Category: Entertainment and Leisure>>Music

Problem description:

I remember when I was a child, I had a record player at home. At that time, it was a big round It's a record that you put in and it spins and then you sing the song.

I would like to ask, when did that kind of record player become popular in China, and when did it become unavailable.

I would love to know the answer to this question.

Analysis:

In the 1890s, phonographs began to be put into use in Europe, the United States and other countries. At the same time, records were quickly introduced to China. In 1897, the British merchant Merchants Company located on Nanjing Road was the first to introduce wax cylinder phonographs and cylindrical wax cylinder records to Shanghai. This kind of machine that can retain sound is called a phonograph by Shanghainese, and a disc that can sing by itself is called a record. Due to the fact that Murder was the first to introduce records, for a long time records were collectively referred to as "Murder Records", just like newspapers were collectively called "Declaration Paper" in Shanghai at that time.

At that time, most of the imported records contained foreign music, which was difficult for ordinary people to understand, so foreign businessmen tried to cater to the preferences of the Chinese people. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Frenchman Le Bangsheng set up a stall in Shanghai to play the record "Foreigners Laughing" for free. The slogan was: "For ten cents, you can hear foreigners laughing once, which will make you laugh and laugh. Everyone who listens to it will If you don’t laugh, you won’t get a penny.” This 2-minute-32-second-long record, which featured a variety of laughs, was very popular at the time and sold well, leaving a deep impression on many people’s minds. To this day, people still regard this "Foreigners Laughing" as the first generation record introduced to China.

"The Battle between Chicken and Dog"

After that, foreign businessmen began to produce records in Shanghai. They usually recorded in China and then sent them abroad to make records and then ship them. Return to China for sale. For example, in 1904, Victory Records recorded records such as "Catch and Release Cao" by Peking opera artist Sun Juxian. This has been regarded as a symbol of the beginning of China's recording industry.

The first companies to set up factories in China to produce and sell records were the French EMI Company and the British Gramophone Company. In 1908, EMI rented a house near Nanyang Bridge (today's *** South Road) in Shanghai and established the "Oriental EMI Record Company", which was run by Le Bangsheng. Its record trademark was a crowing rooster. A few years later, due to good management, Lebang made a fortune. Around 1915, EMI purchased land at No. 1434 Xujiahui Road (now Hengshan Road), Xujiahui Jinji Bridge, Shanghai, and established a record manufacturing company. Record manufacturing industry in China. The British Gramophone Company was founded in 1898. The following year, the company's boss bought the painting "Puppy Listening to the Phonograph" by Francis Baraud and its copyright for 100 pounds. Therefore, the painting was named “His Master’s Voice” (the master’s voice, abbreviated as “HMV”), so the company was henceforth called HMV Company. Almost at the same time as "EMI", "HMV" began recording and producing records in China, forming a fierce competition with "EMI" in the recording industry. Because the record trademarks of the two companies were "rooster crowing" and "dog listening to the trumpet" respectively, this commercial competition was nicknamed the "rooster-dog battle" by the press.

"Greater China", "Crescent" and "Great Wall"

After the 1920s, Shanghai's economy has developed greatly, and the sales of records have also entered a golden age. Newspapers and periodicals Almost every day on the Internet, there are advertisements from various record companies competing for their glory. In addition to EMI and Shengli (HMV), well-known record companies from various countries such as Gaoting, Beikai, Golin, and Pagoda set up factories and stores in Shanghai one after another. Chinese record players also started to set up their own record players during this period.

In 1917, Sun Yat-sen invited the Japanese Keng Wei Kei to set up a record factory in Shanghai. The Sino-Japanese joint venture Great China Record Company opened a factory on Dalian Road, Hongkou, with the trademark "Double Parrot". Records produced by "Greater China" use different colors of core paper to distinguish the type of record: red for Peking opera, green for songs, and blue for local opera. In 1924, it also recorded several speech records for Mr. Sun Yat-sen, which was the most glorious page in the history of "Greater China". In 1927, "Greater China" withdrew Japanese capital and became independently operated by the Chinese, becoming the first truly Chinese record factory in China.

Crescent Gramophone Records Company was another influential domestic record company in Shanghai at that time. "Chinese business capital, Chinese manufacturing" was the slogan it vigorously promoted.

"Crescent Moon" was founded in 1930. Most of its main members are Cantonese. In addition to recording a large amount of Cantonese music, it also contributed to China's early film music. The record used in China's first dubbed talkie "Weeds and Flowers", which came out in 1930, was recorded by "Crescent". This record, written by Sun Yu and sung by Jin Yan and Ruan Lingyu, is the pioneer of Chinese film songs and has become a precious record of the hard work and development of Chinese films.

