Evening star., 1927-07-17
NJ u S &c
BY HELEN FETTER.

" HERE is much talk IN these
days of educating audiences
to different kinds Of things,
4 including musical perform
ances. The phonograph has still un-
sounded possibilities along educa-
tional lines. The radio has even
more popular opportunities. The
talking pictures" have a leading
place in doing such work, tor they
offer the eye something to see, at
the same time offering the ear en-
tertainment. and it is particularly
laudable that, on the majority OF
local programs at least. great artists
have been especially featured.
To return to the two other ME-
chan;cal devices above mentioned, to
which might be added the reproduc-
ing pianos, these offer each audience
separately opportunity to make IT'S
own choice of the program to be
heard. There are individuals who
build up, and take great delight IN
doing so, very unusual and interest
ing programs of phoncgraph records
or of mechanical piano rolls made
bv famous artists. According 10 the
market demands, however, there
seem to be many more who simply
purchase records for Summer dane
ing accompaniment or jazz songs.
One leading company put out
highly admirable effort i'll making
and issuing special records of SOME
of Beethoven's works for those
wishing to use them in honoring the
centenary of that great composer S
death. Practically all the large pho
nograph concerns have made records
of the finest classics as sung or
plaved by great artists, but in many
cases the demand on the market for
such numbers has been so limited
that the records have been "shelved"
as matrixes, and earnest collectors,
of whom there seems to be gradu-
ally growing number, have to have
special reproductions made at the
factories if they want to secure these
best numbers.
The problem of the radio and good
music is quite different from that OF
phonooraph and reproducing piano
records. In the latter the individual
or group can take or leave the. dit
ferent types of works, but at least
II is possible to find something in the
average collection that will SUIT the
mood and taste Of the particular
audience. With the radio the broad
casting stations are responsible TOR
the variety of attractions offered.
Recently the indications seem 10
point to the Standardization OF radio
programs to a degree where any
iistener-in who uses his radio set at
all frequently will find exactly the
same type of program at exactly the
same hour daily. While this makes
for svstematizing the material sent
In and giving the constant customer
a definite idea of what he may ex-
pect any particular time that ne
atunes in" on a certain station. on
the other hand, it eliminates com
pletely the surprise element" which
has universal appeal to something
fiat is basic in human nature. Inc
idea of listeners being able to send
in requests" has a certain hattering
quality to it, but, even so, It cannot
compare in effectiveness with giving
them something that they do not ex-
pect. The average listener-in.. indi.
cations show, seems to find himself
looking most eagerly for the tea
lures in radio broadcasting that have
news value and the element OF sus-
pense. ,.I
AS for "being educated UP to high
brow music" there is one instance
that is based on fact, told the writer
by a radio listener-in. which concerns
a genial, middle-aged American gen.
tleman. Time after time, the minute
a so-called :.highbrow" program
starts on his radio set this gentleman
grows sleepy and then slumoers
peacefully until the exact moment
that this program is ended. Always,
then, he awakens. Moreover, he
never sleeps through any other type
of program.
However wonderful they may be,
the mechanical devices for reproduc-
ing music will never seriously affect
or eliminate the concert stage pro-
grams. Such programs may change
and develop differently, but it is
highly improbable that they will be-
come extinct. The reason is per-
sonality. That is the quality that
has universal appeal and which can
not find complete representation or
even frequently partial success in
radio programs. People will always
be willing to pay good cash and in.
convenience themselves to go and
"see for themselves" what a re-
nowned artist, such as Paderewski.
Nine. Schumann-H -Heink, Fritz Kreis-
Ter, Chaliapin, Marion Talley and
John Mccormack, look like and get
that intangible something that is in
such personal contract which no
machinery can supply. The public is
notably tickle and may change its
favorites overnight, but so long as
certain artists are favorites they will
draw capacity houses in spite of bad
weather, home comfort and all the
other reasons.
THE real basis from which to work
L for developing musical education
in the people at large is not through
such devices, but through the means
of giving them opportunity, as in
dividuals, for actual participation in
musical activities. 1t is well
known truism that any one appre-
ciates and enjoys much more fully
the work of an artist or craftsman
in line which that individual him.
self has attempted at one time or
another. He may not be great Sue