach make a listening room sound more like aconcert hall? More than half a dozen speaker manufac-turers say it can-and with some justification. Therehave been multidirectional speakers around for years, ofcourse. And all speakers have their sound reflectedaround the listening room to some extent; how much de-pends on how well their mid -ranges and tweeters spreadthe higher frequencies. But the multidirectional ap-proach does seem to add a touch more spaciousness be-yond what even the best "conventional" speakers cansupply.

It is all done, you might say, with sonic mirrors: themultidirectionals aim most of their sound away fromthe listening area and toward the room's surfaces.This is an attempt to duplicate the listening experiencein the concert hall, where much the same thing takesplace. The sound -reflection properties (or reverberation)of your living room help turn the two discrete stereosignals from your loudspeakers into a smoothly blend-ed sonic image. (Remember that room reverberation isin addition to and distinct from whatever original con-cert -hall reverberation is already present in the recordingitself.)

The acoustical "character"-bright, dull, or other-wise-of a room or hall is determined by reflections.Reverberation, which is the sum of all the sound reflec-tions, impinges on us from all directions in a concerthall, and it does at home too-though we're usually soclose to the reflecting walls that the time lag betweenthe arrivals of direct sound and the various reflectionsis quite short. The room's small dimensions preclude thefairly long sound -wave travel time that provides the re-verberant warmth of a concert hall. [For a more detailed

explanation, see "Concert -Hall Sound in the Home,"by Robert Berkovitz, in the May 1969 issue of STEREOREvww.]

As mentioned above, the situation is helped some-what by including in the original recording some of theconcert hall's reflected sound along with the direct soundof the music. But though a little recorded reverberationhelps, too much of it quickly breaks down our ability to

distinguish individual lines and voices. The sound be-comes a sonic mush, with each note's dying echo oblit-erating the next note's entrance. The same is true if youadd excessive reverberation at home with an echo deviceor if your listening room is excessively reverberant.

In the concert hall, we cheerfully accept an amount ofreverberation that we'd call too much at home. In fact,about 80 to 90 per cent of what the average concertlistener hears is reflected sound. We find large amountsof concert -hall reverberation acceptable because the

58 STEREO REVIEW

reflections reach us after long and varying delays, frommany angles, blended with the orchestra's direct soundfrom the stage. At home, both the original sound and itsmany reflections are embodied in the stereo groove as asingle composite signal. They therefore come to us fromthe same speakers, the same stereo "stage."

Stereo helps clarify this sonic mixture, spreading outthe sound field so that the echoes seem to envelop us

Y BENN T EVANS

naturally as we hear the orchestra on an imaginary"stage" within or just beyond the plane between ourtwo speakers. Still, we are almost always closer to thatplane than we would be to the orchestra in a concerthall. We are receiving more direct than reflected energy,as those in the front row at a concert do, but we do notget the long -delayed reflections from the back of the hallthat even front -row listeners hear. It has been suggestedthat a stereo system with more than two channels wouldhelp-provided the extra channels carried sound picked

up from the rear and perhaps from the sides as well. Inan anechoic chamber, one with no reflections of its ownto alter the sound, such a system should produce a vir-tually perfect "concert -hall" illusion.

But this possibility offers no immediate practical bene-fits to the contemporary listener who has two -channelsound equipment and recordings and has no desire tolive in an anechoic living room. And even the rock -bot-tom minimum addition to a conventional stereo system-a delayed center channel at the rear of the room-in-volves an extra amplifier, an extra speaker, and sometype of delay device. And though it may enhance somerecorded material, the effect of such devices is frequentlyquite unnatural. It would seem preferable, then, to usea conventional two -channel system, with speakers thatencourage the reflections created in your room-even ifthey can't keep the recorded reverberation from sharingthe stage as well.

The very best of the conventional speakers already dothis to some extent, dispersing the upper frequenciesbroadly through good design of the mid -range and trebleradiators. Below 250 Hz or so, all sound is omnidirec-tional, regardless of woofer design and aiming. The so-called multidirectional speakers, however, go a stepfurther by directing most of their output at all fre-quencies away from the listener and toward the wallsand other surfaces of the room. This has the doubleeffect of increasing the dispersion of the high fre-quencies and of changing the ratio of reflected -to -directsound you hear. It has been claimed that the greateramount of reflected sound gives your room a "larger"acoustic ambiance, which is subjectively equivalent tomoving your seat farther from the orchestra. Wheneverwe move farther from the orchestra, whether physicallyor only through a sonic illusion, the width of the stereostage decreases, but the multidirectionals fix the instru-ments more firmly within this stereo "space" and makethem easier to localize. For reasons that are not entirelyclear, they also create a well -placed stable stereo imagethat can be heard well outside the usual optimum"stereo listening zone."

TESE differences between the multidirectionals andconventional speakers are real, are at least as easy tohear as the stereo illusion itself, and do add to mostlisteners' pleasure. Still, how great these differences ap-pear to be depends on the quality of the conventionalspeakers used for comparison. The difference in per-ceived spaciousness between two similar conventionalspeakers-one having excellent wide high -frequency dis-persion and the other poor dispersion-can be greaterthan that between a good multidirectional speaker anda wide -dispersion conventional unit.

Multidirectional design is of course no panacea, sincethere is much more to a good speaker than that. Multi -

AUGUST 1969 59

directional speakers too can suffer from any of the con-ventional failings: peaky frequency response and colora-tion, high distortion, and even poor dispersion (fromthe drivers aimed directly at the listener), which canmake the very high frequencies appear and disappear as

you stand up or sit while listening. Don't be carriedaway by "sonic depth" alone when you select a speaker.Better a conventional speaker with good sound than amultidirectional without it. But best of all, of course,is a multi with good sound.

MULTIDIRECTIONAL SPEAKERS: Reflections and SpeculationsBy Larry Klein

HAVING rived with some of the multidirectional sys-tems, sampled others, and having struggled to

work out the acoustical principles involved, I've cometo several tentative conclusions. First, the acoustic situa-tion faced by any type of speaker playing in a livingroom has no correspondence with the acoustic situationof an orchestra playing in a concert hall. The pathlengths of the direct and reflected sounds in a concerthall are so long that no amount of finagling with arti-ficial reverberation, reflectors, diffusers, or wide -disper-sion radiators is going to provide an exact "you -are -

there" simulation of the concert -hall experience withconventional two -channel stereo recordings.

Does this mean that the multidirectional speakerprinciple is a hoax? Not at all. What most listenershear from such systems is an enhancement of the illu-sion that the original sound source is in the room-or,to put it another way, there is less consciousness thatthe sound is coming from a pair of speakers. A goodmulti also tends to stabilize the stereo image so thatit does not shift or collapse into the nearest speakeras you move across the room. I have heard both ofthese desirable effects from the multis, but I have notbeen very much impressed with the various theoreticalattempts to account for them.

Basically, what is a multidirectional speaker designedto do? By directing most of its sound energy away fromthe listener and toward the walls of the room, it en-courages room reflections-and this, as we shall see,has all sorts of benefits that are not immediately ap-parent. For a demonstration of this sound reflection, allyou need do is turn one of your speakers around andposition it so that its sound bounces off the rear wall ata 45 -degree angle from a distance of three or four feet.You may have to turn up the treble slightly to make upfor wall -absorption losses, but you'll find that the ap-parent source of sound is now slightly behind the wall,although it is still a single localized source. (Thesound of two or more speakers reproducing a monosignal bounced off the wall doesn't help spread theapparent source because the ear fuses the sound into asingle source in the same way it does a mono signalfrom two forward -facing speakers.)

Such room reflections are exploited by multidirection-al speakers: some of the sound hits the rear wall and isreflected directly to your ears; some hits the rear walland is then reflected off a side wall before you hear it;and some of the sound will be reflected by many sur-faces before it reaches you. Since the sounds impingeon you from all directions, how is total sonic confusionavoided? Happily, the ear tends to make primary locali-zation by precedence and loudness. In other words, the

sound coming directly from the speakers will arriveat your ear first and possibly be somewhat louder thanthe subsequent reflections. Your ears will therefore fixthe primary sound sources at the location of the twospeakers, thereby establishing the primary areas on thestereo "stage." I suspect that the remainder of the re-flected sound is subjectively localized between the twospeakers by a rather complicated psycho -acoustic pro-cess. Reflections that are most similar (in phase or de-lay time) to the direct sound will be heard as originat-ing relatively close to their respective source speakers;those least similar will he less localized. Insofar as thedelayed reflections from the right speaker begin to takeon the phase characteristics of the sound from the leftspeaker, they will be perceived as originating towardthe left, and vice versa. If everything is working well,the result is a stable stereo image distributed fairlyevenly between the two speakers.

If my understanding of all this is correct, then theevenness and definition of the spread between the speak-ers is going to be determined to a very large extent bythe particular reflective properties of the listening roomand by how they influence the reflected sound reachingthe listener's ears-room acoustics, in other words, arestill important. My own practical experience lends sup-port to this, for I have heard a beautifully definedstereo image in my home with a pair of multis thatin another environment were not anywhere near as im-pressive in this regard.

IHAVE found that, in a room with good acoustics, thestereo -image superiority of a multi (compared with aconventional narrow -dispersion speaker system) is im-mediately apparent. The difference is hard to describeverbally, but, as stated before, the music seems more inthe listening room, and there is less sense that twostereo speakers are its source. However, when a multiis compared with the best of the wide -dispersion con-ventional speakers, the improvement is not at all ob-vious-but it can be demonstrated in A -B comparisons.

How good are the multis aside from their enhance-ment of the stereo effect? Very good indeed. The severalunits I have checked (by ear) had low distortion andsmooth frequency response. How good are the multisagainst the best of the conventional speakers? As ofthis moment, the speaker whose overall sound I preferis a conventional three-way system with a mid -rangeand tweeter that have very wide dispersions. I must ad-mit, however, that I am wondering what would happenif I installed an additional pair of mid-range/tweeterunits on top of each cabinet, angled them toward therear wall, and....

60STEREO REVIEW

THE LOUDSPEAKERAM TN ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENT

-AP.>

THE SPEAKER MUST BE CONSIDERED PART

OF A SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES THE TOTAL ACOUSTICAL

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LISTENING ROOM

By George Augspurger

IN THE olden golden days of high fidelity (soon afterWorld War II), when stereo was but a gleam in theeyes of a few Bell Laboratories engineers, it was

highly individual. Frequently assembled from broadcast -station equipment, its performance was adjusted throughlong sessions with wood saw, screwdriver, voltmeter, andsoldering iron until the desired balance between roomacoustics, listening taste, and available (and acceptable)program material was reached, or until the budget-orthe experimenter-was exhausted.

As component high fidelity gained in popularity, it in-evitably became less complicated, and the intimate rela-tionship between sound -reproducing components and theacoustic environment of the listener seemed to have beenforgotten. Recently, however, commercial sound engi-neers faced with problems of concert -hall acoustics andthe occasional inaudibility of a performer have begunto think again in terms of sound systems that compensatefor acoustic inadequacies. Necessity being the mother ofinvention, this has already resulted in the appearance ofelectronic equipment intended to solve these problems.The systems available, all of them based on the pioneer-ing work of Dr. C. P. Boner, include "Acousta-Voicing"by Altec-Lansing, professional and home versions of an'Environmental Equalizer" by Frazier (see the New Prod-ucts column in this issue), and DuKane's "Varacoustics."Other, more general, approaches were detailed in PeterSutheim's article "Electro-Acoustics in the Concert Hall"in the April issue of STEREO REVIEW.

The rationale behind all these electro-acoustical tech-

niques is to consider all elements of a sound installation-program source, amplification equipment, loudspeakers,and the listening environment-as a single integrated sys-tem, balancing them against each other for the optimumend result. The "equalization" thus applied is meant toapproach an overall flat response; however, it is not thesame sort of thing as the equalization that may be fur-nished for a given phonograph cartridge or loudspeaker.Speaker -amplifier equalization, for example, is designedto provide a reasonably flat acoustical output for thespeakers as measured in an anechoic chamber, with no at-tempt being made to adjust for specific acoustic conditionsin other listening situations.

Admittedly, a sound -reinforcement installation in achurch, theater, or concert hall is not the same as a homemusic system. In sound -reinforcement work, the main goalis maximum acoustic gain before feedback; a smoothingout of the installation's acoustic response is only onepart of the procedure. In recording studios, however, thesituation is basically similar to that of a home stereo in-stallation (though many times louder). Recording engi-neers will tell you, for example, about the hours theyspend trying to get the same sound from the loudspeakersin Control Room A as they do from those in Control RoomB. It is, for that matter, a real problem to get the samequality of sound from the Channel I loudspeaker as fromthe Channel IV loudspeaker in the same control room:just a few feet of wall space can change the acoustic en-vironment enough that an audio engineer can hear thedifference between two otherwise identical loudspeakers.

If loudspeaker systems of the same model can sound so

AUGUST 1969 61

A

14'

Figure 1. Floor plan of theauthor's listening room. The

letters A, B, C, D, and Eindicate the principal

listening locations.

nRIGHTSPEAKER

LEFTSPEAKER

20'

CABINET

COFFEETABLE

D

C

B

1

Interpreting the Curves-F4ACH point plotted on the accompanying curves

represents relative sound pressure for a testtone that is varied over a half-octave-in otherwords, a warble tone. (This is the same type ofwarble tone used on the STEREO REVIEW SR -12 testrecord.) Thus, the reading for 100 Hz is a com-posite sound -pressure level for the frequency rangefrom 70 to 140 Hz, and so on.

different in the same room, it is not surprising that inrooms of differing sizes, shapes, and acoustical qualities,the achievement of tonal balance becomes as much a func-tion of the particular room as of the speakers themselves.In home installations, the effects of room acoustics aresometimes beneficial, but more often not. In studio work,where absolute uniformity in playback sound balance isdesired, coloration contributed by acoustical effects is a

Figure 2. The curves shown below are the acoustic response ofboth the left and right channels of a stereo system as measuredat point C. !Vote the different responses of the two channels.

I

Iit -e"

--

I

LEFT5dB RICH="..

FREQUENCY IN Hz (CYCLES PER SECOND)ItHr

great annoyance since it might very well affect the finishedrecording as well.

Thus, when the testing techniques and "hardware"used for sound -reinforcement voicing became known tothe engineering fraternity, it didn't take long for someoneto adapt them for use in voicing playback and monitoringsystems in recording studios. Largely through the effortsof Acousta-Voicing engineers, the idea caught on almostovernight. The objective is to give the man at the controlboard a direct audio link to what is happening on therecording tape, uncolored by any vagaries of loudspeakercharacteristics or room acoustics.

EXPERIMENTS in and actual application of equalizationin studio and control -room situations are now beginningto have great significance for home high-fidelity repro-duction as well. Commercial voicing systems intended forrecording studios are at this time too expensive for mostof us to consider in our home installations, and the con -

Figure 3. These curves show the averaged overall acoustic re-sponse of the complete system as measured at all five 1 steningpositions and weighted in favor of the main listenini; areas.

5dBt.

.....

LEFT...............V RIGHT

- ....- -kHz

FREQUENCY IN Hz (CYCLES PER SECOND)

62STEREO REVIEW

struction of an acoustically planned listening room de-signed by a high-priced consultant is even more unre-alistic. Some kind of home equalization system is surelysneaking up on us even now, however, and we shouldknow just what difficulties such equipment will have toovercome if it is to work successfully.

We should consider first the acoustical differences be-tween large rooms (such as auditoriums and concerthalls) and small rooms (such as control rooms and mosthome listening rooms). In general, distribution of soundin large rooms is fairly uniform. Though those sitting inthe very front rows of a concert hall hear a somewhatdifferent tonal balance than those in rear seats, and thoughthere may be dead spots under balconies and so forth,transitions from one such zone to another are smooth-aperson sitting in the center of row L hears essentially thesame thing as a person sitting twenty feet away in row P.

In small rooms, the situation is quite different. At thelower frequencies, the wavelengths are comparable to thedimensions of the room, and standing waves result. Onedoesn't have to understand what standing waves are or beable to explain them scientifically; it is enough to knowthat, at low frequencies, sound is not evenly distributedin a small room. Instead, it is strongly reinforced at somelocations and virtually absent at others, the exact positionsof peaks and nodes being determined by the wavelengthsof the various frequencies interacting with the room'sdimensions and not by the location of the loudspeakers.One might think of low -frequency sound distribution ina large room as being rather like a vat of tomato pureeand sound distribution in a small room as like a tub ofwater with a dozen tomatoes floating in it. An inelegantanalogy, perhaps, but apt!

The erratic low -frequency sound distribution in smallrooms makes it impossible to equalize a reproducing sys-tem ideally for more than one listening location. In arecording studio, it is assumed that the man at the con-trol board is the only person who counts. All measure-ments are made at his listening location. But at home weexpect to get the same balance between high and low

Figure 4. The electronic equalization used to smooth out theacoustic response of the system shows a gradual roll -off from1,000 Hz down to about 55 Hz, at which point it starts to rise.

. :

SOB'1

LEFT

F7074 -r

......,

- - - '

i

20 SO 100 200 600 1kHz 2kHz

FREQUENCY IN Hz (CYCLES PER SECOND)kHz

frequencies at any one of three or four listening loca-tions. Depending on the particular room and the loca-tions of loudspeakers and listeners, this may or may notbe possible.

Another difficulty is settling on a measuring techniquethat correlates well with what the ear actually hears. Anasty one -note boom that sends a critical listener up thewall may not show up at all on an integrated overall re-sponse curve. This, of course, can lead to well -justifieddisagreements over the relative merits of testing withthird -octave pink noise, warble tones, pulses, and the like.

Further, before rushing in with expensive equipmentand starting to equalize, amplifiers and loudspeakers mustbe checked to make sure that enough reserve power existsto accommodate electrical equalization without producingserious distortion. There is little point in trying to equal-ize for a 10 -dB dip at 40 Hz if the loudspeaker systemscan't produce a clean 40 Hz under any circumstances.And finally, electrical equalization can do nothing to im-prove a loudspeaker's dispersion or eliminate distortion,and neither can it alter the more subtle characteristics ofa given loudspeaker-especially those characteristics tiedin with phase -response irregularities.

T. sum up, electronic voicing in the home can result ina startling improvement in sound quality if the listeningarea is favorably located with respect to the loudspeakers,

distortion -free performance even at high power levels, and if theamplifier has enough reserve to allow for the desiredamount of equalization. Keeping these criteria in mind, Irecently installed an equalization system in a new stereosetup in my own home, using techniques that had provedsuccessful in previous mono systems. The floor plan of mylistening room is shown in Figure 1; fortunately, the ar-rangement is fairly symmetrical. Except for the chair at E,all listening locations are close together at the end of theroom opposite the speakers, so that there should not betoo much variation between locations.

Subjectively, the room is quite "live," which is all right

Figure 5. The result of all the work-the weighted overallacoustic response of the system after the electronic equalizationshown in Figure 4 was applied. The improvement is quite aud.ble.

(t)

mbi

0

e'sk.A.StIS

LEFT1.716PT

20 SO 100 200 500 1kHz 2kHz 5kHz

FREQUENCY IN Hz (CYCLES PER SECOND)

AUGUST 1969 63

for my taste, but I could detect two annoying resonancesand was also bothered by a general feeling that the systemwas bass -heavy. The resonant frequencies were first identi-fied by ear with the aid of an audio oscillator: one turnedout to be centered about 50 Hz and the other about 250Hz. When more detailed measurements were made andthe results plotted, my general sense of the acoustics wasconfirmed-there was too much bass and there was apeak at 50 Hz.

Figure 2 shows the acoustic response of the system ata listening location at the center of the couch. If one wereto voice the system for that location only (as in a record-ing studio), each channel would be independently equal-ized to smooth out the peaks and dips in the two curves.But when measurements are taken at several locations, onemust decide to what extent an all-purpose equalizationcurve will be effective. By averaging the sets of data invarious combinations and giving preference to the morefavored listening positions, it is usually possible toequalize the system so that worthwhile improvement isrealized at any listening location, and nearly flat responseis achieved at the favored one. Figure 3 shows theweighted average response derived in this way for thesystem in question.

Rather than use commercially available one -octave orthird -octave filters, less complicated circuitry was de-

signed to give the electrical response shown in Figure 4.With the equalizers in the system, the curves of Figure 3are transformed to those of Figure 5. Results are as pleas-ing to the ear as the final curves are satisfying to the eye.The only remaining problem is in the 250 -Hz region,where I still hear a resonance. Some day I may add a notchfilter in each channel to suppress this one frequency.

What about the audiophile who does not have acous-tical test equipment available and who does not know howto design filters or wire them into his system? Well, hemight, if he has the money to spare, hire an acousticalconsultant or one of the sound contractors licensed byDr. C. P. Boner, Altec-Lansing, Frazier, or DuKane. Otherthan that, he'll have to wait-but perhaps not for verylong. I am confident that relatively inexpensive profes-sionally engineered voicing systems for home music in-stallations will be commonplace within two years. Theywill have either do-it-yourself adjustments or there will belocal audio specialists trained to provide this service. Atthat time, given good equipment and a reasonable listen-ing environment, it will be possible to take full advantageof system equalization when it appears.

George L. Augspurger is Professional Products Manager forJames B. Lansing Sound. He writes regularly for STEREOREVIEW on carious technical aspects of loudspeaker design.

EQUALIZATION AT FIRST HAND: Eavesdropping on the FutureT RECENTLY visited the Altec-Lansing Audio1

Con-trols Division in Anaheim, California, and was

given a first-hand demonstration of what, up to thattime, had been a highly confidential project. I wastaken to one of the research labs, a rather large con-crete -floored room with work tables, desks, parti-tions, and no acoustical treatment other than ceilingtile. A standard home Altec stereo system wasswitched on and a variety of tapes were played,including classical orchestral, vocal, and pop music.In each case, the sound was just what might be ex-pected in such a room: a trifle hollow and shrill,with the lower frequencies much depressed in rela-tion to the mids and highs. The excessive high -fre-quency reverberation also practically wiped out thestereo definition. An engineer then reached out andflipped a switch that brought in the Acousta-Voic-ing equalization designed for the room, and thetransformation was astonishing. I was suddenly lis-tening to a very fine stereo system that had startlingrealism and presence, and a fine stereo image. Withthe equalization switched out, I was again listeningto a system playing in an "impossible" room. Itwas particularly odd to hear a touch of "bathroombaritone" effect in our speaking voices while theAcousta-Voiced stereo system seemed to be playingin an altogether different environment.

The laboratory's acoustic situation was somewhatextreme and not representative of the acoustic en-vironment in the average home. But the experimentcertainly did demonstrate the ability of an equalizingtechnique to take a stereo system that was barelylistenable because of room -acoustics problems andturn it into a fine -sounding setup. Unfortunately, atthe present time there's no way for the averageaudiophile to use on his own the techniques underdevelopment. Precise equalization/correction demandscontrol of small parts of each octave-in otherwords, a very expensive filter setup. And in addition,the filter is useless without a means to judge whatfrequency areas need correction-and to what de-gree. And the room has to be continuously moni-tored while the corrections are being made in orderto judge the effects of each change. All this requiresrather sophisticated and expensive instrumentation-and a number of hours of work.

INCIDENTALLY, the equalization technique is not go-ing to audibly improve every home stereo system it ishooked up to. Some systems (and I'm including theroom in the "system") are flat enough withoutequalization to make it unnecessary. But for the roomsthat can use equalization, there's nothing like it.

-Larry Klein

64 STEREO REVIEW

Lattritz Melchior (center) shown withWilliam Cochran (left) and John Russell (right),the two co -winners of the first grants frontthe Lauritz Melchior Heldentenor Foundation.

Stereo Reviewtalks to

LAURITZ MUCHIORAURITZ MELCHIOR, a rare visitor since his bygone Metro-

politan days, came to New York recently on Heiden -tenor business. Five years ago, he created the Lauritz Mel-chior Heldentenor Foundation grant, a generous awardwhich will pay for young singers' lessons, coaching, andother training as well as living expenses. The first winnerswere selected in mid -February, with such esteemed Wag-nerians as Karin Branzell, Alexander Kipnis, Lotte Leh-mann, and Birgit Nilsson among the judges. Immediatelythereafter, the great tenor came to the studios of radio sta.tion WQXR for an interview with me, which formed partof a Melchior birthday tribute broadcast in March.

Our conversation began with the Heldentenor competi-tion, which is very close to Melchior's heart. It is, of course,a well-known fact that no real heroic Wagnerian has ap-peared on the international scene since Melchior's retire-ment from opera in 1950. "There are a few light heroicvoices," concedes Melchior, "hut no schwere Heiden, notrue singers for the heavy roles." And this is where, hehopes, the Melchior grant will alleviate what has becomean internationally pressing shortage.

"True Heldentenors," says Melchior, "are made, notboan. They should begin to develop in their late twentiesand early thirties, by which time they have acquired somekind of a foundation. Unfortunately, that is the age whenyoung artists are preoccupied with family and financialresponsibilities which often stand in the way of the re-quired studies. That is where we come in."

"What made you decide to establish this award?""My own personal experience. My development into a

heroic tenor would not have been possible had it not beenfor the generous financial help of the British novelist HughWalpole. He believed in me, encouraged me, and helpedme through those crucial years. He was, of course, a verywealthy man. I am not that rich, but fortunately have manyfriends who, like myself, would like to make a lasting con-tribution to the cause of Wagnerian singing."

Remembering that Lauritz Melchior began his career asa baritone and became a tenor only after eight years ofsteady singing in the lower range, I asked him whether thisprogression had been beneficial to his development.

"Well, it certainly did no harm. A skyscraper cannot bebuilt on sand. The same way, the strong foundation of alow range is essential to a Heldentenor. Without it, he can-not develop his high notes."

Melchior is distressed by the fact that he has no realsuccessor in the demanding repertoire of Wagnerian heroes."What a shame that such a great Wagnerian artist asBirgit Nilsson has no worthy partner. Imagine, our Isoldesand Briinnhildes must exist without their heroic boy friends!But it is not enough just to find a Heldentenor. You mustalso have a true Wagner ensemble. We had a magnificentensemble at the old Metropolitan with Flagstad, Lehmann,Schorr, List, Kipnis, and the others. There is nothing com-parable to it in Italian opera, you know. There, you canalways rescue a performance with a few well -sung arias,but you cannot do that with Wagner. Unfortunately, thereis no such ensemble at the Metropolitan today. Maybe witha new administration, things will change...."

Lauritz Melchior makes no secret of his disapproval ofthe current Met regime. It is well remembered that hisMetropolitan career, which began under Gatti-Casazza in1926 and reached its pinnacle under Edward Johnson, cameto an abrupt end with the arrival of Rudolf Bing in 1950.And at the closing gala performance in the old house, whensuch past luminaries as Lehmann, Kipnis, Crooks, Pons,and Rethberg once again received the outpouring of tributesand affection from their fans on stage, Lauritz Melchiorwas conspicuous by his absence.

THIS unconcealed bitterness aside, Melchior shows everysign of contentment in looking back with pride on along and rewarding life. His giant figure is as erect as ever,though he moves about with some difficulty and his hearingis somewhat impaired ("No wonder, after all those yearsof singing against Wagner orchestras!").

Melchior lives in Los Angeles. He is an enthusiasticDodgers fan, and has often beep heard, and seen on tele-vision, opening World Series games by singing The StarSpangled Banner from center field. Fond of fine food anddrink, he is used to enjoying life to the fullest. In recentyears, for instance, he has alternated the more conventionalpastimes with some big game hunting. He celebrated hisseventy-ninth birthday in his California home March 20,after a quick flying visit to Copenhagen to help celebratehis sister's birthday-her ninety-first. Later on this year, heplans to go on his third African safari with some Californiafriends. After so many years of fighting dragons for a liv-ing, you don't easily lose the yen for that kind of thing.

George f ellinek

AUGUST 1969 65

Composer Gustave Churpentier at his desk at the age of 91.

WSICAT 11LIE`ICHUSELAH6FOR WHATEVER REASON, THOSE WHO SPEND THEIR LIVES

IN MUSIC-WHETHER AS COMPOSERS, CONDUCTORS, SINGERS, ORINSTRUMENTALISTS-SEEM TO LIVE SOMEWHAT LONGER THAN THE REST OF US

BY HENRY PLEASANTSWHEN they celebrated Manuel Garcia's 100thbirthday at a banquet in London on March 17,1907, the centenarian was on hand in person

to accept congratulations and to receive and rejoice in aportrait of himself by John Singer Sargent. He lived tobe just over 101.

This most famous of voice teachers-son of the firstCount Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, brother of thelegendary Maria Malibran and the almost equally legen-dary Pauline Viardot, inventor of the laryngoscope andteacher of Jenny Lind-is probably the only musician ofnote to have observed 100 birthdays, let alone 101; butmany others have come close. They tend to be a long-lived lot.

