The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1926-02-25
Classical Music Winning Over Jazz
BY X. M. SHERRlLL


1t is being internationally proven
that radio audiences are beginning to
prefer the classical programs to the
Jazz. Mr.. Percy A. Scholes, the wide
~ known music critic of the British
Broadcasting Co., who is on a tour of
America, says "Less than eighteen
months ago, the majority of the Brit
lsh radio audience charged that Batch.
Beethoven, Wagner, etc. were accept
able only to 'highbrows' and that the
average listener got little enjoyment
from music by composers with unpro-
nouncable names ending in SKY.
Lately, however, the attacks on these
classical programs have almost entire
ly ceased, and the British listeners
are at least learning to admire the
works of the classical composers"
The same trend in musical taste is
beng observed In the United States
and Canada, and is a surprising con-
tradlctlon to forecasts made by MANY
experienced observers. The latest in
dications of this tendency towards
classical music are the results of tests
conducted by the General Electric Sta
ton, KOA, of Denver, Colo. AS a
program novelty, KOA put on a spec
tacular musical competition between
the Jazz and classic schools. Leading
artists and representative compost
lions of both factions were featured.
A Fair Trial
Broadcast listeners, representing all
walks of life, and all parts of the
country, and sitting virtually as an in
ternational musical jury, voted three
to two, that jazz is falling behind in
popular favor, and therefore will
never replace the works of convention
al composers.
AS judges of this studio clash, list
eners were invited to vote jazz, clas-
steal, or for a combination of both
types of music. On the face of prac-
tlcally complete returns from listen
ers, the classical camp won three of
every five votes cast.
Of the total votes cast, more than
5O% favored the classical school, the
remainder being split between pro-
ponents of jazz and those who lean
to combination of both racy tempos
and conventional numbers.
Upsetting the predictions of season.
ed dopsters, all but five western states
swung to the classical column. Ari-
IONA, Wyoming and North Dakota
gave an overwhelming choice to rapid
fire syncopation. South Dakota, it
was noted, gave it's majority to clas-
sical A further check of ballots re-
ceived indicates that Idaho was on the
fence with a tied vote between the OBJ
posing musical camps. The voting in
Colorado was very close.
Canadian voting, generally, was
light. Listeners, however, gave their
majority to conventional music.
Women Cast Half of the Votes
Women cast approximately half of
who II.
ten months ago, barely one fifth of
the mail addressed to KOA was writ
ten by women.
An unprecedented flow Of commune
cations disclosed that the jazz-classic
struggle was heard in restaurants,
school houses, hospitals, barber shops,
hotel lobbies, widely scattered mining
camps and even in jails.
KOA Adapted for Such Tests
The central location of KOA, it's
high powered transmitter, and the SUI
perior quality of it's transmlssions,
makes this station especially suitable
for tests like the above. The response
from the vast and we'll distributed
audience of this station, may safely
be considered as representative of the
general opinion of the whole Of North
America.
RADIO QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
IMr. Sherrell will be glad to help
you solve your radio problems. Write