Radio Voices

New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 325, 14 September 1945, Page 11

Radio Voices

HE 4YA Radio Contest, held in conjunction with the festival of the Dunedin Competitions Society, was won by Bryan Drake, a singer with one of the most promising voices heard locally for a long time. The section must have been a popular one, judging by the number of entries-the winner was number thirty! What exactly is required in a Radio Voice that is not required in a Concert Hall Voice? In both cases listeners demand correct pitch and clear enunciation, and whatever artistry the singer is capable of. But for concert work a pleasing personality is necessary, an ability to walk on and off the stage with grace, an easy stance and the elimination of such physical handicaps as making faces, foot-tapping, and not knowing what to do with one’s hands, A radio singer need not bother about any of this. He or she may dispense with formal dress, make the most fearful grimaces, even read the music from a score, and the listener need never know. On the other hand, the radio audience is not to be fooled by a display of personality or a pretty face; have no physical form to gaze at, the listener concentrates on the voice, and’ small: defects of musicianship assume alarming: proportions. The

necessity, therefore, for technical. perfection is the main consideration in radio work, and the ability to "put it over" without visual aid for the listener. After that, it’s a matter of luck--some of the best concert voices just don’t broadcast well, and a singer with a voice which gets lost in an auditorium may find that her voice is just right for the microphone. Both the recalls which I heard were excellent radio voices, and I hope that not only the winner but many others in this competition will hereby prove to the satisfaction of the broadcasting authorities their ability to sing over the air. New voices are always an asset and should be given every opportunity.