AMERICAN TASTES

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 18, 18 November 1927, Page 2

AMERICAN TASTES

] MANY DISLIKE JAZZ BEKYUOVEN FAVOURITE. The musical taste of radio listeners of the American nation is very much. higher than is commonly supposed, according to the tabulated results of a widely circulated questionnaire, it was announced last month by Arthur Williams, vice-president of the New York Edison Company. ‘The questionnaire discloses Ludwig van Beethoven as the favourite composer and Richard Wag: ner’s overture to ‘"lannhauser" as the favourite type of music. The opinions were obtained in connection with the company’s hour of music which is broadcast over WRNY, New York City. Radio listeners number 4800 had cast a total of 79,800 votes for fifty composers and eighteen types of musical compositions, he said. Beethoven, received 3245 votes; Franz Schubert ranked second with 2971, and Victor Lierbert third with 2935. The next in order were: Richard Wagner, Felix Mendelssohn, Fritz IKreisler, Franz Liszt and Charles Gounod, Johann Strauss, the Vienna waliz master, ranked fifteenth. Favourite Compositions. The first ten favourite compositions in the order of their preference were: Overture to ‘"Yannhauser,’"? by Wagner; "Poet anJ1 Peasant’? overture, von Suppe; "March Militaire,’"? Schubert; Fifth Symphony, Beethoven; ‘Unfinished" Symphony, Schubert; ballet musica from ‘‘Faust,’? Gounod; ‘Meditation from "Thats, | Massenet; *Liebesfrend,’" Kreisler; "THLM.S. Pinafore," Sullivan; and ‘Nutcracker Suite," by Tschaikovsky. "One of the significant things shown in the questionnaire,’"? said Mr. Williams, "which seems to indicate that the tastes of listeners everywhere are alike, is that relative positions of the leading composers and compositions were the same for each thonsand questionnaires tabulated. "The space provided for remarks provoked much lively comment, The men had more to say and were much more positive in their opinions than women, Thirty asked for jazz, and more than 185 denounced it in no gentle terms, Instrumental solos proved to be more popular than vocal solos, with 2720 votes for the former and 1422 for the latter, Orchestral music alone recciyed 2110 vyotes."*