A castrato named Antonio Bannieri lived to be 97.Composers Gustave Charpentier and Francois Joseph

Gossec, and pianist Francis Plante, all reached 95. Twoother pianists, Isidor Philipp and Ilona Eibenschiltz,last pupil of Clara Schumann, died at 94. OrganistCharles Widor, pianist Charles Neate (first to play the"Emperor" Concerto in England), and pianist JuliusEpstein died at 93. Composer Alexander Gretchaninoffreached 92, and composer Jean Sibelius and pianistMarguerite Long survived their 91st birthdays. Conduc-tors Sir George Smart and Modest Altschuler were 90at their deaths

And the phenomenon is still with us. Composer CarlRuggles is 93. Cellist -conductor Pablo Casals, pianistRudolf Ganz, and former Vienna State Opera bass VictorMadin are 92. Elsie Hall, an Australian pianist, made arecording at 90 and has just taped a program for theBBC at 91. Composer Cyril Scott is alive and well at 89.

66 STEREO REVIEW

Four famous conductors-Guillaume Alexis Paris,Arturo Toscanini, Pierre Monteux, and Tullio Serafin-came within a few months of their ninetieth birthdays,and when one widens the limit to include those out-standing musicians who have lived well into their eigh-ties, the number becomes legion. Ponce de Leon waslooking up the wrong creek-or at the wrong island(Bimini)-in his quest of the fountain of youth. Heshould have become a musician, preferably a conductoror pianist.

Survival to advanced ages may run, as it does amongnon -musicians, in a family. The Garcias are an example.Manuel's father died young at 57, and his sister Mali -bran at 28, apparently as the result of injuries sufferedin a fall from a horse. But his sister Pauline Viardotlived to be 88, as did his son Gustave, also a voiceteacher. Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries died at 53,but Ries' father died nine days before his 91st birthday.Ferdinand's son Hubert lived to be 84, and two ofHubert's sons, Louis and Franz, reached 83 and 86, re-spectively. But familial longevity among musicians wouldseem to be the exception rather than the rule.

The love of music itself probably has little to do withit beyond the fact that few other professions provide, socontinuously and so consistently, an emotional outletand a creative challenge. But this fact itself may offeran important clue. Dr. S. J. London, Director of Re-search for the Vicks Pharmaceutical Company, in anarticle, "The Ecology of Aging Musicians," in the De-cember 1963 issue of The Gerontologist, has expressedit in medical terminology:

The reason usually advanced for the longevity of mu-sicians is that the outlet given them by their work for thefree ventilation of their conflicts and frustrations shieldsthem against death from the so-called diseases of stress-particularly those resulting from atherogenic cardiovascu-lar diseases, hypersensitivities, and the metabolic conse-

quences of such relief mechanisms as alcoholism-thatmake shorter shrift of the rest of us. Many physicians ac-cept this as a reasonable concept based on their clinicalexperiences despite the fact that experimental evidence isstill equivocal.

But music, rather more than the other arts, demandsboth physical particpation and physical exertion. It alsorequires, for all except resident teachers, frequent travel.And it is unremittingly competitive. Talent is essentialfor ultimate success in music; but talent alone is notenough. Also essential are a strong will, a healthy body,a tough hide, and a compulsion to excel.

ANo so it occurs to me, as I leaf through the lexi-cons, noting the life span of scores and scores of pro-fessional musicians, that the very qualities that broughtthem success in the first place may have something to dowith keeping them, so to speak, alive and kicking. Or,to put it aphoristically, the kicking may help to keepthem alive.

This is especially true, I suspect, of conductors. Someorchestra musicians, remembering the kicking, have sug-gested that they are just too ornery to die. Monteux of-fered a more cogent and certainly a less malicious ex-planation. The secret of conductorial longevity, hethought, was that their work made them sweat. Manyphysicians agree. For with conducting, more than withany other musical calling, it is not a question of longevitypure and simple. Conductors not only live long, theykeep right on conducting. Well up into their eightiesthey daily perform physical and mental labor well be-yond the capacity, and certainly beyond the habit orinclination, of most men past fifty. Eighteen holes ofgolf are nothing as compared with a three-hour rehearsalfollowed by a two-hour concert or a three-hour opera, allof it requiring that our octogenarian stay on his feetand shadow-box with an unpredictable adversary.

Three of the old guard among composers of our time arc all happily still with us. and all, reportedly. arc contemplating netvprojects. They are, from left t? right. Igor Stravinsky, horn fol./ Friuli, horn (probuhly) 1879. and Carl Ruggles, horn 1876.

AUGUST 1969 67

Among the many conductors who hare continued their careers into their eighties is Leopold Stokowski, left, who is still conduct-ing regularly at the age of 87. Walter Damrosch, center, reached 88, and Sir Thomas Beecham, right, died just short of age 82.

Old soldiers are encouraged by tradition, and by thepromotion claims of their juniors, to fade away. Con-ductors are encouraged by tradition and their own strongwills to go on conducting. And unless struck down bydisease or accident, they do. Sir Thomas Beecham, whenasked how it felt to be 70, replied: "It doesn't feel likebeing 70 at all, old boy. It doesn't feel like anything.I'll feel like this at 75 and 80 and beyond. And I'll goon conducting to the end of my days, which is a hell of away off!" Eleven years off, as it turned out; and he wasconducting right up to the end. So was Monteux, who,when asked on his 79th birthday how long he wouldcontinue to conduct, said he reckoned himself good foranother thirty years. That would have brought him to109. As noted previously, he fell just short of 90.

WE music lovers have special reason to be thankful,I think, for the long activity of conductors. It providesus with a precious link to the past and to fading tradi-tions. I well remember hearing Leo Blech conduct aperformance of d'Albert's Tie (land in Berlin when hewas 83 and finding it somehow uncanny that here wasthe same man who had conducted the world premierein Prague in 1903. He died in 1958, aged 87. And ithas been much the same listening to Toscanini and re-membering that he had conducted the world premieresof Pagliacci and La Boheme, or to Monteux and remem-bering that he had conducted the world premiere of LeSacre du printemps. And no other performances ofMahler's Das Lied von der Erde had the same effect as

Bruno Walter's for those of us who were aware that hehad conducted the premiere in 1912.

Others will doubtless have experienced the same senseof awe in the presence of a still vibrant past at the con-certs of Walter Damrosch, who lived to be 88, of CarlSchuricht, who lived to be 86, of Richard Strauss andErnest Ansermet, who survived their 85th birthdays, ofDesire Inghelbrecht, who died at 84, or --for the veryoldest of us-of Karl Muck and William Mengelberg,

who died at 80, and Felix Weingartner, who died at 78.This privilege, fortunately, is by no means a thing of

the past. Among us today are Stokowski at 87, VittorioGui and Otto Klemperer at 84, Paul Paray at 83, RobertHeger at 82, and Sir Adrian Boult at 80. Behind themcomes a group of active septuagenarians and prospectiveoctogenarians including George Szell, Alfred Wallenstein,Karl Bohm, and Jascha Horenstein.

After the conductors, in terms of professional longevi-ty, come the pianists. Indeed, pianists would have to beaccorded precedence in terms of numbers and extraordi-nary physical accomplishment were it not for the miti-gating fact that they can do their job sitting down.

Most remarkable among many was Plante, who cele-brated his 89th birthday in 1928 by inviting friends toa parr of recitals at his home in Mont-de-Marsan. At thefirst, in the afternoon, he played a Beethoven sonata,Weber's Sonata in C, a Chopin Ballade, a miscellany ofsmaller pieces, and, finally, a Liszt group includingtranscriptions of the Rakoczy March and the Overtureand Pilgrims' March from Tannhnuser. After dinnerhe played a similar program, closing with two of Liszt'sHungarian Rhapsodies and the Mephisto Waltz. Thencame the encores. These have not been specified, but wewho heard Alfred Cortot in his eighties reel off Chopinscherzos as encores will believe anything of Plante-ex-cept that he played as Artur Rubinstein, at 83, or Wil-helm Backhaus, at 85, are playing today. Plante madesome records at about that time, and Harold C. Schon-berg, in his book The Great Pianists, says:

It is a little embarrassing to discuss them. Even grant-ing his extreme age, his playing is spasmodic, to say theleast, and the curious thing is that instead of the finesseand delicacy for which he was celebrated, the impressionis one of uncontrolled power and uncertain rhythms. Isi-dor Philipp, at ninety, played much better.

A notable fact about pianists is that the women, onpercentage, would seem to have been as long-lived asthe men, and just as tenaciously active. Marguerite Long

68 STEREO REVIEW

was teaching until shortly before her death in 1966 at91, and Elsie Hall, at 91, is still playing. Rosina Lhe-vinne is still teaching at S9. Arabella Goddard, one ofthe first to play Beethoven's late sonatas in public, livedto be 86. Elly Ney made her last public appearance onMarch 9, 1968, just three weeks before her death at theage of 85. Amy Fay, pupil of Liszt and author of thedelightful book ,11ll.fic Study in Germany, died at 83.Cecile Chaminade lived to be 86. Wanda Landowskawas recording and teaching at Lakeville, Connecticut,until her death in 1959 at the age of 82. Alice Ehlers,once her pupil, is still playing on the West Coast at 79.

But the men have been, of course, more numerous.Here are some of the most famous, and the ages towhich they attained: Louis Adam, 89; Friedrich Wieck(Clara Schumann's father), 88; John B. Cramer, CharlesSalaman, and Tobias Matthay, 87; Johann Peter Pixisand Camille Saint -Satins, 86; Karl Klindworth andTheodor Leschetizky, 85; Cortot, Franz Huenten, GeorgesMatthias, and Vladimir de Pachmann, 84 ; Moriz Rosen-thal, 83; Carl Friedberg and Alexander Siloti, 82; MarkHambourg and Antoine Francois Marmontel (Plante'steacher), 81; Muzio Clementi, Frederic Edmond, IgnazJan Paderewski, Emil Sauer, and Alexander Winter-berger, 80.

AGE tables for string players, on the other hand, arecuriously unspectacular. Not only have their active ca-reers been shorter than those of conductors and pianists,

but their lives have, too. David Mannes lived to be 93,Fritz Kreisler died at 86, Leopold Auer at 85, and Ot-tokar Sev6ik at St. But they seem to be exceptions.

One of the most notable was Domenico Dragonetti,who led the double -basses at the Beethoven Festival inBonn in 1845 at the age of 82. He died the followingyear. Alfredo Piatti, the cellist, retired at 76 and died at79. We can still write in the present tense of the cellistBediich Vaska, pupil of Dvorak, dean of the music staffat Goddard College's Summer Arts Center, now livingin Worcester, Massachusetts, and still playing cello atage 90. And, of course, there is Pablo Casals.

Singers have been longerlived than any other breed ofmusician in terms of year!. alone. I have counted fiftywho were octogenarians, and could doubtless run downfifty more. They are, in any case, so numerous that onewonders if singers may not be the most consistentlylong-lived of God's creatures. (Can it have somethingto do with the deep breathing and lung expansion thatare part if their daily routine?) Unlike conductors, pi-

anists, violinists, ell., however, their instrument-and themuscles and cartileges that control it is a part of thebody, and is subject to bodily decay. Their time beforethe public, as with athletes, is limited accordingly. Butsome extraordinary cases may be noted. There was Sims

Reeves, for example, the English tenor who lived fromSeptember 26, 1818, until October 25, 1900, and sang inpublic from 1839 until 1896. He retired formally in1891, but when his wife died in 1895, he married apupil, and, thus rejuvenated, toured with her in SouthAfrica. His singing at that age must have been a trial.Eduard Hanslick, the Viennese critic, heard him in Lon-don in 1886 and was moved to comment: "To win thefavor of the British public is not easy; to lose it is

impossible."Reeves was not the only English geriatric vocal won-

der. His predecessor as the English tenor was JohnBraham, who made his last public appearance at 75.And more remarkable even than Reeves was Sir Charles

Santley, the baritone for whom Gounod composedEven bravest heart may swell. He was born in 1834, livedto be 88, and made his last public appearance in 1915,aged 81. Records he made in his early seventies areevidence of a most unusually well preserved voice.

The same was true of Sir George Henschel (1850-1934), who, despite the knighthood, was German-born.His recording of The Ttro Grenadiers, cut in 1930 whenhe was eighty, and with himself at the piano, is aston-ishingly robust. It is also a splendid performance, mak-ing one think twice about G. B. Shaw's indictment ofnearly fifty years earlier-that "Mr. Henschel sat downcomfortably to the piano and murdered Schumann incold blood.'' (Continued overleaf )

Female conductors and composers are rare, but ladies hold their own well at the keyboard. Dr. Elsie Hall, left, still performs at91. At that age Marguerite Long, center, was an active teacher, and Manta Landowska, right, taught and recorded up to age 82.

But then Henschel was a truly astonishing fellow,not only as a singer but also as pianist, conductor, andcomposer. He enjoyed, among other distinctions, that ofhaving been the first conductor of the Boston SymphonyOrchestra. But one prefers, listening to his records, toremember him as one who often sang as a young man tothe piano accompaniments of Brahms.

Not many are still among us who heard Mattia Bat-tistini in his sixties (he died at 71); but Giuseppe deLuca, whom many of us remember, showed a voice un-blemished in his sixties and only slightly blemished inthe records he made in his early seventies, shortly beforehis death in 1950.

Most remarkably preserved of all voices, probably,was that of the French baritone Lucien Fugere (1848-1935), whose voice betrays no conspicuous evidence ofdecay on records made on his 80th and 82nd birthdays.Not quite so much-but a good deal, nonetheless-canbe said for those made by Giacomo Lauri-Volpi at 69and Lauritz Melchior at 70. The latter, incidentally, isstill going strong at 79.

THE most famous composers, except Sibelius (91) andVerdi (87), have been less notably long-lived; and thelives of some of them, such as Pergolesi (26), Schubert(31), Bellini (33), Mozart (35), Purcell (36), Bizet(37), Mendelssohn and George Gershwin (38), Chopin,Nicolai, and Weber (39), and Hugo Wolf (43), weretragically brief. Dr. London, in the article cited previous-ly, offers a persuasive explanation. He checked the dataon 350 composers of the first and second rank born be-tween 800 and 1910. The result suggested a divisioninto three groups: those born between 800 and 1769,between 1770 and 1859, and between 1860 and 1910.Each group represents a distinctive phase in the socio-economic status of musicians.

The longest -lived, on percentage, were those born be-tween 800 and 1769, and their longevity was wildly outof line with mortality averages for the time. Shortest-lived were those in the middle group, as reflected in theabove listing, and Dr. London suggests that their earlymortality stemmed from the stress placed upon the corn -

poser when he was released from the security of feudaland ecclesiastical employment and sponsorship into asociety which was not prepared for him and for whichhe was similarly unprepared.

This helps to explain the resilient legend of the com-poser unappreciated in his own time. It is not that hewas unappreciated, but rather that with the collapse offeudal organization there was no system for translatingappreciation into security. There was no copyright. Therewere no performance fees. There was no protectionagainst pirating. Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Bellini,Weber, etc., were all widely published, and the publisherspaid-but they didn't pay much. Hence frustration, an-

xiety, and stress. As Dr. London says of Wagner:"Only by resorting to outright chicanery and the virtualplunMing of friends was he able to survive as he did."

Precisely the same circumstances probably explain theappalling mortality rate of jazz musicians today. In theview of society as a whole, they are thought of as "popu-lar" and "commercial," and, therefore, neither deservingnor needing the institutional recognition and safeguardsaccorded the "serious" musician. In fact, they are notpopular enough, and our musical society is simply notgeared to accommodate the serious "popular" musician.Most of them, consequently, lead economically and phys-ically hazardous lives, surviving from gig to gig andfrom hand to mouth-or not surviving at all.

For the "serious" composer the curve has turned up-ward again since about 1870, with copyright, perfor-mance fees, conducting opportunities, foundation grants,private and public commissioning, film scoring, and in-stitutional teaching with title and tenure restoring to thecomposer most of the security he formerly enjoyed undermonarch and bishop. Thus the preponderance of namesfrom the first and third groups will be noted in the fol-lowing list. The nonagenarians have already been named.Among the octogenarians are: Daniel Auber (89); Ed-ward Burlingame Hill, Edgar Stillman Kelley, Sir Alex-ander MacKenzie and Heinrich Schatz (87) ; Franz Lach-ner and Telemann (86) ; Vaughan Williams, JosephElsner (Chopin's teacher), Duparc, Reinecke,Sinding (Rustles of Spring), and Richard Strauss (85) ;

Thomas Tomkins, Cilea, Karl Goldmark, Arthur Foote,Hasse, and Kodaly (84) ; John Dunstable, Sir FredericCowen, Josquin des Prez, and Cesar Cui (83) ; Bruch,Dohnanyi, Ferenc Erkel, Joseph Marx, and Johann Mat-theson (82) ; Cherubini, Fux, Giordano, Gliere, J. K. F.Fischer, and Mascagni (81) ; and William Byrd, d'Indy,Daniel Gregory Mason, Pfitzner, Rameau, and Varese(80). Still among us, in addition to the nonagenariansRuggles and Cyril Scott, are Friml at 88 (or is it 90?),and Stravinsky and Malipiero at 87.

WHAT does it all mean? Well, Dr. London, who wasdealing only with composers, concluded that the emo-tional -catharsis factor probably has a lot to do with it.In terms of the past, he would rate it behind materialsecurity and ahead of medical care. For the future, how-ever, assuming prevailingly high standards of both med-ical care and security, he reckons that it will be thefactor.

Saying it with music, then, would seem to be notonly an eloquent, but also a healthful, way of saying it!

Henry Pleasants, London Editor of STEREO REVIEW, is the authorof the newly published book Seriou,, NI11,4c-and All That Jazz!which was reviewed in these pages by Don Heckman last month.

70STEREO REVIEW

STEREO REVIEW'S SELECTION OF RECORDINGS OF SPECIAL MERIT

BEST OF THE MONTH

CLASSICAL

HANDEL'S OPUS 6 CONCERTI GROSSI: WORTH WAITING FOR

London presents stunning new performances

SINCE the Academy of St. Martin -in -the -Fieldsrecorded Handel's Opus 3 Concerti Grossi plusNos. 1, 4, and 6 from his Opus 6 set something

over five years ago, I, for one, have been hoping for acomplete set of the twelve Opus 6 works from the sameforces. The isolated concerti and the complete Opus 3were such stunning examples of just how this reper-toire should sound that it seemed to me a matter ofsome importance that the remaining nine of the second

group should be committed to disc without delay. Andhere they are, finally, in a new London issue, even withthe previously available concerti newly recorded. It waswell worth the wait,

Since the beginning of electrical recording, Handel'sOpus 6 has never really been badly represented in thecatalog. First, to my recollection,came a half -dozen of the set con-ducted by Ernest Ansermet, thena complete Adolf Busch set,

followed by not one but two re-cordings by Boyd Neel. Neel'slater version, which featuredThurston Dart's marvelously in-ventive harpsichord continuo (heduplicates the effort in the Acad-emy's new recording), was longconsidered to be the standardhearer, although in recent years,in the light of new illuminationfrom musical scholarship, it is nolonger so satisfactory stylistically.A Vox recording with Kurt Redel(deleted, like the second Neel,not long ago) had more stylis-tic authority than any of theprevious recordings, mainly in

the matter of rhythmic alterationand the inclusion of cadenzas and

0

NEVILLE At %RIO \ I.1i

The condurior-violinist in the ree,ading

by the Academy of St. Martin -in -the -Fields

lead-in passages. Then there were a variety of other sets,including a series of German -Austrian efforts, whichwere either heavy-handed and unstylish (Karajan, forexample) or idiosyncratic (Scherchen). Menuhin's al-bum for Angel led the field until fairly recently, whenthree excellent and stylish accounts of Opus 6 could besaid to have been the very best available: Wenzinger onDeutsche Grammophon Archive, Paillard on MusicalHeritage Society, and, as of just a few months ago, Lep-pard on Mercury. All three of these --and, to a consid-erable extent, Menuhin's warm interpretation- -utilizean appropriately small chamber group for the music.All respect Handers conventions: embellishments areadded, Baroque phrasing and articulation are used, and,where required, rhythms are altered, such as in double-

dotted French overtures. Onecouldn't really go wrong in choos-ing any of these, although theconceptions of the concerti oftenvary considerably, of course.

Wenzinger, for instance, withhis ensemble of original instru-ments, leans toward the lyricalelement, whereas Leppard (tochoose the two that afford themost contrast) stresses the light-ness of the scores. If the formersometimes sounds a bit square -footed, the latter on occasion hasa tendency toward exaggeratedcrispness.

Within the perspective of thesetwo possible extremes, NevilleMarriner and the Academy strikethe perfect mean. The playing iswonderfully crisp and pointed(hut not slick or full of effects),yet at the same time there is a

AUGUST 1969 71

superb sense of line, of lyrical flow, and of weight whereweight is necessary. Above all, the members of this superbensemble perform not only with technical brilliance (theviolin solos of the concertino, incidentally, are allotted tovarious members of the group's violin section), but witha wealth of expression and nuance. The total effect isutterly convincing and thoroughly satisfying.

A few additional points: Handel's oboe parts for Nos.1, 2, 5, and 6 are used; the first and second violins aredivided, and, finally, the continuo is played by eitherharpsichord or organ or both. The harpsichordist is, asI said, Thurston Dart, who has regrettably spent too littletime in the recording studio of late. Here he is his usualmagnificent self, however-wonderfully imaginative, of-fering all kinds of little touches to delight the listener.And the reproduction is splendid. Igor Kipnis

HANDEL: 12 Concerti Grossi, Op. 6. Thurston Dart(harpsichord continuo); Andrew Davis (organ continuo);The Academy of St. Martin -in -the -Fields, Neville Mar-riner cond. LONDON CSA 2309 three discs $17.94.

MASTER VIOLISTWALTER TRAMPLER

His new RCA recording (with conductor GeorgesPretre) of Harold in Italy is faultless

1" TAR QUALITY,- as a definable descriptive of humanpersonality, is a term that has yet to yield to the

pressure of even the most agile command of language.Ordinarily, it can only be illustrated by its effect,whether it involves a Callas, a Garbo, a Horowitz, or aToscanini. I believe it was Vincent Canby, in a NewYork Times appraisal of the latest Academy Awards,who commented that although (loser) Joanne Wood-ward is an actress of surpassing talent and intelligence,she could never command the (star) quality that, as herecalled it, reduced young girls to tears on an occasionwhen (winner) Barbra Streisand, even though betray.ing a certain lack of experience and authority, merelyswept through a San Francisco hotel lobby.

Which brings me to the subject of violist WalterTrampler, who, to my knowledge, is easily the mostaccomplished master of that instrument now makingrecords or appearing before the public. I doubt I wouldfind much agreement among the great public, but I findhis work, viewed in the large, more generally eloquentand distinguished than any encounter I have ever hadwith the art of the all but legendary William Primrose.Yet Primrose, one must assume, had the star qualitythat, if I am to account for a failure to achieve a simil-

72

arly spectacular reputation, Trampler apparently lacks.Obviously, these ruminations are the result of my just

having listened to Trampler-on RCA's new recordingof Berlioz's Harold in Italy. In complete candor, it is nota piece that I am fond of, not one that I can easily beconvinced by. Yet, the Trampler-Pretre collaboration(the conductor deserves an unmistakably large share ofcredit for the total effect in this performance) struck meas the most faultless and consequently most believable-version of the work I have ever heard, recorded orotherwise. And, to make certain that this impression wasbased on real rather than vaguely remembered reaction,I listened also to two Primrose recordings of it-one withBeecham, the other with Munch. With what I believe tobe a full appreciation of Primrose's virtuosity and author-ity, I was still far more impressed by Trampler's meticu-lous clarity, unerringly calculated understatement, andoverall sense of the shape of a piece which is not famousfor its impeccable structure.

For all I know, Pretre and Trampler may have beenat sixes and sevens over possible approaches to thepiece, but the recorded result, which is my only properconcern, gives the impression that each musician hadexactly the same thoughts on the subject from the firstrehearsal. RCA has given the performance the worksfrom an engineering point of view, leaving me with nofurther words of praise for a superb new recording.

Flanagan

BERLIOZ: Harold in Italy, Op. 16. Walter Trampler(viola); London Symphony Orchestra, Georges Pretrecond. RCA LSC 3075 $5.98.

WALTER TRAMPLER: eloquent and distinguished playing

AS e

---.ENTERTAINMENTP-4,-

THE 5TH DIMENSION'S"AGE OF AQUARIUS"

Soul City's bright new singing group scores inselections from the hit musical Hair

THE current fascination with astrology and astrologi-cal prediction continues apace. If not taken too seri-

ously, either as art or as science, it can be a lot of fun. Andin the hands of the popular singing group the 5th Di-mension, at least in their joyous performance of Aquariusfrom the hit musical Hair, it becomes superb entertain-ment. Their version of Aquarius, together with Let theSunshine In (also from Hair), is already a 45 -rpm classic,and with good reason. It is a case of superior performersworking with superior material in a magnificently ar-ranged and produced recording. You have probably heardit by now, but if you haven't, you should pick up thegroup's new album on the Soul City label, "The Age ofAquarius." I think you will agree that it is five minutesof what good record making is all about. It is slick butnever glossy, professional but loose, musicianly but spon-taneous. Most important, it is an entity of and by itself:the five minutes have a definite shape, with introduction,segues, anti -climaxes, climaxes, and an interior pulsedesigned specifically for listening excitement in the re-cording medium. It is somewhat reminiscent of earlyalbums by the Swingle Singers (whom the 5th Dimensionat times resemble-particularly in The Hideaway., a JimWebb dandy also in the album). These too were made

TIIE 5TII DIMENSION:

superior performers,superior material

specifically as recordings, and achieved effects that made

use of recording as a medium rather than as a mirror.The "mirror" concept of recording-that is, the degree

to which a disc was a mere reflection of a "live" perform-ance-was until three or four years ago an importantcriterion of a given record's excellence, as it still is to alarge extent in the classical area. In any event, the 5th

Dimension has been used creatively in the total recordingitself rather than simply as the source of a performanceto be microphoned and recorded. The excellence of theresults in this case should perhaps be credited to BonesHowe, who is listed as being responsible for the "produc-tion and sound." He is one of the unseen and unheard(vocally or instrumentally) stars of this album.

I don't want to imply that the 5th Dimension is a col-lection of automatons, or that they would not be as goodin live performance (they have just finished a smashengagement in New York)-no amount of recordingtechnique can cover a lack of talent. Nor do I mean toimply that Aquarius is the only thing worth listening toon the album. The aforementioned The Hideaway is asubtle beauty, and the raunchy Don'tcha Hear Ale Callin'to Ya is both funny and impressive as a demonstration ofhow to use gimmicked stereo separation (the ladies callfrom one speaker to a recalcitrant gentleman in the other).And their Those Were the Days is the only one that cancompete in any sense with the definitive one by MaryHopkin.

The 5th Dimension-Billy Davis, Jr. (Cancer), Flor-ence LaRue (Aquarius), Lamont McLemore (Virgo),Marilyn McCoo (Libra), and Ron Townson (Aquarius)-are the brightest new singing group to appear in quitesome time, and Bones Howe is assuredly a brilliant pro -

AUGUST 1969 73

a

ducer. Together, they have made an album that is one ofthe high spots of the pop recording year. There is nodoubt that the 5th Dimension is dawning right alongwith the Age of Aquarius. Peter Reilly (Taurus)

THE 5TH DIMENSION: The Age of Aquarius. The5th Dimension (vocals); orchestra. Aquarius/Let the Sun-shine In; Let It Be Me; Sunshine of Your Love; BlowingAway; W'orkin' on a Groovy Thing; Wedding Bell Blues;He's a Runner; The Winds of Heaven; Those Were theDays; The Hideaway; Don'tcha Hear Me Callin' to Ya;Skinny Man. Sow. CITY SCS 92005 $4.98, C) 4951 $6.95,C) 8951 $6.95, © 0951 $5.95.

"WILD AND WONDERFUL"JULIE BUDD

Her second album for MGM is a mature andintelligent compendium of pop standards

JULIE BUDD, a very contemporary singer who has awith -it "today" kind of sound, did not impress me

much with her first MGM album, but I think it may havebeen her material that threw me. In her new album, "Wildand Wonderful," she hits the standard trail, and, likemany singers who are forced to hide their taste and talentbehind a nauseating facade of second-rate pop in orderto make a living, Miss Budd proves that she has more per-ception and musical savvy when she can sing music shebelieves in.

The basic premise of this disc is that everything cur-rent and fashionable has developed from the past-artfrom the late nineteenth century, boutique clothes fromthe Edwardian Age, and even Burt Bacharach out of ColePorter. I agree, except for the lyrics that come with theBacharach music; nothing Hal David has written for hismusic is in the same league with Cole Porter's cleverness,wit, and sophistication. But our popular music does seemto be improving. There are signs, in the brilliant workof such composers as Laura Nyro, Jimmy Webb, andRandy Newman, that all the amplified clatter that usedto please the teeny-boppers is taking on the mellower,more complicated compositional lines of the early masters,and much of the applause for bringing it forward shouldgo to Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli-and now JulieBudd.

