Robert Hayman may be claimed to be the first English poet writing out of Canada. Born in Totnes, ... more Robert Hayman may be claimed to be the first English poet writing out of Canada. Born in Totnes, Devon, he became Governor in 1618 of Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. Through his book of Epigrams, "Quodlibets", he celebrated the New World in Verse for the first time.
Broadcaster, academic and poet Sean Street looks at US Producer Isay’s 1998 feature ‘The Sunshine... more Broadcaster, academic and poet Sean Street looks at US Producer Isay’s 1998 feature ‘The Sunshine Hotel’ on one of the last surviving flop houses to explore the relationship between radio and oral history.
Introduction 1. Poets and the Interpretation of Sound 2. Early Radio 3. Stylised Reality: the Rad... more Introduction 1. Poets and the Interpretation of Sound 2. Early Radio 3. Stylised Reality: the Radio Feature 4. Radio Ballads 5. The Spoken Word: Documentary and More 6. Soundscapes 7. The Music of Nature: Location Recording 8. Pure Sound, Pure Poetry? The Composition of Radio Sound Conclusion
This dissertation examines the rise of English language commercial radio broadcasting from the Co... more This dissertation examines the rise of English language commercial radio broadcasting from the Continent to Britain prior to World War Two, and its effect on the Public Service monopoly defended by the BBC. It explores the long-term effect on the history of British broadcasting caused by this competition, and argues for a reasoned consideration of the role of commercial broadcasting in the development of British media. Aller its introduction, which sets out the author's case for the fuller examination of this subject, Part One addresses the context of early broadcasting in Britain, and the guiding principles behind the Public Service ethic. Part Two extends this context to examine firstly the cultural climate in Britain between the wars, proceeding to discuss parallels, divergences and influences between the emerging broadcasting industries of the United Kingdom and the United States. Part Three explores important areas in which commercial operators played a major role in the de...
The sonic imagery of poetry and the poetry of radio are the subjects of Seán Street’s chapter. St... more The sonic imagery of poetry and the poetry of radio are the subjects of Seán Street’s chapter. Street argues for a poetics of sound, whereby sound, like poetry, can stimulate images and feelings from the breadcrumbs contained within. Sound, especially that sound forming sonic art as found in many radio dramas and narratives, is essentially ambiguous, and it is this very ambiguity that sparks the imagination of the listener, plucking long-forgotten experiences from the deep recesses of our memory, experiences that, Street claims, are crucial factors in the preservation of our sense of self.
We search for the voice as captured in informal correspondence; we contrast the ‘voice’ of Keats ... more We search for the voice as captured in informal correspondence; we contrast the ‘voice’ of Keats as poet and personal correspondent. In today’s world of social media, instant communication enables ‘voices’, either real or constructed, to reflect online personalities that may generate friendship across space, or fuel distrust and even hatred. The spontaneous nature of instant communication can turn debate into bullying, and the use of emojis, gifs and other devices are moving us towards a new means of expression, where implied sound through symbols shouts through our media; a raised voice may be denoted by capital letters, a disagreement demonstrated by an exclamation mark. The subversion of technology to evolve new equivalents to language does not diminish the presence or power of the virtual voice.
When exploring history, the technical resources developed in the late nineteenth and twentieth ce... more When exploring history, the technical resources developed in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries can only take us so far. Beyond that we become reliant on the written word of witness and recollection. The writings of Gilbert White from the eighteenth century show us quiet world, while the diaries of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn show vivid sound pictures of the London. Sound is governed by place as much as time. Two contemporary sound worlds from the early years of the twentieth century, one rural and one urban, are compared. This is highlighted by contrasting accounts of the industrial revolution, and the conflicts between emerging and disappearing worlds. Thomas Dekker and George Crabbe offer us authentic auditory witness to the everyday world of their time.
