Congratulations to Martyn Dowel, Rolf Christian Holth Olsen and Robert Spencer who all correctly identified this weeks mystery object – The Auxetophone designed by the British engineer Sir Charles Parsons. The Auxetophone was perhaps the most effective attempt, prior to the development of electrical amplification in the 1920’s, of increasing volume. Invented in 1904, it used air pressureContinue reading “Mystery Object of the week #11 Answer”
Tag Archives: gramophone
Friday Mystery Object of the week #9 Answer
And the answer is… The Lumiere Gramophone (HMV Model 460). Well done to those of you who answered correctly! The Lumiere Gramophones were a great novelty of 1924, making a highly successful debut at the Piccadilly Hotel, London, on Wednesday 22nd October an esteemed audience.The HMV Model 460 was introduced in early 1925, and is unique byContinue reading “Friday Mystery Object of the week #9 Answer”
Friday Mystery Object of the week #8 Answer
And the answer is… The Peter Pan Clock Gramophone. Well done to those of you who answered correctly! The Peter Pan Clock Gramophone was a relatively simple ‘talking clock’ from mid-1920’s onwards. By winding both the clock and gramophone motor, setting the desired alarm time and placing the needle on the record, the record would playContinue reading “Friday Mystery Object of the week #8 Answer”
Recording pioneers- Part 8, William Conrad Gaisberg
“We realised how many different degrees of smells there are in the world” -William Gaisberg’s observation of Hyderabad, India Name: William Conrad Gaisberg Born: 26th June 1877 Resident: Born in Washington DC, USA Occupation: Recording engineer, managing director & head of London Recording Department Loves: Travelling, opera, pushing the boundaries of music and his brother (Fred) In 1894, Fred GaisbergContinue reading “Recording pioneers- Part 8, William Conrad Gaisberg”
Friday Mystery Object of the week #7 Answer
And the answer is….A Klingsor gramophone, well done to those of you who answered correctly!
Recording Pioneers- Part 7, William Barry Owen
Name: William Barry Owen Born: 15 April 1860 Resident: Born in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts Occupation: Sent to London to raise investment funds for the Gramophone Company to expand into Europe Loves: Music, Musicians, Gambling, London high society parties In July 1897 William Barry Owen resignedContinue reading “Recording Pioneers- Part 7, William Barry Owen”
Top 10 Aussie Sopranos
By Roger Neil Someone started a thread on the unofficial BBC Radio 3 message boards asking for nominations for the top ten sopranos. It seemed to me that the emerging lists were filled with the usual suspects, and since I’m currently in the process (with Tony Locantro) of finishing up a 4 x CD setContinue reading “Top 10 Aussie Sopranos”
A ghost in the machine
Deep in the vaults of the EMI Archive lies a mysterious Ghostly Gramophone player. Despite laying dormant for many years, while showing visitors around the collection an unsuspecting intern and her guests witnessed the turn table revolving. The gramophone in question in not electric, no one had touched it and the winding mechanism is frozen.Continue reading “A ghost in the machine”
A little gem to kick start the week!
The hound has come across this gem! Ken Griffin’s Scatterbrain at the organ played on a Philips 78 rpm shellac disc in the 50’s is the perfect way to bring in the week ahead.
Nipper 1884 – 1895
Name: Nipper Born: 1884 Resident: London Occupation: Posing for paintings, attacking Gramophones, looking for His Masters Voice Loves: Being a world famous icon, treats Francis Barraud’s painting of a fox terrier to an early gramophone remains one of the oldest and best-known of trademarks and records logos. It was a brilliantly conceivedContinue reading “Nipper 1884 – 1895”
Sound Of The Hound 