In Defence of "Canned" Music

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 41, 24 April 1930, Page 30

In Defence of "Canned" Music

Views of Eminent English Musicians RECENT issue of "The Listener", published by the British Broadcast. ing Corporation, London, has the following comment on the controversy respecting: the merits of radio and gramophone music :-- The discussion in the Press on "mechanical music" seems to be drawing to an end with a distinct score for the gramophone and the wireless. The old gibe about music which comes fro a machine and not from a living sonality probably dates back to th time when some prehistoric 'professional singer grew annoyed with the first man who discovered that wind-blowing over a hollow reed produces a musical note! ; That particular gibe (though it was revived with the invention of the gramophone) rests upon so obvious a fallacy -for no matter through how many processes ‘"mechanical music" may pass, there must always be a living personality behind it-that it never really carried much weight. . The more serious accusation was that the gramophone and the wireless provided such easy music that people would give up playing music for themselves and, above all, give up playing the piano. This was a point put forward by Sir Hugh Allen in his recent address to the Incorporated Society of Musicians, though one must hasten to add that this was only one point in an,address which was" otherwise very friendly to the gramophone and the wireless. Sir Walford Davies, as is well known, has long supported the view that the proper use of "mechanical music" is extremely stimulating to music making. He draws a careful distinction between the desire to listen to and the desire to interpret good music. The satisfaction of the one does not reduce the other. These, however, are‘ theories, and it is interesting to notice that a hard fact has been introduced into the debate, and from a source unlikely to be prejudiced in favour of the wireless and the gramophone. ‘ ; In a letter to "The Observer" of recent date, Mr. R. H. Tatton, writing on behalf of the Federation of British Music Industries, says that at the present day there are far more pianos being sold than ever before in the history of musie making. He concludes his lets ter by saying that "in the opinion of this federation both the gramophone and the wireless have enormously served the art of music making by pianoforte and otherwise." That, at any rate, seems fairly definite.