MUSICAL PROGRAMMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22654, 20 August 1935, Page 7

MUSICAL PROGRAMMES

BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION SEVERE CRITICISM (Special to Daily Times) AUCKLAND, August 19. Severe criticism of the musical programmes broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation was made by Mr C. E. Lowe, an examiner in music from the Trinity College, London, who arrived in Auckland by the Niagara from Vancouver.

Musically, England was progressing satisfactorily, said Mr Lowe. Finer orchestral concerts were now being arranged, thanks to the admirable efforts

of Sir Thomas Beecham. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra had been brought to a higher standard than ever before. "But in England we have to suffer from the 8.8. C., which broadcasts an enormous amount of trash and worthless music to the distress of all right-minded musicians,” said Mr Lowe. “A certain amount of fine music and musical festivals is given us by the 8.8. C. It has its own orchestra, and it broadcasts many performances which other societies cannot organise through lack of funds, but there is too much jazz and too much poor music indifferently played. The British Broadcasting Corporation should confine itself to the best. It does not broadcast trash in any other subject except music. That is the greatest complaint about the broadcasts there is in England at the present time. I doubt very much whether the same poor standard is broadcast from Germany and France.”

Mr Lowe said that the 8.8. C. broadcasts Beethoven and other classical composers, but he said it was difficult to determine how many people listened to this type of music. It was possible that the masses of working class people did not listen in any case, The 8.8. C. insisted that it was obliged to play a poorer class of music in order to please the people who paid their license fees. Even bo, he was convinced that the 8.8. C. need not go as far down the scale as it did.

Mr Lowe mentioned that Mr Ronald Chamberlain, who was an examiner for Trinity College in New Zealand in 1932 and again in 1933, had since accepted a post with the 8.8. C. In 1932 Mr Chamberlain was taken-ill in New Zealand, and was relieved by Mr Lowe.