Mood Music: A compilation of the 112 Edison Re-Creations according to "what they will do for you." Based on psychological experiments conducted under the direction of Dr. W.V. Bingham

Orange, NJ: Thomas Edison, Inc.. 1921. First Edition. 8vo (23 cm), stapled pamphlet. 31 pp. Pages loose, wrappers almost completely separated from spine, scattered staining to wrappers, otherwise fine. Rare. Worldcat records only four copies.



In 1920 Thomas Edison joined forces with Dr. W. V. Bingham, Director of the Department of Applied Psychology at the Carnegie Institute of Psychology to investigate the “mental effects” of recorded music upon listeners. The result, in 1921, was a unique ad campaign based upon what Edison records “will do for you.” The company published this elaborate booklet detailing their findings, and including a list of mood-altering discs to which it ascribed near-medicinal qualities: “To Bring You Peace of Mind,” “To Make You Joyous,” “For More Energy,” “For Tender Memory,” etc., as well as selections to “catch the childish fancy and make it merry with glee" and (for the pious) a section headed “Devotion Is Also a Mood.” There is some surprisingly frank evaluation of Edison’s output in the accompanying text, with Dr. Bimgham noting, for example, that “Pieces labeled ‘patriotic’ did not always produce patriotic thrills. Some proved frankly boresome… Some so-called humorous pieces utterly failed to get a laugh or even a smile.” For readers who skipped the rather ponderous introduction, the emotional benefits to be had by playing the selected records were portrayed in easily understood sketches. The real genius of the campaign, however, lay in its open invitation for customers — including those of competing companies — to participate in the “research.” All were encouraged to visit an Edison dealer, listen to records of their choice, and then to report their emotional reactions to the company on a “Mood Change Chart," a completed example of which is reproduced on the rear wrapper. The selections on the lists are frequently odd, to say the least — “Little Alabama Coon” to bring “Peace of Mind,” “Vesti la giubba” from Pagliacci to “Stimulate and Enrich Your Imagination,” etc. — and they include some of the least interesting titles in the Edison catalog. Diamond Disc sales were already on the increase in 1920, before the Mood Music pamphlet was published, so it’s difficult to judge how effective the campaign might have been. Little more was heard of it after 1922. (11060)

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