MUSIC IN THE OUTBACK

New Zealand Listener, Volume 18, Issue 457, 25 March 1948, Page 7

MUSIC IN THE OUTBACK

New Programmes from the Mobile Unit

OST of New Zealand’s small country towns have their brass band, small orchestra, choral society, playreading circle or drama club. The members use the local hall or take turn and turn about, practising in each

other’s homes. And as often as not the amount of enthusiasm put into this type of after-work-ing hours activity is"as great as in any of the larger centres-probably even greater, because, apart from the local picture theatre, and an occasional dance, there is little else in the way of amusement. The immediate results do not always measure up to metropolitan standards, but all over the country creditable efforts are being made to keep music alive in small communities. The Mobile Recording Unit of the NZBS has

proved this during three tours-two in the North Island ahd one in Otago, where it is operating at the moment. And through its visits to out-of-the-way places have come two programmes-Music is Where You Find It, now being heard from 4YA at 7.39 p.m. on Mondays, and History and Harmony in New Zealand Towns, heard from 1YA at 8.0 p.m. on Thursdays.

These two sessions are somewhat alike, but with the difference that the first deals purely with local musical efforts and the second with music, plus a short account of the town’s history and reminiscence by local _ inhabitants. Much of the Unit’s work has to be done under circumstances which cannot bring out the best in the recordings. Frequently the surroundings dismay the technical staff. Studio facilities are not to be found in small country areas, so that most of the choirs and their soloists, bands and so on have to be recorded in whatever hall is available. Almost without exception the halls were built originally for local gatherings, flower shows, country concerts, socials and dances, and only in rare cases has the Unit foynd a hall designed to include the acoustic qualities necessary for firstclass recording. "What's the Piano Like?" One of the first questions in the technicians’ minds is "What’s the piano like?" There are a few good ones, some fair, and others quite unsuitable for recording purposes. On some occasions the Unit has had to. move the piano from the room altogether and to record just as many of its notes as penetrate

softly through a dividing wall. But with all these drawbacks, the general standard of music recorded is comparatively high, the staff of the Unit state. And if it is presented on the air simply as an example of the keen work of the bands, choirs and other musicians to foster music appreciation, then it is all to the good. Throughout the tours the Unit staff have been impressed with the willingness of country folk to co-operate. A choir member has been known to ride seven miles on her bicycle to help in an evening’s recording. Sometimes it takes several hours to get a correct balance of tone. And sometimes the final record. ing has been obtained only after crowding a choir of 40 into a small and stuffy room designed for the comfort of not more than a dozen, with the piano wedged into the most convenient place. One orchestra in the North Island was recorded in a hall so small that the whole string section had to move every time the door was opened. But no matter what shifts the people were put to, they were full of enthusiasm and anxious to give all possible help. Every small town has its "life of the

party," the man who gets up all the entertainments, conducts the choir, plays for concerts and dances, and perhaps plays the harmonium or small pipe organ in the little church on Sundays. He might be the local grocer, the lawyer or doctor, the undertaker or the garaze proprietor. He is the pivot on which all musical activities turn; and if he is not available, there is always someone else ready to do his best. The Unit hag made firm friends of many of these indefatigable people. Off-Noises Gratis In addition to its collection of discs of country musical work, the Unit has unavoidably picked up some of the extraneous noises that are a countryside feature. Bands, which are recorded in the open air wherever possible, are apt to have a background accompaniment of the town clock, bird ¢alls and the bleating of a passing mob of sheep. Choirs and the like are. generally recorded in halls which add to the music their own contribution of squeaky doors, clattering windows, stealthy (and sometimes not so stealthy) footsteps, coughs, whispers, and an occasional giggle. And so the Unit now has in its repertoire such noises off as come from lowing cattle, car-horns and gears, aéroplanes, tractors, crowing roosters, roaring winds, granite saws and trains. The staff has counted no fewer than 60 kinds of extraneous noise. When the recordings are complete, they are sent to the Production Studios in Wellington. The most suitable are selected, scripts are written round them, and the sessions are ready for presentation on the air. Stations other than 1YA and 4YA will probably present Music is Where You Find It and History and Harmony in New. Zealand Towns later in the year.