Classical Fans - Edison, Musicians and the Phonograph by John Harvith and Susan Edwards Harvith

[Wagonmaster_91]

I have a copy of the book Micheal Dutton talks about (and holds up) in the interview Mike posted here on the forum:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...utton-vocalion-and-epoch-record-labels.34392/
Edison, Musicians and the Phonograph by John Harvith and Susan Edwards Harvith

The book is over 450 pages of interviews with Thomas Edison, Classical and Opera performers, conductors, producers and reviewers. It's about how early recording started and technology progressed up to the late 1980's. I was surprised to learn how much the opinions differed on recording and methods, including a few that discuss quadraphonics.
Fans of Classical and Opera are going to be familiar with more of the names than I am, but include Edison,, Copland, Ormandy, Previn (those are the names I know) and over 35 more. Pictures of nearly all those interviewed are included.

My copy is 'like new' - no rips, tears, stains, etc. and the cover and binding are clean and tight. I'm asking $50 including the shipping to the U.S. lower 48 (only).
Compare that price to what you see on Ebay.

PM here if you are interested.

Thanks

 

[Rebecca Morgan]

Wow! sounds interesting!

 

[Wagonmaster_91]

The interviews tell the history of recorded music from its infancy. I was surprised at how varied the opinions are about the recording process and the resulting records. There is even one artists that feels recordings shouldn't be made at all, saying the only way music should be heard is in a live setting. If you are a fan of Classical artists and music and the history of recording you would like it. PM me here if you would like to buy it.

 

[Rebecca Morgan]

The interviews tell the history of recorded music from its infancy. I was surprised at how varied the opinions are about the recording process and the resulting records. There is even one artists that feels recordings shouldn't be made at all, saying the only way music should be heard is in a live setting. If you are a fan of Classical artists and music and the history of recording you would like it. PM me here if you would like to buy it.

Thank you. Indeed, I am interested in classical music, sometimes even jazz, and I like to listen to different genres in general. From your description, it sounds like this book is surprisingly interesting. However, I need some advice. Thank you for your offer! If I'm ready to buy the book, I'll write to you in a private message!

 

[humprof]

I'll just put in a good word for this hard-to-find book, as I was considering taking it off Wagonmaster's hands but ultimately decided against, even though he's offering it at a very attractive price. (Sorry, Wagonmaster! I've reached that point in my life--as you have, I expect--where I'm trying to "downsize.") I did manage to borrow a copy via my university's inter-library loan service, though, and I think that serious students of the history of recording would be very interested in this book. The interviewees skew heavily "classical," including big names like Aaron Copland, Janos Starker, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, Alicia de Larrocha, William Bolcom (who talks about recording engineers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz), and members of the Guarneri Quartet, but there are one or two artists from the jazz world, as well (Edison's personal pianist Ernest Stevens, Benny Goodman, Jane Jarvis, "Third Stream" advocate Gunther Schuller), plus a small handful of engineers, most notably Ray Moore, who orchestrated so many fabulous classical quad mixes for Columbia (in addition to Bitches Brew, Live-Evil, and A Little Night Music).

Moore, whose interview is fascinatingly long and detailed, actually touches on quad specifically (if briefly)--as do one or two other interviewees, like conductors Andre Previn and Eugene Ormandy. Here's Ormandy: "Now we have, I believe, eighteen [microphones]. Because of quadraphonic recordings. A quadraphonic recording is almost greater than the performance itself. Because in a concert a symphony conductor, for instance, is in front of his orchestra. In a quadraphonic recording, he's in the middle of the orchestra. That's quite a difference." In follow-up, he agrees with the proposition that "a performance should sound the same on a recording as it does in a concert hall"--and yet he allows as how "quadraphonic sound is different in feeling than being in a concert hall," "(b)ecause you get everything. In a concert hall, you don't get everything."

 

[Rebecca Morgan]

I'll just put in a good word for this hard-to-find book, as I was considering taking it off Wagonmaster's hands but ultimately decided against, even though he's offering it at a very attractive price. (Sorry, Wagonmaster! I've reached that point in my life--as you have, I expect--where I'm trying to "downsize.") I did manage to borrow a copy via my university's inter-library loan service, though, and I think that serious students of the history of recording would be very interested in this book. The interviewees skew heavily "classical," including big names like Aaron Copland, Janos Starker, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, Alicia de Larrocha, William Bolcom (who talks about recording engineers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz), and members of the Guarneri Quartet, but there are one or two artists from the jazz world, as well (Edison's personal pianist Ernest Stevens, Benny Goodman, Jane Jarvis, "Third Stream" advocate Gunther Schuller), plus a small handful of engineers, most notably Ray Moore, who orchestrated so many fabulous classical quad mixes for Columbia (in addition to Bitches Brew, Live-Evil, and A Little Night Music).

Moore, whose interview is fascinatingly long and detailed, actually touches on quad specifically (if briefly)--as do one or two other interviewees, like conductors Andre Previn and Eugene Ormandy. Here's Ormandy: "Now we have, I believe, eighteen [microphones]. Because of quadraphonic recordings. A quadraphonic recording is almost greater than the performance itself. Because in a concert a symphony conductor, for instance, is in front of his orchestra. In a quadraphonic recording, he's in the middle of the orchestra. That's quite a difference." In follow-up, he agrees with the proposition that "a performance should sound the same on a recording as it does in a concert hall"--and yet he allows as how "quadraphonic sound is different in feeling than being in a concert hall," "(b)ecause you get everything. In a concert hall, you don't get everything." If you're passionate about exploring the intersection of music history and technology, you might find valuable insights in essays available at https://edubirdie.com/do-my-assignment - diving into the evolution of recording techniques and the perspectives of renowned musicians can enhance your understanding of the artistic and technical aspects of the field. Feel free to share more discoveries or join discussions on how technology has shaped classical music. Let the harmonies of knowledge continue to resonate!

Those classical heavyweights and a dash of jazz flavor make for an intriguing read. The insights from Ray Moore on quad recordings and the perspective from Ormandy about the differences between live and recorded music in quadraphonic sound add a cool dimension. Thanks for the heads-up on this find

 

[Wagonmaster_91]

Those classical heavyweights and a dash of jazz flavor make for an intriguing read. The insights from Ray Moore on quad recordings and the perspective from Ormandy about the differences between live and recorded music in quadraphonic sound add a cool dimension. Thanks for the heads-up on this find

Rebecca, did you find it at your library?

 

[Wagonmaster_91]

I think Rebecca might have just joined QQ to plug this book.