Radio revue (Dec 1929-Mar 1930)

22 RADIO REVU E seding the flock of warblers there is all too apparent. To the many unsuccessful applicants who inquire, often with exasperation, why no radio bookings have resulted after their auditions, this very tactful and usually very true answer is given : "Sorry, but you haven't a radio voice." To which there is absolutely no comeback. One either has, or one hasn't, a "radio voice," and just what it is, few can sav. judghave Those who pass ment upon singers certain qualifications in mind which . are discoverable in the true "radio voice." It must have what is technically known as "frontal resonance" — that is, the tone must be produced in the forepart of the mouth rather than in the back of the throat. It is this factor which diminishes the effectiveness on the air of some of the great opera singers and even makes them failures as radio performers. Introducing "Mike Fright" Diction is a very important factor; it must be crisp and incisive, but not labored. Then there is poise, usually (though not always) bred of confidence but, at any rate, an indispensable requisite. It is curious to note that singers of long operatic and theatrical experience, who have faced vast audiences with perfect equanimity, have completely succumbed to "mike fright," at the sight of the round little metal demon known as the microphone. Singing off pitch is a damning trait to the aspirant to radio honors. It is in this particular that most of the would-be stars fail. It is true that the fault is shared by some of the outstanding singers in the land today, who seem to hold to their laurels and gather new wreaths despite their tendency to produce a flat when a natural is plainly wanted, but, when the fault is shown by the radio novice, it counts heavily against him. Singing off pitch, if it does not signify a lack of artistry, or faulty vocal technique, means that the aspirant is deficient in the quality of repose ; it is a very good sign that, when the inevitable disturbances of a radio studio arise, the singer will not have the calm control and dynamic concentration to override the commotion and do a perfect job. Discomposure registers all to easily on the microphone, and disturbances in the studio are really the rule rather than the exception. The experienced radio performer must be able to maintain absolute repose, even The Bathroom Tenor Takes the Air though the production man may be madly gesticulating instructions from the control room. Others lack the ability to read music at sight and, at the same time, to sing it. This is not always a completely prohibitive fault ; Frank Munn. or Paul Oliver as he is widely known, could read scarcely a note when he started. The overwhelming" beauty of his voice. however, compensated for his lack of musical education; but very few, alas, have the Munn larynx. These and the basic elements of artistry, which, thank goodness, will not be discussed in this article, are the outstanding qualifications sought in the novice, but they make, by no means, the complete formula for radio stardom. The formula, to tell the truth, is a good deal of a secret. No one yet can quite say why, for instance, the Broadway star is often so thoroughly overshadowed on the radio by some less known singer, whose only experience has been gathered in a short career of performing before the microphone. There is some in-born quality capable of holding an invisible audience, perhaps best termed "air personality," which makes the one successful, while the other, star that he might be before a visible audience, so dismally fails to click. Nor can it be laid to the fact that the one does and the other does not have the proper microphone technique. The audition committees discount this completely ; they realize that technique can be attained by study and proper direction, but the other thing, that will o' the wisp "air personality," that little subtle something which in radio, probably more than in other fields, distinguishes the mere singer from the embryonic star, that is the quality that is so painstakingly sought. Few Have Elusive Quality So rare indeed is this quality that only one out of every hundred aspirants ever makes a radio appearance, and the fraction who become stars is, of course, much smaller. However, the hordes who seek radio fame are not so convinced of the rarity of "air personality" — in fact, they are all quite sure they have it. One man, for instance, came all the way from Australia, because, so he said, Australia could not appreciate his great gift. Unfortu(Continued on page 46}