SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ADVOCATED

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21728, 10 March 1936, Page 6

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ADVOCATED

TO THI EWTOR OF THI PBESS. Sir,—ln my letter which appeared in your issue of February 17, I drew attention to the high standard of the newspaper press of New Zealand. T was extremely interested to read a week or two later that Lord Trent, the chairman of Boots Pure Drug Company, Ltd., England, had classed our newspapers as equal to the best English provincial journals. . This is -high praise wteepl when, jona jcjp.emberg.

the weight>n;d wif.b:ity *£ such;jwrji times; often lead public SpSioh S" Great Briton, r. If . New , Zealand' can reach such a high stan- ! dard in this field of activity there is I no reason, as I have already pointed out why the.highest.standards should not alstt be attained in the various branches of music. This yiew is supr sorted by the statement of the adjudicator at the brass band contest at New Plymouth to the effect that the playing of the leading bands in one of the contest pieces was equal to the playing of the same piece which he heard at the Crystal Palace contest 10 vears ago. While the players themselves may modestly consider this praise too highly laudatory, it is undoubted that the best New Zealand bands undoubtedly reach a very high standard. . , , This result has only been arrived at bv enthusiasm and hard work, or what Mr George B. Shaw describes as "elbow grease." Given the same ingredients, there is no reason whatever why the level-of orchestral music in this country should not be on as high a plane as anywhere else in the world. 1 The time is opportune, through the channels of the New Zealand broadcasting organisation, for the establishment of a national symphony orchestra The need for immediate action is ' imperative. With the human material we have here and the vast income of our broadcasting authorities, all that is required is some driving force to set the wheels in motion. Twelve months ago the board was strengthened musically by the appointment of Dr. Phillips to its membership. To make function such an orchestral organisation should-be a labour of love to him. Only a very small minority of our population can take overseas trips, and of this section not very many are able to hear the concerts given by world-famous orchestras, business engagements, travel, and sight-seeing in many cases leaving little time for concert engagements. At present, therefore, only the for-, tunate few to hear orchestral renderings. With an orchestra established on the lines suggested,'and with periodical visits to the main centres of population,/it will be possible for every person m New Zealand to have the.opportunity of, regularly hearing orchestral Performances of a world standard. At the present time this occurs only about once in 17 years, when someone of enterprise gets busy and arranges a tour of an Australian organisation Shortly the Government will be considering its policy regarding broadcasting, but at present,its energies are devoted to the important questions of employment, more wages, and better conditions of Hying. In the settlement of these problems it is of the first importance, if possible to get people into the jobs for which they are fitted: The establishment of a full-time orchestra, rehearsing for several hours each day, would, if adopted as part of our broadcasting policy, be in line with the Government's main efforts at the present time. . „„„ A few years ago, in a paper contributed to the "Economic Journal, and last year in an address at Canterbury College, a New Zealander, Dr. A Fisher, late of Otago University, drew attention to what he termed the "tertiary" industries. He pointed out that there arrives in economic progress a stage when first the primary and later the secondary'industries are functioning at their maximum efficiency. Any further additions in. the way of capital or labour only produce over-capitalisation and unemployment. At this stage progress should then be j devoted to the tertiary industries, art, music, the stage, entertainment; This line of industry would then absorb the capital and labour not needed in the primary and secondary industries. Established on proper lines, the tertiary industries would provide incomes for a large section of people, who would thus be placed in a better position to purchase the products of the primary and secondary industries. Dr. Fisher's reasoning appears very sound; the only trouble seems to be the best ways and means of getting the tertiary Industries to function. It would certainly seem that broadcasting would take its part ip this direction, and this is an aspect of the matter which should appeal to all those who are seeking to plan a road to better and more stable conditions.. . Might I suggest to those who heard and appreciated Dr. Fisher's address last year that to support the request for the establishment, of a national symphony, orchestra by our broadcasting authorities would be a practical way of putting Dr. Fisher's idea into action. * The world is full of rapidly changing conditions. Economic bulletins are regularly issued by. the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. A bulletin dealing with the ways and ,means to enable tertiary industries to function as part of our economic system would make interesting reading and be provocative of thought ;in many new directions.—Yours, etc., P. JOWETT, SEN. March 9, 1936.