No Holiday For Technical Staff

Radio Record, 3 July 1936, Page 20

No Holiday For Technical Staff

AYA Relay Men Had a Big Lot of Organising and Fitting Up To DoJohn Amadio Experiments with Bass Flute in the Early Days- . | Should Weather Reports Be "Decoded’’?

THE. King’s Birthday was no holiday for the technical staff at 4YA. Four relays were carried out during the day, demanding the prompt removal of the relay gear from place to place. At 9.30 in the morning one lot of equipment was transferred to the Oval, where the military, naval, and air force display took place. A second ecar-load of gear was taken to the Town Hall steps, from which the Mayor was afterwards to deliver an address to his Majesty. The equipment on the Oval was brought into use first, and when the parade began the march along the city streets to the Town Hall this apparatus was disconfiected from the relay line and ‘hastened to the racecourse at Wingatui, to bé in readiness for the broadeast description of the first event on the Dunedin Jockey Club’s second day programme. LMOST as soon as the first assemblage of 4YA’s relay apparatus arrived at the Wingatui ae a on a. | oes an

UCUVULSOD elAats was ready for work, it had to be used to describe the first -raee, which, incidentally, was broadcast by 4V¥O, The aux--iliary . transmitter was brought on the air for this. purpose, as the loyal address relay from the Town Hall had not finished at that time, It was .deemed advisable to follow this course, as the main transmitter had taken the first relay from the Oval, Also the imporitance of the oceasion was such that it: should be given precedence over 2 race meeting. However, to ensure that all listeners should. have the result of the first race as soon as_ possible, the placings were repeated from 4YA at the eon. elusion of the ad. dress, * T will be seen in the programmes for next week that on Sun-

day and Tuesday evenings, July 5 and 7 respectively, there is an "Air for Bass Flute" in the recitals by John Amadio, This artist is unique among contemporary fluutists, in that he has devoted a great deal of time and study to certain other types of flute than the usual concert flute, and is a master on no fewer than four kinds of this instrument. About eleven years ago he began his researches experimentally, when, at the invitation of the late Dame Nellie Melba, he accompanied her to Lord Farquhar’s house in London, and played there a number for the bass flute. Her Majesty, the Queen Mother, who was present, heard him play, and afterwards complimented Mr, Amadio on the lovely tone of his instrument. ARMERS are critical folk, especially in Canterbury, when it comes to wireless weather reports. Aécording to Mr. W. W. Mulholland, at last week’s meetizig of the executive of the North

Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, weather reporis should be "decoded"! Most — of the reports, Mr. Mulhoiland maintains, are in code and are intelligible only to seafaring men. They would be of far greater value to farmers, he says, if they were transiated into plain, non-technical English, Other members of the branch agreed with him and decided to ask the Broadcasting Board to meet farmers’ wishes by "decoding" the reports. This seenis to be an Antipodean case of the Icelandic depression, so fruitful in copy to writers and cartoonists of "Punch." , Reunion HD strength of the company of exDunedin Volunteers, a military unit that was a proud possession of the city in the previous. century, was ll that could be desired at the recent reunion of the volunteers held in the ‘Town Hall Concert Ohamber. The Miniotar pf Nafannra

(Hon, #, Jones) and Colonel Sir James Allen were present. In view of the importance of the occasion, it wa fitting that the Broadcasting Board’s local representatives shoul arrange for a relay of the main speeches -Colonel Sir James Allen proposed the toast of "Our Himpire and Defence," replied to by the Hon. F, Jones, . But it -Wwas gq disappointment to many outside the city that this relay had to be taken by the auxiliary station, as the main transmitter was already engaged in relaying a description of 2 boxing match, 4YA’s "Jupiter" FAVOURAB LE comment on the successive per--formances of the 4YA Concert Orchestra, which is (Continued on next page.)

stil under the direction of Mr. Gil Dech, continues to reach the station management. A fortnight ago the orchestra proved that it was competent to deal with the works of an exacting master, and on that occasion, when it took part.in one of the station’s regular classical hours, the concensus of opinion was that the orchestra was distinctly a headline attraction. Greater local interest was aroused by the broadcast and musiclovers are now looking forward to the combination’s next participation in the programmes of gq more serious character, They have not long to wait, as the orchestra is billed to appear on Thursday of next week, when it will give an interpretation of Mozart’s "Jupiter" symphony, the playing of which will occupy approximately half an hour, Finding N.Z. Talent [THE . efforts being made by the New Zealand Broadcasting Board, through its station officials, to discover New Zealand artists and New Zealand. musical talent. are being successful. Many New Zealand names and Dominion compositions are being scheduled. Any worth-while manuscript will be welcomed by the officials of the four stations. For instance, three recent good "finds" have been made by those at 1YA, Listeners have heard the young pianist, Pat Towsey, son of Cyril Towsey, one-time pianist and accompanist at 1YA. They will shortly hear a gifted young girl pianist-Sun-day Mowbray, and a soprano, Mavis Beadle, Informative Sessions "THE new informative sessions ‘cently introduced by 1YA have proved immensely popular with listeners, especially those tenminute reviews of current events entitled "It Seems To Me," given on ‘alternate Thursday evenings by Professor R. M. Algie. The professor is in great demand as a speaker at prominent. functions in Auckland these days, and how he manages to fulfil so many engagements and do his work at the Varsity is a matter of wonder with many people in the Queen City. He is a veritable fountain of knowledge and his talks, broadcast and otherwise, are always Iucid, interesting and highly informative. And now 1LYA has engaged another equally gifted and accomplished speaker to broadcast a series of ten-minute talks, labelied "Comment on Current Events." This is Mrs. B. F. Richards, fhe daughter of Maurice Hewlett, the wellknown novelist, Promising "Cellist "THERE is a ’cello recital on Thurs« day evening, July 9, from 2YA to be given by Miss Josie Berti. She is not yet eighteen years of age, yet already is an L.R.S.M. She is a Wellington girl and first studied with George WBllwood, the well-known ‘cellist, and for the last three years has been a pupil of Hamilton, Dickson, himself a leading ’cellist, Last year Miss Berti sat for the L.RS.M. diploma examination and was successful. So impressed was Lloyd Powell, the Nnglish. pianist and ‘examiner, that