Silent figures placed in a landscape seem to silently speak to and for our condition. A static sc... more Silent figures placed in a landscape seem to silently speak to and for our condition. A static sculptural group in a museum or gallery may seem full of violent sound, but that sound is inside us, as a response to what we see. An art exhibition can leave sonic echoes in the minds of many who visit it. We use a case study of Brueghel’s painting, ‘The Hunters in the Snow’ to demonstrate the capacity of a two-dimensional work to attain an auditory dimension in the mind. Wassily Kandinsky saw a direct link between sound and colour, while photography is considered as a medium for transmitting imaginative sound. We examine the role of public art. An image is a fixed moment, sound is temporal.
The composer Ernest Bloch leads us into a dark wood, and we explore the relationship between the ... more The composer Ernest Bloch leads us into a dark wood, and we explore the relationship between the physical creation of music and the act of listening. We turn our attention from the notes of speech to the reverberations of musical notes in space; here can be transcendent moments that seem timeless within small phrases of music. The music of the English composer Jonathan Harvey makes its sounds from bells and from birdsong, as did the French master, Olivier Messiaen, who transcribed sounds from the natural world for piano, and held Time in music made in the darkest of times. The capacity of music to evoke distant times and places: Janet Cardiff’s sound artwork, 40 Part Motet. Human birdsong may be folk song, created out of the oral tradition.
The Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast and Audio Media, Dec 1, 2004
Charles Parker was born in Bournemouth on 5 April 1919. Throughout the seventeen years that this ... more Charles Parker was born in Bournemouth on 5 April 1919. Throughout the seventeen years that this report's author has taught radio in the Bournemouth Media School at the town's university - and for most of his career as a programme-maker - he has held an ambition to celebrate Parker in his birthplace. Last year the Broadcasting History Group was established within the Media School and, with the help of research funding, set about establishing a number of initiatives to explore aspects of broadcasting's short but significant past. The first of these initiatives to bear visible fruit has been Charles Parker Day, a one-day conference held on the producer's birthday: this report has been drawn from the first Charles Parker Day Conference, held in Bournemouth (UK), on 5 April 2004.
Robert Hayman may be claimed to be the first English poet writing out of Canada. Born in Totnes, ... more Robert Hayman may be claimed to be the first English poet writing out of Canada. Born in Totnes, Devon, he became Governor in 1618 of Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. Through his book of Epigrams, "Quodlibets", he celebrated the New World in Verse for the first time.
Broadcaster, academic and poet Sean Street looks at US Producer Isay’s 1998 feature ‘The Sunshine... more Broadcaster, academic and poet Sean Street looks at US Producer Isay’s 1998 feature ‘The Sunshine Hotel’ on one of the last surviving flop houses to explore the relationship between radio and oral history.
Introduction 1. Poets and the Interpretation of Sound 2. Early Radio 3. Stylised Reality: the Rad... more Introduction 1. Poets and the Interpretation of Sound 2. Early Radio 3. Stylised Reality: the Radio Feature 4. Radio Ballads 5. The Spoken Word: Documentary and More 6. Soundscapes 7. The Music of Nature: Location Recording 8. Pure Sound, Pure Poetry? The Composition of Radio Sound Conclusion
This dissertation examines the rise of English language commercial radio broadcasting from the Co... more This dissertation examines the rise of English language commercial radio broadcasting from the Continent to Britain prior to World War Two, and its effect on the Public Service monopoly defended by the BBC. It explores the long-term effect on the history of British broadcasting caused by this competition, and argues for a reasoned consideration of the role of commercial broadcasting in the development of British media. Aller its introduction, which sets out the author's case for the fuller examination of this subject, Part One addresses the context of early broadcasting in Britain, and the guiding principles behind the Public Service ethic. Part Two extends this context to examine firstly the cultural climate in Britain between the wars, proceeding to discuss parallels, divergences and influences between the emerging broadcasting industries of the United Kingdom and the United States. Part Three explores important areas in which commercial operators played a major role in the de...
