2YA ORCHESTRA

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 52, 13 July 1928, Page 5

2YA ORCHESTRA

INTERESTING ANALYSIS POPULARITY OF PROGRAMMES.

J the lats issue of the "Radio Record" a correspondent, "Wanganui," alleged that there was a preponderance of classical music in the programmes submitted by the orchestra of 2YA, The correspondent specially mentioned the week ending June 80, during which time, he asserted, the orchestra played 94 minutes of clasgical, 40 minutes of light opera, and 30 minutes of request items. _ After analysing all the items, he contended that two-thirds of the programme were classical and one-third light opera. As it seemed evident that our corres--pondent was wrong in his assumption, we have had the programmes in question analysed, and the result is particularly interesting, being just the reverse of the conclusions our correspondent arrived at. The analysis disclosses the following position :- : Classical Music. Min, "phantasy Trio" (Trio) ...+-- 10 "Joseph and His Brethren" (Schmidt) .seeeeeseeeeees 12 "Ballade" (violin solo) (Haydn) T éAscanio" Ballet Music (Saint- — Saens) cecceeerccesvesecs 105 "Colonial Song (Trio) ...++++. 10 "Wanderer’s Ziel? ...scsceeees 10 ‘Hungarian Rhapsody" (liszt) . 7 66

Popular Music. "Stradella" (IWLOtow) s-cvceese "Monsieur Beaucaire’ (Rosse) . Request sseccecsrvrerecvrccces "Rakozy" (Keler Bela) «.sse++Request serecccceecseceeveser "Madame Butterfly" (Puccini) . "private Ortheris" (Ansell) .... "Gleopatra" (Cornet) .sserreere Request ssecececereeecevrrece "Love’s Old Sweet Song" (Molloy) cece cece ees eseneeees Request sseveeececetrecvecers "No, No, Nanette!" (Youmans) "Blue Mazurka" (Lehar) «sors "Queen High" (Gensler) esses 10 10 ray mom 10 OD AMO 10 10 10 — 121

The foregoing list shows that tat minutes of popular and 66 minutes of classical music were performed during 4 week in question. Even amongst the music which is scheduled as "classical," two or three of the numbers are distinctly "popular," particularly "Joseph and His Brethren" Suite. It is, of course, very difficult to draw a line clearly between "classical" and "popular" music. As 2 matter of fact, a great deal of classical music is popular, whereas some musica: comedies and compositions of that description are not particularly popular. The only way is to differentiate between music which is simple, melodious and easy to ‘listen to, and which one knows by experience is popular with the great majority, and other music which is more complex in form, and which appeals to | the minority. A very wide experience is necessary in order to draw this line accurately. a s-*.% ite te

On the tour nignts ror wired tite vin chestra is engaged, it is on the air for 3% hours. Its performances cannot be given without considerable rehearsal, since eac.. number played is different, and not, as with picture houses, repeated nightly. Rehearsals occupy three or four times the length of the public performance. The Orchestra at Z2YA cannot be compared with the 3LO Synco-Sym-phonists, who play tuc type of music which their name indicates. There is no question but that the 2YA Orchestra is much superior to anythiing heard in Australia.

With regard to the suggestion that more jazz music would increase the license total, it is significant that of the "Radio Record" coupons returned with requests for orchestral numbers less than five per cent. specify jazz.