A centenary which I missed last week was that of the death of Fred Gaisberg, the man who recorded Adelina Patti among other celebrities of the early years of the twentieth century. Gaisberg's death may have been hastened by his final coup, recording the sounds of an actual artillery bombardment in the final weeks of the Great War. During the recording, he inhaled gas which it seems the Germans were still using as a weapon. Gaisberg's weakened lungs may have rendered him more susceptible to the "Spanish" flu which took off so many men who had survived the war.
The commercially-issued disc may have been souped-up a bit for the public, but the sounds were clearly accepted as authentic by those who had been there. It may well be the source for the recreation of sound effects added to contemporary silent film footage when it was shown to audiences after the coming of sound in cinemas.
Once again, I am grateful to Terry Teachout.
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