The Washington times., 1927-01-22
PERFORMANCE EQUAL
TO IT'S ACHIEVEMENT


TO ITS ACHIEVEMENT
Comment on the manner in which
the big feature of last evenings
broadcast came to listeners is
superfluous. The fact that there
was such thing-that it was pos.
sible to do it is of such tremendous
Importance that it overshadows the
mere detail of how we'll the indir
vidual artists performed the tasks
set for them. Yet it would be un-
fair to those artists not to add that
their performance was quite in
keeping with the greatness of the
scientific achievement of which 1t
was part-that those who listened
to them will go far and hear much
before they will ever hear the soul
of Faust" presented with greater
voices and direction or more subtle
meaning than Pelacco and his mag
nificent singers gave it last eve
ming.
The transmission of the opera
from the stage to the living rooms
of the nation showed a few cracks
and crevices here and there. The
National Broadcasting Company
was perhaps bit too anxious and
over cautious in handling the bat
terry of microphones used. Had
they called in the working force
that handled the weekly broadcasts
of the opera three years ago from
the same stage, they would p:ob-
ably have gotten better mechanical
results than from the learned pro-
fessors and scientists who were on
the job last night.
But then--the National Broadcast.
ing Company must do things in
it's own way and it will learn, in
time, that radio broadcasting is
entertainment and professors and
scientists have about as much bust
ness handling such things as they
would staging one of Mr.. Belasco's
plays or directing DIR. Damrosch's
orchestra. Both of these directors
use science as a tool to achieve
their ends-but only as tool--the
achievement being an art far
removed from exact laboratory or
machine shop calculations.
MANY FINE
PROGRAMS HEARD
There were many other programs
on the air last evening that were
tunable. The Burlington concert
from WRC was worthwhile event
1t would have been worth. while
even without the two solos Emile
Henning's fine contralto voice con.
tributed to it and her contributions,
sung with the intelligence and mag.
nificent vocal equipment of this
singer. made it doubly so.
There was also the Lord Calvert
Ensemble. with Sigmund Ziebel. VIC.
linist, as soloist. likewise from WRC
and likewise a very much worth
while performances much better
performance than any of the two
previous concerts both as to eXecu.
ton and character Of the program
presented.
The broadcast of the services of
the Sixth Street Synagogue was
another important feature that
brought to listeners unfamiliar with
1t, some of the MAGNIFICENT music
Of the Jewish ritualistic service.
On the outer wave lengths VINO,
Memphis, put over a big program
in celebration of its fourth ami.
versary as a broadcast center.
From WIZ a woman's quartet
shared with the studio orchestra in
the presentation of a fine concert,
and, after the opera, the women's
quartet of the Wheat Street Negro
Baptist Church of Atlanta provided
listeners with an unusually fine
program of spirituals from WSB.
But always there was the antici-
pation-and then the complete reali.
zation-of the unforgettable garden
scene from "Faust." Verify, Fri