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New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 430, 19 September 1947, Page 5

Sir,-Your correspondent L. D, Austin, whose criticism of my recent article on the behaviour of audiences I have just read, may, for all I know, have different reasons for attending concerts than I. I go for the humble purpose of listening to the music I love, and I will do whatever I can to avoid interfering with the efforts of the artist, be he celebrity or beginner, or with the enjoyment of my fellow-members of the audience. I cannot believe that any true music-lover would support Mr. Austin’s © view ‘that Boyd Neel was. "unduly and quite unnecessarily precise" in that he merely attempted (he seldom succeeded) to start his performances ‘at the times at which the public had been informed

they would start. Ihe malpractices Mr. Austin seeks to justify are the outcome of lack of respect for the welfare of others, for the artist, and a \lukewarm liking for music. That it is not always easy for everyone to get to the concert hall in time 1 readily concede. It is not easy to get to the station in time to catch the three o'clock train, but knowing that the train will have gone if one wanders along half-an-hour late, one takes great pains to be there in time. As the traveller is keen to catch his train, so the listener, if he is keen to hear the concert in full, the first item included, can be in his seat early if he wishes. If he cannot be bothered to exert himself he would be well advised to confine his listening to the radio, which he may switch on and off as he pleases, though I hasten to assure him that the Broadcasting Service will despatch no scouts to see whether he is ready to start listening before they permit the performance to begin,

J.M.D.

H.

(Wellington),