TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF IT

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 500, 21 January 1949, Page 28

TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF IT

Radio Anniversary for Dorothy Davies |

ROADCASTING is such a recent development all over the world that it is a surprise to find its artists "coming of age" as well as radio itself. But it is hap-pening-even here in New Zealand. Dorothy Davies, who will begin a series of six Schubert sonatas from 2YA at 8.25 p.m. on January 27, celebrates this month the twenty-first anniversary of her first New Zealand broadcast as a pianist. "It seems only yesterday," she told us, "that I sat down in Christchurch to broadcast Bach under the A. R. Harris regime, but so much has happened since, to myself and everyone I know, that I hardly dare to look back." She was however persuaded to give some musical history. She would not talk about the war or the changed and still changing world, but she said that it might be worth recalling what great changes she had seen in the reaction of the public to good music. "When I played for A. R. Harris I was neither permitted, nor would I have dared, to give the public classical music

all the time. I was associated with the two Becks in: a trio which broadcast four nights a week, but we had orders not to play ‘highbrow stuff’ oftener than once a week. Even then we were criticised for uppishness and I am afraid caused the station a good deal of ambarrassment. To-day I play the music that I’ like best, and never think of ‘playing down’ to listeners." "And listeners don’t write suggesting that you should?" "Neither listeners nor the broadcasting authorities. Artists are given a free hand, and they can take it because the public are now so used to good music that a big percentage don’t want bad music. Even when they are not conscious of it-when they're peeling potatoes or reading the newspapersthey are absorbing good music to some extent, and for that we must thank broadcasting. Personally, I can’t thank it enough." "B ROADCASTING in New Zealand has passed through three stages-the private enterprise stage in which you began,

the Board control stage, and the stage of direct control. by the Government. Have you had experience of all three?" "No, not of the second, I was in Europe during that period. But I was librarian as well as pianist for A. R. Harris, and it is an interesting experience now to find my own writing on some of the index cards. I have broadcast regularly for the National Service since I returned to New Zealand in 1939." "You studied under Schnabel when you were overseas?" "T was luckier than that. I was asked to go to Italy, where he was then living, and stay. in his home to study. I played accompaniments for Mrs. Schnabel, who sang lieder, and I had all (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) the opportunities for absorbing culture in other ways that travelling with such a pair in such a country brought to a-raw New Zealander. Even yet I can feel some of the excitement." "You also of course worked in London?" "Yes, it was in London I met the Schnabels, when I was working at the Royal College of Music. But my chief teacher there was Arthur Alexander, a New Zealander, I should in fact like to emphasise that all my routine teaching has been by New ZealandersArthur Alexander in London, Frank Hutchens in Sydney at the Conservatorium, and Mrs, Redmond when I was a girl at Wanganui College." "So we are not entirely barbarians in music?" "Not by a long way. Each of those teachers I have mentioned was a real musician as well as a good teacher, but the secret of progress is hard work." "You were overseas for several years. Did you have to maintain yourself there or were you free of anxieties like that?" "I worked all the time. I had of course saved some money before I went, but not nearly enough to keep me such a long time away from New Zealand, But London is full of opportunities for those who are not too proud to take them. The struggle to live is never relaxed, but no one should be afraid to- go if anything like a. reasonable chance presents itself. For some time I played jazz for a physical culture club; later I played ballet music for Marie Rambert, Another interesting job was acting as accompanist to one of Malcolm Sargent’s concert clubs, None of it was easy, but it was all interesting, and my only reason for mentioning it now is to encourage the juniors whose careers are still ahead of them. After 21 years of broadcasting I am very much one of. the seniors, and the juniors, God Ifss them, probably have another name for me." ee nen nae i ae eee ae nen eee eae ee