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The dangers of recorded music, players and new technologies
Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 10:57 am
by Slaton
This is a very interesting podcast....I love the cartoon decrying automation and danger of record players and recorded music: from 'The Menace of Mechanical Music' by John Philip Sousa (1906) Featured in Ep.3 of below Podcast: soundcloud.com/pessimistsarc/…
In the early 1900s, recorded music was accused of muddling our minds, destroying art, and even harming babies. What was everyone so afraid of? In this episode, we dig into the early days of music and see what the hysterics properly predicted—and what they never saw coming.
Re: The dangers of recorded music, players and new technolog
Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 2:44 pm
by barnettrp21122
I like the weight-driven cradle rocker! That evolved into today's "Swing-O-Matic."
Bob

- swingomatic.jpg (18.68 KiB) Viewed 2192 times
Re: The dangers of recorded music, players and new technolog
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:55 am
by CMcPherson
Will you link the podcast?
Re: The dangers of recorded music, players and new technolog
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:31 pm
by Slaton
CMcPherson wrote:Will you link the podcast?
Here it is...
https://soundcloud.com/pessimistsarc
It is definitely worth a listen..I found the criticism of the phonograph and recorded music by John Phillip Sousa to be particularly interesting.
Anil
Re: The dangers of recorded music, players and new technolog
Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 12:37 am
by Lucius1958
Interesting, as Sousa had previously written at least one plug for the Gramophone, and later wrote in praise of the Orthophonic...
Bill
Re: The dangers of recorded music, players and new technolog
Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 9:56 am
by Henry
Somewhere around here I have the complete text of the Sousa "Menace" article from that 1906 Appleton magazine issue. The problem is finding where I filed it when I retired from teaching almost 20 years ago. I've looked in most of the obvious places, but there are still a few more to search. When/If I find it, I'll scan it and post it here; it's not very long, maybe two printed pages. The copy I have came from Stereo Review magazine, which reprinted it around the time of the centennial of the invention of the phonograph (c. 1977).
Re: The dangers of recorded music, players and new technolog
Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 3:16 am
by VintageTechnologies
Google "The Menace of Mechanical Music'" and you will find the complete text online.
Re: The dangers of recorded music, players and new technolog
Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 12:33 pm
by Schlick
barnettrp21122 wrote:I like the weight-driven cradle rocker! That evolved into today's "Swing-O-Matic."
Bob
swingomatic.jpg
The very Neglect-o-Matic 2000 model we raised our son on!!!
Re: The dangers of recorded music, players and new technolog
Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:33 pm
by Henry
VintageTechnologies wrote:Google "The Menace of Mechanical Music'" and you will find the complete text online.
True enough, and here it is:
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/music-and-t ... _sousa.pdf