............ Goldstein


Little is known about an ODEON recorder called "Goldstein", except that he was a Polish jew and a fugitive from military service.
By mid-1906 Goldstein was apparently thinking of leaving ODEON and had applied for a job at THE GRAMOPHONE COMPANY....

1/6/1906 : Letter from R/Le (Rodkinson/Leo B. Cohn)(DGAG Berlin) to Theo. B. Birnbaum (London):
Le = Leo B. Cohn ??? (was not with DGAG in 1906 !!!)
New expert - I am very much inclined to agree to the view expressed by Gaisberg and would suggest one of the ODEON men. The best man the ODEON has, is young [Hans] Glötzner who I understand is at present in South-America. Their man [Edwin] Pancoast has also done some fine recording. I think it would be very difficult to get one of the Glötzners, but Pancoast might be approached in London. The entire [recording] staff of the ODEON is American with the exception of Goldstein who is not worth considering. Of the other recorders in Germany all are Germans. The best man in my opinion is [Otto] Multhaupt, the expert of the FAVORITE who superseded [Otto] Birkhahn and who is a trained engineer with an academical education. I think he could be had and if you desire it, I can have him sounded.

Otto Multhaupt left FAVORITE on 10 January 1907, but did not join The Gramophone Company. He to work for JANUS MINERVA.

On 12 September1906 William Sinkler Darby (Berlin) sent a telegram to Rodkinson (London):
"Goldstein's [ODEON expert] records are very good. Recommend taking him on."

On that same day (12/9/1906) William Sinkler Darby (DGAG Berlin) wrote a letter to T. B. Birnbaum (London):
About 10 days ago I saw Goldstein, recording expert for the ODEON Company.
During our conversation I found out that he is dissatisfied with his position and I asked him how he would like to work for us and what salary he would want.
He said he would like very much to get with our Company and what he asks for is a salary of £ 10 per week and a 3 year's contract.
I think that it is an offer which would certainly be greatly to our advantage to accept, as we will not only be getting the ODEON's process for a 3 yrs contract amounting in money to £ 1560, but we will have a man who can start practical work for us right away.
We are badly in need of another expert. The rapid increase of the ZONO. business is making more work than we can properly attend to.
Furthermore the ODEON Co. have been doing some very fine recording and I consider their process of recording in certain respects superior to ours. Therefore if we got nothing more than their process it would certainly be worth the sum of £ 1560.
The dozen records which Goldstein gave me as his sample work are very good.

14 September 1906 : Letter from B/G (Birnbaum/Gaisberg, G & T Ltd. London) to N. M. Rodkinson (Berlin):
Goldstein : Confirming our conversation with reference to Mr. Goldstein, will you please ascertain, immediately on your arrival in Berlin, whether Mr. Goldstein has given Darby any other proof of his ability to make records beyond the samples which he [= Goldstein] submitted to him.
I am under no circumstances satisfied with any other proof than actual demonstration in the presence of Darby, though I am not quite clear as to how this is to be secured.
Goldstein no doubt, will have his own sound-boxes and could presumably demonstrate on one of our recording machines. Something of this kind will certainly have to be done before the question of his engagement can be seriously discussed.
It would be necessary to bind him down with the utmost rigour, as he is a man in whom I have not the slightest confidence. However, this question can be deferred until you have reported on the records submitted, and as to whether Goldstein is prepared to accede to the above suggestions.
Wil you please forward to Mr. Fassett the Goldstein records, which have been shewn to Mr. Darby, as Mr. Williams [A.C. Redshawe Williams or Edmund Trevor Lloyd Williams] is personally desirous of inspecting them and forming an opinion as to their value.

17/9/1906 : Letter from F/F (Fassett, G&T Ltd.) to W. Sinkler Darby (Berlin):
Mr. Birnbaum desires me to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 12th inst., re Goldstein, and to inform you that he has discussed this matter with Mr. Rodkinson.
Mr. Birnbaum feels that he could under no circumstances seriously consider the question of Goldstein's engagement without definite proof of his ability to make good records, by actual demonstration in your presence. This would perhaps be difficult to arrange, but Goldstein, no doubt, has his own sound-boxes and could probably demonstrate on one of our Recording Machines.
Mr. Rodkinson will undoubtedly discuss with you as to whether it will be possible to arrange such a test of Goldstein's recording."

19 September 1906 : Letter from R/Le [= N. M. Rodkinson/Leo B. Cohn, DGAG Berlin] to Birnbaum (London):
I am in receipt of yours of the 14th inst.
Goldstein - I have had a pretty plain talk with this man and while I am not prepared to say that we have been doing him any injustice, it may be that we have judged him too harshly. He submitted to me 2 letters written to him by Mr. [F. M.] Prescott which tend to show that he had absolutely no intention of applying for a position with us, in order to act as spy for Mr. Prescott. I am sending you the letters in original and you can form your own opinion.
As for his having made the records which he submitted to Darby, there can be no question, as he has proved conclusively that he was the only Expert sent to Austria, Hungary and Bohemia and most of the records made there are his work. Nevertheless I have asked him to make some records in Darby's presence and this he has declared himself willing to do. He is making arrangements with Darby accordingly, and I shall let you know the result as soon as his records are ready.
At any rate, in view of the fact that we are badly in need of an Expert and that he is the only available good man, I cannot but urge his engagement. Will you therefore upon receipt of this and upon cosideration of the circumstances send me a wire authorising his engagement on the condition that his records prove satisfactory. He can no doubt free himself about October 1st, but naturally would like to know sometime in advance whether his engagement by us is assured. I have therefore promised to let him know by Monday.
Kindly return Prescott's letters and in case you agree to his engagement, have Mr. Broad draw up his contract into German, French and Italian dating them respectively: London, Berlin, Paris and Milan. Goldstein cannot go to Russia as it seems that he is a fugitive from military service, being born Pole and of jewish faith. He particularly informed me that his going to Russia would be out of the question.

Here the correspondence on Goldstein ends....
Apparently in the end he was not engaged by The G & T Ltd, at least not in the capacity of recorder, since no recording expert by the name of “Goldstein” worked for The G & T. Ltd.

In view of the picture made in Egypt on 16/2/1908, showing three persons (Hermann Blumenthal, a Mr. Goldstein and some Waffiz?/Haffiz?, we may suppose that Goldstein still was with Odeon in February 1908, unless this was another Goldstein/provided this is the same person...

Goldstein's name occurs several times in the FONOTIPIA ledgers Fonotipia Recordings. A Centennial Survey by Michael E. Henstock, on page 239 (note) 665 (24 September 1908) and 240 (note 667) (28 September 1908)
Henstock suggests "Carl" as his first name, but I suspect Henstock assumed that this was Carl/Charles Max Goldstein, one-time deputy manager of the INTERNATIONAL TALKING MACHINE COMPANY, later director of FONOTIPIA (Milan) in 1907, and replaced by Kenneth Muir in 1909.

Apparently recording engineer Goldstein did not make the switch and remained with ODEON at least until 1914, in view of the fact that the name “Goldstein” occurs as late as March 1914 in the Fonotipia ledgers.
If not as a recorder, Goldstein may have ended up as a member of ODEON’s technical staff in Berlin.