Miss Budd is only fourteen years old, a fact you willdoubtless challenge when you hear her sing a throat -chopper like Johnny One Note with the professionalaplomb of a young Judy Garland. Or when she injects awise and worldly poignance into the reflective balladWhere Is Love? from the musical Oliver! Her range isawesome, her control impressive, and her intelligence ad-mirable. In this age of sound -alike pop screamers, she is

JULIE BUDD: professional aplomb-at fourteen

unique. She also has the good fortune to be aided by HerbBernstein, who has provided marvelous arrangements toshowcase her voice in many moods and against variedmusical textures-from a bossa-nova waltz tempo on MyFavorite Things to the wistfulness -turning -to -ebullience ofCole Porter's Be a Clown. Miss Budd handles each songwith a maturity and vision beyond her years.

She is in a spot, however, one she shares with manyother youngsters of style and taste: the Streisand influenceis obvious here, and it will undoubtedly lead to accusa-tions of imitation and mimicry. Miss Budd is much tootalented and ahead of her time to mimic anyone musical-ly, but a record jacket as ugly, ridiculous, and badly photo-graphed as this one is going to leave a Streisand-consciouspublic no other choice but to compare Miss Budd toBarbra in her Early Salvation Army days. She is simplygoing to have to find a way to ditch the granny glasses,the ratty thrift -shop fun furs, and the Garbo cloches andfind her own personality. "There's somebody else insideI know I can be!" she sings on the title tune of this al-bum. I hope she finds out who it is soon. She's only four-teen, so I shouldn't harp. But she already has so muchsensitivity and class that I don't want to wait. Rex Reed

JULIE BUDD: Wild and Wonderful. Julie Budd (vo-cals) ; orchestra, Herb Bernstein arr. and cond. JohnnyOne Note; My Favorite Things; Where Is Love?; Whistlea Tune; Be a Clown; What the World Needs Now isLove; Wild and Wonderful Me; Who Will Buy?; When1 Fall in Love; Have Another Dream on Me; A VerySpecial Person. MGM SE 4607 $4.98.

74STEREO REVIEW

Sitting bolt upright? Lounging?Pacing the floor.' Or do you takeyour listening lying down?

No matter. From any positionin the room you hear true stereoreproduction-when you useKlipsch speakers, properly placed.

You aren't "surrounded withsound".That's not stereo. Rather,you hear sound sources in theiroriginal positions. The vocalists,the double bass., the guitar-allappear to be where they werewhen recorded. That's stereo.

Ask your dealer for a demon-stration of a Klipsch stereo array.They range in price from about$2,300 to about $420.

If you want authoritative back-ground information on stereoreproduction, send $3.50 for acomplete set of 17 technicalpapers. This includes a reprintof Bell Telephone Laboratories'"Symposium on Auditory Per-spective, 1934", which is the basisfor all present knowledge onstereo. L

KLIPSCH & ASSOCIATESBox 280 S-8Hope, Arkansas 71801

Please send me complete informationon Klipsch speakers and Klipsch WideStage Stereo. Also include the nameof my nearest Klipsch AuthorizedAudio Expert.

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toiliDOT Snew era in soundMaazel's spectacular Berlin production recordedwith vivid performance -like realism and abrilliant cast.

Verdi:LA TRAVIATAPilar Lorengar, Giacomo Aragall, DietrichFischer-Dieskau, The Deutsche Oper, Berlin-Lorin MaazelOSA-1279

If you don't believe orchestral sound can beimproved, you must hear this record. A milestonein recording history, Scintillating performances.

VIENNA SPECTACULAROvertures to Die Fledermaus (Strauss);The Merry Wives of Windsor (Nicolai);Donna Diana (RezniEek); Prinz Methusalem(Strauss); Der Opernball (Heuberger)The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra-Willi BoskovskyCS -6605

London proudly salutes the superb orchestra of avaliant country. Recorded for the first time with itsinternationally acclaimed conductor.

A SALUTE TO THEISRAEL PHILHARMONICORCHESTRA ANDZUBIN MEHTATchaikovsky: SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN E MINOR(Op. 64)Dvoi6k: SYMPHONY NO.7 IN D MINOR(Op. 70)CSA-2224

A recording of unbelievable realism and stupendousmusical excitement. The Hungarian opera forHungarians of all nationalities Kertesz surpasseshimself, Ustinov is genius.

HARY JANOSPeter Ustinov (Narrator)-Soloists of theHungarian State Opera-The London SymphonyOrchestra-Istvan KerteszOSA-1278

Exciting and unusual repertoire featuring twomelodic concertos by a much neglected composer.Sutherland is stupendous!

RUSSIAN JEWELSGliere: Concerto for Coloratura andOrchestra; Concerto for Harp and Orchestra.Stravinsky: Pastorale. Cut: lci bas.Gretchaninov: Lullaby. Joan Sutherland-Ossian Ellis (Harp)-The London SymphonyOrchestra-Richard BonyngeOS -26110

Released by populEr demand, a brilliant analysisof Wagner's Ring with examples from London'shistoric recording plus specially recordedselections.

AN INTRODUCTIONTO THE RINGDeryck Cooke (Narrator)-The ViennaPhilharmonic Orchestra-Georg SoltiRDN S-1

A Spectacular Summer ReleasetO 'VD OT

RECORDS

CIRCLENo.

ON READERSERVICE

CARD

_

CLASSICALReviewed by WILLIAM FLANAGAN DAVID HALL GEORGE JELLINEK IGOR KIPNIS ERIC SALZMAN

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 8, in FMajor, Op. 93; Overture to Fidelio, Op.72B; Overture to Leonore III, Op. 72A;Coriolanus Overture, Op. 62. Berlin Phil-harmonic, Herbert von Karajan cond.DEUTSCHE GRAM MOPHON 39015 55.98,

0 89015 $6.95, © 923057 56.95.

Performance: Hale and heartyRecording: SplendidStereo Quality: A bit hopped -up

Every adolescent in professional music schooltoday who endangers his eyesight by peeringthrough his curtain of long shaggy hair atthe blackboard is still taught that Beethoven'sSymphony No. 8-corning after the innova-tive 'boic.r, the programmatic Sixth, orthe ponderously gloomy Seventh symphon-ies ---was conceived as a nostalgic farewellto the less trying, Good Old Days of Classi-cism. I lav ing given no consideration thematter in twenty years, Em damned if I

know the evidence on which this highly ro-mantic view of the Eighth is based. Judgingby Karajan's new recording of the work forDGG, he will have no truck with this zip-proach to the work whatever. In this newperformance, the piece is big, robust, evenraucous and fat -sounding on occasion; thereIS precious little evocation of eighteenth -century lightness and preciosity in Karajan'shot-blooded, thrusting performance. I don'tknow-nor, for that matter, do I care par-ticularly- -whether Karajan or those whohold forth in the classrooms are right. (Icould run to my bookshelves and look forsome authoritative decision, but Ern awfullytired.) I will say that it's refreshing, ormaybe I'd better say what I really mean-abit of a gas-to hear the Eighth played sowinningly and raucously for a change.

The trio of overtures cimpleting the discare given some pretty rough handling, too.The overall effect is no less attractive. It

may not be your regular, custom-madeBeethoven that Karajan has produced here;but right or wrong, it's a refreshing, ifslightly screwy, rethinking of the music.

The recorded sound and stereo effects arerespectively big and sonorous, and for somereason inoffensively tricky, by turns. Ii". F.

Explanation of symbols:i(Dt = reel-to-reel tapeD lour -track cartridge

C) = eight -track cartridge© = cassette

Monophonic rreordings are indicated bythe .symbol Cni): all others are stereo

BEETHOVEN: 32 Variations in C Major,on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120.

Stephen Bishop (piano). PHILIPS PHS900220 55.98.

Performance: Very goodRecording: OkayStereo Quality: Okay

This is a very good Diabelli set by a verytalented young American pianist active inEurope. The playing is fluent and consistent-ly beautiful. Almost too much so; one mightask for more angles, more levels and planes,more contrast between the dark and the light,

STEPHEN BISHOPPiano playing too beatitiful for Beethoven?

a crisper staccato, more forza in the rforzando,more in the way of Handelian double andtriple dotting, more black humor, and morewitchcraft. Part of the problem is that thepiano sound, while closeup, is sarroundedby a kind of cushy resonance that takes the

tack'' out of the staccato and clouds up themore complex numbers-notably the fugue,which needs a crystalline staccato and trans-parent contrapuntal textures. Now this re-

view has gotten weighted down with unfav-orable remarks and is out of perspective. Itis just precisely because Bishop is so goodthat one wishes his recording of the Diabelliwere that much better. E. S.

BERLIOZ: Harold in Italy (see Best ofthe Month, page 72)

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITBERWALD: Symphony No. 3, in C Ma-jor ("Singutiere"); Symphony No. 4, in

Elba Major. London Symphony Orchestra,Sixten Ehrling cond. LONDON CS 6602$5.98.

Performance: Powerfully classicRecording: GoodStereo Quality: Good

The Si(i.:.;rdiere Symphony of Sweden's Clas-sic -Romantic symphonist Franz Berwald is

represented here by its fifth stereo recording,but its E -flat companion piece of the sameyear (1845) gets a first recording in stereo(these two symphonies were coupled in

110110 by Decca a dozen years ago in brilliantreadings by Igor Markevitch with the BerlinPhilharmonic). In view of the popularitythat the Shigu/iere has achieved in the pastfew years, it is ironic that Bersvald, who hadto make his lis ing as physical therapist andfactory manager, never heard this work dur-ing his lifetime. Indeed, like some of CharlesIves' works, it was not performed until sixtyyears after its completion. The E -flat Sym-phony, though not as fiercely urgent a score,is no less masterly in its ingenious construc-tion, strong lyrical content, vital rhythmicpulse, and wonderfully clean and powerfulscoring_ There are echoes of Beethoven, Ber-lioz, at,d Cherubini here and there, but Ber-wald's music as a whole stands splendidlyIodic line of the slow movements, the fanci-ful scoring of the scherzos (sometimes inter-twined with a slow movement as in theSingultre), or startling dramatic touchessuch as the syncopated opening of theSingulie're finale.

As to these recorded performances underSixten Ehrling-who is regarded as Swe-den's No. I conductor and is presently Mu-si ca I Director of the Detroit SymphonyOrchestra --this reading of the Sin ulierr is

decidedly different in tone from that of thefive other disc versions. For one thing, heuses a new edition prepared for the forth-coming publication of the complete works ofBerwadd, and for another he takes a decided-ly more stateh, view of the work, emphasiz-ing the point by repeating the first -move-ment exposition. The impression produced

that of a warmly lyrical work, as againstthe starker feeling conveyed by the other re-corded versions, in particular that of Marke-vitch. Ehrling's rendering of the lovely slow -movement -scherzo is beautiful, and he

achieves a splendid articulation of thegnarled syncopated opening of the finale.His reading of the E -flat Symphony is no.ess impressive; again in comparison withMarkevitch, he leans to broader, easier -

breathing tempos.The recorded sound, in keeping with Lon-

don's recent standard, is not as bright andsharp as in the past, but very full, rich, and

AUGUST 1969 77

Stereo ReviewRecordand TapeService

Have you been having a littledifficulty obtaining some of therecords and tapes reviewed in thisissue? STEREO REVIEW Recordand Tape Service to the rescue!Not a record club-no discounts,no special deals. We're here sim-ply as a service to those of ourfaithful music -loving readers whoare about to give up the search for"hard -to -get" records and tapes.If you want help in your musicaldilemma, all you need do is com-plete the coupon below and mailit in with your remittance. We'll

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cialists only. The accompaniments and re -

true -to -life. D. H.

BRAHMS: "All mein Gedanken" (18 FolkSongs). All mein Gedanken, die ich gab';Erlaube cur, feins Miidchen; Mein Miidelhat einen Rosenmund; Ach, englischeSchaferin; Es steht ein Lind; Da unten irnTale; Schiiner Augen, schone Strablen;Schwesterlein, wann geben u'ir eachHans?; and ten others. Hermann Prey (ban.tone); Karl Engel (piano). DEUTSCHEGRAMMOPHON 139375 $5.98.

Performance: CaressingRecording: Very goodStereo Quality: Natural

These are eighteen of Johannes Brahms'forty-nine transcriptions of German Vo/ks-tteder (a complete collection is available:Angel 3675, with Elisabeth Schwarzkopfand Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau). The songsare pleasant, simple, and full of warm-heart-ed sentiment, and Hermann Prey lavisheson them his considerable art, with a trulyravishing effect in the last song, the beauti-ful In stiller Nacht.' But even his effortscannot relieve the feeling of sameness, notonly of style and mood, but of form as well,that pervades the material. In Germany, sucha disc would probably be a runaway best-seller; here, it can be recommended for spe-cialists only. G. J.

BRAHMS: String Quartet No. 1, in C Mi-nor. Op. 51, No. 1. SCHUMANN: StringQuartet No. 1, in A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1.Quartetto Italian°. PHILIPS PHS 900187$5.98.

Performance: Passionately lyricalRecording: Rich and spaciousStereo Quality: Good

The Budapest Quartet recording of theBrahms for Columbia and the Drolc Quartetreading of the Schumann for DGG providegood points of comparison for this new disc.Passionate lyricism pervades both of theQuartetto Italiano's performances on thisPhilips release, which is the only one cur-rently coupling these works. The first -move-ment exposition of the Brahms is repeated,whereas the Budapest choose to pass it up.Microphoning in the Philips recording ismore distant than it is in either the Columbiaor DGG discs, so that the impression of abroadly lyrical treatment comes home morestrongly, especially in the Brahms. Frankly,I feel that the Brahms C Minor Quartet,with its almost orchestral texture, can standthis kind of recording, and I found myselfthoroughly impressed all the way throughthis side. In the case of the Schumann,choice is a matter of taste in performance(lush or taut) as well as coupling. D. H.


BUSONI : Sonatina No. 6 (Chamber Fan-tasy on Bizet's Carmen); Nine Variationson a Chopin Prelude; Turandots Frauen-gemach. MOZART-LISZT: Reminiscensesof Don Giovanni. VERI)I-LISZT: Remi-niscenses of Simon Boccanegra. john Og-dun (piano). SERAPHIM S 60088 52.49.

Performance: TopsRecording: OkayStereo Quality: Good

(Continued on page 80)

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It has puzzled many observers that the greatoperatic arrangements of another day, solong neglected and sneered at, have beentaken up again, not so much by the meretechnical wizards as by virtuosos of the intel-lectual stature of a Charles Rosen or a JohnOgdon. Quite forgotten is the fact that thebest of these arrangements are by some ofthe most intellectual of composers-notablyLiszt and Busoni. The title of this record,"Liszt and Busoni Improvisations," is quitemisleading. These carefully worked out andmasterly pieces are not -improvisations- atall; indeed, they are hardly ''arrangements''inthe usual sense, but rather they are origi-nal and substantial works based on earlierthemes. So are, for example, Beethoven's Dia-ball Variations and Josquin'sarme- Mass!

Especially notable here are the BusoniCarmen Sonatina and the very beautiful andstartling Chopin Variations-quite modernin harmony. Turandots Frauengemach-"Turandot's Boudoir," based on Green-sleeres!-is from the Busoni Elegies, whichOgdon ought to record entire. The more fa-miliar Mozart -Liszt and Verdi -Liszt worksare masterpieces in the genre. (But why hy-phenated? They are clearly compositions byLiszt.)

Ogdon takes them all quite seriously asthe brilliant and poetic works that they are.The fact that they are all but impossible toperform fazes him not a bit; he just plays themusic. That is, he gets through the maze oftechnique to the music itself. I was not ter-ribly impressed with the piano sound itself,but the record is too good to pass up over a

Help stamp outheavy music.

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mere question of taste in recording acoustics.E. S.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITM. A. CHARPENTIER: Medee (Suitefrom the opera). F. COUPERIN: L'Apo-tbiose de Lully. English Chamber Orchestra,Raymond Leppard cond. and harpsichordcontinuo. L'OISEAU-LYRE SOL 300 $5.95.

Performance: ColorfulRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: Fine

The charming Couperin work with its pro-grammatic pairing of the characters of Lullyand Corelli, the latter welcoming Lully toParnassus, is given a first-rate performancehere, although Leppard uses a chamber or-chestra rather than a chamber ensemble (asin Sylvia Marlowe's recent version on Dec -

ca). Charpentier, whose life and work wasrather overshadowed by Lully, is representedby a set of instrumental excerpts from hisopera Medea (1693). This, too, is musicof considerable charm and marvelous spirit,and the coupling, especially as the works areso well played, is a felicitous one. Leppardis exceptionally keen on stylistic matters (theproblem of the noter inegales in the sectioncombining the violin duet -playing of Lullyand Corelli in the Apothc,o.re, for instance),and, although there are a few moments ofslickness and effect for effect's sake, the inter-pretations are highly successful and full ofcolor. The instrumental playing is quite rav-ishing; the recorded sound is excellent. I. K.

F. COUPERIN: L'Apotbiose de Drily (seeCHARPENTIER)

DEBUSSY: La Mer; Three Nocturnes.Young Girls' Choir of the French NationalRadio; Orchestre de Paris, John Barbirollicond. ANGEL S 36583 $5.98, © 36583 $5.98.

Performance: UnremarkableRecording: SuperbStereo Quality: First-rate

Not only as a record reviewer, but simply asa listener, I am grateful to Sir John Barbi-rolli for his empathetically "right" and musi-cianly recordings of such composers asVaughan Williams and Elgar. His lucid,cool performances of Vaughan Williams im-part to the music a sort of classic stance thatone is grateful to realize it possesses; inElgar's rather more stolid, Victorian, and pre-sumably dated post -Romanticism, Barbirollihas drawn attention to a level of honestmusical substance that has given me both adifferent view of and a heightened respectfor the composer.

But, probably because Debussy's music isof irreplacable value to me personally, I

cannot settle for unremarkable, workman-like performances of it nearly as readilyas I can of pieces by composers I value less.Take, as here, a repertoire standard like LaMer. It is amply represented in the mostrecent catalog by excellent performances en-compassing every known approach. Even asrecently as the issue of the Boulez perfor-mance, it was a pleasure to hear the pieceplayed by a man who seems unable to per-form any work without imparting to it astartling, fresh vision.

Barbirolli's readings of both La Mer andthe scarcely less familiar Three Nocturnes

(Continued on page 83)80

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are solid, honorable, musicianly; but, in viewof what is already as ailable, the total im-

pression left by this recording is, in fact, theabsence of any really memorable impression.Angel's engineers have given the perfor-mances engineering treatment of positivelyunassailable quality and sophistication.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT1)5101ZAK: Nature, Life, and Love (cycleof three ozeriures): In Nature's Realm,Op. 91; Carnival. Op. 92; Othello, Op. 93.Scherzo Capriccios°, Op, 66. London Sym-phony Orchestra, Istvan Kertesz cond. LON-DON CS 6574 S5.98, ® 657-1 (71/4) S7.95.

Performance: ZestfulRecording: SplendidStereo Quality: A-1

All of these performances have been avail-able hitherto as fillers on the various discsof Kertesz's recordings of all nine Dvoraksymphonies. It is a joy to have them liberatedand consolidated on one disc. Forget aboutthe programmatic titles of the three works itfthis "triple overture--enioy the zestfulDvorak melody and rhythmic pulse, and theBohemian master's canny use of a commontheme to link the pieces (its most familiarguise is the English horn melody midwaythrough Crrnira/). The Scherzo CaPliCCiONOis more of the same at an earlier and in someways more potent stage-a heady brew! Theperformances could not he better, and therecorded sound is splendid in its brillianceand presence. D. H.

Next Month in

Stereo ReviewMusic at the Movies

by Paul Kresh

An Interview with Pierre Boulezby lames Goodfrieid

The Sense of Hearingby Craig Stark

G01/TtrZ

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITHANDEL: Italian Cantatas: No. 1. -Ab!crude!, net pianto mio"; No. 13, `ArtnidaAbbandonata." Janet Baker (mezzo-so-prano): English Chamber Orchestra, Ray-

mond Leppard cond. and harpsichord con-tinuo. ANGEL S 36569 55.98.

Performance: SuperbRe cord ing : ExcellentStereo Quality: Excellent

There are some twenty-four cantatas, plusseveral fragments for voice with instruments,in the Handel Gesellschaft, and the presenttwo cantatas are splendid examples of thismater,al. Generally they are considered to beearly works, although No. 1 here (the nu-merical order was established only with theirpublication in the last century) might datefrom the end of Handers life. Both worksare typical of the Italian cantata form-itsformal alternating of recitative and aria andits amazing variety of moods and passions.-..1h! crude!. ncl plant° mew," fir voice,string.:, and two oboes, does not seem to havebeen recorded before, hut -Armida Abbando-'hod," with string accompaniment only, wasreleased some months ago in a performance.by Netania Davrath. lanet Baker has thestyle totally in hand (Miss Davrath was lesssecure in it), and her affecting dramatic in-terpretations, complete with fine da capoembellishments, are models of their type.The accompaniments here, including theplaying of the excellent anonymous first obo-ist, are expert, Lepparers direction and con-tinuo playing are thoroughly imaginative,and the reproduction is first-class. I. K.

HANDEL: Twelve Concerti Grossi, Op. 6(see Best of the Month, page 71)

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KAGEL: Match for 3 Players; Music forRenaissance Instruments. Christoph Caskel(percussion), Siegfried Palm and KlausStorck (cellos), Collegium Instrumentale,Mauricio Kagel cond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMO-PHON DGG 137006 $5.98.

Performance: ExcellentRecording: A proposStereo Quality: Very pronounced

A while ago, I ran into a European com-poser acquaintance who politely inquiredwhat I was up to. ''Writing a piece forRenaissance instruments.- -Oh no, he criedpossessively, "you can't be doing that. I'mwriting a piece for Renaissance instruments."

Well, well, there ought to be room for atleast two modern pieces for old instruments.Here, in fact, is a third, and quite an effec-tive one too. Mauricio Kagel is an Argentin-ian composer active in West Germany andin the forefront, as they say, of the far-out.Mach is a rather bloodless bit played bymore modern forces (two cellos andpercussion). It has, I think, an elaboraterationale about a contest, but let it pass.What one hears is made up of short scrapingsallies punctuated occasionally by shouts of"Nein" (from the players, not the audience),police whistles or the whine of a flexarone(an instrument that coincidentally I used inmy Renaissance piece!). But his Renaissancepiece-for a large band of antique music -

makers rather than a small consort --:s amost remarkable fantasy which makes gooduse of the rather pure and almost electronic -

sounding colors of these fascinating oldwinds and strings, adding to them the oc-casional sound of voices, the whole bathedin a golden electronic glow. It is easily thebest piece by Kagel that I know. Perform-ances are effective, and well recorded. In-deed, the Renaissance piece sounds strongerand more effective than it could without elec-tronic assistance; well, fine-the acoustic ac-tually becomes part of the piece. E. S.

KHACHATURIAN: Symphony -Poem(Symphony No. 3, 1947). RIMSKY-KOR-SAKOV: Russian Easter Overture, Op. 36.Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Sto-kowski cond. RCA LSC 3067 $5.98, 0 R8S-1122 $6.95.

Performance: All rightRecording: Curiously muffledStereo Quality: Good

For some odd reason, both Prokofiev andKhachaturian, shortly after World War II,took to writing pieces for unusual and/oroutsized ensembles. Prokofiev, in 19 -IS, scoredhis Ode to /he End of the 117,r (Op. 105)for eight harps, four pianos, brass, percus-sion, and string basses. Two years later,Aram Khachaturian brought forth his one-

movement Symphony -Poem with virtuoso or-gan obbligato and fifteen trumpets added tothe usual symphonic ensemble.

Both works got a back -of -the -hand fromthe official powers in the USSR shortly aftertheir first hearings, and both works have re-mained in eclipse, except for Mr. Stokow-ski's revival of the Khachaturian work inChicago early in 1968. I'm not sure that thisparticular sleeping dog should not have beenallowed to lie. It's a pretty obvious and vul-gar splurge, with little of the freshness andrhythmic zest that mark the best pages of theArmenian composer's youthful Gayne ballet

(Continued on page 86)CIRCLE NO. 46 ON READER SERVICE CARD

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and Piano Concerto. Stokowski's augmentedorchestra plays the music for all the sonori-ty (plenty!) that can be extracted from itspages. The string tone here is rich in the ex-treme, but the brass sounds curiously muf-fled and lacking in brilliance and the organis distinctly of the electronic type.

Rimsky's Russian Easter has always beenone of the prime Stokowski warhorses, andsave for a slight truncation at the very end(as in all his previous recorded perfor-mances), Stokowski presents the music inrelatively straightforward fashion. However,the ensemble work (at the initial entry ofthe main allegro theme, for example) issomewhat less than precise at times, mostunusual for Maestro Stokowski. Here, too,brass and percussion seem lacking in genu-ine bite and presence, at least as comparedwith what emerges from the 1967 Martinon/Chicago Symphony disc of the Carl NielsenFourth Symphony, which I used as a stand-ard for sonic comparison. D. II.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITMENDELSSOHN: Elijah. Gwyneth Jones(soprano), Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano),Nicolai Gedda (tenor), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Simon Woolf (treble).New Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra;Wandsworth School Boys' Choir; RafaelFruhbeck de Burgos cond. ANGEL SC 3738three discs $17.94.

Performance: Very goodRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: Excellent

When George Bernard Shaw referred to the"exquisite prettiness" of Mendelssohn's Eli-jah, it sense, forhe deplored its lack of true religious fervor.It is hard to quarrel with Shaw's assessment.Elijah adheres to Mendelssohn's high stand-ard of craftsmanship: it is a lucid, nicelyproportioned work with a pleasing succes-sion of arias and choruses. But, consideringits length, one is disappointed that it revealsso few instances of the refreshing inspirationthat is Mendelssohn's "earmark."

Elijah was omnipresent in the England ofShaw, and it still appears to be very popularwith English choral societies. Virtually all ofthe work's complete recordings have origi-nated in England, including this new re-lease, the first English -language recording instereo. It offers a good performance that onoccasion rises to real excellence. AlthoughFriihbeck is young and Spanish-whichmeans that he could not have been steepedin the English oratorio tradition-he dis-plays an obvious sympathy with the work.His tempos are well chosen to make a goodeffect with Mendelssohn's expressive devicesin the orchestra as well as the chorus and,in general, his presentation strikes a soundbalance between music drama and tradition-al oratorio. And he has an outstanding cho-rus to work with, one trained by the redoubt-able Wilhelm Pitz. It is warm and sonorousin tone, strong in discipline, and homogene-ously blended. Although the words arenot always perfectly clear-a perennialproblem with large choruses-musical de-tails emerge with transparent clarity, as wit-ness the canonic episode in "He, Watchingover Israel" (No. 29).

Appropriately for its central position, theElijah of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a coin-

/Co/filmed on pa g, RR)

CIRCLE NO. 42 ON READER SERVICE CARD CIRCLE NO. 7 ON READER SERVICE CARD STEREO REVIEW

IF YOU REALLY VALUE YOUR RECORDS

DON'T UNDERRATETHE GRAM!

(... a commentary on the critical role of tracking forces in

evaluating trackability and trackability claims)

TRACKABILITY:The "secret" of High Trackability is to enable the stylus tip to followthe hyper -complex record groove up to and beyond the theoreticalcutting limits of modern recordings-not only at select and discretefrequencies, but across the entire audible spectrum-and at lighttracking forces that are below both the threshold of audible recordwear and excessive stylus tip wear.The key parameter is "AT LIGHT TRACKING FORCES!"A general rule covering trackability is: the higher the tracking force,the greater the ability of the stylus to stay in the groove. Unfortunately,at higher forces you are trading trackability for trouble. At a glance,the difference between 3/4 gram and 1, Ph, or 2 grams may not appearsignificant. You could not possibly detect the difference by touch. Butyour record can! And so can the stylus!

TRACKING FORCES:Perhaps it will help your visualization of the forces involved to trans-late "grams" to actual pounds per square inch of pressure on therecord groove. For example, using 3'4 gram of force as a reference(with a .2 mil x .7 mil radius elliptical stylus) means that 60,000 lbs.(30 tons) per square inch is the resultant pressure on the groovewalls. At one gram, this increases to 66,000 lbs. per square inch, anincrease of three tons per square inch-and at 11/2 grams, the forcerises to 75,000 lbs. per square inch, an increase of 71/2 tons per squareinch. At two grams, or 83,000 lbs. per square inch, 111/2 tons persquare inch have been added over the 3'4 gram force. At 21/2 grams, or88,000 lbs. per square inch, a whopping 14 tons per square inch havebeen added!The table below indicates the tracking force in grams and pounds,ranging from 3/4 gram to 21/2 grams-plus their respective resultantpressures in pounds per square inch.

