The Story of the ABC ‘s Symphony Orchestras - by Charles Moses
The development of the ABC’s six Symphony
Orchestras from the modest beginnings of 25 years ago probably has no parallel
in the history of broadcasting if, even, in the field of music.
In the earliest days of Australian radio, the
usual musical ensemble was an instrumental trio consisting of piano, violin and
`cello. Those early programs are a far cry - although only about 25 years in
point of time - from the great orchestras that today form the centre of the
very active musical life which has spread throughout the community.
The story of the past 25 years falls into three
stages: the early years of the ABC’s history when only two small orchestras
were engaged on a regular basis apart from which small scratch musical units
received occasional engagements; the establishment in 1936 of orchestras
comprising a nucleus of key players that were augmented for concerts; and, from
1946 onwards, the setting up of full-time symphony orchestras with the
collaboration of State Governments and municipal bodies.
When the ABC was established in 1932, its
orchestral resources amounted to two small orchestras in Sydney and Melbourne
of 20 and 15 players respectively, suitable only for light programs and
“arrangements”of
the classics. Within a year these groups were replaced by “Concert Orchestras”of 25 players, so constituted that they could
perform the smaller standard works in their original form. For the earliest
broadcasts of full symphonic works these orchestras were augmented to about 45
players by the addition of casual players.
In 1934 the ABC engaged its first overseas
conductor, Sir Hamilton Harty. With an improvised
orchestra of some 50 players, Harty gave five
concerts in
The year 1936 saw the first really big step
forward. In that year the ABC on the advice of Sir Bernard Heinze,
as Musical Adviser to the Commission, established in all States studio
broadcasting units that included the key players of all normal string,
percussion, woodwind and brass instruments required for symphonic performances,
thus providing a permanent nucleus of professional musicians that could be augmented
for public concerts. The full-time groups in Sydney and Melbourne were
increased to 45 and 35 respectively, with 11 in
On the basis of this plan for “nucleus” orchestras
augmented for public performances, the annual
Celebrity Subscription Series of concerts was
inaugurated 21 years ago in the principal cities; at the same time the ABC
inaugurated its policy of engaging overseas conductors and soloists with the
dual purpose of enriching its concert and broadcast programs and counteracting
the effect of
At first, concert audiences were small; the
subscription list for the whole of the Commonwealth in 1936 numbered only
2,522. However, there was a remarkable quickening of interest during the next
few years, the highlights of this period being provided by the conductors Dr
Malcolm Sargent, George Schneevoigt
and Georg Szell, and such
artists as Elizabeth Rethberg, Esio
Pinza, Richard Tauber, Lotte Léhmann, Alexander Kipnis, Huberman, Artur Rubinstein, Artur Schnable and Marcel Dupré.
By 1939 there were grounds for hoping that some
form of Governmental assistance might be forthcoming for the establishment of
full-time symphony orchestras in the larger centres, but the war intervened.
The war period was a testing-time, the flow of
overseas artists being cut off and the orchestras were seriously depleted by
wartime call-ups. In spite of the difficulties, audiences were maintained and
the orchestras continued to function, the main burden of the conducting
throughout the Commonwealth falling on Professor (now Sir) Bernard Heinze, who made a very important contribution towards supplying
the growing need for fine music during these dark years.
The next step forward came in 1946, when the first
full-time symphony orchestra was established in NSW with the assistance of
substantial subsidies granted by the State Government and the Council of the
City of
In addition to concerts for adults, free
orchestral concerts for school children had been given from the early days. In
1947, the ABC , on the suggestion of Sir Bernard Heinze, bridged the gap between the Subscription Concerts
and the Schools’orchestral concerts by inaugurating
the Youth Concert series, catering exclusively for the 16-25 years age-group.
The success of these concerts has surpassed all
expectations, and the youth audiences have proved to be as discriminating as
they are enthusiastic.
During the past decade our Orchestras have reached
maturity. The general performing standard of the Orchestras today is high and
their repertoire extensive. Audiences have also grown rapidly from the 2,522 of
1936 and combine enthusiastic appreciation with critical discernment.
Subscribers to ABC concerts now exceed 50,000 of whom
over 12,000 subscribe to the Youth Concerts. School Concerts in city and
country are given before an aggregate annual audiences
of nearly 200,000. In addition, the broadcasts of the concerts are heard by
many hundreds of thousands of listeners.
The ABC has been privileged to play a leading role
in the marshalling and developing of
degrees have played their part in the successful realisation
of the Commission’s plans.
It is appropriate to mention that this year the
ABC’s Director of Music, Mr W G James, will retire
from that position, which he has held since 1938. Mr
James has been closely associated with the growth of the ABC’s musical
activities during many of the most important developmental years and his work in
helping to develop the Commission’s plans and carry out its policy merits
recognition.
Notes
“The Story of
the A.B.C.‘s Symphony
Orchestras” - by Charles Moses General Manager of the ABC. Extract from A.B.C.
Twenty-First Anniversary Series Subscription Concerts program. 1957