Evening star., 1934-11-11
Electrical Appliances
World Radio Problem
Curling Irons and Refrigerators Among Inter-
ference Creators Which Have Scientists
Scratching Their Heads.

tween the So-Called popular nit
tunes of the day and that often mis-
used term classical music?' 1t is the
age of a composition, the reputation of
the composer, or is it the musical
erudite mind showing off through his
product which makes work 'classic?'
There is nothing respect more than a
composers technical equipment and
his ingenious display of it-unless it
be that subtle essence of what, for
lack of a better WORD we call in
Spiration,' without which his work
will not live even short life. He
must have that inspirational some
thing which makes even the most
learned of musicians appreciate the
melody of Victor Herberts Kiss Me
Again and reject such pieces of aca-
demic bombast as Richard Wagner's
Centennial March.
Because Victor Herbert wrote
musical comedies fashioned on nom
sensical librettos should we reject his
music as trivial? Should we listen
only to the composers who wrote for
the opera house and concert hall and
those who unsucceSSfully as well as
successfully dealt in the higher realm
of deeper emotions? Those who wor-
ship everything the master composers
wrote, their pot-boilers as we'll as
their master works, are not as dis
eliminating as they are devout. Let
us not be misled by names and repu-
tationS."
Some Condemn Schubert.
Personally, I do not hesitate to
confess that l consider jerome Kern'S
"Old Man River" as much of a master
piece as Schubert's Der Erlkoenig."
1t may not be classic in point of
years, but it certainly is in content
Yet. to many, "Old Man River" is
nothing more than so-called popu-
lar tune. On the other hand, there
are some persons of such exalted music
erudition that they condemn Schubert
to the dust because his music is more
melodious than learned. l cannot
forgive such persons whose apprecia-
ton of Schubert is qualified because
of the fact that he was just about to
study counterpoint when he died.
In fact. there are some conscien-
tious persons in the realm of serious
music who believe that it is criminal
to write recognizable melody today.
If we were TO satisfy that group by
broadcasting only the works of the
so-called modern composers-Stra-
Whisky. Milhaud. Hindemith and their
kind-if We were to broadcast such
music daily, in short time we would
drive most of our listeners to despair
or develop in them hatred for music
in general.
Il wish that the term popular as
applied to music did not imply cheap
ness or bad taste. I have heard the
current so-called tin pan alley tune,
Love in Bloom presented in a very
beautiful way. we'll orcheStrated and
played with exquisite taste, which to
me is much to be preferred to a poorly
performed Beethoven symphony.
The American public today is hear
ing the finest performances in the
world. not only of symphonic and
operate music. but likewise of So
called popular music. Most of this
is theirs for the dialing In fact, the
performances in our concert halls
have had to keep pace with those pre-
sented over the air-or suffer inevi-
table comparison. In this connec-
ton, let me point out Just one fact.
Time was when concert singers refused
to sing songs in English because it was
thought to be an unintelligible Ian
guage for song. Radio demanded un-
derstandable English from singers.
Radio artists perfected their enuncia-
tlon-and the concert singers are
stepping fast to keep up with them.
AS wholesalers of music we must
present not only the best of the old,
but the newest in all types of music
serious and frivolous. medolious and
ultra-modern. But the public reac-
ton is swift and sure If it is Tin
Pan Alley tune. it has to have some
thing. and that Something" is a
catchy lyric and a rhythmic melody
that can be remembered easily. And.
speaking of catchy lyrics, radio is ex-
tremely careful in its censorship.
Some songs we permit to be performed
only orcheStrally. Others we permit
~ PSAAoAiiiCU OIlIy With certain
lines are changed, so that one NAV
listen in once own living room and
not vince at bad taste.
NO one can make listeners digest
'highbroW' music until their tastes de-
mand it. Radio has in its short life
brought the musical taste of The
American public great way along the
road toward better music-not by
learned discourses about the subject
out by presenting it as something for
the enjoyment and pleasure of the
listener. The public has learned to
crawl musically. and we are helping
ana hoping to enable it TO walk. I
want to remind those who criticize MS
muslcally that radio can only please
all OF the people some of the time and
some of the people all of the time
II we tried to please all of the peo-
pie all of the time we would end bv
offending everybody day and night !"