TRACKING FORCE GROOVE WALL PRESSURE

GRAMS POUNDS POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH

(See Note No. 1)

3/4 .0017 60,0001 .0022 66,000 +10% (over 3/4 gram)11/2 .0033 75,000 +25% (over 3/4 gram)2 .0044 83,000 +38% (over 3/4 gram)2'/2 .0055 88,000 +47% (over 3/4 gram)

SPECIAL NOTE:The Shure V-15 Type II ''Super -Track" Cartridge is capable of trackingthe majority of records at 3/4 gram; however state-of-the-art advancesin the recording industry have brought about a growing number ofrecords which require 1 'gram tracking force in order to fully capturethe expanded dynamic range of the recorded material. (3/4 gram track-ing requires not only a cartridge capable of effectively tracking at 3/4gram, but also a high quality manual arm [such as the Shure-SME)

or a high quality automatic turntable arm capable of tracking at3/4 gram.)

TESTS:Our tests, and the tests of many independent authorities (see NoteNo. 2), have indicated two main points:A. At tracking forces over 2 or 21/2 grams, vinylite record wear is

dramatically increased. Much of the "high fidelity" is shaved offof the record groove walls at both high and low ends after a rela-tively few playings.

B. At tracking forces over 11/2 grams, stylus wear is increased to amarked degree. When the stylus is worn, the chisel -like edges notonly damage the record grooves-but tracing distortion over 3000Hz by a worn stylus on a brand new record is so gross that manyinstrumental sounds become a burlesque of themselves. Also, stylireplacements are required much more frequently. The chart belowindicates how stylus tip life increased exponentially between 11/2and 3/41 grams-and this substantial increase in stylus life signifi-cantly extends the life of your records.

RELATIVE AVERAGE TIP LIFE VS. TRACKING FORCE

100'.

3 2

STILLS FORCE -SLAMS; S1 LUS TIP. DIAMOND

No cartridge that we have tested (and we have repeatedly testedrandom off -the -dealer -shelf samples of all makes and many models ofcartridges) can equal the Shure V-15 Type II in fulfilling all of the re-quirements of a High Trackability cartridge-both initially and afterprolonged testing, especially at record -and -stylus saving low trackingforces. In fact, our next -to -best cartridges-the lower cost M91 Series-are comparable to, or superior to, any other cartridge tested inmeeting all these trackability requirements, regardless of price.

NOTES:1. From calculations for an elliptical stylus with .2 mil x .7 mil radius

contact points, using the Hertzian equation for indentors.2. See HiFi/Stereo Review, October 1968; High Fidelity, November

1968; Shure has conducted over 10,000 hours of wear tests.

V-15 TYPE IISUPER -TRACK HIGH FIDELITY PHONOGRAPH CARTRIDGE

Write: Shure Brothers, Inc., 222 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston, Illinois 60204CIRCLE NO. 49 ON READER SERVICE CARD

AUGUST 196987

Revox is impossible.

Impossibleto describe that is.

Thereis nothing we can sayabout the Revox thathasn't been said before, bysome other manufacturer 1about his tape recorder.

Every machine from $60to 56000 promises distor-tion free performance,from the sub -sonic to theultra -sonic, with undetect-able wow and flutter.

Sowhat do we say ... afterthey say they're perfect?Simply this:

Revox de-livers what all the rest on vpromise.If you would like the true facts on thisremarkable machine, mail the couponalong with $1 for the 64 page ownersmanual. It not only describes the Revoxin detail, but amounts to a home studycourse in tape recording.P.S. Your $1 may be appliedto the purchase price of yourfirst Revox.

rRevox Corporation212 Mineola AvenueRoslyn Heights, N.Y. 11577Gentlemen:Enclosed please find $1 for the 64 -page owners manual.

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SR -8CIRCLE NO. 44 ON READER SERVICE CARD

mantling figure. The baritone's English pro-nunciation is excellent, and his superiormusical intelligence illuminates the Proph-et's character in his various moments of trial.There is meaning and power in his recita-tives, and in passages that do not strain hisvocal resources, his singing is smooth andeloquent. The air ''It is Enough" (No. 26)is a particularly impressive example of hisdignified delivery. Unfortunately, there arealso moments that find him lacking in therequired power or command of high tessi-tura, with the unavoidable compromise inmusical execution.

Gwyneth Jones brings intensity to hersolos, and her dramatic presence compen-sates for occasional instances of tonal un-steadiness. Her "Hear Ye, Israel" is quitebeautiful, and the duet "What Have Ito Dowith Thee" (No. 8) shows both Miss Jonesand Fischer-Dieskau at their best. There isless dramatic strength in Janet Baker's con-tribution, but in purely vocal terms she isthe standout performer; the poised assur-ance of her singing and the velvety sump-tuousness of her tone silence criticism. Ni-colai Gedda sings with feeling and amplesonority, if not always with the highest de-gree of polish. His English pronunciationtoo deserves praise.

Sonically, the recording is sure to pleasethe most demanding taste. G. J.

MENDELSSOHN: Songs Without Words.Sweet Remembrance; Venetian GondolaSongs Nos. 1, 2, 3; Song of the Traveller;Elegie; Spring Song; Tarantella; Sadness ofSoul; Duet; Spinning Song; May Breeze;The Fleecy Cloud; The Joyous Peasant. Guio-mar Novaes (piano). TURNABOUT TV34245 $2.50.

Performance: Light-fingeredRecording: GoodStereo Quality: Adds presence

Mendelssohn confided his Songs WithoutWords to his notebooks in somewhat thesame way Shakespeare added to the store ofhis sonnets in the course of his life, notingdown moods and impressions with the quickskill and sense of musical color for whichthe composer was so admired in the Europeof his day. By the time of his death at theage of thirty-nine, he had written forty-eightof these brief pieces over the years-thesame number, as it happened, as Bach hadcomposed for The Well -Tempered Clavier.The Mendelssohn pieces are slight, sweet,and entirely lacking in the polyphonic gran-deur of Bach's arresting constructions. Attheir best, as in the Venetian Gondola Songs,the Songs Without Words are apt and tidy(some clown is sure to write terrible wordsto them some day) and are expressions ofsimple moods-"folk songs in eveningdress," as some critic or other once calledthem. Some, like the Spinning Song, theTarantella, and The Joyous Peasant hint atthe glittering energy of the great scherzosset down by the same composer when he wasnot in the temper to fuss with miniatures.Others, like the Spring Song, which used tobe inflicted on music appreciation classes,are just sentimental blots of Kitsch, the mu-sical bric-a-brac of an age too fond of pretti-ness. Miss Novaes is the ideal pianist for thebaker's dozen of them that make up this pro-gram. Discreetly she skates amid their felici-ties, with a light hand glossing over theirself-indulgent weaknesses (Sadness of Soul,

88

for example, which weeps tiny mother-of-pearl tears) to turn in as elegant and precisea performance as one could possibly expectwith such pleasant but evanescent material.

Paul Kresh

MOZART: Clarinet Concerto, in A Major(K. 622); Clarinet Quintet, in A Major(K. 581). Benny Goodman (clarinet); Bos-ton Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munchcond.; Boston Symphony String Quartet.RCA VICTROLA VICS 1402 $2.50.

Performance: Good quintetRecording: GoodStereo Quality: Okay

Jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman's third timearound with the Mozart Clarinet Quintet in1957 (his first two were with the BudapestQuartet on 78's and with the American ArtQuartet on a 1952 Columbia LP) was hismost easy -swinging, as though he and theBSO first -chair players had had a chance towork things out at leisure before the ''mo-ment of truth" with the recording micro-phones. In any event, this Victrola disc isthe first stereo release of those performancesof both the Quintet and the Concerto. In theconcerto, Goodman seems a little less atease, and it would hardly be honest to saythat he and Munch match in nuance andvitality the top three of the dozen or so otherversions listed in the Schwann catalog. Leis-ter-Kubelik and De Peyer-Maag, among oth-ers, are potent competition. D. H.

MOZART-LISZT: Reminiscences of DonGiovanni (see BUSONI)


PALESTRINA: Missa sine nomine (MissaMantovana); Motets: Confitemini Domi-no; Adoremus to Christe; Gloriosi prin.cipes terrae; Alma redemptoris mater; Averegina coelorum; Salve regina; Ave Ma-ria; Sub tuum praesidium; Pueri Hebrae-orum; Surrexit pastor bonus; Haec dies.Imre Kalman (baritone, in Mass intona-tions) ; Female Choir of the Music HighSchool in Gyor, Hungary, Miklos Szabocond. QUALITON LPX 11328 $5.98.

Performance: First-rateRecording: Generally very goodStereo Quality: Fine

A female choir singing music that was in-tended for an all -male chorus? Curious, tosay the least! Yet, if you use your imag-ination, the sound of this absolutely first-rate choir is undoubtedly similar in timbreto what Italian boys (all these works werewritten for high voices) of the sixteenthcentury must have sounded like. And thatsound is far more appropriate to Palestrinathan the pure, white -voiced timbre of thetypical English choir, or, for that matter, theheavy vibrato and muddiness of a present-day Italian chorus. What is so marvelousabout this Hungarian ensemble is not onlyits lack of soupiness, but also the presenceof plenty of spine in the performances; thereis immense clarity, a superb sense of pitch,and an intense, passionate interpretive ap-proach with an ideal understanding of pac-ing and affect. Finally, one can also make outthe words! Concerning the music itself, boththe Mass, commissioned by the Duke ofMontoya, and the eleven motets were corn -

(Continued on page 90)

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A PersuasiveAdvocate

for the Piano'sForgotten Masters:

ARTHURLOESSER

By Eric Salzman

A.TI IOUGH we don't often pay much at-tention to obscure private recordings,

Arthur Loesser's recital titled "Sic TransitGloria Mundi" is impossible to pass overquickly. No one who takes the piano seri-ously-I mean the Pianoforte in all itshistorical splendor as an essential part ofWestern culture in the last two centuries-can afford to miss this record. It is, for onething, a charming collection of faded flow-ers; for another, it is a memorial of a re-markable man. And for a third, it containssome of the most extraordinary piano play-ing it has ever been my pleasure to hear.

Arthur Loesser was born in New Yorkin 1894, made his debut in Berlin in 1913,and was quite prominent in the Twentiesor thereabouts. Later he seems to have dis-appeared into that special limbo that wereserve for artists who pass out of fashion.He became a teacher at the Cleveland In-stitute of Music and later was head of thepiano department of that school. He alsoturned into a witty and trenchant critic (hisfirst review for the Cleveland Press was ofone of his own recitals!), the author of asuperb book titled Mot, Iromen, andPianos, and a kind of eccentric lecturer -re-citalist specializing in ... well, in Dussek,Field, Raff, and friends. O October 29,1967, he gave his first New York recital ina quarter of a century before a large andenthusiastic audience. On January 4 of thisyear, he died suddenly. The record at handis taken from the 1967 recital, and the pro-ceeds from its sale will benefit the ArthurLoesser Memorial Archive of the Inter-national Piano Library.

Readers of Men, Women, and Pianos areacquainted with a genial and immenselyclever man who had an extraordinary graspof the musical and social history of the past

two centuries. Not surprisingly, this recordis a compendium of rare and fascinatingmusic by once revered and now forgottenmasters (a real discovery: the very modern-

sounding Busoni Sonatina). I was lessprepared for the level of the piano playingitself; the great and famous of musical his-tory have rarely had such persuasive ad-vocacy. The technical feats are astonishingenough-remember, these are portions ofa "live" performance-but the sheer beauty,wit, style, and spirit of the playing must beheard to be believed. A pearly legato, crisparticulation, melting rubato, a perfect senseof timing, ability to lay on the big gesturewithout the least pedantry . . well, that'sfor starters. Loesser was a real master. Isthere more of this stuff around? How aboutthe Hummel and Clementi works played atthe recital but not on this record? What atragedy and what a waste that this manhad not been recording this repertoire forthe last twenty-five years. Anyway, thisrecord is no mere bit of camp, but a musicalexperience not to be missed.

ARTHUR LOESSER: Sic Transit GloriaMundi. Dussek: La Chasse; Field: Noc-turne No. 9; Jensen: Eros, from Erotiken,Op. 44; Rubinstein: Prelude and Fugue,Op. 53; Raff: Rigandon, op. 204, No. 3;Paderewski: Legende, Op. 16, No. 1;Chabrier: Bourrc%e fantasque; Casella:Grazioso-Anti-Grazioso; Busoni: Sona-tina No. 2; Moszkowski: raise, OP. 34;MacDowell: To a 11"ild Rose, Op. 51;Ravina: Etude de Style. Arthur Loesser(piano). INTERNATIONAL PIANO LIBRARYIPL 102 (available by mail from DiscountRecords, 221 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland,Ohio) 56.50.

posed for a choir of equal voices. The Massis certainly a superb example of Pales-trina's skill in this direction, but the motetsshould be taken in smaller doses, no matterhow exquisitely sung. The recording for themost part is very good, the exception beinga certain amount of overmodulation distor-tion whenever the voices rise above a forte.No texts are given. I. K.

PERKINS: Music for Thirteen Players;Caprice (see SHAPEY)

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Russian EasterOverture (see KHACHATURIAN)

SCHUBERT: Eighteen Songs. Beim lriude;Der f tingling an der Quelle; An eine Quelle;An die unterg hende Sonn,; Geheimnis: AnFranz Schubert; An die Laute; An mein Kla-tier; Trost im Liebe; Die Ginter Griechen-hinds; Die ersie Liebe; Dna Rosen band;Sprache der Liebe; rersunken; An dieEat( crate; Heimliches Lieben; An dieNachtigall; Von Mitleiden Marine; Epistel.Werner Krenn (tenor); Gerald Moore (pi-ano). LONDON OS 26063 $5.9S.

Performance: EngagingRecording: GoodStereo Quality: Good

These eighteen Schubert songs are all eitherlittle-known or virtually unknown-severalof them are recorded for the first time here.Among the more rarely heard items are somebeauties, particularly Der pingling an derQueue and An die Larne, and at least onetreasure-Hein/I/chef Lieben-though in hisexcellent notes Erik Smith accurately pointsout that its lyrics are inferior. For the mostpart, the songs are well suited to WernerKrenn's vocal resources, which are light,lovely, and limited. Meditative and serenade-

like songs are in the majority here, and theyare rendered with endearing tone and taste-ful phrasing. In the more passionate V er-sunken, in which the vocal line is less in-teresting than the excited piano accompani-ment, the tenor seems severely strained. Thesame is true of Episiel, a spoof of a dra-matic concert aria in the style of Beethoven's"Ah. perfido!" that is short on humor andrather unmemorable.

This disc is of rather limited interest, butit has three big pluses: it broadens the scopeof recorded Schubert songs, it acquaints uswith a very attractive recitalist, and it allowsGerald Moore another opportunity to showwhat no man can do better. The warm andfull recorded sound is an added bonus. G. J.

SCHUMANN: Siring Quartet No. 1, inA Minor (see BRAHMS)

SHAPEY: Incantations for Soprano andTen Instruments. PERKINS: Music forThirteen Players; Caprice. Bethany Beards -lee (soprano) ; Easley Blackwood (piano);Contemporary Players of the University ofChicago, Ralph Shapey cond. COMPOSERSRECORDINGS, INC. CRI 323 USD $5.95.

Performance: ExcellentRecording: GoodStereo Quality: Good

Ralph Shape}, is one of the strongest per-sonalities and most individual figures inAmerican music. Long active in the NewYork artistic underground, Shapey estab-

(Continued on page 92)90

STEREO REVIEW

Incomparable ...

Heathkit AR -15 AM -FM Stereo ReceiverDozens of new stereo receivers debut every year and all claim simul-taneous occupation of that singular pinnacle - perfection. Ad-mittedly, some of the very expensive receivers are good . . . at thetime of their introduction. Few manufacturers would have the con-fidence to suggest that the same product still retains its grasp onperfection two years later.

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Heath introduced the AR -15 almost two years ago, and we stilladvertise it as "Incomparable" ... for the simple reason that it stillis. It is so undeniably advanced that others have just recently begunto adopt some of the features Heath innovated two years ago . .

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In the next column are some of the specifications that have madethe Heathkit AR -I5 the world's fastest selling, most highly praisedAM -FM Stereo Receiver in the history of the industry. Every leadingaudio critic, every major electronics editor, leading consumer testinglabs and thousands of owners agree that the AR -I5 represents theultimate available today in a solid-state receiver. Compare thesespecifications with those of other receivers - compare the prices -compare the critical analyses made by the experts. You'll find thatthe Heathkit AR -15 is, in a word, incomparable.

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91

lished himself as a dynamic creative force.If he had been, like many of his friends andcolleagues, a painter producing salable ob-jects of commercial value, he would be asfamous and highly regarded as Pollack orKline or De Kooning. Ironically, since hemoved to Chicago to found and direct theexcellent Contemporary Chamber Players atthe university there, his music has actuallybegun to receive the attention it has long de-served but never got in New York.

Shapey's music is descended from that ofVarese and, to a lesser degree, from that ofhis teacher Stefan Wolpe. Nevertheless itwould be a mistake to dwell on the influ-ences; whatever the sources, Shapey has de-veloped his ideas in a thoroughly distinctiveway. Huge, imaginative sonorous blocks ofsound-no prissy pianissimo modern musichere-are built up in layers of sound andgreat rhythmic and dynamic cycles that re-turn again and again in ever-changing per-mutations and overlappings. The voice-in-cluding syllabic or phonemic sounds-isintegrated into the whole, which builds uptremendous energy charges within its huge,static, non-linear cycles, juxtapositions, andpile-ups. The title Incantations is quite tothe point, for there is a sense of mystery, ofprimeval life-force, in this music which is,nonetheless, highly disciplined through whatShapey calls "ritualistic reiteration." It's animpressive experience, especially in this su-perb performance by Bethany Beardslee-bycommon consent the leading lady of new mu-sic in this country-and the first-class en-semble under the composer's direction.

John MacIvor Perkins was born in St.

Louis in 1935, studied at Harvard and theNew England Conservatory, with NadiaBoulanger, Luigi Dallapiccola, Roberto Ger-hard, and at Brandeis with Arthur Berger,Harold Shapero, and the late Irving Fine.He has taught at the University of Chicagoand is now on the Harvard music faculty.His Music for Thirteen Players is in an ad-vanced serial idiom with an interesting con-structional idea-something to do withchanges in texture and degrees of chaos andorder. Unfortunately these ideas do not seemto quite reveal themselves through the en-ergies of the work itself-at least not afterseveral hearings without a score. The Caprice,which is in a more familiar twelve-toneidiom, has a much clearer dynamic. "Promis-ing" sounds like damning with faint praise,I suppose, but "promise" is what these workssuggest. In any case, they provide remarkableshowcases for the talents of Easley Black-wood-himself a notable Chicago composeras well as prodigious pianist-and the Con-temporary Players under Shapey. Sound isokay. The Caprice, by the way, is not listedon the record label. Take my word for itthat it is on the record. E. S.

SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 4, in A Minor,Op. 63; Tapiola-Tone Poem, Op. 112.Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Lorin Maa-zel cond. LONDON CS 6592 $5.98, ® 6592(71/2) $7.95, ® 86592 $5.95, © 56592$5.95.

SIBELIUS: Symphonies: No. 3, in C Ma-jor, Op. 52; No. 6, in D Minor, Op. 104.Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Lorin Maa-

zel cond. LONDON CS 6591 $5.98, ® 8021(71/2) $7.95.

Performance: Intermittently impressiveRecording: Very fineStereo Quality: Good

Lorin Maazel winds up his traversal of theseven Sibelius symphonies with three of thetoughest nuts to crack-and with the finalorchestral masterpiece, Tapiola, thrown infor good measure. There is no question thatit is the dramatic aspect of Sibelius' musicallanguage to which Maazel responds mostkeenly. His very impressive account of theend movements of the Fourth Symphony be-speak this most eloquently. He is less suc-cessful with the inner movements: the Scher-zo is pushed pretty relentlessly, with no eas-ing of the pace whatever for the flute duet inthirds, and in the slow movement the tempois a hair too fast to achieve the true Largogotten by both Sixten Ehrling and the lateTauno Hannikainen, the latter on a SovietMK disc (where, unhappily, a fine conceptionis marred by less than first-rate orchestralplaying). Maazel does have one thing goingfor him to a greater degree than any of hiscompetitors, and that is superb recordedsound. Given this, and his apparent effort tounravel the many knotty and elusive texturaland accentual details in the development sec-tions of the first and last movements, it iscertain that, as revelation of the actual ma-terial in this score, Maazel's is the bestSibelius Fourth we have at present: Karajanis too fussy; Bernstein sentimentalizes; Wa-tanabe is honest, but lacks a great orchestra.

The Maazel versions of Symphonies 3 and

STEREO

FM

AM0

530 600

Try the Sony station countdown test

0

9 2STF,RLIO REVIEW

6 are bound to raise hackles among the true-blue Sibelians. Both works are in essence

lyrically ruminative, but Maazel tries veryhard to fit them into his dramatic mold. Theresults are graceless and hard -driven. In theThird, Maazel's first movement allows littletime to breathe the fresh Sibelian musicalair. His slow movement seems nervous rath-er than gracefully langorous, but the finalestands up better to his lickety-split approach.

It is daring of Maazel to try to take theSixth Symphony out of the realm of pastel -shaded quasi -chamber music and to attemptto give it a heroic cast. After rehearing therecent Karajan DGG disc, I can almost un-derstand the reading as a violent reaction tothe Austrian's almost painfully over -refinedtreatment. Again I found myself going backto the old Ehrling records (of No. 3 and No.6) and finding them wholly just in tempo,proportioning, dynamics, and textures. Onreconsidering the available stereo recordings,the choice would probably have to be Bern-stein for No. 3 and Maazel for No. 6. TheMaazel reading of Tdpiola, by the way, issplendidly colorful and dramatic, adding tothe worth of the Sibelius Fourth disc. D. H.

STRAUSS: Concerto, in D Minor, forViolin and Orchestra, Op. 8; Burleske. inD Minor, for Piano and Orchestra. CarrollGlenn (violin), Eugene List (piano), Vi-enna State Opera Orchestra, Kurt List cond.ODYSSEY 32 16 0312 $2.98.

Performance: ExcellentRecording. GoodStereo Quality. Very good

111 -co NN.

An important set of his seldom -heard works

A Richard Strauss Violin Concerto? Yes, in-deed. Written while the composer was stillin his teens, this is very definitely early

Strauss of the kind usually described as

Brahmsian. Actually, it is closer to somemore facile composer such as Max Bruch oreven NIendelssohn. It was, in its day, not anentirely unknown work, and it is certainly apleasing, pretty thing with a Biedermeterlast movement that can only be described ascharming camp. One would think that vio-

linists would certainly have picked it up.This is, however, billed as a first stereo re-cording, and, since it is an excellent job allaround, it should commend itself to loversof rich German -Austrian pastry.

The slightly later Burlest e, still Strauss'best-known early work, was written for vonBillow. who called it unplayable. The work,in contrast to the light and romantic ViolinConcerto, is in the full, late -RomanticBrahmsian mode, a grave and serioso sort ofBurlesi,e. It might benefit from a bit moreintensity and Romantic high style, particu-larly in the orchestral music. Still, this is agood performance, reasonably well recorded,and a good match for the concerto. Inciden-tally, Miss Glenn is Mrs. Eugene List, butKurt List, the conductor and formerly a pro-ducer for Westminster Records, is no rela-tion to them. E. S.

VERDI-LISZT: Reminiscences of SimonBoccanegra (see BUSONI)

WOLF: Italian Serenade; Penthesilea;Mignon; Gebet; Nene Liebe; IVO find ichTrost; Ilarfenspieler 1,11 & III; Promethe-us; Der Feuerreiier. Evelyn Lear (so-prano); Thomas Stewart (baritone) ; Vien-na Jeulesse Chorus, Vienna Symphony, OttoGerdes cond. DEurscne GRAMAIOPI139426/7 two discs $11.96, Et' 9427 (71A)$11.95.

Performances: PassableRecording: GoodStei-eo Quality: Good

(0,Wintrci /id 96)

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5 M

AUGUST 1969CIRCLE NO. 50 ON READER SERVICE CARD ,3

The ContemporaryChamber Ensemble,

Arthur Weisbergconductor.

NONESUCH'S "SPECTRUM: NEW AMERICAN MUSIC"

By William Flanagan

A.THOUGH I expect the statement willseem strange, and perhaps contra-

dictory, from the writer whose name isattached to this review, Nonesuch's newthree -record series (each available sepa-rately) called "Spectrum: New AmericanMusic" is an extremely valuable, carefullychosen, high -quality documentation of anera of American musical composition, be-ginning about 1950, that was dominatedby a "school" variously labeled post-Web-ernism, Total -Organization, neo-serialism,of something else more or less peripheral-a school the power of which eventuallyeffected all but total usurpation of themusic Establishment. By conceding the val-ue of Nonesuch's project, I retract in noessential way my previous evaluation of, orimpatience with, this long era. But I sensethat this era is now drawing to a close, andNonesuch's meaningfully varied survey-one that shrewdly presents us with someof the more gifted composers who repre-sent the period and its aesthetic-seemsalmost to be marking a turning point (whoknows of what sort?) by means of an early"retrospective."

My own feelings about the music of thepostwar decades are by now perhaps mel-lower than formerly, but I have alwaysheld that, from its early resurgence in themid -Forties, post-Webernism (and its tech-nical -stylistic bedmates) was not in anyreal sense "new" because its revolutionarytechnical basis was devised and refined byArnold Schonberg during the era followingWorld War I. I have likewise always held(I watched it happen in the decades of myown youth) that almost any movement thatpresented itself as uncompromisingly"avante-garde" would, as it now has in fact,eventually become the Establishment. I

have complained that the innate complexityof the musical techniques of this move-ment is by no means suited to many of thegenuine talents employing them, talentsthat have either agonized to the point ofdropping out, been wasted by misdirecteduse, or simply produced machine -madepieces each of which is indistinguishablefrom the others. Furthermore, I persist inthe conviction that, for better or worse, theanything -goes level of dissonance satura-tion, and the formula of organization thatcan be learned and mastered by any intel-

ligent man who chooses to, have let a fewersatz talents far enough into the innercircle for them to be rewarded with un-deserved fame and recognition.

Finally, it is a personal belief of minethat, in spite of the fact that many beauti-ful works have come out of what I think ofas this "radical academicism," few amongeven the best of them will ever gain widepublic acceptance (I obviously cannot provethis). And although I simply consider itpar for the contemporary musical coursethat the general public, according to theperiodic statements of a critic for an in-fluential New York daily, "couldn't careless," I view with alarm the fact that thecreme de la creme of the intellectual com-munity and practitioners of music's sisterarts, with but few exceptions, are possessedof an ignorance of what our "serious" com-posers are doing that can be explainedonly by exasperated indifference. For them,the New Music is the Beatles or Blood,Sweat and Tears.

If I have summarized at length my feel-ings about the American compositionalscene at the calculated risk of repeatingmyself, it is only because I feel that reitera-tion of them will give point to the admiringappraisal of Nonesuch's "Spectrum" serieswhich follows. Although many of the com-posers' names, as befits the musical climateof the times, are by no means well knownto the public, there is no questioning theinnate musicality and talent of any of thoserepresented. Furthermore, no composer herestrikes me as having gotten into excessivelydeep water through his choice of complexchromatic, organizational, and rhythmictechniques as devices for self-expression.Nor is there one who gives the unmistak-able impression that he has used such tech-niques because they are (or were) the InThing, whether or not they were right forhim.

Finally, the particular "point" Nonesuchhas made by its selection of musical ma-terial may be by way of a refutation-tosome degree, at least-of the ever so fre-quently heard complaint that all musiccommitted to total chromatic dissonance ofa scrupulously anti -tonal nature-orga-nized by serial des ices or any other-willbe inescapably self -resembling, and ulti-mately as lacking in tension and contrast

as music that allows no chromaticism ordissonance whatever. Although the musicrecorded here is all to a greater or lesserdegree of the same school, I have no senseof simply hearing different versions of thesame piece: indeed, Nonesuch's inclusivetitle for the series suggests that, instead ofgiving us a musical survey, it is illustrat-ing the breadth of expressive, textural, andother possibilities within the framework ofa school often repudiated for its very in-ability to achieve such breadth.

