BRITISH BROADCASTING

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 25, 6 January 1928, Page 13

BRITISH BROADCASTING

*.. GOOD MUSIC DESIRED. Sir Henry J. Wood,’ probably "the must famous of British conductors, is now determined to sponsor the cause of broadcasting just as keenly as he has upheld the best traditions of music for sO many years. "J ami entirely convinced,’? Sir Henry said in an article in ‘‘Popular Wireless,’ London, recently, ‘"‘that the future of good music in England is very largely linked up with the future progress of broadcasting. 1 say ‘convinced‘ because I claim that this has already in great measure been proved. GREAT PUBLIC DEMAND. _ "The broadcasts at Queen’s Hall were at by a great many musical snubs, and they even went as far as to describe it as ‘canned’ music end ‘merchandised art.’ ‘To say such a thing is to talk sheer, absolute, undiluted bosh. But sucli people aren’t really worth troubling about. Judging by the hundreds of letters I have received from all over Great Britain and the Contineut, there has been a far greater public demand for really good music since the B.B.C. came into being than there ever .was before. AN EXCELLENT SUBSTITUTE. "While, of course, the beauty of a ‘composition and its rendering are bound .to lose a little of their perfection when transmitted thronfh microphone and loudspeaker, broadcast music is a most excellent substitute for those who are not able to be actually present in the hall where the concert is taking place. "Tar from lowering the standard of musical taste, the radio has effected just the reverse, for never before has there been such a demand for first-class compositions, excellently rendered. ‘The average nightly attendance at this season’s promenade concerts was far greater than usual, and it was undoubtedly the influence of broadcasting that brought the newcomers in. | ‘While broadcasting is stimulating the demand for good music, there is no doubt that it will also improve the quality of performance beyond measure. |