PLACING OF MICROPHONES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 385, 8 November 1946, Page 5

PLACING OF MICROPHONES

Sir,-The criticisms of at least one of your "commentators"-I refer to the one who wrote in your issue of October 4 about’ the Solomon and Elijah con-certs-convince me that it is neither wise nor fair to judge a performance from a broadcast. There may be faults both of reception and of transmission. The receiving-set may be of indifferent quality, or else the microphones may not have been placed to get the best results. Having been in the audience at both of the two concerts mentioned, I am in a position to explain to the writer that the instrument played upon by Solomon, with its harpsichord tone, was more suited to the Scarlatti sonata than to the sonorities of Beethoven’s "Apas-sionata"-TI’ll leave it at that! As for the Elijah concert, had your commentator been present instead of listening in, he would have realised ‘that the orchestra, "so little heard" actually was, if anything, rather too much in evidence throughout the evening. At this point I might make my own comment that, if your contributor, instead of making niggling and slightly

contemptuous remarks about the chorus, soloists, and Mendelssohn’s work, had pointed out that the tempo at which several of the solos were taken was altogether too fast, he would be doing some service to our musical community. Reverting to the question of transmission, it would seem that the technical staff of the NZBS has yet something to learn about the placing of microphones so as to obtain an even balance between ali sections of an ensemble. In the performance of Messiah given here last December-described as being "flat" by this writer-the organ, which in the hall was most impressive, was barely heard by listeners outside, as was evidenced by letters in The Listéner. In the same month, listening to the Wellington performance of Handel’s work, I wondered why the organ was not being used, and it was only when the announcer at the interval told us the name of the organist that I found out that it had been. This matter of placement of Wicrophones is a most important matter and it is to be hoped that more research along these lines will be taken by the Service.

CRITICUS

(Auckland )

ECCENTRIC PRONUNCIATION Sir,-It may be no bad thing that people seem to be paying now to pronunciation much of the attention: that was once given to orthography, May 1 therefore record what, to my hearing, is a record collection of curious (or eccentric, or unusual, or affected) pronunciations of place-names; it was achieved by the football announcer who gave results from 2YA at seven o'clock on September 21. First came "Marlborough," which was pronounced "Maulborough." Even one of the- standard English pronouncing dictionaries tecords (in effect, using phonetic symbols not carried in commercial printing houses) that in England the accepted pronunciation is "Maul-," but in (inter alia) New Zealand, "Marl-." Repeating. the word, the announcer slipped into the accepted pronunciation, but using it a third time, he again produced the "Maul" sound. Then came "Tahranahky."’ Whatever Mount Egmont sounded like on the lips of the Ancient Maori, for two generations at least it has in ordinary Enzeddic been "Tarranacky," and still is, Another word sounded less like "Canterbury" than like "Canterberry." At Canterbury schools (or .some of them) boys are expressly taught (or used to be taught) that "Canterberry" is one of the sounds that ought not to be uttered; the accepted pronunciation is more like "Canterb’ry." Finally came "Mahnawatu," which has not been anglicised for as long as "Taranaki," and sounds the first syllable as in "man." As it happens, I believe "Mahnawatu" is no better Maori that it is English. I am told that the Maori incline to give the first vowel the same short "a" sound as "is heard in "haka," "tangi," "cup" and "butter." The BBC issues for guidance to its announcers phonetic lists of placenames. Some.such publication. be useful to the Broadcasting Department in New Zealand.

C.

E.

(Wellington )

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT C.B.W. (Christchurch): Protest noted.

More letters trom listeners will be found on page 14 —

LETTERS FROM LISTENERS

(continued from page 5)