BUT (at last) to the music itself. The.composers represented encompass an agespan from Stefan Wolpe (b. 1902) to Jo-seph Schwantner (b. 1943). Some of theworks are both "conservative" and humanis-tic, and some are tough and demanding,yet all are roughly of the same generalschool. It is not surprising to me to findthat one of the most relaxed, expressive,"coloristic," yet personal works is that byFredric Myrow (b. 1934). Like the onlyother vocal work on the program, SeymourShifrin's Satin's of Circum,lance, Myrow'sSongs from the Japanese are composed ina technically demanding but compensating-ly grateful lyrical vocal style. Finding per-formers adequate to highly chromatic -dis-sonant vocal music was for a long time anextremely knotty problem for its typicalcomposers. As such extensions of instru-mental possibilities usually are, this prob-lem has been solved by the developmentof a new kind of performer. Both sopranoPhyllis Bryn-Julson, in the sensitive My -

row settings, and mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani, in the elegantly crafted, some-what bolder and more assertive ThomasHardy settings by Shifrin (b. 1926), excelin music of this sort; they take the bigskips with complete ease, and by adoptinga rather thin "white" tone rather than themore traditional, voluminous kind, theycreate paradoxically a lyrical, expressive ef-fect, because the pitches of the angular,fragmented lines emerge as melodic dis-placements rather than as unrelated hoot-ings. The Shifrin and the Myrow works(the latter's expressive ambiance is per-sonally a more sympathetic one) give methe impression of being the freshest, mostinventive pieces of the series. At the riskof offending their composers, I will stateas a fact that they gave me the most un-complicated pleasure.

Of the purely instrumental works, I

found the comparatively conservative butelegant, sensitive, and expressive Serenatad'e.vtae by George Rochberg (b. 1918) themost rewarding, best proportioned, andmost unmistakably skillful of all. In itsconsiderably more °rein% problematical,and yet (I sense) liberated effect, QuidAre the Mouths of Earth, a long sprawlingwork by Roger Reynolds (b. 1934), is aclose second. Stefan Wolpe's almost per-versely difficult music has managed (ratherlike Milton Babbitt's) to create a reputa-tion that far exceeds either our familiaritywith it or its frequency of performance. Heis, as a result, a sort of poetic hero forthe young "radical" composer. ChamberPiece No. 1, for all the complexities de-scribed in Eric Salzman's sleeve annotationand its impressively hard-hitting refusal toyield to traditional gestures, is in some

)4STEREO REVIEW

curious way the most accessible (or at leastthe most familiar -sounding) music of thelot, even though it was composed in 1964.

Surprisingly enough, almost as if by in-tention, two of the three works of VolumeThree come closest to what experienceleads me to describe as the most predict-ably unpredictable music of the series, thatmusic most likely to be competitive in theoneupmanship of ingenuity on paper. In -centers, by Jacob Druckman (b. 1928), isthe least provocative of all, in spite of thefact that one quite literally squirms in dis-comfort as one senses the so -familiar effectmade by a composer sweating blood tocreate the opposite impression-that ofpristine novelty. Perhaps Druckman's age,which would place his musical origins inan entirely different era, accounts for thefeeling that he has one foot in the tradi-tionalism of the Forties, but hopes by plac-ing the other foot doggedly with the youngradicals to counteract it. This might accounttoo for the impression that the relaxed,comfortable climate of Diaphonia interval -/am by Joseph Schwantner, the youngestcomposer under consideration here, stemsfrom the fact that this is the work of a manwho was literally weaned on this music.Gm/it/en/4..11r (1956) by John Harbison ( b.1938) is a long, self -resembling affair that,like Druckman's piece, lacks any apparentraison d7tre other than its composer's de-sire to do what comes unnaturally: afterthe first few bars of quasi-microtonal parla-ment° instrumental effects, which give waywith no apparent logic to vaguely Stravin-skims rhythmic asymmetries and other half -familiar, half -absorbed sources, the pieceseems to he concerned to do nothing morethan -its own thing." If Salzman's datesare correct, if this piece indeed comes froma boy of eighteen, then both the free -asso-ciative musical continuity and the work'sundeniable precocity are perhaps explainedand made fascinating in themselves.

ALL together, this anthology tells usmuch, both by musical illustration and ex-tra -musical implication, about what hasbeen going on with probably the most pow-erful and influential aesthetic force inAmerican music for approximately twentyyears. Like its product or not, Nonesuchhas once again put an enormously impor-tant package in the retail shops, one thatdeserves the respectful attention of anyonewho wants enlightenment about our nativemusic since World War II.

The performances-I am judging by Ar-thur Weisberg's reputation and what myears and instincts tell me-are quite prob-ably beyond reproach, and the sound is ev-erywhere excellent.

SPECTRUM-NEW AMERICAN MU-SIC. Volume I: Myrow: Songs from theJapanese (Phyllis Bryn -Jolson, soprano).Reynolds: Quick Are the Mouths of Earth.Volume II: Wolpe: Chamber Piece No. 1.Rochberg: Serenaia d' estate. Schifrin: Sa-tires of Circumstance (Jan DeGartani,mezzo-soprano). Volume III: Druckman:Incenters. Schwantner: Diaphonia inter-rallum. Harbison: Confinement. Contem-porary Chamber Ensemble, Arthur Weis-berg cond. NONESUCH H 71219/20/21three discs $2.98 each.

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JGUST 1969CIRCLE NO. 20 OM READER 1 ERVICE CARE'

95

This release is quite literally the record of aHugo Wolf concert given in the Grosser

lusik\ereinsaal in Vienna in September1068. The concert was, one might say, a

simple act of justice from a city that has al-ways treated its best natise talent very badly.The chamber -orchestra Version of the //d/idnScrenadt. and Pen/beti!cd, Wolf's only majororchestral work, deserved a better fate thanthe obscurity in which they here so longlanguished. The orchestrations of the songsimariably are after the piano original; nev-ertheless, they are authentic and importantin the history of the orchestral song, a genrethat is typical of the late Romantic and earlytwentieth-century period. (One song, thecreepy I.),r F(//errtihr, appears in an effec-tive guise for chorus and orchestra.)

The performances do not seem to be takendirectly from the concert; at least, one de-tects an obvious tape splice or two. Neverthe-less, these are by no means highly polishedstudio versions. 'the //alidn ST re//,/./C gets byon vim and vigor, but the long, dense, andsomewhat overwrought Penihexiied-theSiarm nail Dcaa g of the last section finallyoutlasts one listener's stormy -music quo-tient-could have used a tighter, clearer, andbetter balanced interpretation. Similarly, insuch songs as the quiet and introspectiveGbei, the orchestra is up to the mark, butthe magnificent and epic Prome/benc couldbenefit from a stronger performance. 1\ Ir.

and .1\Irs. Stewart do not win me over withthe beauty of their singing, but they givecompetent and musical readings. Indeed the

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album is important enough that one wishesit had all turned out a hit better. Oh, well,the recorded sound is good, and German -

English texts are provided. E. S.

COLLECTIONS

JULIAN BREAM: Classical Guitar.Giuliani: Grand Or,//fir,. 0/t. 61: Sonaia.in C Abior. op. 15 : Allegro. Sor: introduc-tion and Allegro, Op, 14. Diabelli: Sonata,in A Alaior re filed by 1 aliau Bream).Mozart: Lar,;.1),/b, and .1//,,,;r0. K. Anh. 229(edited by 1 /dim/ Bream). Julian Bream(guitar). RCA I.SC 3070 55.98.

Performance: ImpeccableRecording, Extraordinarily goodStereo Quality: Superior

I should he very much surprised if I standsecond to any man in my admiration for theintensity, concentration, virtuosity, and un-erring musicality of Julian Bream's per-formances on the guitar. But if this newest ofhis recorded recitals came as a rather sharpdisappointment to me, it is because evenBream's wizardry is not enough to lure meinto believing that I am listening to music ofquality when my tastes and judgment tell meotherwise.

Since I am by no stretch of the imagina-tion a student of the guitar (I've been re-quired to compose for it a couple of timesand only by the graces of luck and instinctdid I produce anything playable) or its lit-erature, those who are may feel very differ-ently about the material on this program.According to Jack Diether's sleeve commen-tary, Mauro Giuliani, an eighteenth -centuryItalian, contributed significantly to the ad-vancement of the instrument's technical pos-sibilities. This may very well he so. But eventhe impeccably clear and ever natural struc-tural coherence and wide dynamic and color-istic range that Bream brings to the musicdoesn't compensate for the somewhat lessthan second-rate quality of the musical ma-terials themselves.

Fernando Sor, a Spaniard who turned upat around the same period as Giuliani, has,if little else, the natural grace in composingfor the instrument that Spanish composersappear to he born with. Here the actual writ-ing, for the instrument is far enough ahead ofits time for even ms ears to detect. But, likeGiuliani's, at least this particular work ofSor's gives off the uncomfortable and, par-ticularly in the twentieth century, rather bor-ing impression that he seas more concernedwith bow he composed for the instrumentthat :chat he composed for it.

By the time I was ready for the flip sideand the prospect of a long work for guitar byDiabelli and a transcription of two move-ments from Mozart's obscure DivertimentoNo. 2 for Two Clarinets and Bassoon, I wasresigned to the tact that the worst was yet tocome. But, as is not infrequently the case, I

had guessed wrong. The Diabelli may haveits perfunctory pages, but it has a perfectlybeautiful slow second movement whichBream plays with exquisite sensitivity. Fur-thermore, Bream's editing and playing of theMozart excerpts are so magically idiomaticthat only RCA's word for it would have con-vinced me that they hadn't been conceivedfor the instrument.

The guitar repertoire is, of course, any-thing but limitless. And in giving the albumthe inclusive title "Classic Guitar'' I assume

96 STEREO REVIEW

that a joint reference to a style of playing aswell as a period of the instrument's litera-ture was intended. Considering that the gui-tar literature of the eighteenth century is, I

should suppose, the most limited of all, per-haps I have dealt too severely with honorableintentions. Be that as it may, the playing isuniformly superb and RCA's knack for rccording Bream and, in the process, creatingthe impression that he is invisibly present inthe room remains uncanny. W. F.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITPLACID° DOMINGO: Romantic Arias.Handel: Giulio Cesare: Stei.fliateri eel core.Mozart: Don Giotanni: Il mio tesoro. Doni-zetti-Salvi: II Duca d'Allm: Anelo auto ebd. Halevy: La Juite: Rachel, quand rluSeigneur. Verdi: Luisa Miller: Quando lesere al placido. Wagner: Lohengrin: In ler-nem Land. Verdi: Simon Boccanegra: Sentoattampar. Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin:Len ski's Aria. Puccini: Le Vi Torridai felici di. Mascagni: Iris: Apri Lr tun fin,s-tra! Placido Domingo (tenor) ; Royal Phil-harmonic Orchestra, Edward Downescond. RCA LSC 3053 5.9S, (D 128S 1121

Performance: Very goodRecording: Very goodStereo Quality: Good

Opera recitals designed to demonstrate asinger's versatility generally fill me with ap-prehension, since very few singers manageto live up to the challenge. But I must admitin this instance that Placid° Domingo indeedsounds as though he could convincingly per-

SHERRILL MustHeaded for the top of the interna!lonal heap

form all ten roles represented on this disc.He begins most impressively be, executing

the demanding Handel aria with consistentbeauty of tone and clean articulation despitethe inconsiderately fast pace set by conduc-tor Downes. If orchestra and singer are notalways precisely coordinated-and the samething happens in "Il mio tesoro" as well-the fault is not Domingo's. The Italian op-era excerpts come off beautifully, withyouthful passion, nicely spun legato, anda great deal of dynamic and coloristic vari-ety. Domingo's sound is bright and pure; he

is a lyric tenor who sings with ardor butwithout any intrusive mannerisms, and al-ways en pitch. His German in ''In lenient.Land'' is surprisingly good (the role ofLohengrin is in his repertoire). The rallen-tando effect in the line -AlljZihrlich nab/ tomHimmel eine Taube- is interesting, but thescore does not call for it. Although the rare-ly heard serenade from Iris is hardly in-spired Mascagni, the even more esoteric Puc-cini item is quite lovely.

Senor Domingo has come a long way fast,but he deserves his high stature among ten-ors. This is a very fine program, and an ad-venturous one. G. J.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITSHERRILL MILNES: The Baritone Voice.Handel: Jo.chud: 511 M.' Racing namesArise. Rossini: ii illiam Tell: Resta immo-bile. Verdi: immortal tertici;

get t.1.1 la PIM P.ah. Wagner: TinolLiu,cr:0 du mein holder stow. Thomas:Ham/c/: 0 tin, diftipc tristesse. Offen-bach: T 14 tales of Hoffmann: dia-mant. Verdi: La forea Marie!TremLnla coca! Urea fatale. Tchaikovsky:Pique Dame: Prince Y y's Aria. Puc-cini: II Tabarro: Silenzio. Levy:Mourning Becomes Electra: Too weak to killthe man I hate. Sherrill Milnes (baritone);New Philharmonia Orchestra, Anton Goad-agno cond. RCA LSC 3076 S5.98.

Performance: Very impressiveRecording: Very goodStereo Quality: Very good

(Continued on th..vt

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5597 North Elston Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60630CIRCLE NO. 63 ON READER SERVICE CARD98

Each decade of this century has produced atleast one American baritone earmarked forthe top of the international heap, and, fol-lowing upon David Bispham, ClarenceWhitehill, Lawrence Tibbett, and JohnCharles Thomas, Leonard Warren, RobertMerrill, and Cornell MacNeil, the Sixtieshave brought us Sherrill Milnes. This is anunusually imaginative program for a debutrecital, and for the most part it is excep-tionally well performed. Both Verdi ex-cerpts carry authority and excitement, con-firming this artist's demonstrated successwith the music of a baritone's greatest bene-factor. This is the first full recording of thisparticular Attila scene-Igor Gorin's fineversion, issued almost thirty years ago, of-fered only the first portion. He is equallysuccessful with the turbulent II Tabarro ariaand with Tell's moving plea, both seldom-

heard pieces. And the special requirementsof Handel's music do not find him wanting.Elsewhere he is less consistent. The Tales ofHoffmann and Pique Dame excerpts sound ashade tentative, and the Song to the EveningStar, though beautifully Vocalized, lackspoetry. These reservations aside, here is anartist with everything in his favor: a voice offine natural quality, range, and power, aswell as intelligence and, above all, youthand a capacity for growth. Perhaps Milnes'youth explains the impulse to end the Attilascene on a high B-flat-a thrilling note, per-fectly placed; yet one hopes that, as he growsolder, Milnes will find such temptations lessthan irresistible. Good sound, and unexcitingbut satisfactory accompaniments. G. f

NEW YORK PRO MUSICA: Petrucci,First Printer of Music. Ninot le Petit: Elala la; Hayne van Ghizeghem:playne. Josquin des Pres: De tout biensplayne (canon a 2); El grillo; Missa AveMaris Stella. Ghiselin. La Alf onsina. Bru-hier: Latura tu; Compere: Lourdault, lour -daub. Dalza: Pazanna alla veneziana; Salta -relic; Piva. Bossinensis: Recercar and LaudaProcessionale, "Se mai per maraveglia."Rossinus Mantuanus: Un sonar da plea infaschinesco (Lirum bililirum). New YorkPro Musica, John Reeves White director.DECCA DL 79435 $5.98.

Performance: Fine presentationRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: Very good

This is undoubtedly the first time (other thanthrough assorted collections of Attaignantdances) that a disc has been compiled to payhomage to a music printer. Ottaviano deiPetrucci (1466-1539), who worked inVenice, is considered to have been the firstmusic printer, with his invention of work-able type for all musical symbols. Between1501 and 1520 he printed a large selectionof secular and sacred works, vocal and in-strumental, mainly by French and LowCountry composers, but also includingworks by Italian instrumental virtuosos. Ofthe selection presented here, the longest isJosquin's Ave Maris Stella Mass (precededin this performance by the Gregorian Chantversion), a splendid work that contrasts de-lightfully with the gay El grill° by the samecomposer, and the frottola (a secular song)by Rossinus Mantuanus, Lirum bililirum.The Pro Musica is in excellent form in theseas well as in the majority of this well -variedand interesting repertoire. Some of the per-formances have a gentle, lyric quality, as in

the Mass, but at other times-the openingof the first side, for example-the pacesounds rather pushed for effect; surely thePro Musica can makes its point without re-sorting to such streamlined razzle-dazzle.Texts and translations are supplied, and therecorded sound is excellent. I. K.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITFRANCIS PLANTE: The Issued Record-ings. Boccherini-Plante: Minuet. Gluck -Plante: Gavotte. Berlioz-Redon: Serenadede Mephisto. Mendelssohn: Scherzo, Op. 16,No. 2; Songs Without Vords: Op. 19, No.3 (Hunting Song); Op. 67, No. 4 (Spin-ning Song); Op. 67, No. 6 (Serenade): Op.62, No. 6 (Spring Song). Schumann -De-bussy: Am Springbrunnen, Op. 85, No. 9.Schumann: Romances, Op. 28, No. 2, and32, No. 2. Chopin: Etudes: Op. 10, Nos. 4,5, and 7; Op. 25, Nos. 1, 2, 9, and 11.Francis Plante (piano). INTERNATIONALPIANO LIBRARY LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB gIPL 101 $6.00 (with membership in IPLLimited Editions Club) or $10.00 (non-members). Available from InternationalPiano Library, 215 West 91 St., New York,N.Y. 10024.

Performance: Often fascinating historicdocument

Recording: 1929 vintage

Francis Plante was born in 1839, whichmeans that he was ten when Chopin died; hegave his first concerts at eight, was a friendof Liszt, Rossini, Mendelssohn, Moscheles,Thalberg, Anton Rubinstein, and just aboutany musician you might care to mentionwho lived between the mid -nineteenth cen-tury and 1934, which is the year Plante'sdeath at the age of 95. Ask any really seriouscollector of piano discs about Plante, and,chances are he will roll his eyes and mumblesomething about the rarest of the rare.

Plante made a number of recordings in1928, of which all the issued ones (ninediscs) have now been brought together in thepresent limited edition. These were made athis own home in Mont-de-Marsan in France,probably not under optimum conditions.But all of them are of enormous historicalinterest: imagine hearing a pianist play atranscription from Berlioz's Damnation ofFaust, a pianist whom the composer himselfhad heard and praised in this very samepiece.

Yet some of the playing is extremelystrange to our ears, not because it is in someways technically a little rough (Plante wasninety at the time he recorded), but be-cause it is often so wayward, with consider-able distortion of tempos. One wonderswhether this is the way Plante and his con-freres performed in the mid -nineteenth cen-tury, or whether it merely represents the veryfree style he evolved at the end of his life.My guess is the latter. I don't find Plante aparticularly deep interpreter; rather, his is aGallic presentation-highly charming, quitelovely in tone, and often very scintillating.Certainly there are few times when one isaware of the performer's age, and that itselfis an amazing document. All in all, this is anoften fascinating recital that piano collectorswill undoubtedly want to hear. The repro-duction is well managed, considering theage of the source. Details for obtaining thedisc, which is available only on direct mailorder, are given above. I. K.

STEREO REVIEW

Fourteenth in a series ofshort biographical sketches

of our regular staff andcontributing editors, the

"men behind the magazine"-who they are and how they

got that way. In this issue,Contributing Editor

JULIANHIRSCHBy LARRY KLEIN

C EVERA I. years ago, in discussing theS activities of Hirsch -Houck Labora-tories, Julian Hirsch wrote in hisTechnical Talk column: "Other than aconcern for the 'improvement of thebreed' of hi-fi components, we have noax to grind, and we call the shots aswe see them. And with apologies forthe mixed metaphors, we expect tocontinue doing just that." It is justthis independent stance, of course, thathas made his test reports so valuableto readers of STEREO REviEw.

And he is well equipped for "callingthe shots," not only by reason of hisyears of audiophile enthusiasm, butalso by his impressive credentials inelectronic engineering. After graduat-ing from the Cooper Union School ofEngineering with a B.E.E. degree, Julianserved in the 1-.S. Army Signal Corpsas a radar maintenance officer. Since19-17 he has worked in the electronicsindustry in such diverse areas as radarnavigational systems, ultrasonic medi-cal instrumentation, motion -picturesound, and television. At present, be isthe engineering section manager incharge of spectrum analyzer develop-ment for a major manufacturer of elec-tronic equipment.

Julian started testing high-fidelityequipment 'way back in the early1950's. Intrigued by the many claimsof radical improvements in audio com-ponents, he decided to take advantageof the test equipment in the wellequipped laboratory in which he wasthen working to check the claims. Heset up an unofficial after-hours pro-gram in which his own high-fidelitycomponents and tl:ose of his fellowengineers were subjected to a varietyof tests. Some of the equipment livedup to the claims made for it, but otherunits were shockingly deficient. Itquickly became apparent that the av-erage audiophile-or even the engineerwithout access to the appropriate testequipment-had no way of separating

the technical facts from the advertisingfancies of that day.

Accordingly, in 1954, Julian Hirschand three fellow engineers began pub-lishing a newsletter, The Audio LeagueReport. This was an ambitious part-time activity, in which all four sharedthe work of testing, writing, publish-ing, and distribution. The first reportswere made on components owned bythe lab's engineers, their friends, var-ious friends of friends, and so forth.The founders of the Audio Leaguesoon learned, however, that most man-ufacturers were glad to lend units tohe tested, and the scope of the League'swork grew considerably. During thenext three years, the circulation ofThe Audio League Report increased tomore than 5,000, and the small part-time staff found themselves inundatedwith work.

Eventually, it became obvious that ajob of that magnitude could not heconducted on a part-time basis. It wasstrictly a labor of love, and it had beenan instrument of education for thefounders of the Audio League as wellas for the loyal readers of the Report,who had learned to put up with anextremely erratic publishing schedule.But in time the work load became sogreat that the Audio League disbanded.

Julian Hirsch and Gladden Houckpicked up the pieces and formedHirsch -Houck Laboratories in 1957.Houck, a fellow engineer from theAudio League, has worked on the de-velopment of radar and microwavecomponents and is currently involvedin aircraft instrumentation. Together,Hirsch and Houck continued testinghigh-fidelity equipment and writing upthe results-still on a part-time basis-but they decided to leave the head-aches of publication and distribution tofull-time professionals. Their lab re-ports were subsequently published in anumber of magazines, and in Septem-ber 1961 they agreed to take on the

testing program of this magazine.Those are the facts, but what of the

person behind them? Like so manyothers employed in the electronics in-dustry, Julian is also an electronicshobbyist. In addition to his long-stand-ing in audio, he has been anardent amateur radio broadcaster formore than thirty years. The degree ofhis interest can he judged by the factthat he gets up at five o'clock (!) everyweekday morning for the sole purposeof DX'ing and maintaining contactswith other hams. Even his car is

equipped with a high-powered hamTransceiver.

This taste for sunrise semesters onthe ham band may seem somewhatstrange, but the continuing high levelof his enthusiasm for audio is almostincredible. Despite the time and effortinvolved in testing more than fiftyaudio components a year, Julian stillgets excited over any new piece ofequipment that seems to show engi-neering originality or promises excep-tionally good performance. Periodical-ly he calls me at my office and asks meto arrange for a manufacturer to lendhim one component or another so thathe can check it simply for his own in-terest. While he is fascinated with thetheoretical aspects of electronics de-sign, I.e never lets it override his basicconcern with how well a unit does itsjob in practical terms. As one maygather from his test reports, his heartreally goes out to those products thatscore well in both areas.

OF course, Julian has some interestsof a nonelectronic nature. He fol-lows auto racing news closely through-out the season, and he is a frequentspectator at sports car races. And some-how, in addition to all this activity, hehas found the time to be happily mar-ried for twenty-two years. He has twochildren, a fifteen -year -old daughterand a. seventeen -year -old son who oc-cupies some of his spare time playingin a rock band.

Since as Technical Editor of thismagazine I plan STEREO REVIEW'S testprogram, you might say that nominal-ly Julian Hirsch works under my di-rection, but over the years we haveevolved a very free give-and-take rela-tionship. We not only see eye to eye onalmost all technical questions, but wealso-if you'll pardon the expression-usually hear ear to ear. Our parallelopinions can probably be explained bythe fact that we both arrived at ourpresent relationship to the equipmentindustry via the audiophile route. Andto this day, our concerns and our view-points are consciously those of theequipment user rather than the equip-ment manufacturer.

AUGUST 1969 99

the

am lifier

THE CRITICS' CHOICEAMERICAN

recordguide (Larry Zide, in the June, 1968 issue)

"AR has ... given us a product that offers the best possible performance characteristics for the money ... This isa powerhouse of an amplifier ... AR conservatively rates the amplifier at 60 watts per channel into four ohms ...The amplifier will deliver 100 watts per channel +0,-2db over a 20-20,000 Hz range. The inescapable conclusionis that there is more than sufficient power here for any home music systems ... At normal listening levels, theamplifier's distortion is running at or near the residual of my measuring equipment ... We know now that this isa superb product, and that in terms of musical values it is not to be bettered ... I expect that consumers wholisten to music (rather than the knob -twirlers) will run right out to buy one."

HIGH FIDELITY (commenting on test data supplied by CBS Laboratories, February, 1968)

"... After years of rumor and waiting, the AR amplifier finally has appeared. This first electronic product from afirm known up to now for its speakers and turntables is, in our view, an unqualified success, a truly excellent andunimpeachable amplifier, the more outstanding for its comparatively low price vis-a-vis today's market for thetop cream in stereo products." " ... Harmonic distortion was among the lowest ever measured, almostnonmeasurable across most of the audio band. The IM characteristics must be counted as the best we've everseen: again, almost non -measurable up to high power levels ... " " ... Actually, the amplifier has more thanenough power reserves and stability to drive any speakers ... this is one of the quietest amplifiers yetencountered: free of hum and free too of annoying noise pulses that you sometimes hear when turning onsolid-state equipment ... "

II i 11/Stereo Review ("Equipment Test Reports" by Hirsch -Houck Laboratories, March, 1968)

" ... AR states that it is virtually impossible to produce an unnatural sound quality with their tone controls,and we agree. Their unusual effectiveness invites regular use, and although we normally take a dim view of tonecontrols, these are an exception to the rule ... " " ... Our laboratory tests showed that the AR amplifier is ratedwith great conservatism. At 50 watts into 8 ohms, the distortion was under 0.15 per cent over most of thefrequency range, and under 0.26 per cent even at 20 and 20,000 Hz ... IM distortion was of very low proportions.Into 4 -ohm loads, the AR amplifier delivered a staggering 110 watts per channel at the clipping point (about0.5 per cent distortion) ... " " ... it ranks among the very best available... "

The AR amplifier has a suggested retail price of $250. An optional walnut cover is $15 extra.

Acoustic Research Inc.24 Thorndike Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141Overseas Inquiries: Write to AR International at above address

CIRCLE NO. 1 ON READER SERVICE CARD100 STEREO REVIEW

ENTERTAINMENTPOPS JAZZ FILMS TH EATER FOLK SPOKEN WORD

Reviewed by CLIVE BARNES DON HECKMAN PALL KRESH REX REED PETER REILLY

MICHAEL ALLEN: Act One. MichaelAllen (vocals) ; orchestra, Ray Ellis arr. andcond. Never irm I Marry; The More I SeeYou; Side by Side; Don't Blame Me; Any-thing Goer; and six others. LONDON C)PS 544 $4.98, ® 72155 $6.95.

Performance: Blues in the boiteRecording: GoodStereo Quality: Good

I first became aware of Michael Allen inLeonard Sillman's ill-fated 1968 edition of

.New Faces. He impressed me as a sturdysinger with a strong, resonant voice, a flairfor putting a song across on stage, and con-summate good taste. He seems equally athome in the more intimate -boite" setting-creamy-voiced and schmaltzy enough to givea lady at one of the smart New York nightclubs a big thrill when he sings one "justfor her."

Michael Allen looks-Italian? Jewish?Hungarian? Portuguese ?-yet his name isall-American enough, so that any and allethnic groups can claim him for their veryown. His style is reminiscent of JohnnyMathis when Johnny Mathis' style was dis-tinctly Lena Home. His repertoire is safe-only the big, big, old, old standbys (tooold in spots). And to play it even safer, hehas Ray Ellis to watch over everything withear -shattering two -note brass emphatics thatsend the mind reeling back to the old Para-mount days. (On the other side of Ellis'musical coin is a quivering string quartetwhich sounds like the same one that fol-lowed Frank Sinatra around in his old"Close to You" album.)

A promising Never Will I Marry opensthis debut disc, but everything seems ratherpedestrian from then on. It's not-as I'vehinted-that Michael Allen isn't good. It'sjust that he seems stalled in the Sargasso ofa passé musical epoch. It takes a BobbyShort or a Mabel Mercer to add fresh spiceto songs from night-club acts and make themsting. Michael Allen is so young, and all ofthese songs seem so-old? I wonder if heneeds Jimmy Van Heusen and MeredithWillson and all those other ASCAP corner-stone -layers quite as much as he seems tothink he does. As great as they are and al-ways will be, there is such a thing as playingit too safe. R. R.

Explanation of symbols:C) = reel-to-reel tapeC) -= four -track cartridge®= eight -track cartridge© = cassette

Monophonic recordings are indicated bythe symbol ®; all others are stereo

JULIE BUDD: Wild and Wonderful (seeBest of the Month, page 74)

DION: Wonder Where I'm Bound. Dion(vocals) ; orchestra. Southern Train; TheSeventh Son; Farewell; Baby, Plea.re Don'tGo; Now; 900 Miles; and five others. CO-LUMBIA CS 9773 $4.98.

