SUNDAY AFTERNOON BROADCASTS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22202, 20 September 1937, Page 5

SUNDAY AFTERNOON BROADCASTS

TO THE EDITOR Of THE PRESS. Sir.—l should be obliged if you would find room in your columns for the following;— With reference to the motion passed recently by the Society for Imperial Culture, urging the restoration of classical music in the Sunday afternoon programmes broadcast by the National Broadcasting Service, the secretary of the society has received a communication from the Director of Broadcasting. Professor J. Shelley, in which he states that “various schemes for the broadcasting of properly coordinated works from the classics have been made out for certain parts of week-day and Sunday afternoon programmes, and will work into the programmes in due course. “Concerning the Sunday afternoon programmes. I would point out that they are already of a classical character, but since this is one of the most popular listening periods of the week, it is impossible to make them too heavy, as the percentage of listeners who can appreciate big symphonies and concertos is comparatively small. “Please convey my thanks to the society for their trouble, but I think I should ask that the statement that ‘there is an absolute drought of good music’ be given a categorical denial. This statement must have been made without recalling the fact that during the last two months the Broadcasting Service, apart from any recorded works, has given listeners the chance of hearing in person, the Buda Pest String Quartet. Moiseiwitsch. and Essie Ackland. I doubt whether there has ever been in the history of music in New Zealand a ime when a greater galaxy of fine musicians has been in the country than during the present year."—Yours, etc., JAS. FITZGERALD. Honorary Secretary, Society for Imperial Culture. September 19, 1937.