LIMIT OF CONCENTRATION

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 41, 19 April 1935, Page 5

LIMIT OF CONCENTRATION

HERE is a great deal to be said in favour of the contention that an entire evening devoted to the broadcasting of a symphony concert from a public hall is too much for most listeners. Many people cannot concentrate on the music that comes through the loud-speaker for more than an hour at a time-and it must be borne in mind that the effort of concentration in listening to a broadcast is considerably greater than that required in a concert chamber. The two-hour concert as a unit of broadcasting has no relation to the needs and tastes of most listeners. No programme organiser, were it not for the concert hall, would think of devoting an evening’s programme to two symphonies and a concerto, any more than he would think of swamping the programmes with two hours of-debate, talk or drama.