Performance: GoodRecording: GoodStereo Quality: Fair

I have always admired the professionalcourage of Dion. He started out in the first

BOB DYLANPurringly sweet, romantic, apolitical

frenetic days of rock in an act called Dionand the Belmonts, which was slightly bet-ter and certainly no worse than hundredsof other similar acts of the time. Eventuallyhe went out on his own and became a spec-tacular success, singing really mediocre buthighly commercial material. It was at theheight of this success that he suddenly gotfed up with what he was singing and theway he was singing it. He virtually retiredfrom the business to restudy and rethink hisprofessional future. During this time he keptrecording for Columbia, but in a Dylanesquevein which was almost the complete oppo-site of his previous work. Very little of thismaterial was ever released. Now, severalyears later, he has a hit on another label,so, as naturally as spring follows summerand record companies follow charts, Colum-bia is releasing these tracks.

In them he is still obviously groping fora secure style of his own. He often soundsunsure and uneasy, but his basic earnestness

does shine through. His best efforts are ICan't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound,which he does with the Wanderers, andSouthern Train, which he performs by him-self and with a great deal of feeling. Theliner notes, by the way, seem to want to givethe impression that he is a totally new per-former, which, though inaccurate, surelygives Dion the last laugh after all. P. R.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITBOB DYLAN: Nashville Skyline. BobDylan (vocals and guitar) ; Johnny Cash(vocals, on Girl horn the North Countryonly) ; instrumental accompaniment. Girlfront the North Country; Nashville SkylineRag; To Be Alone with You; I Threw It AllAway; Peggy Day; and six others. COLUM-BIA KCS 9825 $5.98, ® MC -1151 (33/4)$7.95, ® 14 -HO -0670 $5.95, ® 18 -HO -0670$7.95.

Performance: Romantic DylanRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: Excellent

A new Dylan recording raises problemssimilar to the appearance of a new Beatlesor Rolling Stones release. That is, it is a state-ment from a performer who has such alegendary reputation that every public utter-ance, musical or otherwise, is read and rereadfor every possible literal and symbolic signif-icance. Potentially, "Nashville Skyline" rep-resents the most controversial change inDylan's musical evolution since his embrac-ing rock in the mid -Sixties. This time, theperplexing elements are Dylan's voice, whichhas suddenly become purringly sweet, andhis new songs, which are apolitical and open-ly romantic.

Since I hate to see any artist judged by asingle outing, I reject the insistence uponendless, and probably pointless, speculationon the relationship between this "new"Dylan and the "old" Dylan. Suffice it to saythat when you have a verbal message to com-municate through music-particularly onethat is concerned with topical ideas-youuse as direct and literal a language as pos-sible. This kind of speech -song style Dylanhas used in the past. When you have aromantic story to tell, you use a singing voice.Quite simply, this sweetly mellow Dylan hassome songs to sing, and most of them, nota-bly Lsy, Lady Lay, Peggy Day (reminiscent ofmid -Forties -name- songs like Linda), To-night I'll Be Staying Here with You, and thecountrified One More Night, are very fineindeed. Dylan's accompaniment, in the Nash-ville tradition, is all a performer could desire.

I was less impressed by his duet withJohnny Cash on Girl from the North Coun-try. Collaborations between super -stars, even

AUGUST 1969 101

ones as ingratiating as Dylan and Cash, tendto slough off quickly into self-indulgence.Neither Cash nor Dylan seems inclined totake the musical lead on Girl, and the re-sults, especially at the close, are very nearlycatastrophic.

That small reservation aside, however, Ican recommend the album quite literally for,as they say, all the family. The kids will findenough of the "old" Dylan to make themhappy; their parents will discover a remark-ably talented young performer whose songsare more familiarly satisfying than they mayhave expected. D. H.

EARTH OPERA: The Great AmericanEagle Tragedy. Earth Opera (vocals andinstrumentals). Home to You; Mad Lydia'sIrtitz; Alfie Finney; Sanctuary from the Law;and four others. ELEKTRA EKS 74038 $4.98,® 4038 (334) $5.95, ® 44038 $5.95, ®84038 $6.95, © 54038 $5.95.

Performance: War is hell!Recording: Give 'em hell!Stereo Quality: What the hell!

Man is a curious animal. Whenever he hasreally bad trouble-which is all the time-he insists on singing about it. Through theages he has expressed his discontents vari-ously, from John Brown's Body to Brother,Can You Spare a Dime? Unfortunately (forme) today's protests-tomorrow's "clas-sics"?-are all about draft -dodgers and day-trippers. Why couldn't this have been thetime when the blues were born? Think howkicky it would be to open a new album writ-ten by an unknown named W. C. Handy.Would he, I wonder, also protest too much?I think today's crop of lamenters do, andthen there are also all those electrified in-

to contend with.But to get back to Earth Opera, a group

dedicated to the proposition that all men arecreated equal except those of draft age (thelatter should all escape to Canada the beau-tiful). They call this opus "The Great Amer-ican Eagle Tragedy," but it's more than thebird they bring down. They manage tobring down the whole shebang of Americanhistory, even the wars we were proud tofight ! The lyrics are shrouded in symbolism.Allusion to a widow bearing thirteen blackroses (our revolution did involve thirteenstates, right ?) is one of the more understand-able lines. I also heard "it was the same inForty-one." But, no, it wasn't the same inForty-one, Earth Opera, not when we werefighting to save ourselves and others fromfascist domination and slavery.

Both the title and cover art indicate ascathing attack on the current American wayof life, including police brutality and ourpenchant for making war. But I can't findany true musical or lyrical irony here thathas what it takes to bite. Earth Opera's wayis rather a whine that borders on petulance,and frankly, though their complaint may bevalid, it is also tedious. Musically, Earth Op-era is occasionally diverting. The opener,Home to You, is a standard country-and-western tune highlighted with maracas. Themaraca shaker doesn't get credit and he's verygood. Then, in Mad Lydia's Iraftz (she wasthe one with the roses), there is a distinctflamenco influence. It's all very delicate andwell done. The gentleman singing the soloeffects a fine falsetto and-well, that couldbe one way to escape the draft, too. AlfieFinne) is an anachronism. It doesn't belongin this collection's scheme of things, but

since it's the only song written by Paul Dil-lon, I guess they threw it in just to make himhappy. You know, peace at any price.

The title song is a drum -roll dirge com-plete with sounds of bullets popping amidscreaming guitars. Do these clowns knowhow often they sound like a regiment of bag-pipers running out of breath? A noisy pen-ultimate piece is titled Roast Beef Love,which leads to the finale, It's Lore. Only itain't. It's just another Earth Opera kretch.

R. R.

THE 5th DIMENSION: The Age ofAquarius (see Best of the Month, page 73)

CLARE FISCHER: Thesaurus. Clare Fisch-er Big Band (instrumentals). The Duke;Miles Behind; Calamus; Lennie's Pennies;

CLARE. FISCHER

Bone -rattling by a nonpareil orchestrator

and four others. An.AN-ric SD 1520 $5.98,C) 1520 $7.95.

Performance: No challenge for FischerRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: Excellent

Clare Fischer is a nonpareil orchestrator andan articulate and thoroughly original pianist.For this outing he has assembled a groupof excellent West -Coast musicians and pro-vided them with a book of arrangementsthat could serve as a primer for the studentorchestrator. Virtually every major big -bandstyle, from Ellington to Basie, with a feworiginal stops in between (as in the effectiverendering of Lennie Tristano's Lennie'sPennies), is represented.

Yet the music leaves me with a surpris-ingly disquieted feeling. Broken up into itscomponents, it is undeniably effective. Inspots-the marvelous solos by the underrat-ed tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, for ex-ample-everything works. But the feelingpersists that Fischer is rattling the bonesin the closet, expending an inordinate amountof energy and talent on an undertaking thatcould hardly be expected to produce resultsthat justified the effort. I don't know howmuch scoring, by the way, Fischer is doingfor pop and rock groups, but he certainlyshould be heard from in that area. It wouldbe interesting to hear him in a musical situa-tion that offered the kind of freedom and mo-

tivation allowed Van Dyke Parks in his"Song Cycle" album for Warner Brothers.Fischer's talent is just too large to be trickedout in big -band rewrites. D. H.

PETE FOUNTAIN: Those Were the Days.Pete Fountain (clarinet); instrumental ac-companiment. Dear World; Wichita Line-man; Those 1Vere the Days; Cycles; Califor-nia Summer; On the South Side of Chicago;and five others. CORAL CRL 7 57505 $4.98,C) 6 57505 $6.95, 73 57504 $5.95.

Performance: EasyRecording: FineStereo Quality: Okay

Life should always be a fountain-a PeteFountain. Next to Angela Lansbury singingDear World, I like Pete Fountain tooting it.Old-fashioned? Schmaltzy? I don't deny it.But there are times when the hour is late,tired, and frazzled-and this soft -soundinginstrumentalist is the perfect panacea. forExcedrin headache #1001.

Pete Fountain is a clarinetist who won'triff any waves in life's musical puddle. Anearth shaker he is not. But like those tur-baned zombies who flute cobras out of bas-kets, he can hypnotize me into a state of near-

Nirvana. He is especially effective in thislatest release, tootling around with today'sbig hit songs. This is the era of the vo-calist, and with vocalists you have to havewords. Words, words, words. The currentcrop of words became pretty banal after theseven -hundredth playing-Wichita Line-man, Cycles, and Those 1Vere the Dap, forinstance. Everybody is busy just wearingthem out! So it's a distinct pleasure to hearthe familiar music sans lyrics. Those !Foethe Days is a delightful background rendi-tion you can sing along with while you work.

I expect the most severe criticism of PeteFountain lies in the fact that he is limited tobeing just a background musician. Oh well,someone has to keep the vice-presidents atMuzak happy and well-fed. R. R.

4 SEASONS: Genuine Imitation Life Ga-zette. 4 Seasons (vocals and instrumentals).Mrs. Stately's Garden; Saturday's Father;Somebody's on Her Mind; Look Up, LookOver; Wall Street Village Day; Idaho; Soulof a Wonzan; and three others. PHILIPS PHS600290 $4.98, ® 6290 (33/4) $5.95, ®PC4 600290 $5.95, C) PC8 600290 $6.95,© PCR4 600290 $5.95.

Performance: CommercialRecording:ThunderousStereo Quality: Pronounced

This is a straight commercial effort to emu-late the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album. Soni-cally there is enough going on here to keepDonovan's brain at a boil for a year; artisti-cally, it is pretty thin stuff. The packaging istruly incredible-if that is the word. First,one must plow through six cardboard sheetsmaking up the album notes, a facsimile ofsomething called The Genuine ImitationLife Gazette, in which, buried at randomplaces throughout, are the lyrics of the songs.Enclosed, but not attached, is yet anothereight -page color supplement which showsrather bleary pictures of the good life thatthe 4 Seasons' recording success has broughtthem; two pages of color comics; advertise-ments for fictitious movies; and a supposed-ly funny fake supermarket ad ("Elvis Pars-ley 79r ). I'm not kidding when I tell youthat for some time I could not find the rec-

102 STEREO REVIEW

ord itself. I had to flex the album severaltimes to discover if indeed there was a discburied somewhere in all this.

There was, and it is often as trivial andoverblown as the packaging. Mrs. Stately'sGarden, for instance, is a try at an EleanorRigby kind of quiet desperation, but it col-lapses under the weight of its pretentiousand empty lyrics. American Crucifixion Res-urrection is six minutes of crashes, booms,whirling voices, sound effects, and enoughgeneral noise for a month, rather than anight, on Bald Mountain. A supposed put-on, Idaho, is so witless that you are turnedoff by the third or fourth line.

I have a feeling this album might be enter-taining to the sub -teen group, since it is com-mercializing material that in its originalform might be a little too complex for them.For everyone else, I don't see how it couldfail to pall after a single hearing. P. R.

TIM HARDIN: Tim Hardin 4. Tim Har-din (vocals and guitar); instrumental accom-paniment. Airmobile; Whiskey, Whiskey;Seventh Son; How Long; Danville Dame;and six others. VERVE/FORECAST FTS 306454.98, C) 83064 $6.95.

TIM HARDIN: Suite for Susan Mooreand Damion. Tim Hardin (vocals, guitar,and keyboards) ; instrumental accompani-ment. Implication I: First Love Song; Every-thing Good Become More True; ImplicationII: Question of Birth; Once -Touched byFlame; Last Sweet Moments; and five oth-ers. COLUMBIA CS 9787 54.98, HC 1178(33/4) $6.98, C) 18100710 $6.98.

Performance: Verve "live,"Columbia quietly at home

Recording: Very good for Columbia,fair for Verve

Stereo Quality: Very good on both

Contrasting facets of Tim Hardin's complexmusical personality are revealingly por-trayed in these two recent issues. The Vervedisc apparently finishes the material from aHardin concert which took place in April1968. The first set from the program, alreadyreleased under the title "Tim Hardin 3, Livein Concert," was a stunningly performedcollection of familiar Hardin originals; theworks included here are less interesting, andtheir quality varies considerably.

The Columbia disc was recorded at Har-din's home in Woodstock, New York. In or-der to do so, virtually an entire recordingstudio, along with a huge collection of rent-ed instruments and electronics, was movedto that upstate New York town. Two musi-cians are present on both dates: the superbdrummer Donald McDonald and WarrenBernhardt, one of the most versatile key-board players I've ever heard. The Colum-bia disc, in addition, includes some playerswho, although not so identified, appear tobe sidemen in the Paul Butterfield BluesBand. Butterfield, also not identified, presum-ably plays the harmonica backgrounds thatappear from time to time. (Strangely, theVerve disc also includes some harmonicawork, although I don't recall that a playerwas present when I heard the concert fromwhich the recording was made. Curiouserand curiouser.)

Once past the similarities in personnel, thedifferences between the two recordings beginto mount up. The concert disc represents Har-din at his outgoing musical finest-subject to

the strains and tensions of an enthusiasticaudience and provocative accompanying mu-sicians, and responding with musical inven-tion and emotional penetration. The Colum-bia disc is quite different, and consists ofnew songs and spoken extracts from Har-din's poetry. A tribute to the security Har-din has now found in his family, it raises thequestion of the extent to which purely per-sonal emotions can or should be transformedinto the universals of art. Ironically, Har-din's present contentment, satisfying thoughit must be personally, has generated musicthat is melodically and harmonically morecomplex than his earlier songs, but far lessmemorable than the material from his moretroubled days. Pain, after all, may be moreartistically viable than contentment. D. H.


JIMMIE AND VELLA: Heartbeat. Jim-mie and Vella Cameron (vocals and instru-mentals). Well; Hey, Boy, Over There; To-morrow; Yes or No; People Make theWorld; Such a Mystery; and six others.IMPERIAL LP 12419 $4.79.

Performance: Sweet and sassyRecording: GoodStereo Quality: Good

Vella is seventeen, Jimmie is nineteen, andthey make their recording debut in this al-bum complete with a written endorsementfrom James Baldwin, who assures the pur-chaser that "Whosoever will can learn muchof life and love, and himself, and our com-mon history from this performance of ablack brother and sister." I don't know howmuch you'll learn from them about life andhistory, but Jimmie and Vella are certainlyan entertaining pair of singers who can putover a song about love ("Love is everywhere,Charlie," they inform you in one num-ber), or flower -picking, or the hopes of a bet-ter tomorrow with a good deal of saucygrace and no sign of strain. There's a ratherfrenetic opener called Well which tries to bea whole revival meeting, with results moretiresome than infectious, but after thatthings get quieter and proportionately moreingratiating. Except for the objectionablegimmick of including the sound of their ownheartbeats between numbers, they are mod-els of sensitivity and simplicity, and shouldhave a long and lucky career ahead of them.

P. K.

STEVE LAWRENCE AND EYDIE GOR-ME: Real True Lorin'. Steve Lawrence andEydie Gorme (vocals) ; orchestra, MartyManning cond. Real True Lorin'; Can't TakeMy Eyes Off of Me; Never My Lore: Hap-py Together; VIII On By; and six others.RCA LSP 4107 $4.98, C) P8S 1449 $6.95.

Performance: Unseasoned but savoryRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: All tricked up

Music, it seems, may be processed like Amer-ican cheese and the product marketed bymaking a virtue of its very blandness. On thisalbum, RCA has :mported to the Non) suchsalable goods from its warehouse in Nash-ville as Real True Lorin', Never My Love,and other country staples, carefully removedwhatever bucolic redolence remained, andturned them over to Steve and Eydie for ur-ban delivery. Through the miracle of modernengineering, the company has recorded both

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these singers by a method of sound -on -soundthat eventually gives us the soloists as theirown accompanying chorus. The results, sur-prisingly, make for a mild but altogetherpleasant interlude. And since pleasantness isbecoming an ever rarer quality in all aspectsof contemporary life, I find myself moved torecommend the album. P. K.

BAMBI McCORMICK. Bambi McCormick(vocals); orchestra, Harry Betts arr. andcond. Why Can't I Valk Away; I Keep ItHid; Magic Morning; Color Your Daytime;Good Morning New Day; and six others.METROMEDIA MD 1002 $4.98.

Performance: Clean, wholesome funRecording: Could be betterStereo Quality: Okay

Bambi is a belter in the best possible sense.She has tremendous power, clarity, andverve. She is obviously well -trained and ac-climated to what is known as the "legit"theater. She is as American as boysenberrypie or a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.She has a fine top to her voice and a far-away bottom (supposedly, her range is 31/2octaves). Bambi can produce a jolt like Shir-ley Jones, then temper it with a sweet soundreminiscent of Dinah Shore (dig a songcalled I Keep It Hid, if you really want tocompare her to Dinah).

Some of the songs on this album are justtoo nowhere to impress me much. Bambineeds better material if she is ever to makemore than a tiny dent in the maddeninglycluttered market. Side one is the worst. Sidetwo is better, with more subtly arranged se-lections-soft, sweet, and better suited toshow off Miss McC. I especially flipped overher beautiful rendition of Bacharach's Know-ing When to Leave. It is so good it shouldsend the girl who sings it in Promises, Prom-ises out for voice lessons.

I think Bambi McCormick is really quite amarvelous singer. She needs a better show-case than this debut album, but don't letthat deter you. Listen and enjoy. R. R.

MC5: Kick Out the Jams. MC5 (vocalsand instrumentals). Ramblin' Rose; KickOut the Jams; Come Together; Rocket Re-ducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa) ; andfour others. ELEKTRA EKS 74042 $5 98, 044042 $5.95, ® 84042 $6.95, © 54042$5.95.

Performance: Rock call for revolutionRecording: OkayStereo Quality: Very good

Can revolution be propagated and encour-aged by a rock band? MC5, a heralded newhard -rock quintet from Detroit (Motor City5), seems to think so. John Sinclair, creditedwith "guidance" for the MC5, and "Ministerof Information" for the "White Panthers,"explains in the liner notes that "the MC5is totally committed to the revolution, as therevolution is totally committed to drivingpeople out of their separate shells and intoeach other's arms."

The practical result of this rhetoric is amusic with an astonishingly high energy lev-el. The group's "live" performances gener-ate an acoustical wattage that must be un-rivaled by anything since Patrick Gilmore'smassed band concerts a century ago. Despitea heroic effort by Elektra, however, MC5'smusical energy becomes a loud, unattrac-tive roar when it is confined to the grooves

of a record. And the excitement of its "live"performances simply disappears.

Because of its political sympathies andthe occasional use of those functionallydescriptive words that the media refer to as"obscenities," MC5 is having some difficul-ties with bookings. If they show up in yourvicinity, however, I suggest you hear thegroup "live." Although it is not a strongmusical ensemble, the usual definitions donot apply, since they are, after all, promotinga form of energy and confrontation ratherthan technical expertise. You may not likethem, but you won't be unaffected, and that'smore than I can say for many rock groups.(Rumor has it, by the way, that this editionof the recording has been replaced by anew pressing which deletes a shouted exple-tive-the word that denotes one who copu-lates with a close female relative. Perhapsour protectors of public morality were con-cerned that MC5 might instigate an Oedi-pal as well as a political revolution.) D. H.

DINAH SHOREBetter than she's ever been

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITMOTHERS OF INVENTION: UncleMeat. Mothers of Invention (instrumentalsand vocals). Uncle Meat; The Voice ofCheese; Nine Types of Industrial Pollution;Zolar Czakl; Dog Breath, in the Year of thePlague; and twenty-two others. BIZARREtwo discs 2024 $7.98, ® P-2024 (71/2)$11.95, ® 8RJ-2024 $12.95.

Performance: Instrumental MothersRecording: Excellent to goodStereo Quality: Very good

Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Inventionhave been working on a film titled (that'sright) "Uncle Meat." According to Zappa,he is $300,000 short of being able to finishit. When, and if, they do, it should be one ofthe more remarkable neighborhood -theaterevents of the season. In the meantime, he hasreleased this two -record set of what is pre-sumably to be the soundtrack (along with anenclosed booklet of pictures, music, andscenario). It showcases a vocally subduedcollection of Mothers who put their instru-mental talents on the line in a series of long,rambling, sometimes good and sometimesnot so good but always interesting impro-visations. The use of various kinds of distor-tion pre -amplifiers on the wind instruments

CIRCLE NO. 54 ON READER SERVICE CARD1114 STEREO REVIEW

introduces fascinating special effects intootherwise fairly pedestrian jazz solos. Butthe real talent is Zappa's. He writes like adream, dipping in and out of a myriad ofmusical styles-avant-garde "classical," jazz,Fifties rock, and doubtless anything else thatcomes into his admittedly strange head. Allin all, it is a superb performance, musicallyand instrumentally, from a young composerwho is surely one of the major musical talentsof the decade. So don't wait for the movie;try "Uncle Meat" (somehow, that doesn'tsound quite right) now. D. II.


DINAH SHORE: Country Feelite. DinahShore (vocals) ; orchestra. Back in the Race;ail on My Mind; Tear Time; Baby; LittleGreen Apples; Rocky Top; and five others.DECCA DL 75094 $4.79, ® 6-5094 $6.95,© 73-5094 $5.95.

Performance: SuperlativesRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: Good

Bill Williams, in a set of somewhat monu-mental liner notes, has written up DinahShore's return to her hometown of Nash-ville rather in the manner of a romanticnovelist: "There is always a little somethingin the air, a quickening of the pace, an in-tangible excitement when Dinah is around,but this time there was a little more. Shehad come home to record."

There has always been something aboutMiss Shore's best work that brings out ex-cesses in anyone trying to praise it. Year inand year out she has produced an astonishingvariety of really fine albums on Victor, Capi-tol, and now Decca. Though her work ontelevision was often a bit heavy-handed andoverproduced (toward the end her clothesbecame so elaborate and so obviously ex-pensive that the camera took to fondling themrather than concentrating on her perfor-mances), I have always found her on rec-ords and in personal appearances to be asinger of exquisite taste both in the selec-tion and the delivery of her material. Shealso has a gift for making even the mostcomplicated or dramatic lyric fit into theessential musical whole-she is a truly mu-sical singer who I doubt could sing an uglyphrase or bend a note out of shape if shewanted to. In the last ten years her workhas grown steadily in maturity, depth, andfeeling so that today she is better than shehas ever been. (The result of this is, ofcourse, that she doesn't sell so many recordsany more.)

"Country Feelin' " is Miss Shore's genu-flection to country-and-western music, and itis pure delight. First off, there is her naturalfeel for the cadence of country -music lyricswhich is, not surprisingly, made even moreeffective by her slight Southern accent. Thenthere is her voice, always an instrument ofrather sweet -sad beauty, but this time withan edge of heartiness in it. Finally, there isher skill in getting words and music to-gether in such a way as to give the material(a lot of it not really worthy of her) morethe sound of an authentic ballad than Nash-ville hackwork. With Pen in Hand, for in-stance, is really a godawful song, but MissShore's handling of it is so light, so adept,so modulated and correctly restrained, thatfor once I could not only bear it but almostenjoy it. Rocky Top, in which she supplies

AUGUST 1969

her own harmony through overdubbing, isanother example of how to triumph withoutreally seeming to be trying. My own favoritehere is her reading of Eril on My Mind, asong I always thought genuinely comic any-way, which Miss Shore delivers in a dead-pan, flat-footed way that is hilarious. And ifyou thought you couldn't bear another re-cording of Little Green Apples, try the oneincluded here.

As good as this album is and as refreshingas it is to hear Miss Shore have some simplefun with rather witless material, it alsoseems a bit of a waste. If I were a recordcompany I'd lock her in a recording studioand ask her to sing every song she knowsand likes. The album might not sell in thehundreds of thousands, but at least it wouldbe there. There are not enough singerslike her around to risk not having anythingshe wants to do recorded for future studyand pleasure. P. R.

STONEPILLOW: Eleazar's Circus. Stone -pillow (vocals and instrumentals). Trani--cow/Ilona/ Depress; There's Goo,' NewsTonight; Green George; Strange Times;Coat of Many Colors; and four others. LON-DON SP 44123 55.98, ® 74123 (71/2) $7.95,C) 14123 $6.95, © 84123 $5.95.

Performance: Whimsical worship serviceRecording: SuperbStereo Quality: With it

The group that calls itself Stonepillow hascome up with a simple solution to the fa-miliar problem of how to understand thewords rock groups mumble nowadays: a

complete text is included. They are ratherclever words, dealing with the Transcon-tinental Depress rushing across the twentiethcentury and such up-to-the-minute revisionsas this for the family of Mother Goose:Bo Peep's on the needle, her sheep's

teaching school,Miss Muffet's adrift in Peru,Jack Homer's sick with a touch of ptomaine.Where are you, Little Boy Blue?As you can see, nobody is going to pull thewool over this outfit's eyes. Their attitude isthat of a mod Alice adrift in a surrealistWonderland. To reassure the ConfrontationGeneration, however, the surrealism is de-livered with several messages appended.Coat of Many Colors describes a Joseph'scoat of "turquoise, blue, and cinnamon;"but is careful to include "a touch of whitefor love of humanity." In Eleazar's Circus,which makes up the elaborate finale of thisconcert, the whimsy of a tigress weepingover her lost love for a peanut vendor, andof a contortionist "tied up in a complicatedknot," is balanced with careful calculationby allusions to a barker who has "sold hisheart for cash" and a Biblical reference toAbsalom, the son of David-not to mentionthe prophet Eleazar. The music for thesesongs, which are credited to Lor Crane andJay Zimmet, is neither as sly nor as ingeni-ous as the words, but it's pretty dashing stuff,too, and displays a great deal of skill inboth arrangement and performance. All inall, quite a circus. P. K.


AL WILSON: Searching for the Dolphins.Al Wilson (vocals and instrumentals). TheDolphins; By the Time I Get to Phoenix; IStand Accused ; Summer Rain; Do What You

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CIRCLE NO. 16 ON READER SERVICE CARD106

Gotta Do; Poor Side of Tone; This Guy'sin Love with You; and four others. SOULCITY SCS 92006 $4.9S.

Performance: Good easy listeningRecording: Something for everybodyStereo Quality: Fine

Everything about "Searching for the Dol-phins" reveals professionalism and taste.The repertoire is impeccable, and Al Wilsondoes justice to each and every song on bothsides. This is a record you can mix in a pileand love both sides of. The arrangements aregreat, with good use of a thundering organand a hard but inventive drum beat, lots ofgood gospel piano, and an occasional sweepof strings and full orchestra to complete thecontrasts. Mr. Wilson is an articulate singer-his lyrics are gratefully understandableand honestly interpreted. His only fault isa somewhat shaky bottom to his vocal range.I enjoyed every song on this record, andrecommend it to anyone who enjoys rockslightly softened and ever gentle on the ear.

R. R.


JOHNNY WINTER. Johnny Winter (vo-cals and guitar) ; orchestra. I'm Yours andPm Hers; Dallas; Mean Mistreater; BackDoor Friend; When You Got a Good Friend;and four others. COLUMBIA CS 9826 $4.98,® HC 1164 (33%) $6.98, C) 14-10-0672$6.98, C) 18-10-0672 $6.98.

Performance: ExcellentRecording: Very goodStereo Quality: Very good

Columbia paid one of the largest advances inrecent years to secure the services of an artistwho until then had been a relatively unknownblues singer, Johnny Winter. On the basis ofthis, his first album, I would guess that theinvestment will pay off. Winter is a veryfine performer indeed, with a gutsy andvivid style and a voice that does pretty muchwhat he wants it to do-that is, it communi-cates a range of emotional colors from deepmagenta to an airy silver. Just listening tohim one would swear that he was a blackman-and a slightly older than middle -ageblack man at that. The cover photo showshim to be moonlight white, and most of themusicians who assist him are also white.When I say that he is good enough to makecolor immaterial, I mean it in the same wayI mean it about Leontyne Price or GraceBumbry in another field of music. He isno mere black impersonator, but a bridgebetween cuffures and a great interpreter inhis own right.

