Origins of Music

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 51, 3 July 1931, Page 8

Origins of Music

E7=_-_ UITE one of the most entertaining lectures of the week was that pro-. vided by Mr, J. Crossley Clitheroe from 4YA on Tuesday. It was scheduled as a "final" talk of this series, and listeners will certainly be sorry that the end has been reached. I found some little difficulty on this particular night in excluding 2YA, who were entertaining a man with a voice like a megaphone. This lecturer was apparently trying to reach the ears of his listeners without mechanical aid at all, and, I should think, very nearly succeeded. I believe I am right in quoting Mr. Clitheroe as crediting the 16th Century with showing the greatest advance in the world of music. It was at this period that native speech was first substituted for the former international lanzuage of music-Latin. With . the encouragement provided by the House of Tudor for art and enterprise, music and harmony moved forward rapidly. The feeling of the period is best described by the couplet, "Since singing is so good a thing, I wish all men would learn to sing." To a very large measure Shakespeare’s wish was fulfilled, ‘and ability to take part in an impromptu madrigal became quite the thing. In fact, inability so to do was a sign of lack of education, A comprehensive and enlightening talk was brought to a conclusion by two illustrations of the madrigal, which is unaccompanied part-singing. Only one thing marred my enjoyment of both songs, and that was the distant but persistent boom from 2YA which, to the accompaniment of "Adieu Sweet Amarillis" and many "Fa-la-la’s’ informed the world at large that .. .°Too much watery something or other in the animals’ dict . only if the cow ‘is fed above the standard . . . came through the winter in good condition. Not quite the théme for a perfect .madrigal!