RCA Experimental LM-1922 First Recording of Synthesizer
$
29
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Description
Here is a rare find for you to bid on. An interesting listen when you think that this record was made a decade before synthesizers became mainstream. This is the record that a young Bob Moog might have heard to inspire his musical inventions years later. Vinyl is in excellent shape. Cover is as well (see scans above).
About the instrument:
In 1955, RCA unveiled its Electronic Music Synthesizer, and a new era in the history of music began. Developed at RCA's David Sarnoff Research Center (near Princeton, NJ), it was the brainchild of Harry Olson, and Herbert Belar. This huge and unwieldy system was controlled by a punched paper roll, similar to a player piano roll. A keyboard was used to punch the roll. Each note had to be individually described by a number of parameters (frequency, volume, envelope, etc.) The output was fed to disk recording machines, which stored the results on lacquer-coated disks. One of these can be seen at the left in the above photo. Programming this machine must have been a laborious and time consuming process, but it caught the attention of electronic music pioneers.
As part of this development, RCA issued a 12 inch LP. This may not have been a commercial release (note the "experimental" designation) or, if it was, it saw very limited distribution.This set featured a narration and demonstration of the basic features of the synthesizer, and concluded with renditions of several well known popular and classical pieces "played" on the synthesizer.
Side 1
: The Synthesis of Music
Side 2
: Bach Fugue No. 2
: Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 1
: Oh Holy Night (Adam),
: Home Sweet Home (Bishop)
: Stephen Foster Medley, Nola (Arndt),
: Blue Skies (Berlin)
Own a piece of musical history with this rare record. Good luck!
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