Like many other good artists, Wintermakes his own synthesis of a variety of styles.He has drawn from several sources, but thecompleted performafice is all his own. Thetwo songs here that he has composed him-self (I'm Yours and in Hers and LelandMississippi Blues) struck me as not only hisbest performances but the best songs as well.Everything here is well worth hearing, butit seems to me that Winter's full force comesthrough strongest on his own material.

The album has been beautifully producedwithout sacrificing raw urgency-Winter'sstrongest point-for superficial recording -studio gloss. Winter is already a first-classartist; he should become even more impor-tant as time goes on. I recommend that youget to know him. P. R.

a

a

JAZZ

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITGARY BURTON QUARTET: CountryRoads & Other Places. Gary Burton (vibesand piano) ; Jerry Hahn (guitar) ; SteveSwallow (bass); Roy Haynes (drums).

GARY BURTON

Direct, uncluttered emotional expression

Country Roads; The Green Mountains; Trueor False; Gone, but Forgotten; Ravel Pre-lude; and five others. RCA LSP 4098 $4.98.

Performance: Best Burton in a whileRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: Excellent

This is Gary Burton's best album of recentmemory. His group has finally begun to func-tion like a smooth, well-oiled unit; his ma-terial is a provocative blend of jazz and popstyles; and, most importantly, he has founda way to sublimate his unquestioned techni-cal agility into a direct, uncluttered emotion-al expression. (One of the devices he usesallows him to bend the pitch of his notes-aseeming impossibility on the vibraphone-imparting to them the sliding blues inflec-tions of a pulled guitar string.)

Equally impressive is the interplay betweenbassist Swallow and drummer Haynes. Gui-tarist Jerry Hahn in no way approaches theenormous creativity of Larry Coryell, hispredecessor in the group, but Hahn's moremodest style has an advantage that Coryell'sdid not: easy integration into the group'stotal musical fabric. If I had to make a singlechoice from among Burton's last four or fivealbums, this one would easily win the laurel.

D. H.

GARY McFARLAND: America the Beau-tiful: An Account of its Disappearance.

STEREO REVIEW

ry McFarland (composer) ; various in-imental ensembles. On Thu Site Shall Bected; 80 Miles an Hour Through Beer-? Country; Suburbia --Too Poodles andlactic Jesus; Due to Lack of Interest, To-rrow Has Been Cancelled; If I'm Elected;

Riles for the Promised Land. SKYE SK 879, C) 88 $6.95, © 678 57.95.

Performance: Pop -jazz in disguiseRecording: Very goodStereo Quality: Very good

ang people are challenging the heretoforesistible power of the military -industrialIplex, President Nixon is ready to alto-! billions of dollars to an anti -ballisticBile system that no scientist in the countrylks will work, and the poor are abouthave funds for their programs cut oftan irresponsible Congress. But Gary Mc -land is worried about "commercial in-ds on our country's splendor."Veil, everybody is entitled to his own

but it does seem a bit like tryingfind a large enough band -aid to treat a

of cancer. And I don't exactly see whatct this collection of typical McFarland-es is going to have upon the problemsair pollution and urban sprawl, except,haps, to provide McFarland with suffi-St funds to, as the liners tell us, ".. . joinfrantic race for a green and quiet retreatty from the city's foul air and compound -tensions." Yes, I know it's not complete -'air to blame an artist for the hokey pro-tion that may surround his work, but Ipect the album is pretty much McFar-d's idea. It impresses me as a particularlymsive example of hypocritical exploita-5. (By the way, it has been advertised inious media as "America's First Protestnphony"; no such description appears onalbum.)Dnce past all the fancy trappings, you'llI some warm sunny -day sounds, somey music -machine metaphors, and some

jazz soloing (along with some dull, de-itive string writing). If that's all you'reking for, then stop right here; McFarlandalways been extraordinarily proficient inassembly of a juicy mixture of pop -music

sch.tile problem is that one is always awarethe dominance of style over content. Hekes much of piquantly original instrumen-timbres, catchy rhythm -section figures,a perceptive interrelationship of his in-

nnental riffs to his soloists' styles-andlittle of the development of his already

ht -weight basic material. Of course, if onethinking in terms of pop entertainment,not too bad. But McFarland's recordings,

,ecially when they contain "large" workse this one, have usually been prefaced byroductions made in the hushed tones ac-ded musical masterpieces.Heard as what it really is-a light collec-rl of pop -influenced instrumental jazz-merica the Beautiful" has its entertainingments. It may not have much effect onbeer cans littering the side of the road,

: it should provide McFarland with a few're green, grassy acres. D. H.

CANDY (Dave Grusin). Original -sound-track recording. The Byrds and Steppenwolf(vocals) ; orchestra, Dave Grusin arr. andcond. ABC ABCS OC 9 $5.98, ® 9 (71/2)$7.95, ® 89 $6.95, © 59 $5.95.

Performance: GoodRecording: GoodStereo Quality: Good

Candy, the first of the red-hot teeny-boppers,came to fictional life in Paris in the late1950's, under the aegis of her authors TerrySouthern and Mason Hoffenberg, whenMaurice Girodias published her adventuresin his -Traveller's Companion" series oferotica. Eventually she made her statesideappearance under legit circumstances andimmediately set off a furor about what was,or was not, pornography. Now this endlesslyaccommodating teenager's meetings and cou-plings have been made into a film. I've seenthe film, and it's pretty dreary but also oftenvery funny in a stag -party sort of way. Theworst fault of the film is a pretentious at-tempt to elevate the story with all sorts ofmystical claptrap, and the worst fault of thescore is that it tries to imply the same sortof mumbo jumbo. Both Steppenwolf and theByrds pitch in, trying to give the score alittle authentic life, but unfortunately theGrusin talents are mainly in the straightcommercial groove. A pleasant, but not adistinguished, album. P. R.

. . CAN HEIRONYMUS MERKINEVER FORGET MERCY HUMPPE ANDFIND TRUE HAPPINESS?" (HerbertKretzmer - Anthony Newley). Original -soundtrack recording. Anthony Newley,Joan Collins, Ron Rubin, Stubby Kaye andBruce Forsythe (vocals) ; orchestra. Over-ture; If All The W'orld's a Stage; PiccadillyLily; Oh 11 -hat a Son -of -a -Bitch I Am;Sweet Love Child; Astrological Ballet; Chalkand Cheese; I'm All I Need; and seven oth-ers. KAPP MIS 5509 $5.98.

Performance: For fans onlyRecording: Very goodStereo Quality: Fine

Playboy called this film with the exasperat-ing name "a zany erotobiography that lookslike a Marx Brothers' movie shot in a nudistcamp." That was enough to keep me away,but since the original soundtrack has caughtup with me, I am pleased to report thatAnthony Newley is to be heard throughoutin excellent form braying his own balladswith perhaps more fervor than they deserve.He's at his best in On the Boards, one ofthose inevitable English ditties extolling theold music -hall days ("I'd rather stay in make-up than to wake up as a clerk") and at hisworst trying to put over a paean to the de-lights of narcissism called I'm All I Need-trying to make it sound like another WhatKind of Fool Am I?, which it isn't. In be -

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CIRCLE NO. 40 ON READER SERVICE CARD107GusT 1969

Stereo Reviewtalks to

HOWARDSACKLER

IVE-F117TEFN on a Wednesday after-noon.]: A matinee crowd is pouring

out of New York's Alvin Theatre ontoWest 52nd Street, everybody lookingslightly dazed after the explosive experi-ence of attending a performance of TheGreat 11"bite Hope. A horde of teen-agegirls waits at the stage -door entrance tohail Broadway's newest idol, James EarlJones, who has just put in a gruelingcouple of hours in the dramatic role ofJack Jefferson, the black champ of theboxing ring. Jones will repeat the per-formance, one that won him the 1969Tony Award as Best Actor, this sameevening.

Meanwhile, down a dingy staircase in-side the Alvin, the members of the hugecast come clattering. From their midstsprings the play's author, looking affable(as usual) in rumpled work clothes, hiscurly reddish -blonde hair framing aslightly plump face still tanned from arecent sojourn with his wife and twochildren in Hollywood, his blue eyessparkling and beaming, a cigarette -light-er dangling from a chain around hisneck so he won't lose it. There's going tobe a softball game next day against thecast of the hit musical 1776, and aftermaking sure he'll be included on theteam, Howard Sackler leads the way tothe dressing room of Jane Alexander.She'll be making ready here in a couple ofhours for her nightly ordeals as EleanorBachman, the white girl from Tacomawho throws in her lot with the black-

skinned boxer and is rewarded for herloyalty and courage with an ugly death.Meanwhile, she's lent us the little roomfor a chat.

Sackler got the idea for The GreatWhite Hope when he saw a news photoof Jack Johnson, black heavyweightchampion from 1908 to 1915, flat on his

back in the ring in Havana as challengerJess Willard stood over him watchingthe referee bring his hand down for thecount. Sackler actually started writingthe play in 1964, as a drama of "thedestiny of a man pitted against society"rather than a straight stage biography.It took him about four years to get thescript ready for production. Now he'searning some 8-,000 a week from theBroadway run, has collected 60 per centof a 5550,000 down payment on the filmrights, and has received this country'sthree top prizes for drama. How haswinning the Pulitzer Prize, the TonyAward, and the Drama Critics' CircleAward in rapid succession for his playchanged the life of this thirty -nine -year -

old dynamo?The Brooklyn -born playwright, who

got his education in New York Cityschools and holds a B.A. from BrooklynCollege, but has acquired something ofan English accent during long years inLondon, replied almost laconically:

"I'm too busy to be affected by it. I

was busy before the awards, and I'meven busier now. I spent years polishingthe play and it went through a lot ofchanges from the time of its first perfor-mance at the Arena Theater in Wash-ington to the Broadway opening. NowI've been working on the movie sce-nario, and I can see so many places wherethe play can be tightened, characterssharpened, and lines improved that I in-tend to make these changes in the scriptin time for September, when we startshooting the movie version with JamesEarl Jones, and Yaphet Kotto takes overthe part here. And then there's the recordalbum...."

Of the millions who now recognizeSackler's name as a newly arrived play-wright, only a relative few are aware

that he's been involved in directing thespoken word on discs for many years.He's done more than two hundred al-bums for the Caedmon label, includingHamlet with Paul Scofield, Much Adoabout Nothing with Rex Harrison, 0-).4mo de Bergerac with Ralph Richardson,Romeo and Juliet with Albert Finneyand Claire Bloom, The Glass Menageriewith Montgomery Clift, Julie Harris,Jessica Tandy, and David Wayne-andmany other major works with equallydistinguished artists. Sometimes he haswaited years for the right actor to beavailable for the right role, and he thinksnothing of rehearsing for a recording fordays or even weeks before turning on asingle microphone.

Ionce called Sackler "the Toscanini ofthe spoken word" in these pages, andthere is more than one reason for thecomparison. He favors, for example, abrisk pace and a dry sound for the dramaon records, just as the maestro did formusic. He is finicky to a fault aboutresults. He often supplies his own inci-dental music and personally creates thesound effects. Although he preferred toinvite Edwin Sherin to direct The GreatWhite Hope for the stage (Martin Rittwill direct the movie for Twentieth Cen-tury Fox), Sackler took more than apassing interest in the preparation of itstaut, lightning -swift staging, and he hasboth produced and directed the recordinghimself, re-creating Sherin's productionfor the ear alone. Tetragrammaton Rec-ords, an enterprise run by a companycalled Campbell -Silver -Cosby (the Cosbyis comedian Bill) won this plum by out-bidding all the competition, and the castwas assembled in an old Columbia Studioon West 30th Street for two harrowingdays before the microphone.

1 I0STEREO REVIEW

"We chose the studio because I thoughtit had the dry sound I favor," the author -producer -director recounted, "but whenwe got there it turned out to be so bigthat there was a definite echo which hadto be defeated by putting up baffles ev-erywhere to deaden the sound. This can-celed out the big advantage of the stu-dio's spaciousness, and I was not able toget hold of a certain special single stereomike I have come to love because it willduplicate the direction of every soundthat reaches it. But we strung up a set offive standard stereo mikes, brought overthe key props from the theater and setto work."

With a cast of sixty all being paidregular union rates, Sackler had to go atit faster than is his habit. Fortunately,the performers, then in the midst of theirtriumphant Broadway run, were alreadyin top shape. They were able to get mostof the play on tape in one day, and Sack-ler spent the next working on key sceneswhich involved only the principals.

"I think of the recording medium asbeing somewhere between the stage andmotion pictures," he said. "I like to usethe technique of close-ups. I don't thinkof my listener as being in some orchestraseat, but want w bring him right intothe midst of the action. And that's whatwe've done with this play in transferringit for the phonograph."

Running time of the album's threediscs is slightly over two hours. Eventhough one long speech, cut from thetheater script as unworkable, has beenrestored, this adds up to a bit less timethan it takes on stage: "The pauses that

can be so pregnant in the theater areabsolutely sterile for the ear alone andoften serve only to slow down the feelingof action. We eliminated most of them.I also added sound effects. But only afew-a very few-lines of dialogue hakebeen altered, and those simply for thesake of clarity when you can't see what'sgoing on."

In addition to The Great White Hope,for which the producers are also limber-ing up a national company to take tothe road some time this fall, the play-wright's current preoccupations includeforthcoming productions of his playsMonsieur Robert and A Few Enquiries.Monsieur Robert is about a nobleman onthe order of the Marquis de Sade who"investigates the nature of fantasy byputting on plays which enable him to re-live episodes out of his own life." A FewEnquiries is a set of three one-acters"about what makes any given action hap-pen-about causation." Both will be per-formed by the American ConservatoryTheatre, operated by William Ball inSan Francisco, and are being publishedby the Dial Press, the publishers of TheGreat White Hope as well.

Any more record plans? 'Certainly. Iwant to do Marlowe's Dr. Faustus withPaul Scofield, and I'd like to finish theShakespeare cycle so close to completionat Caedmon-especially Henry VIII (hehas his eye on Ralph Richardson for thepart) and Love's Labour's Lost.

Sackler thinks of himself primarily asa writer, and believes he will always pre-fer the services of others when it comesto directing his own plays: "A good di-

rector will see elements in a script that Ias the author simply overlook." He wantsto go on directing works by others be-cause he regards direction as "a veryserious, very intense game that permitsme to get inside the structure of greatplays, to work with great actors, and toget feeling about theater from thedepths of its nature. Besides, I'm reallywhat you'd call outgoing enough to enjoyimmensely the idea of shared work withothers, especially on a high level of pro-fessional competence."

Iasked Mr. Sackler if he felt at alldiscouraged by the tastes of a world thatawarded the Grammy award to Rod Mc-Kuer. last year in preference to his ownalbum of T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Ca-thedral, which was among the nomineesin the spoken -word category.

"The public for what is worthwhileon spoken -word recording," he replied,"ma) be comparatively small and scat-tered, but it is growing, and as there isincreasing leisure, people are going tolook for ways to fill that time. Ultimate-ly, they will tire of what is slick andeasy and yearn for what is genuine. Andall this time, the real thing will havebeen waiting for them, even as for somany years was the case with seriousmusic. When the breakthrough comes,many thousands-perhaps millions-ofcollectors will be in for some pleasantsurprises."

When that bright day dawns, How-ard Sackler's own contributions in thefield are bound to be among them.

-Paul Krell,

In Howard Sackler's prize-winningplay The Great White Hope,James Earl Jones stars as boxingchampion Jack Jefferson.Above, Jefferson chats with hismistress (Jane Alexander) and histrainer (Jimmy Pelham).At left, in a scene from Act I,a celebration follows one ofJefferson's major victories.

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STEREO TAPECHOPIN: Concerto No. 2, in F Minor,Op. 21; Grand Fantasy on Polish Airs,Op. 13. Artur Rubinstein (piano) ; Phila-delphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy cond.RCA TR3 1002 $6.95, C) RSS 1110 $6.95.

Performance StraightforwardRecording: OkayStereo Quality: OkaySpeed and Playing Time: 33/4 ips; 46'25"

I like Ormandy's hearty, good-natured ap-proach to the orchestral tuttis of this score,although, occasionally, I wish he had notbeen so deferential towards his illustrioussoloist. Rubinstein's playing, while not nearlyso restrained as Ormandy's leadership, is sur-prisingly matter-of-fact; the last movementeven misses something of its accustomedzest. Nevertheless, this is a long way frombeing a stiff or unmusical reading; what itlacks in airiness it makes up in solidity. Ithas a certain clarity and tracery of line thatsuggest that the piece has a good deal morein the way of form than it is usually credited

This is, clearly, music that is closer toHummel than to Rachmaninoff. (Query:what happened to the final tutti of the firstmovement ?)

The Grand Fantasy on Polish NationalAirs, although no great masterpiece, is a

pleasant bonus bon -bon in the quaint styleof the period. Reasonable sound. E. S.

G. GABRIELI: Canzon Septimi Toni No.2; Canzon Duodecimi Toni; Canzon a 12in Echo; Sonata Octat:i Toni; Canzonaper Sonare No. 27; Canzon Quarti Toni;Canzon a 12; Canzona per Sonare No. 28;Sonata Plan' e forte; Canzon Primi Toni;Canzon Septimi Toni No. 1; Canzon NoniToni; Canzona per Sonare No. 2. Phila-delphia Brass Ensemble; Cleveland BrassEnsemble; Chicago Brass Ensemble. COLUM-

BIA MQ 1064 $7.98.

Performance: A bit squareRecording:GorgeousStereo Quality: SuperbSpeed and Playing Time: 71/2 ips; 43'45"

The word "square" used to describe the per-formance here does not apply to the magnifi-cent tone and rhythmic precision of the com-bined brass choirs of three of our majorsymphony orchestras, but rather to the curi-

Explanation of symbols:Q = reel-to-reel tapeC) = four -track cartridgeC) = eight -track cartridgeC) = cassette

Monophonic recordings are indicated bythe symbol C); all others are stereo

Reviewed by DAVID HALL DON HECKMAN IGOR KIPNISPAUL KRESH PETER REILLY ERIC SALZMAN

ous too -perfect atmosphere generated by theplaying. The music itself is shatteringly beau-tiful, the overall acoustic ambiance and stereo"placement" of the antiphonal choirs superb-ly effective. Perhaps the use of modern per-forming editions, with scoring for brass

only rather than mixed winds, strings, andcontinuo heard in more authentically styledperformances, is responsible for the feelingof squareness. Three of the pieces representedhere have also been recorded at San Marcoin Venice by E. Power Biggs, the EdwardTarr Brass Ensemble, and the Gabrieli Con-sort La Fenice (Columbia MS 7142). Com-parative hearings of the Canzon Septimi

CLAUDIO ABBADODeft lightness for the "Little Russian"

Toni No. 2, the Canzon Duodecimi Toni,and the Canzon Noni Toni is both fascinat-ing and instructive. On all other counts, how-ever, this tape would have rated a "SpecialMerit" tag. D. H.

TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 2 in CMinor, Op. 17 ("Little Russian"). NewPhilharmonia Orchestra, Claudio Abbadocond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON DGC 9381$7.95.

Performance: Early, airy TchaikovskyRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: GoodSpeed and Playing Time: 71/2 ips; 59'23"

Tchaikovsky was still just warming up whenhe wrote his Second Symphony, filling it withlittle Ukrainian tunes and lifting a weddingmarch from his discarded opera Undine tosupply a rueful interlude between the in-

gratiating Allegro vivo of the first movementand the rather Mendelssohnian Scherzo. Towrap up the package with a rich and colorfulfinale, as Rimsky-Korsakov prescribed, hechose the folk song The Crane for a seriesof cleverly instrumented variations in themanner of his big ballets to insure a wide-awake audience at the presto close. Exceptfor the opening and singularly expressiveAndante, nowhere does one encounter in thisscore the personal brooding, the introvertedmelancholy that distinguish this composer'smajor symphonic works from the musicalChristmas cookies he baked up betweenmasterpieces. It all goes by rather merrilyand breezily, as though the notes were stillbeing jotted down long after the initialinspiration had flagged, a consciously put -to-gether exercise constructed along conven-tional Russian lines rather than the expres-sion of a musical statement that had to bemade, as in the Fifth or the "Pathetique."This pleasant though not urgent score is

given an appropriate lightness under Ab-bado's deft baton, not as sharp nor as pun-gent as Previn's on its London rival, but morevivacious than most of the half -dozen othersin the catalog. P. K.

COLLECTIONS


BEVERLY SILLS: Bellini and DonizettiHeroines. Bellini: I Capuleti ed i Mon-tecchi Eccomi in beta veste . . . Oh! quantevote; La Sounambula: Care Conzpagne . . .

0:me per me cereno. Donizetti: Linda diChamounix: Ah. lardai troppo ... 0 luce diquest. anima; Lucia di Lammermoor; Reg-nava n.,1 silenzio; Roberto Devereaux: E Sara

quell orribili momenti . . . Viri, ingrato,a lei d'accanto; Rosmonda d'inghilterra:Ancar non giunse . . . Perche non ho delvow). Beverly Sills (soprano) ; Sonja Draks-ler (contralto) ; Vienna Akademie Chours;Vienna Volksoper Orchestra, Jussi JalasCond. WESTMINSTER WTC 7143 $7.95, ®87143 56.95, © 57143 55.95.

Performance: SpectacularRecording: Very goodStereo Quality: FineSpeed and Playing Time: 71/2 ips; 59'43"

The most stunning feature of Beverly Sills'performances here-a feature that perhapsobscures the fact that the singing itself is soartistic-is the coloratura fireworks. BeverlySills sings everything here with such incredi-ble accuracy and pinpoint intonation that onecannot help wondering why her very justifiedsuccess was so late in coming. Hers is not aparticularly colorful voice, and there is sometonal spread near the top of her register,

*-CIRCLE NO. 52 ON READER SERVICE CARD 113

but considering the intelligence of her por-trayals and her spectacular technique, thisrecording ought to be a must for all vocalenthusiasts. The sonic reproduction is veryvivid, but there is some overmodulation dis-tortion on loud vocal climaxes. I imaginethat Westminster provided notes, texts, andtranslations with their disc; unfortunatelythey are not included here. I. K.

ENTERTAINMENT

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITJOSE FELICIANO: Feliciano! Jose Felici-ano (vocals and guitar). California Dream -in'; Light My Fire; In My Life; And I LoveHer; Just a Little Bit of Rain; Sunny; NenaNa Na; and four others. RCA TP3 1002$6.95, P8S 1377 $6.95.

Performance: ExcellentRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: ExcellentSpeed and Playing Time: 33/4 ips; 34'21"

At this point, what is there left to say aboutJose Feliciano? He is one of the best newtalents to come along in pop music in sev-eral years. He is a terrific musician with astyle and a performing manner that are com-pletely his own. The absolute sincerity ofhis work is notable at a time when many per-formers are smothering themselves in ar-rangements, vocal tricks, and gimmicks. Hissuper -hit Light My Fire is included on thistape, but lest you think he is a one -hit artist,listen to what he does with the Lennon -Mc-Cartney In My Life. It is superb. Thoughthe basic inflection of his work is in theSpanish -Latin idiom, he has a fine under-standing of blues and jazz. As an eclecticwith the ability to communicate in almostany style without strain, he is something ofa rarity. No matter how, when, or where youhave an opportunity to listen to this tape, Iknow you will enjoy it. P. R.

DR. JOHN, THE NIGHT TRIPPER:Gris-gris. Dr. John, the Night Tripper (vo-cals and instrumentals). Gris-Geis GumboYa Danse Kalinda Ba Doom; MamaRoux; Danse Flambeaux; and three others.ATCO ATX 234 $5.95, © 523-1 $5.95.

Performance: Surprisingly good Haitianjazz/rock

Recording: Very goodStereo Quality: Very goodSpeed and Playing Time: 33/4 ips; 33'41"

Somebody at Atco (it might even have beenDr. John-whoever he may be) decided tomix some rock/blues/jazz with Caribbeanrhythms and package the whole thing invoodoo mumbo -jumbo. Surprisingly, it re-sults in occasionally interesting music. Dr.John (I'll assume he does the singing) hasa firm rhythmic quality to his style and isparticularly well -supported on several tracksby keening female voices. The instrumentalwork has moments of interest and the tunesare strongly blues -based. Despite the some-times annoying promotional gimmickry ofthe production, this is one worth hearing.

Don H.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERITDIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES:Love Child. Diana Ross and the Supremes(vocals) ; orchestra. Lore Child; Keep an

Eye; Honey Bee; I'll Set You Free; Can'tShake It Loose; and seven others. MOTOWNMTX 670 $5.95.

Performance: GlitteringRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: GoodSpeed and Playing Time: 33/4 ips; 32'34"

Circe Diana Ross and her handmaidens con-tinue to enchant me. Even shown as they arehere in the cover photo (backed into an alleyand decked out in hippie regalia), they stillcome across as swinging birds of paradise.Their performances have always seemed tome to be models of musicality, earthiness,and bubbling wit. This tape is no exception.Just listen to the title song, and you can'thelp but see (or hear) what they are allabout. They have an incredibly life -living,life-giving sound. They are musicians andperformers down to their fingertips, and they

JOSi: FELICIA NOAn eclectic who communicates in many styles

communicate a tremendous joy in their work.Try anything here, the fast-moving Can'tShake It Loose, the insinuating Does YourMama Know About Me?, or the more ro-mantic Honey Bee, and I think you'll findyourself feeling better about the world ingeneral in very short order. Buy this tapeand have a ball. Miss Ross and her cohortsobviously are having one. P. R.

THEATER MUSIC

HAIR (Gerome Ragni-James Rado-GaltMacllermot). Original London -cast record-ing. Paul Nicholas, Vince Edward, OliverTobias, Michael Feast, Peter Straker, Anna-bel Leventon, Linda Kendrick, Marsha Hunt,Sonja Kristina, others (vocals) ; orchestra,Derek Wadsworth cond. Arco ATA 7002$5.95, © 57002 $6.95.

Performance: Woolly but not wildRecording: ExcellentStereo Quality: Most effectiveSpeed and Playing Time: 7Y2 ips; 54'05"

Not counting the proliferation of singlesdrawn from it for discs by almost everybodyin the business, Hair has racked up, amongother distinctions, three complete "original -

cast" recordings in the course of a couple ofyears. The first, an RCA offering of the off-Broadway version, suffers from cuteness and

a kind of anemia that defuses the potentialof its rock -style score. The second, alsofrom RCA, conveys the spunk and freshnessof the Broadway show quite faithfully, andthe tape of it has previously been recom-mended by this listener in these columns.Now comes a tape of the London version.It starts off promisingly with a soft, medita-tive instrumental prelude and bursts exuber-antly into song with the by now familiaropening chorus of Aquarius. As the tapewinds, however --despite crisp engineeringwork and the advantage of the 71/rips speed(RCA's is 33/4)-a certain sweetmeatiness, asubstitution of Half a Sixpence charm forthe lusty, ferocious humor of the Broadwayversion, grows increasingly evident. LindaKendrick's salute to the virtues of air pollu-tion, for example, entirely lacks the sly ironyof Shelley Plimpton's, and the same goes forSonja Kristina's off -base interpretation of thesong about Frank Mills, the motorcycle kidwho captures Miss Plimpton's heart so muchmore convincingly on Broadway. It may beof significance to international relations thatthe number about Manchester, England,where Claude, the hippie, wishes he hadbeen born instead of "slummy, mucky, pol-luted Flushing," has been given a bigger spotin the English production. Then again, it maynot. At any rate, the London cast tries hardand pitches in with much skill and energy,but the results sound strained, overanxiousto please, and just a little alien to the properidiom of Hair. P. K.


OLIVER! (Lionel Bart). Original -sound-track recording. Ron Moody, Oliver Reed,Harry Secombe, Shani Wallis, Mark Lester,Jack Wild, others (vocals); orchestra, JohnGreen arr. and cond. COLGEMS CGO3 1002$8.95, ® G-1003 $7.95.

Performance: ExcellentRecording:SuperbStereo Quality: ExcellentSpeed and Playing Time: 33/4; 48'02"

Someone said recently that Lionel Bart'sOliver! is probably the only really successfulEnglish musical of the last twenty-five years.It has certainly proved its success as a musi-cal film not only with audiences but withcritics. The score is without doubt a minormasterpiece of its genre. John Green's ar-ranging and conducting of that score, as I

have mentioned previously, is a fine job,most especially in the big production num-bers. I suppose the matter to decide here iswhether or not this tape is more excitingsonically than the already released disc, orif either is preferable musically or sonicallyto the Broadway disc. Well, the tape is bet-ter sonically, most particularly in the largeproduction numbers, such as Oont-Palt-Paband Consider Yourself At Home, but notreally in any such degree as to make a newpurchase necessary if you already own thedisc. The Broadway disc, while containing afew songs dropped from the film version,seems to me to be rather limp sonicallyand rather constricted in its musical arrange-ments compared to the film version. Prob-ably the best reason for buying the tape isthat if you are fond of the score and intendto play it often, you have the longer sonic lifeof tape to consider. With a score as ingratiat-ing as this one is, that might be a sizablefactor in your choice. P. R.