The sonic imagery of poetry and the poetry of radio are the subjects of Seán Street’s chapter. St... more The sonic imagery of poetry and the poetry of radio are the subjects of Seán Street’s chapter. Street argues for a poetics of sound, whereby sound, like poetry, can stimulate images and feelings from the breadcrumbs contained within. Sound, especially that sound forming sonic art as found in many radio dramas and narratives, is essentially ambiguous, and it is this very ambiguity that sparks the imagination of the listener, plucking long-forgotten experiences from the deep recesses of our memory, experiences that, Street claims, are crucial factors in the preservation of our sense of self.
We search for the voice as captured in informal correspondence; we contrast the ‘voice’ of Keats ... more We search for the voice as captured in informal correspondence; we contrast the ‘voice’ of Keats as poet and personal correspondent. In today’s world of social media, instant communication enables ‘voices’, either real or constructed, to reflect online personalities that may generate friendship across space, or fuel distrust and even hatred. The spontaneous nature of instant communication can turn debate into bullying, and the use of emojis, gifs and other devices are moving us towards a new means of expression, where implied sound through symbols shouts through our media; a raised voice may be denoted by capital letters, a disagreement demonstrated by an exclamation mark. The subversion of technology to evolve new equivalents to language does not diminish the presence or power of the virtual voice.
When exploring history, the technical resources developed in the late nineteenth and twentieth ce... more When exploring history, the technical resources developed in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries can only take us so far. Beyond that we become reliant on the written word of witness and recollection. The writings of Gilbert White from the eighteenth century show us quiet world, while the diaries of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn show vivid sound pictures of the London. Sound is governed by place as much as time. Two contemporary sound worlds from the early years of the twentieth century, one rural and one urban, are compared. This is highlighted by contrasting accounts of the industrial revolution, and the conflicts between emerging and disappearing worlds. Thomas Dekker and George Crabbe offer us authentic auditory witness to the everyday world of their time.
Silent figures placed in a landscape seem to silently speak to and for our condition. A static sc... more Silent figures placed in a landscape seem to silently speak to and for our condition. A static sculptural group in a museum or gallery may seem full of violent sound, but that sound is inside us, as a response to what we see. An art exhibition can leave sonic echoes in the minds of many who visit it. We use a case study of Brueghel’s painting, ‘The Hunters in the Snow’ to demonstrate the capacity of a two-dimensional work to attain an auditory dimension in the mind. Wassily Kandinsky saw a direct link between sound and colour, while photography is considered as a medium for transmitting imaginative sound. We examine the role of public art. An image is a fixed moment, sound is temporal.
The composer Ernest Bloch leads us into a dark wood, and we explore the relationship between the ... more The composer Ernest Bloch leads us into a dark wood, and we explore the relationship between the physical creation of music and the act of listening. We turn our attention from the notes of speech to the reverberations of musical notes in space; here can be transcendent moments that seem timeless within small phrases of music. The music of the English composer Jonathan Harvey makes its sounds from bells and from birdsong, as did the French master, Olivier Messiaen, who transcribed sounds from the natural world for piano, and held Time in music made in the darkest of times. The capacity of music to evoke distant times and places: Janet Cardiff’s sound artwork, 40 Part Motet. Human birdsong may be folk song, created out of the oral tradition.
The Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast and Audio Media, Dec 1, 2004
Charles Parker was born in Bournemouth on 5 April 1919. Throughout the seventeen years that this ... more Charles Parker was born in Bournemouth on 5 April 1919. Throughout the seventeen years that this report's author has taught radio in the Bournemouth Media School at the town's university - and for most of his career as a programme-maker - he has held an ambition to celebrate Parker in his birthplace. Last year the Broadcasting History Group was established within the Media School and, with the help of research funding, set about establishing a number of initiatives to explore aspects of broadcasting's short but significant past. The first of these initiatives to bear visible fruit has been Charles Parker Day, a one-day conference held on the producer's birthday: this report has been drawn from the first Charles Parker Day Conference, held in Bournemouth (UK), on 5 April 2004.
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