MUSIC AND MECHANICS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 35, 9 August 1930, Page 8

MUSIC AND MECHANICS

Sir Hugh Allen, Director of the Royal College of Music, has surprised many people by declaring that there is such a thing as music becoming too popular. "They give you mechanical music everywhere now, in shops and restaurants, and on ships and trains," he said. Malicious people might suggest that Sir Hugh Allen is secretly wishful to avoid a busman's holiday; but the rest of the interview makes it clear that this is not why he protests. It is rather the setting of false standards that he fears as the outcome of mechanisation. There is this danger, and it is one which is greatly increased by the advances of mechanisation. Anyone now can buy a gramophone or own a cheap wireless set, but they will not necessarily become familiar with true music as a result. Instead, their taste for music may be spoilt by bad records and distorted reception of broadcast programmes. They may even go further and write to the papers roundly attacking the broadcasting people for not putting on bad programmes (because they prefer bad music to good). To lessen this danger of the deterioration of musical taste it is necessary to maintain unmechanised music and maintain it upon a high plane. It should set a standard —not so high that the average man, will shun it—but so high that he can correct his mechanised standards. This the promoters of Music Week have done. We believe their'efforts, and the efforts of the musicians who have supported them, have been well worth while. There has probably been some disappointment with the attendances, which have been affected by the bad weather, but, against this must be set the fact that many thousands have enjoyed the broadcast performances. 'From the educational viewpoint, this may not be quite as effective as hearing the music at the actual place of performance, unless the wireless set is a fairly good one,-but it must achieve its purpose in part. There has been sufficient achieved, we are convinced, to encourage the organisers of Music Week to continue their good work.