114 STEREO REVIEW

By CRAIG STARK

4

THE ON -LOCATION RECORDER

Ios-rOF THE design and performance features of the truly professional -

tape recorder are of no importance to the average hobbyist. A few ofthese extras, however, are of interest to the recordist who seeks to expand histaping activity beyond the living room, taking his machine -on location."

In considering a recorder for live use, you should realize that the stated fre-

quency -response and signal-to-noise specifications are almost invariably madethrough the high-level (tuner or auxiliary) input, which bypasses the recorder'smicrophone preamplifiers. If you will be using a mike mixer, which is fed into

the recorder's high-level input, there is no problem.You will also want to pay particular attention to the machine's wow -and -flutter

specification. Often you may want to duplicate one of your master tapes for

friends or performers, and wow and flutter tend to accumulate with each succes-sive tape dubbing. You can check your machine by recording some sustained

piano chords (from a record or live) on one channel, duplicating the recording

on the other channel, re-recording it again onto the first channel, and then play-ing the copy back. If the wow is still not obtrusive, the recorder is good enough.

In my experience, the built-in power amplifiers and speakers that some record-

ers have are useless in live recording situations, for :f you use them for monitor-ing (and you don't have the luxury of a separate control room) they are likely to

interfere with the performance. However, the recorder's ability to drive a good

pair of stereo headphones is crucial. A three -head recorder, which permits moni-toring the recording as it is being made, is particularly convenient. You shouldalso be aware of the fact that most headphones have an 8 -ohm impedance, but

that the headphone jacks on many recorders are suitable for use only with high -

impedance headphones (600 to 3,000 ohms). If your headphones are not of theright impedance or sensitivity, you might be able to use a small matching trans-former. Check with the manufacturer to see what is available for your phones.Or, if you do enough on -location recording to justify the cost, you can buy alow -power headphone amplifier that can be driven from the recorder's line out-put. And, in any circumstances, you should use headphones with a tight ear seal

to keep out any external sounds that would interfere with monitoring the re-cording as it is made.

An obvious consideration for on -location work is ruggedness, which unfor-tunately is often directly proportional to weight. The recorder will suffer quite afew jolts on occasion, and it's no fun to arrive at a recording date only to findthat your machine will work in fast -forward but not in play! A heavy die-castframe helps keep mechanical parts in proper alignment although other thanactually taking a recorder apart it is hard to check on just how it is built.

If you do much live recording, you will want to be able to splice together partsof different takes. Therefore, an edit facility that permits manually rocking thetape back and forth so that an exact position for an editing cut can be deter-mined is high on my list of desirable features. And for those times when youhave to record while tucked away in some off-stage closet, you might consider arecorder with remote -control facilities and illuminated recording -level meters.

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WRITE for quotation on any Hi-Fi components:Sound Reproduction Inc., 460 Central Avenue,East Orange, N.J. 07018. 201-673-0600.HI-FI Components, Tape Recorders, at guaran-teed "We Will Not Be Undersold" prices. 15 -daymoney -back guarantee. Two year warranty. NoCatalog. Quotations Free. Hi -Fidelity Center, 239(HC) East 149th St., New York 10451.FREE! Send for money saving stereo catalog4---H8R and lowest quotations on your individualcomponent, tape recorder, or system require-ments. Electronic Values. Inc., 200 West 20thSt., N.Y., N.Y. 10011.KIT Experts-Dynaco Specialists -Kits at reason-able prices are our specialty. Also custom wiredkits guaranteed to exceed factory standards atsubstantial savings. Beautiful handcrafted Wal-nut cases for complete Dynaco line, plus every-thing in audio. Kitcraft, Dept. HS -89, 248 UticaAvenue, 11216. Brooklyn, N.Y. MA 2-5230.TAPE recorders. Hi-Fi components. Sleep Learn-ing Equipment tapes. Unusual values. Freecatalog. Dressner, 1523R Jericho Turnpike, NewHyde Park, N.Y. 11040.LOW, Low quotes: all components and record-ers. Hi Fi, Roslyn, Penna. 19001.GOVERNMENT Surplus Receivers, Transmitters,Snooperscopes, Radios, Parts, Picture Catalog254. Meshna, Nahant, Mass. 01908.DON'T THROW YOUR OLD CARTRIDGES AWAY.Send us $50.00 and any old used cartridge andwe will ship you via air prepaid anywhere anyone of the following Top Stereo Cartridges;Shure V-15 Type II, Empire 999VE, 10EMK II,Stanton 681EE. Write for lowest quotations allstereo components. DEFA ELECTRONICS, 2207Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10024.THE Price is Right! Hi-Fi Components. J. WrightCo., 65-B Jensen St., East Brunswick, N.J. 08816.NEW low prices on all stereo components andtape recorders. Write for our quote. Stereo Corp.of America, 2122 Utica Avenue, Brooklyn, NewYork 11234.DON'T THROW YOUR OLD CARTRIDGE AWAY.Send $19.95 and any old cartridge. We will shipPREPAID any one of the following top ratedelliptical diamond stereo cartridges NEW: ShureM75E, M91E, M92E, M93E, Empire 888E, Picker-ing V15AME3, XV15 ATE, ADC 660E, 550E. Writefor lowest quotations all stereo components.DEFA ELECTRONICS, 2207 Broadway, New York,N.Y. 10024.QUOTES: STEREO COMPONENTS Foreign & Do-mestic, Box 18026, Seattle, Washington 98118.DIRECT from Europe. Dual, Miracord, Revox,Philips, Telefunken, etc. Send $2.00 for com-plete list, DET European Exports, Box A021621,75 Karlsruhe, Germany, Hauptpostlagernd.ACOUSTIC RESEARCH, Dyna, Koss, Shure dis-count specialists. Write for Free catalog. StereoComponent Systems Corp., 95 Vassar Street,Cambridge, Mass. 02139.LOWEST PRICE ON ALL COMPONENTS, FREEINSTALLATION, PROFESSIONAL SERVICE. RMGSTEREO, 548 W. 114TH, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10025.

FOR SALE

WHOLESALE components: Manufacturers anddistributors only. Request free catalog on busi-ness letterhead. WESCOM, Box 2536, El Cajon,California 92021.ELECTRONIC Bargains - Diodes, Transistors,Tubes, Courses. Free Catalog -Immediate Ship-ment. Cornell, 4215-H University, San Diego,Calif. 92105.NEW heavy duty CD ignition system. Detailsfree. Kit, $28.95; assembled, $39.95. Delta Inter-national. Ltd., Box 1946Z, Grand Junction, Colo.81501. Dealers Invited.

FREE ELECTRONICS PARTS FLYER. Large cata-log $1.00 deposit. BIGELOW ELECTRONICS,BLUFFTON, OHIO 45817.JAPAN & HONG KONG DIRECTORY. Electronics,all merchandise. World trade information. $1.00today. Ippano Kaisha Ltd., Box 6266, Spokane,Washington 99207.FREE Catalog low priced, high performance sub-miniature listening devices direct from manu-facturer. Dealers welcome. Emery R-8, 156 FifthAvenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.SENCORE TEST EQUIPMENT UNBELIEVABLEPRICES. FREE CATALOG AND PRICE SHEET.FORDHAM RADIO, 265 EAST 149TH STREET,BRONX, N.Y. 10451.AKAI cartridge -reel recorder. 3737 Calvert, Lin-coln, Nebraska 68506.

TAPE AND RECORDERSBEFORE RENTING Stereo Tapes try us. Postpaidboth ways - no deposit - immediate delivery.Quality - Dependability - Service - Satisfac-tion -prevail here. If you've been dissatisfiedin the past, your initial order will prove this isno idle boast. Free catalog. Gold Coast TapeLibrary, Box 2262, Palm Village Station, Hia-leah, Fla. 33012.TAPEMATES makes available to you ALL 4 -TRACK STEREO TAPES -ALL LABELS -postpaidto your door -at tremendous savings. For freebrochure write: TAPEMATES, 5727 W. JeffersonBlvd., Los Angeles, California 90016.CASSETTE blanks, also educational and lan-guage, accessories and recorders. Literature -Write CASSETTES UNLIMITED, P.O. Box 13119-S,Pittsburgh, Pa. 15243.RENT 4 -track open reel tapes -all major labels-3,000 different -free brochure. Stereo-Parti, 55St. James Drive, Santa Rosa, California 95401.SCOTCH RECORDING TAPE, lowest prices.TAPE CENTER, Box 4305, Washington, D.C.20012.STEREO TAPES, Save 30% and up; no member-ship or fees required; postpaid anywhere U.S.A.Free 70 -page catalog. We discount batteries,recorders, tape/cassettes. Beware of slogans,"not undersold," as the discount informationyou supply our competitor is invariably reportedto the factory. SAXITONE, 1776 Columbia Road,N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009.TAPE RECORDER SALE. Brand new nationallyadvertised brands, $10.00 above cost. Amazingdiscounts on stereo components. Arkay Elec-tronics, 1028-A Commonwealth Ave., Boston,Mass. 02215.STEREO TAPES: CARTRIDGES, CASSETTES,REELS, 33% DISCOUNT. LARGEST SELEC-TIONS, UNAVAILABLE ELSEWHERE. MAIL 200-CATALOGS. STAR RECORDINGS -SR, BOX1055, EL PASO, TEXAS 79946.CLASSIC radio shows! For sale on tape. RadioLtd., P.O. Box 23, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48107.CASSETTES AT HONG KONG PRICES! Lifetimemoneyback guarantee! Three C -60s-$4.75. threeC -90s-$7.25, three C -120s-$8.75. CustomRecord Development, Box -3, Mamaroneck, N.Y.10543.RENT stereo tapes $1.00 week postpaid -cata-log. Tape Library, Box 8146, D.C. 20024.OLD time radio all your old favorites. Send 254for catalog. R. Mussehl, Route 1, Brooklyn,Wis. 53521.TAPES . . . blank recording . . . prerecordedmusic. Catalog 104. Tower. Lafayette Hill, Pa.19444.TIRED of renting tapes for recording? Stereo -dubs Tape Club members exchange copies withother members free. Postage averages 44 peralbum. Over 31,000 albums now available.Monthly newsletter, Round -robins, Samplers,Collector's items, Live Recordings. Free bro-chure. Box 17224, San Diego, Calif. 92117.

RECORDS

HARD to find collectors LPs, like new. Lists 504.Records, Hillburn, New York 10931.

"HARD To Get" records --all speeds. RecordExchange, 842 Seventh Avenue. New York, N.Y.10019.

UNBELIEVABLE Classical rarities. CatalogueFREE! M.I.T.M. 271 Autumn Avenue, Brooklyn,N.Y. 11208.

SPECIAL INTEREST RECORDS AVAILABLE, PRO-DUCED BY THE EDITORS OF THE WORLD'SLEADING SPECIAL INTEREST MAGAZINES.SEND FOR FREE CATALOG. RECORD CATALOG-HF, ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING COMPANY, ONEPARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10016.

PROTECT YOUR LPs: Heavy poly sleeves forjackets 54; poly lined paper sleeves 104; roundbottom inner sleeves 31/24; white record jackets204. Min order $5.00. Record Supplies, Hillburn,New York 10931.

CASH for your unwanted LP's, prerecorded tapesand cassettes. Reder, 81 Forshay Road, Monsey,New York 10952.

FREE 40 PAGE CATALOG offers hundreds of re-cordings of rare Renaissance, Baroque andClassical music. Some records priced as low as$1.00 each! All late recordings in Stereo only.MHS RECORDS, Box 932 -HS, New York, NewYork 10023.

CLAUDIA a new adventure in music "Naturalmusic is like a forest, things appear unexpect-edly -Yet everything is balanced." BUY NATU-RAL MUSIC AND OTHER PIANO SOLOS OFCLAUDIA ON 12" LP STEREO ALBUM NO. YA-2000 $4.72 POSTPAID. YOUNG ARTISTS REC-ORD CO., BOX 20022, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNE-SOTA 55420.

TUBES

RECEIVING & INDUSTRIAL TUBES, TRANSIS-TORS, All Brands -Biggest Discounts. Techni-cians, Hobbyists, Experimenters -Request FREEGiant Catalog and SAVE! ZALYTRON, 469 Jeri-cho Turnpike, Mineola, N.Y. 11501.

WANTED

QUICKSILVER, Platinum, Silver, Gold. Ores Ana-lyzed. Free Circular. Mercury Terminal, Nor-wood, Mass. 02062.

AEOLIAN Duo -Art Pipe Organ rolls sought. Ross.1069 Beach, Victoria, B.C., Canada.

WANTED Webern complete works ColumbiaK4L-322, Weil mahogany col -13034 spotlight onbrass VOX DL -300. State price. Weed, 204 Glen-dale Rd., Amherst, Mass. 01002.

WANTED, 3 -channel prerecorded tapes compati-ble with Nortronics 5701 head. Send informa-tion. Norman Fleming, 145 Hillside Ave., Villa -nova, Pa. 19085.

MAGAZINES

BACK DATE MAGAZINES! Send needs. Midtown,Box 917 -HS, Maywood, N.J. 07607.

MAGIC MAGAZINE -Monthly since 1936. 44pages. All phases. 3 month trial $1.00. Genii,P.O. Box 36068, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

FREE BOOK "990 Successful, Little -Known Busi-nesses." Work home! Plymouth 345-H, Brooklyn,New York 11218.

116STEREO REVIEW

I MADE $40,000.00 Year by mailorder! Helpedothers make money! Start with $10.00 - FreeProof. Torrey, Box 318-N, Ypsilanti, Michigan48197.

MAILORDER . . . Operate cash -in -advance busi-ness! Details. Methods, 1417-F.D., LafayetteHill, Pennsylvania 19444.

MAKE MONEY GROWING FISHWORMS. Out-standing new breed produces greater profits.Free literature. Fain's Hatchery -53, Edison,Georgia 31746.

INSTRUCTION

LEARN Electronics Organ Servicing at home. Allmakes, including transistors. Experimental kit -trouble -shooting. Accredited NHSC, Free Book-let. Niles Bryant School, 3631 Stockton, Dept. A,Sacramento, Calif. 95820.

R.E.I.'s famous (5) week course for the FirstClass Radio Telephone License is the shortest,most effective course in the nation. Over 98%of R.E.I. graduates pass F.C.C. exams for 1stclass license. Total tuition $360.00. Job Place-ment free. Write for brochure Radio EngineeringIncorporated Schools, 1336 Main Street, Sara-sota, Florida 33577 -or 3123 Gillham Road,Kansas City, Missouri 64109 -or 809 CarolineStreet, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 -or 625 E.Colorado Street, Glendale, California 91205.

SUPERIOR Auction School - nation's top auc-tioneers own and instruct. 120 East Cerrogordo,Decatur, Illinois 62523.

DEGREE in Electronics Engineering earnedmostly by correspondence. Free Brochure. Dept.G-9, Grantham School of Engineering, 1505 N.Western Ave., Hollywood, California 90027.

PRINTING

FREE LITERATURE: Address labels, businesscards, printing, Rubber Stamps. JORDAN'S, 552West O'Connor, Lima, Ohio 45801.

EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

FOREIGN and USA job opportunities availablenow. Construction, all trades. Earnings to$3,000.00 monthly. Paid overtime, travel, bo-nuses. Write: Universal Employment, Wood-bridge, Conn. 06525.

PERSONALS

MAKE FRIENDS WORLDWIDE through interna-tional correspondence. Illustrated brochure free.Hermes, Berlin 11, Germany.

PHOTOGRAPHY -FILM,EQUIPMENT, SERVICES

SCIENCE Bargains -Request Free Giant Catalog"CJ" -148 pages -Astronomical Telescopes, Mi-croscopes, Lenses, Binoculars, Kits, Parts, Warsurplus bargains. Edmund Scientific Co., 300Edscorp Bldg., Barrington, New Jersey 08007.

MEDICAL FILM -Adults only --Childbirth" onereel, 8mm $7.50, 16mm $14.95. International H,Greenvale, Long Island, New York 11548.

QUALITY COLOR PROCESSING: If you careabout your color film you ought to know aboutPCL. Send for free catalog. Professional ColorLaboratories, Dept. SR, Roselle. N.J. 07203.

SPORTS ACTION FILMS

BE A COLLECTOR -PLAN YOUR LIBRARY . . .

Free Catalog 8/Super 8. SPORTLITE FILMS,Dept. SR, Box 500, Speedway, Indiana 46224.

GOVERNMENT SURPLUS

JEEPS Typically From $53.90 . Trucks From$78.40 ... Boats, Typewriters, Airplanes, Multi -meters, Oscilloscopes, Transceivers, ElectronicsEquipment. Wide Variety, Condition, 100,000 BidBargains Direct From Government Nationwide.Complete Sales Directory and Surplus Catalog$1.00 (Deductible First $10.00 Order). SurplusService, Box 820-L, Holland, Michigan 49423.

MOVIE FILMS

16mm SOUND Features, Shorts, New, Used forSale. Free Catalog. National Cinema, 333 W. 57St., N.Y., N.Y. 10019.

HYPNOTISM

FREE Hypnotism, Self -Hypnosis, Sleep LearningCatalog! Drawer H400, Ruidoso, New Mexico88345.

HYPNOTIC Sleep Learning recordings producefabulous results. Details free. ASR Foundation,Box 7021eg Henry Clay Station, Lexington, Ky.40502.

EDUCATIONALOPPORTUNITIES

LEARN WHILE ASLEEP, Hypnotize! Strangecatalog free. Autosuggestion, Box 24-ZD,Olympia. Washington 98501.

CLASSIFIED ADVERT!Please refer to heading on first page of this

SING ORDER FORMsection for complete data concerning terms,

frequency discounts, closing dates, etc.

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Words) @ $.55 Reader Rate } - $t@ .90 Commercial Rate

Insert time(s) Total Enclosed $

NAMEADDRESSCITY STATE ZIP

SIGNATUREWORD COUNT: Include name and address. Name of city (Des Moines) or of state (New York) counts as one wordeach. Zip Code numbers not counted. (Publisher reserves right to omit Zip Code if space does not permit.) Count

each abbreviation, initial, single figure or group of figures or letters as a word. Symbols such as 35mm. COD,PO, AC, etc.. count as one word. Hyphenated words count as two words. SR -869

1

LEARN ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION. Train athcme to earn $750 to $1,000 monthly. Car fur-nished. Expenses paid, No selling. Nu collegeneeded. Full or spare time. Men urgently needed.Free placement service. Write for FREE infor-mation. No obligation, Universal Schools CZ -8,6801 Hillcrest, Dallas, Texas 75205.

STAMPS

RUSSIA HIGH -VALUE COLLECTION. 32 differentRussia -some over 50 years old! Commemo-ratives, Czarist Issues, Airmails. Catalog price$2.50. Special Get -Acquainted Offer -all for only100! H. E. Harris, Dept. GG-54, Boston, Mass.02117.

WOW! 110 all different Germany 100 --com-memoratives, airmails --high values, big cat-alog. Bargain lists also, fine stamps from ourapproval service, which you may return withoutpurchases and cancel service at any time.Jamestown Stamp, Dept. A89EG, Jamestown,N Y. 14701.

MISCELLANEOUS

WINEMAKERS. Free illustrated catalog of yeasts,equipment. Semplex, Box 12276, Minneapolis,Minn. 55412.

PSYCHEDELIC strobes 200 flashes per -min.$14.95 guaranteed. Zipcom, 5620 W. 12, L.R.,Arkansas 72204.

EMPLOYMENT Reumes. Get a better job & earnmore! Send only $2.00 for expert, complete Re -sumo. Writing Instructions. J. Ross, 80.34 KentSt., Jamaica, N.Y. 11432. Dept. HF.

MORE THAN 250,000 BUYERS of STEREOREVIEW read these columns thoroughly eachmonth. They look to the CLASSIFIED pages forsources of products and services of interest tothem. They'll buy from you if your advertisingappears here regularly. For space in the nextissues forward copy and payment to: HalCymes, Classified Advertising Manager. STEREOREVIEW, One Park Avenue, New York, N.Y.10016

DELUXE

RECO? AND TAPE CASESPlus /to cataloging forms

Paddedback

Dustproof

Goldembossed

D ecorative and sturdy cases constructed of reinforced fiber-board and covered in rich leatherette to keep your recordsand tapes from getting tossed about and damaged. Availablein your choice of five decorator colors. Stereo ReviewRecord and Tape Cases lend themselves handsomely tothe decor of any room. Padded back (in your color choice)is gold tooled in an exclusive design available only onStereo Review Record and Tape Cases. Sides are in stand-ard black leatherette to keep them looking new after con-stant use. Extra with each record and tape case you orderyou will receive, free of charge, a specially designed cata-loging form with pressure sensitive backing for affixing tothe side of the case It enables you to list the records,names and artists to help you locate your albums.Record cases are available in three sizes for 7", 10" and12" records. Center divider separates records for easyAccessibility, holds an average of 20 records in their origi-nal iackets. Tape case holds 6 tapes in their original boxes.

Ziff -Davis Pub. Co. Dept. SD 1 Park Ave. N.Y., N.Y. 10016My remittance in the amount of $

Quantity Is enclosed for the Cases indicated below.._. __Tape Case at $4 ea , 3 for $11.6 for $21.

.._7" Record Case at $4 ea., 3 for 011, 6 for $21.10" Record Case at $4.25 ea , 3 for $12. 6 for $22.

II12" Record Case at $4.25 ea., 3 for $12.6 for $22.

ADD $1 00 PER ORDER FOR SHIPPING AND HANDLING?. Check color choice for back of case (sides in black only):

Midnight Blue 0 Red 0 spice Brown

10 Pine Green 0 Black

Name

1 Address

I

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PAYMENT MUST BE ENCLOSED WITH ORDER NM

AUGUST 1969117

STEREO REVIEW ADVERTISERS' INDEXREADER SERVICE NO. ADVERTISER PAGE READER SERVICE NO. ADVERTISER PAGE

1 Acoustic Research, Inc. 32, 100 32 King Karol Records 142 Allied Radio 81, 82 33 Klipsche & Associates 753 Altec Lansing, Division of LTV Ling Altec, Inc. 411, 414 Ampex Stereo Tape Div., Ampex Corp. . 195 Ampex Corp., Magnetic Tape Division

_ 20 34 Lafayette Radio Electronics 89Angel Records 96 65 London Records 766 Audio Dynamics Corporation 26 Longines-Wittnauer Watch Co. 24Audio Unlimited, Inc. 1067 Aztec Sound Corp. 86

37 Marantz, Inc. 30, 318 Benjamin Electronic Sound Corp. 51 35 Mercury Records 869 Bose Corporation 108 Minnesota Mining & Mfg. Co. (3M Co.) 2910 Boston Audio 104 36 McIntosh Laboratory Inc. 105101 British I ndustries-Wha rfda le 2

41 Pickering & Company, Inc. 3rd CoverCarston Studios 115 38 Pioneer Electronics Corp. 1311 Citadel Record Club 1212 Columbia Records 7913 Craig Corporation 48

39 RCA Stereo 8 Tape Club . 540 Rabsons-57th Street, Inc. 10714 Defa Electronics Corp. 103 42 Radiant Corporation 8615 Deutsche Grammophon (DGG) 80 43 Rectilinear Research Corp. 1416 Downtown Audio . 106 44 Revox Corporation 8817 Dressner 103 45 Rheem Roberts 4358 Dual 15

Dynaco, Inc. 3546 Sansui Electric Co., Ltd. 22

20 Eastman Kodak Company19 Electro-Voice, Inc.21 Empire Scientific Corp.22 Empire Scientific Corp.23 Erath, L. W.

954th Cover

256

45

47 Sansui Electric Co., Ltd.100 Scott Inc., H. H.48 Sherwood Electronic Laboratories, Inc.49 Shure Brothers, Inc.50 Sony Corporation of America51 Sony/Superscope, Inc.

232nd Cover, 1

8487

92, 9327

52 Sony/Superscope, Inc. 11224 Fisher Radio Company61 Frazier, Inc.

178

53 Sony/Superscope, Inc.54 Sound Reproduction, Inc.55 Stereo Corporation of America

16104108

63 Switchcraft, Inc. 9825 Harman-Kardon, Inc. 3762 Heath Company 9126 Hi -Fidelity Center 107 56 Teac Corporation 8527 Honeywell Photographic Products 84

57 uniClub, Inc. 728 JVC America, Inc. 11 58 United Audio Products. Inc. 1529 Jensen Manufacturing Company 28 64 University Sound . 8359 Utah Electronics 97

30 KLH Research & Development Corp. 3931 Kenwood Electronics, Inc. 46, 47 60 Yamaha International Corp. (Audio Products) 52

Classified Advertising 116, 117

STEREO REVIEW PRODUCT INDEXAs an additional reader service, we list below, by classifications, the products advertised inthis issue. If there is a specific product you are shopping for, look for its listing andturn to the pages indicated for the advertisements of manufacturers supplying that equipment.

CLASSIFICATION PAGE NUMBERS CLASSIFICATION PAGE NUMBERS

Accessories

Amplifiers and Preamplifiers

8, 98

32, 46, 100

Speakers and Speaker Systems 2nd Cover, 1,

40.41, 45,2, 14, 17, 23, 25, 28. 30, 32. 35.47, 52, 53, 83, 97, 108, 4th Cover

Tapes, Prerecorded 19Cameras 84, 95

Tape, Recording 16, 20, 29, 86Cartridges 6, 26, 87. 3rd Cover

Tape Recorders and Decks 39, 43, 48, 85, 112Catalogs 81, 106

Tape Recorders, Cassette 27, 37, 88Receivers, Stereo 11, 13, 22, 31, 47, 52, 84, 89, 91, 92-93 Tuners, FM 46Records 14. 76, 79, 80, 86. 96 Turntables and Changers 15, 32, 51

Record and Tape Clubs 5, 7, 12 Watches 24

1 1 8 Printed in the U.S.A.STEREO REVIEW

Words are inherently limited in stimulatingthe emotions aroused by music. This is especially soin describing how high fidelity components perform.

With cartridges, for example, we speak offlat frequency response, high compliance,low mass, stereo separation. Words like theseenlighten the technically minded. But they dolittle or nothing for those who seek onlythe sheer pleasure of listening.

We kept both aspects in mind when developingthe XV-15 series of cartridges. We made thetechnical measurements. And we listened.

We listened especially for the ability of

these cartridges to reproduce the entire rangeof every instrument. With no loss of power.In the case of brasses, this meant a cartridgethat could recreate the exact nuances that distinguisha trumpet from a cornet. A trombone from abass trumpet. A Wagner tuba from a French horn.

We call this achievement "100% brass power."When you play your records with an XV-15, you won't be

concerned with even that simple phrase.Instead, you'll just feel and enjoy the renewed experience

of what high fidelity is really all about.

PICKERING

THE NEW PICKERING XV-15/ 750E.PREMIER MODEL OF THE XV-15 SERIES.TRACKS AT % TO 1 GRAM. DYNAMIC COUPLING FACTOR OF 750 FOR

USE IN FINEST TON EARMS. $60.00. OTHER XV-15 CARTRIDGES FROM $29.95. PICKERING & CO.,PLAINVIEW, L.I., N.Y.


7arguments in favorof building your own speakersystem from scratch.

The easiest way to buy high fidelityspeakers may not always be the best.Because a complete pre-packaged sys-tem may be far from what you need.Consider some of the advantages ofseparate component loudspeakers:

1. You choose from an almost infinitevariety of sizes and levels of perfor-mance. Your system will exactly reflectyour specific listening preferences.

2. You save space by building, speakersinto walls, ceilings, closet evenin floors! Or use exis,inutbiiiets orcustom-built enclosuresifrOs'etter suityour decor than any mas§*Otlucedsystem.

3. You enhance the illusion of "live"music by hiding or disguising the soundsource. You listen to the music - notthe speakers.4. You end the conflict between finesound and handsome decor by makingthe speaker system an integral part ofthe room or the furniture.5. You save money by paying only forperformance.6. You can up -date your componentsystem as often as you wish to meetadvances in the state of the art.7. You can use the building-block meth-od of planned improvement as yourbudget permits. There's no problem of

being "stuck" with a compact that fitstoday's budget but can't meet your ul-timate listening goals.

Take a few minutes to study thevariety of Electro-Voice componentspeakers. 21 models from $14.00 to$250.00. From super -tweeters to giant30" woofers. Consider how they canaid in creating a speaker system thatuniquely expresses your musical needs.And ask your Electro-yoice high fideli-ty specialist for his recommendation.Finally, take the time to listen carefully.

Freedom of choice. It's at the nubof high fidelity.ELECTRO-VOICE, INC., Dept. 894F,616 Cecil Street, Buchanan, Michigan 49107

okz®CIRCLE NO. 19 ON READER SERVICE CARD A SUBSIDIARY OF GULTON INDUSTRIES, INC.

13nssi - World Radio History

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