Sound Revolutions: A Biography of Fred Gaisberg, Founding Father of Commercial Sound Recording

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding memoir of sound recording
Review: How sound recording evolved through the life of the person who was there from the beginning and into the first l.p.'s. The mechanical changes are here, but more importantly how the disc established itself as a medium for the reproduction of great music. Fred Gaisberg was the person at EMI who recruited the great talent, produced or oversw all of the productions, starting with Caruso, and formed a symbiotic and sympathetic relationship that eased their suspicions and got the best out of them. He traveled all over the world through war and pestilence to cut records and recruit talent. The anecdotes of Melba, Chaliapin, Tetrazzini, Caruso, John McCormack, and especially Elgar. Insights into the production of the unforgettable Schnabel Beethoven Sonata series, and many other of the great recordings. From the very beginning Gaisberg saw that recording could create musical reputations, and he had an unerring eye for talent. Moore has recreated a wonderful piece of history. Reads beautifully. Good illustrations.