The Washington times., 1928-03-05

end that they left loud speakers
alone and the result was fairly
clear reception with only a crash
here and there-and i'm the East
to remind dial tWisters static is
always with them. The usual sta
tiOn interference seemed q bit
less, although fading was sharper
and more frequently encountered.
'Taypay' O'Connor, the eminent
Irish statesman and magazine and
newspaper writer, furnished the big
splash of the wave lengths over the
weekend with a most serious four
minute talk from WIZ during, the
Golfers program last evening On
peace and the need of friendship
between the American and British
peoples. There are few world move
ments that have involved Great
Britain during the last half CEN
fury in which T. p. O'Connor has
failed to play an important part
as commentator whose COM
ments were invaluable. picturesque
or just interesting, if not as an
actor. Last night, 80 years of age
and mellow in his Judgment and
speech, but with neither voice nor
the conviction it very positively
portrayed showing the slightest
touch of age, he appears as an
unheralded speaker before the VIZ
microphorle with a strong plea for
better understanding and firmer
friendship between the English
speaking peoples.
The appearance of Frances Aida.
one of the Metropolitan Operas
greatest stars, gave thoughtful
listeners something to consider dur.
ing the Atwater Kent hour. Nine.
Aida is one of the first Of the
prin1a donnas to succumb to the
lure of radio several years ago and
made an instantaneous hit with
listeners as being possessing Of a
voice-one that registered all OF
its full rich tone in loud speakers.
equipment, careful training and
skillful use, but 20 the intelligence
of the singer in giving thoughtful
consideration to the new medium
she was using and adjusting her
vocal equipment to meet its imita- |
tons.
Last night we heard the same |
true, fine voice that has delighted |
us in the past, but there seemed |
to be formality and sophistication |
to the singing of the several songs |
aside from the two Maori folk |
songs OF New Zealand she presented |
in the last group. We believe the |
reason for this appearance of con-
ventionality and fornality is not
difficult to find. Since we last |
heard Nine. Aida we have heard |
numerous great sopranos in loud |
speakers and radio has developed |
several of its own-Jessica Dragon
cite, Gladys Rice, Erva Giles, |
Beatrice Belkin, just to name a |
few-who~ have applied themselves |
assiduously to the cultivation of |
what we might call a pure radio |
voice.
The result is that an opera or
concert singer who appears but &C.
casionally and has not kept up with |
the progress in radio vocalization,
is apt to sing in concert or opera |
form-and lose just that much in |
the estimation Of listeners. We think |
the exquisite manner in which Nine. |
Aida sang the two Maori songs |
rather proves this fact. There being |
no concert convention or form for |
such music, as there was for the |
other numbers on her program, she |
sang them to get all out of them |
she could-which was a great deal. |
This does not mean that the regu- |
lar radio singers are better artists |
or better equipped than Nine. Aida,
but that they have developed a |
microphone technique. Frank La
Forge, pianist and composer, was
Nine. Alda's program mate and (
demonstrated that he is still one Of |
the great pianists of the day with |
his playing of a Grieg concerto. His |
accomplishments were faultless ex- |
hibitions of one of the greatest and |
least appreciated of the arts.
The Roxy performance yesterday |
afternoon was unusually good-the |
orchestra and singers being in ex-
cellent form and delivering a we'll |
planned and executed program. |
The Curtis String Quartet, broad
cast from the Library of Congress
during the afternoon by NAA, de-
lfvered a program of Mozart and
Beethoven in expert style, which is
about all one might say about
chamber music without going into
troublesome and controversial partic-
ularS.
Anne Morgan, daughter of the
late banking magnate, made a, dis
tinct impression as special guest of
the Collier program with her talk
on organized womanhood as repre-
sented by the American Woman's
Association. The Biblical drama
with Janet Beecher and Emma
Dunn in important roles, was rather
unimpressively played as compared
with previous episodes, possibly
through the absence Of Gerald
Stopp from the direction of the