MUSIC AND BROADCASTING.

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 45, 25 May 1928, Page 16

MUSIC AND BROADCASTING.

A FAVOURABLE INFLUENCE.

Mr. Bennett North, a well-known teacher of voice production in Sydney, who adjudicated at the Wellington Competitions in 1925, and is in New Zealand to officiate at the Christchurch Competitions now in progress, has a kindly word to say for the value of broadcasting in relation to music. in an interview with "The Dominion" Mr. North said he did not think that broadcasting was baneful to music, as it taught people to listen and to discriminate, in Sydney it has been highly beneficial to the students, who often earned enough in fees for broadcasting services to cover their tuition. A further comparison that Mr. North made in reference to the general standard of vocal attempts betweeen New Zealand and Australia is of value in relation to broadcast programmes and the comparison sometimes made between Australian and New Zealand stations, Mr. North’s view would seem to favour the general quality of New Zealand voices. Mr. North said he was always glad to come to New Zealand, as the standard here was higher than he had found it in New South Wales, especially as regarded men’s voices. New Zealand seemed to be able to produce a better type of voice. That applied, perhaps in a lesser degree, to the ladies’ voices. One could not say exactly what brought that about, but it may be due to a greater isolation, "away from the madding crowds" of the big cities, where the intonation might be a little more careless, or education might be a factor, The one great weakness in New Zealand was choral singing, which never seemed to reach a very high ievel,, not even as high as that of New South Wales. For the best in chora singing, however, one had to go to Queensland. Mr. North was judging in Cairns (Northern Queensland) af Taster, when there were competitions for first and second grade choirs. Ig the second grade, there were threg choirs so good all round that they, scored over 90 marks ouf of the maxis: mum of 100,, and the Cairns Ohoiry in the first grade, singing "Death in the Hills" (Migar), treated the number with such artistry that he had tH award the choir 97 out of 100 one Here again he could only account foR* such a high standard by the fact that the young people had not the same distractions to occupy their timg as they had in Sydney or Melbourne, .