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Directed by ALFRED VANDAM
Relayed from The Troxy Cinema
Boieldieu was so modest about his own work that, if the story be true, he used to take the completed sections of his early opera, The Caliph of Baghdad, to the Conservatoire in Paris where he was a professor, to ask his pupils for their verdict on the music. If they did not like it, he referred it to his colleague Menul.
He need have been in no doubt about the attractive qualities ot his music; nearly all the light-hearted and melodious operas won immediate success, and many of thtm held the stage for generations after his own day.

Contributors

Directed By:
Alfred Vandam

Under the direction of Johan Hock
Relayed from Queen's College, Birmingham
The Birmingham Philharmonic String Orchestra
Leader, Norris Stanley
Conducted by Johan Hock

Verklarte Nacht (Radiant Night)...Schonberg

Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet and String Orchestra...Elgar

Die Verklarte Nacht was first broadcast in this arrangement by its composer for string orchestra. But the version for six solo instruments is the original one. Schonberg wrote it in the space of three weeks in the autumn of 1899, while he was staying with his teacher and close friend, Zemlinsky, two years before the friendship was cemented into a closer relation by Schonberg's marriage to Zemlinsky's sister. The music is based on a poem by Dehmel, one which would be as difficult to translate into terms of everyday prose as Schonberg's music. The name means not merely 'The clear night', as it is sometimes called, but rather one which is transfigured by light in the sense of mental clarity as well as visible brightness.
The poem tells of two human souls, who go together over a cold, bleak moor, with the moon shining from a clear sky. The woman speaks first, telling of her perplexity, her struggles of heart, in face of the riddle of life ; the man replies, solving her doubts, and lifting her burden, so that the light of the moon becomes a symbol of clear-eyed, simple acceptance and understanding.
Elgar tells us that his Introduction and Allegro owes its inception to a tune which he once heard sung in the distance, when he was on a holiday in Wales-a tune which impressed him particularly by its cadence of a falling third. From it he evolved the main theme, sufficiently like a Welsh tune to be taken for real folk music. Later, another song heard in the Wye valley confirmed the first impression, and the work was carried to completion. It appeared in March, 1905, at the same concert at which the third 'Pomp and Circumstance' March had its first performance.
After four introductory bars the first theme is heard, and when it has been set forth at some length, the ' Welsh' tune makes its first appearance on the viola of the Quartet. It is taken up by the others, giving way soon to reminders of the introduction and of the first subject. The real second subject appears a little later, and these, along with the theme of the four introductory bars, are developed and interwoven with interesting effect; instead of the conventional working out, we have an elaborate Fugato on a new subject; the former tunes are taken up again, and towards the end we hear the ' Welsh ' tune in full, the piece coming to its actual close with reminders of the second subject.

Contributors

Unknown:
Johan Hock
Conducted By:
Johan Hock

Leader, Alfred Barker
Conductor, T. H. MORRISON
The scene -of Martha is laid in Richmond and an old-fashioned hiring fair is the central point of the story. A great lady, bored by her Court life, allows herself to be hired as servant to a young farmer, with whom she falls in love. Her affection is returned, and the apparent difference in their station leads to complications, but at the end it is discovered that the young farmer is really a nobleman, and the opera ends happily with their betrothal.
The opera is still occasionally performed, but it survives mainly in the Overture, a very popular item in concert programmes.

Contributors

Leader:
Alfred Barker
Conductor:
T. H. Morrison

This evening's talk in this interesting series is as good as any that has yet been broadcast. A private hire chauffeur is to tell listeners of his life when the private hire trade was in its hey-day before the slump.
If he had no regular hours, he drew good wages, with a liberal allowance when touring, and tips were plentiful. He has some capital stories. He is to tell listeners of the strange reason that took a beautiful peeress to Richmond, of an amusing tour of England with some American tourists, and of a drive round London to give a lady novelist some local colour-a drive which had curious results.
He has driven famous stars of the stage. He has seen a racing motorist behave unexpectedly in a traffic jam, and has had to drive some odd pets. But perhaps the strangest passenger he ever carried was a pig.
Weddings, race meetings, tours-all were in the day's work. And listeners will hear a typical day's orders in a busy season, and will see the infinite variety of a private hire chauffeur's life.

Sir JOHN PERRONET THOMPSON ,
K.C.S.I., K.C.I.E.
After a distinguished career at Cambridge, Sir John Perronet Thompson entered the Indian Civil Service in 1896. He has been Chief Secretary for the Punjab, a Member of the Legislative Council, Punjab, of the Indian Legislative Council, of the Reforms Committee ; President of the Railway Police Committee in India in 1921 ; Political Secretary to the Government of India 1922-1927; Member of the Council of State, 1922-1932; and Chief Commissioner of Delhi, 1928-1932, when he retired.
Sir John is Chairman of the Union of Britain and India, an organisation which was formed to give support to the White Paper proposals, and has recently declared its support for the scheme as amended by the Joint Select
Committee. He is Vice-President of the Royal Central Asian Society, a Member of the Council of the Royal
Asiatic Society, and the East India Association and India Society. Sir John will support the Government. ,

Contributors

Unknown:
Sir John Perronet Thompson
Unknown:
Sir John Perronet Thompson

National Programme Daventry

About National Programme

National Programme is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 9th March 1930 and ended on the 9th September 1939. It was replaced by BBC Home Service.

Appears in

About this data

This data is drawn from the Radio Times magazine between 1923 and 2009. It shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was subject to change and may not be accurate. More