"Crescent Moon" is proud to record film music, and "Great Wall" is proud to record Chinese Peking Opera. In June 1931, the Du Family Ancestral Hall of Shanghai celebrity Du Yuesheng was completed. Famous Peking Opera actors from all over the country gathered in Shanghai. Among them, "Five Flower Cave" co-starred by four famous actors, Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Xun Huisheng and Shang Xiaoyun, was the most exciting performance at the Du Ancestral Hall. program. After the meeting, the Great Wall Records came up with an idea. Zheng Zibao, the famous Shanghai drama critic and owner of the Plum Blossom Hall, came forward and invited four famous dancers to record a record of "Wuhua Cave". After many hardships, "Wuhuadong", a collaboration of four famous actors, was finally recorded successfully on the evening of January 11, 1932. For a long time, Great Wall Records has been proud of this film and advertised it extensively. Its advertising slogan is: "An unprecedented and immortal masterpiece." Indeed, although the four masters in the history of Peking Opera have performed on the same stage many times, there is only one vocal material preserved by their sincere cooperation. It records the singing of the four famous dandans at their artistic peak, which is extremely precious.

The leader is still "EMI"

Although the competition is fierce, the leader in the recording industry is still "EMI". EMI's promotional slogan in the 1930s was: "All contemporary famous songs belong to EMI, and all the heroes in the film industry belong to one family." This fully demonstrated EMI's domineering power at that time, and EMI did this proudly. At that time, EMI published the largest variety of records, including folk arts, operas, instrumental music and songs. Among them, Mandarin pop songs had the largest number and were the most talked about. Throughout the 1930s, EMI captured more than 70% of the market share of popular music records, had the best creative and arranger talents, and hired highly qualified Belarusian band accompanists.

The EMI scene at that time was extremely prosperous. Famous singers had their own recording studios, and composers had their own offices, both equipped with pianos. The most famous singers in the pop music world, such as Zhou Xuan, Bai Hong, Yao Li and Li Xianglan, etc., are all affiliated to EMI; and half-popular movie stars, such as Hu Die, Ruan Lingyu, etc., have also expressed their singing voices for EMI. If you open the newspapers at that time, you can see large advertisements from EMI almost every day, and some radio stations in Shanghai also play EMI records all the time. EMI was indeed the big brother in the recording industry at that time.

Created stars

The booming development of the recording industry has created many stars and broadened their career development paths. Most of the early popular songs came from the performances of song and dance troupes, such as "Drizzle", "Peach Blossom River", "Poor Qiuxiang", etc. Popular song and dance actors, such as Liming Hui, Wang Renmei, Li Lili, etc., naturally became the first generation recording star. They "sing and act well", and later set foot in the film industry and became famous stars in the film industry. Some important singers from the late 1930s to the 1940s, such as Bai Hong, Gong Qiuxia, Bai Guang, etc., also followed this path to become famous.

At the same time, although some movie stars are not satisfactory in terms of singing skills, they have become the targets of various record companies based on their impressive reputation and appeal. Hu Die, Ruan Lingyu, A number of famous film stars such as Xu Lai, Chen Yunshang, Li Lihua, Jin Yan, Zhao Dan, Mei Xi, etc. have recorded records, and each has its own "songs on the list", such as Jin Yan's "Song of the Road", Zhao Dan's "In Spring" etc.

In addition, because some movies at that time selected some orthodox vocalists to sing interludes, such as "Song of Family" sung by Lang Yuxiu, "Midnight Song" sung by Sheng Jialun, etc., this move promoted the popularity of popular songs. "literary" and made these academic-born musicians become "recording stars".

Driven by these forces, the influence of records has become increasingly widespread, and it has found close friends among listeners at all levels.

At that time, the record store opened by Belarus on Xiafei Road (today's Huaihai Road) had a spacious venue and rich film sources. It was a holy place frequented by music lovers.

Comfortable scenes

We can often see such pleasant scenes in old movies and old photos: a couple with a pair of children cuddling next to them, and the whole family is listening happily. Listen to the wonderful music coming from the Columbia Diamond record player or the Baofang Company's flower shell hand-cranked record player. Although, every time you play a record, you have to wind the handle and change the needle. For a 78-rpm record, it takes at most two to three minutes to turn over every play. Although it is troublesome, Shanghainese have always liked to follow fashion, and families with employees or above will still bite the bullet and buy one and serve it carefully. It is definitely a very valuable item in the house, and children are not allowed to touch it casually. In fact, the above-mentioned record players are still ordinary types. High-end luxury record players can only appear in the living rooms of wealthy people. They are often a combination of record player and radio. They are large in size, floor-standing in shape, installed on the machine and placed in a cabinet. They are gorgeous and extraordinary. Of course, the price is also amazing.

Although phonograph records are not a popular thing, their impact on the public cannot be underestimated. A record player can be listened to by more than just a family. Relatives, friends, neighbors, and classmates may all be benefited. We can often read such plots in some nostalgic articles nowadays: how a group of young people secretly gathered in a small room of their classmates or friends, listening to the beautiful music coming from the magical wooden box. That kind of *** mysterious scene will often leave an indelible impression on the minds of young people. Even decades later, they will always think of that cabin, that huge speaker, and the needle scratching on the record. rustling sound.

Here is the history of the decline of the record player:

frchina/forumnew/viewthread.php?tid=25199