"Pre-eminence and All the Large Effects that Troop with Majesty"

Radio Record, 21 August 1936, Page 12

"Pre-eminence and All the Large Effects that Troop with Majesty"

While King Edward May. be Crowned to The Strains Of A Grand Piano !

A grand piano has lately been used in Westminster Abbey in place of the organ which, according to our London correspondent whose story on the broadcasting arrangements for the Coronation is published below,, has collapsed beyond repair. There is, consequently, the prospect of the most impressive ceremony of 1937 being carried out to the strains of a piano! HILE May 12 of next year, the date fixed for the Coronation, will be a public holiday in England, it will be the busiest day in the lives of several B.B.C. officials at Broadcasting House and elsewhere in London. . While detailed plans for the ceremonies connected with the Coronation have not yet been completed, I can definitely state that not only will the service in Westminster Abbey be broadcast to the world, but also that commentators at various points .on the route of the royal procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey will describe to listeners the vivid scenes of unprecedented pageantry. B.B.C. officials, I hear, have already examined the route of the procession and paid visits to the owners of houses from which good views of the procession may be obtained.,

These _ historic broadcasts will reach Empire listeners not only from the existing three shortwave ftransmitters at Daventry, but also from the three new high-power _ transmitters now in course of erection, which by then will be in _ operation. The B.B.C, engineerg have already examined their records of orld shortwave reception conditions during the month of May for past years, and they are led to believe that on the day and time fixed reception conditions throughout the world will be: excellent. They happily recall that the ceremonies broadcast on May

6, 1935, in connection with the Jubilee of King George V were received with excellent quality throughout the world. While shortwave listeners will be able to hear all the broadcasts connected with the Coronation direct from Daventury, local broadcasting authorities throughout the Dominions and Colonies will make ar-. rangements to relay the B.B.C. broadcasts by meatis of the Post Office beam telephone. Wireless exchanges throughout the Empire, however, will relay the broadcasts direct from the B.B.C. Empire Station. HILE the actual plans of. the B.B.C, programme officials are still: somewhat nebulous, I suggest that the choice of commentators will rest between the ever-popular Howard Marshall, Commander T. B, R. Woodrooffe, who. broadcast the description of the departure of the Queen Mary; Commander D, A. Stride, who broadcast the commentary on the Naval Review. during the Jubilee celebrations; and Commander Stephen King Hall, who described the Jubilee procession on May 6 from the facade of St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is expected that the broadcast from Westminster Abbey will be relayed in almost every foreign country and throughout the Empire. Already the B.B.C. hag been deluged with inquiries from various broadcasting authorities throughout the world, and-many foreign organisations have expressed their intention of sending, their own commen‘tators to London for the occasion,

At present there is some consterna- « lion among the Abbey authorities about the musie for the Coronation, which will be heard by listeners throughout the world. A few months ago the Westminster Abbey organ, which hag beex’ on its last legs for some time past, finally collapsed beyond repair. Since then a grand piano has been used to accompany the choir at all the Abbey, services. The B.B.C, has.already cancelled its regular Home> and Empire broadcasts from the Abbey for an indefinite period. Court. and church officials are naturally somewhat. concerned at the prospect of having only a grand piano to accompany the Coronation service, and at the present time a hurried appeal is being launched for funds to build a new organ in time for this important ceremony. While I can as yet obtain no authoritative information, it is’ commonly tumoured in London radio circles that his Majesty the King will deliver a personal message to his: subjects throughout the Empire during the course of the week in which the Cor-. onation takes place, Meanwhile Gerald Cock, the B,B.C. enthusiastic television chief, is busy examining the possibilities of actually televising the Coronation ceremony. Previously the interior of Westminster Abbey has been banned on all ceremonial occasions to movie cameramen, and only a few still photographers have been allowed entry. This ruling was made on the grounds that the noise made by movie cameras would disturb the solemnity of an important ceremony, From what I hear, there appears. to be no grounds for thinking that this ban will be raised on the occasion of the Coronation. Gerald Cock will argue on behalf of the B.B.C. with the Abbey authorities, however, that the iconoscope (television’s electrie eye) will be no more obtrusive than the ordinary sound microphone used on previous occasions, such as the wedding of the Duke of Kent and’ Princess Marina. The B.B.C, will probably, in any case, transmit a film taken of the procession to the Abbey shortly after the event.