it was on hig recommendation to thé ™ academy that she was given a New Zealand exhibition which entitles her to two years’ free tuition at the Royal Academy, London, In the recital next Thursday week, the second solo of the group, "Moonlight on the Sea,’ was specially written by Hamilton Dickson, who will play the accompaniment for that piece. The accompanist for the other two items will be Mr. Maxwell Fernie, They Took It HH many listeners who are knoun as "low-brows’-those who think symphonies and concertos to be "horrible stuff’-got a welcome surprise from 1YA recently, when, after enjoying an hour’s programme done up .as "Leaves from a Music Album," found that interspersed with jazz and, other popular numbers were some delightful excerpts culled from the major works of such great composers as Haydn, Tschaikovsky and others. The various items were cleverly arranged, and those listeners who would immediately switch off if they knew they were to hear something of a--classical nature took it. all, and,, what's more, they liked -it- The titles of the items were not announced unSestee? a. tk ee ns a

tit’ tle" tonclusion 6f the pro--gramme. More of such. progranvmes would be welcome. 1YA’S Find HE officials of station 1YA have recently made’ a great "find’-an Englishman and a composer of note who has resided in Auckland for some time. He is Mr. Temple Bevan, the supervising director of Briscoe’s, Limited, and his compositions are to be featured in a special session, "An Hour With New Zealand Composers," to be presented by 1YA on July 9. Mr. Bevan’s hymn-anthem, "The Supreme Sacrifice," a short choral work, and other compositions for chorus, organ and strings, will be heard, The vocal soloists will be Miss Dawn Harding (a former member of J. C. Williamson’s Gilbert and’ Sullivan Opera Company), Miss Mina Caldow, Mr. Sam Duncan, Robert Simmers and John Bree. Mr. Bevan studied under the famous John Treland, in Hngland. His songs are definitely in art song form and rival many songs of the present-day English composers. A prolific writer of songs. composing is a hobby with him. All his compositions are published by a .wellknown English firm. On the same programme a string quartet, eomposed. by Dr. W. BH. Thomas, and piano compositions. by Owen Jensen, 1YA’S accom-

panist, will also be played, while the Dominion’s champion cornetist, AlanMorton, the blind youth, will give a reeital, And the Reason ... P T ASTENERS will be glad to hear that 2YA will fall into the 1936 community singing line this Wednesday. 3YA has been at it for some little time, and doubtless the other two stations will get going soon, The tremendous popularity of community singing has often puzzled more than one of us. The reason appears to be that everybody is happy. (or at least sounds happy); mass happiness in fact. There is nothing like laughter to advertise a show. The community sings seem to. have the effect of bringing all sorts together for the one object, that of sweeping aside cares, for the moment anyway, and giving vent to ail the pent-up feelings whieh one has suppressed for the sake of being in the fashion and looking anxious. Certainly the happy laughter which comes over the air from these sings is a real tonic to hear. Cheap Sets B controversy over the Government’s reported proposals to provide radio sets at a cheap price to the public still rages in Auckland. The consensus of opinion among radio manufacturers and servicemen is that the Government has "bitten off more than it can chew." As one manufacturer expressed it, sets have got to be capable, as far as Auckland is concerned, of receiving the main YA stations and all local B stations, at least Unless the Government was prepared to make heavy increases in the power of B stations, sensitive sets were essential, a set to retail at a minimum of about £15 and built to give two or three years of trouble-free service, be ing considered dangerously low. ‘ If of course, the Government proposed t«

authorise the increase of power of all B stations, the position would be different. Legacy Sir JOSEPH KINSEY, who did so much for the Scott expedition, was a’ literatteur, a collector of objects Warts and a man of generosity in every sense of the word. Now his collection, unfortunately for Christchurch, is to go to the Turnbull Library. A remarkable collection of the works of Samuel Butler is included in the legacy. Sir Joseph’s desk, his chair, his clock and ornaments will be in their original settings, the intention being to capture the atmosphere of the Warrimoo library and transfer it north. Sir Joseph’s daughter is now going through the books, She says that, of the duplicates, some will be given to the Christchurch Public Library and others to the Canterbury College library. Mr. EK. J. Bell, Canterbury librarian, is assisting. New Song N item that should be of particular interest to Dunedin residents is scheduled for presentation by 4YA on Saturday night. The eoncert programme wilt follow the usual lines-orehesiral and ballad features-but the main point about the session so far as Duncdin is concerned will be. the song, "Afterthoughts." The reason for special interest being taken in this number is the fact that the words were written by @ Dunedin man who in the last few years has attained some literary standing in New Zea-. land. This is Mr. 0..R. Allen, who is not uninown as a speaker at ‘the tocat station. Mr. J. M. Hood, a baritone singer, will sing "Afterthoughis,". which is @ beautiful musical poem that should gain wide — recognition

Peak Traffic OR some years Christchurch has been having a lot of fun with traffie cops at the Bank of New Zealand corner. At least, it was funny until the city council began to apply sterner measures. ‘Very soon, a sign will be

placed near the centre of this very busy intersection, indicating to traffie that rig ht-angle turns are barred. As usual the inspector on duty at this point will use his discretion wher regulating traffic,