The City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society

The City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society (CLPGS)^{[notes 1]} is a British society and registered charity dedicated to the research in all aspects of early recorded sound. Founded in 1919, the CLPGS is likely to be the oldest society of its type in the world.^[1]

History

The CLPGS was founded under the name "The London Edison Society" in 1919, when Norman Hillyer and some members of the North London Phonograph and Gramophone Society decided that a group was needed within the City of London. The founding members agreed to approach Thomas Edison to ask if he would become a Patron of the new venture. Edison would only agree if the group changed its name to the City of London Phonograph Society, so this was done. The group's initial membership numbered about forty.

In the 1920s, with the shift away from phonograph cylinders, the group changed its name to "The City of London Phonograph and Radio Society", reflecting many of the members' interests in early radio technology.

Meetings of the society have continued since these early beginnings, interrupted by World War II and the Covid pandemic, but resumed afterwards. The society has met at various locations in London throughout its history, with meetings presently held at Conway Hall, in the London Borough of Camden (rather than the City of London itself). Regular meetings are also held in the UK regions. Despite its historic name the Society has members world-wide, although the majority of them are located in the UK.

By the late-1940s the interest in radios as a hobby had waned, and the group renamed themselves with their present name to reflect their interest in gramophones and early recorded sound technology in general. Recently, however, they have refused to include reviews of CDs featuring vintage (1930s and 1940s) radio shows because the President doesn't like the adverts and talking (!). One of the society's current patrons is Oliver Berliner, grandson of the recording pioneer Emile Berliner; another was Simon Blumlein (11 May 1936 – 2 January 2024), son of Alan Blumlein who invented stereo recording. The CLPGS is now the oldest such society in the world.^[2]

Publications

Since 1963, the society has published its quarterly magazine, initially named The Hillandale News, and (since 2002) called For the Record. These authoritative, quality publications have been a significant vehicle for research on early talking machines and recordings.^[3][4] Since 2010 the society has also published a growing list of Reference Series titles, a series of A5-sized books, designed to provide an accessible library of relevant historical information, in both text and audio form.  New titles are produced regularly; they now form an extensive body of information for those interested in early talking machines and recordings. For more details see the CLPGS website.

Notes

1. In the United Kingdom, the term 'phonograph' is used for a player of cylinders, while a 'gramophone' plays disc records. In many other parts of the world the term 'phonograph' is used for both.

References

1. Hoffmann, Frank (2004). Encyclopedia of recorded sound. Vol. 1. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-415-93835-8.
2. "CLPGS - About Us". The City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society (CLPGS). Retrieved 2021-08-10.
3. CLPGS has also published The Masters Series, modern phonograph cylinders reproducing operatic works, launched in 2013. "Publications for researcher Paul Cleary". Research Register. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
4. Since its inception, the CLPGS has documented and published works dedicated to the origins of audio recording, 65 works in 67 publications in two languages and 262 library holdings. "WorldCat.org". Reference Directory. Retrieved 16 November 2011.

External links

• Official website
• National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress (USA)
• Antique Phonograph Society website