THE PROMS SIR,—The Proms are so important a feature in
London's musical life that it is surprising that the introduction to the 1960 series in the Radio Times has passed unnoticed.
The BBC's Controller of Music, who writes it. says that the first purpose of the Proms is to repre- sent all that-is most vital in orchestral music from the eighteenth century to the present day, and the second purpose is to follow the example of Sir Henry Wood as to how the first purpose should be fulfilled. Thereafter the programmes to be broad- cast are given and these flatly contradict both pur- poses.
Henry Wood was a great lover of Wagner and his Wagner nights covered the whole range of the Master's works. The '1960 programmes have thirty- five minutes of his orchestral music, all from the Mastersingers. There is not a note of Tannhduser•, Lohengrin, Tristan, The Ring or Parsifal.
Another favourite of Wood's was Handel, and his concerti grossi, organ concertos and suites were always given. Handel, in 1960, has come. down to the 'Firework Music' and a couple of songs. On the other hand, a whole evening is devoted to the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. Which of the two purposes this serves Mr. Glock does not disclose.
Sir Henry's remarks on the substitution of The Gondoliers for Gotterdammerung and The Pirates of Penzance for Parsif al would have been worth hearing.
The 1960 programmes include one work by Schumann, one by Weber and no Chopin. Against this we have two and a half hours of Shostakovich and the same allowance of Mr. Britten. Again the purpose is not obvious.
Mr. Glock congratulates us on the fact that 75 per cent. of the Prom music will be broadcast. As the BBC exists to broadcast and derives its income from listeners' fees, this is an odd cause for satisfac- tion. Do any of your legal readers know if the BBC's Charter allows the promotion of concerts which it has no intention of broadcasting? • Only four whole evenings, crows Mr. Glock, will not be broadcast in whole or part. This may prove a serious deprivation for listeners. They might illustrate the two lost purposes and one of them might even be selections from Chu Chin Chow.— Yours faithfully, Queen's Hotel, Eastbourne
G. H. HOSWORTH
[David Cairns will be writing about the Proms shortly.--Editor, Spectator.]
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