Rubbing It In

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 11, 9 November 1928, Page 31

Rubbing It In

3LO and 3AR Criticised SOME of the Australian listeners rub it in about the programmes by their much vaunted stations. A prize for. criticism offered by the Melbourne "Listener In" was awarded to Miss Rowland, of Fairfield Park, for the following comment :- Surely it is time that a strain of. originality was introduced into the programmes of 8LO and 3AR. Nowadays we get nothing but repetition. A jazz band continually informs us that "The Song is Ended" (would that it were}. and the Barcarolle from ‘‘Tales of Hoffman," has lost its bite. "A few Sundays ago a band selection of Handel’s "Largo" was followed by a contralto

rendering of "Ombra Mai Fu," so that when a baritone declared "It is Enough’-we cordially agreed with him. "Passing By" and "Drink to Me Only" have been languishing (as solos), for the best part of a century, but with any bad luck at all you will hear them at least four times a week, in settings for sopranos, contraltos, baritones, and tenor. During the war period there was a black list in the artists’ room at every camp and hospital-giving the names of songs that had been "done to death" — and asking artists not to sing them. Surely this would be a good plan where radio artists are concerned !