Karl Miller replies to me:

>>Do you really believe that the NBC Symphony Orchestra was formed and
>>broadcast to homes all over the USA for the purpose of entertaining just
>>a small elite audience?
>
>If I conveyed that thought, it was not my intention.  I am cannot
>say why the NBC SO was formed.  I have read at least three books which
>speak, in part, to its formation.  ...
>
>As to what the intention for prestige might have been, I do not know,
>however I would guess that anything Sarnoff did had something to do with
>making money.

In addition to being the musician he was, and unlike numerous others,
Toscanini took a stong stance against Fascism and Mussolini.  I like
to think that Mr. Sarnoff recognized the human being in addition to
the musician and chose to reward him for his morality.  (Morality being
discussed here in different thread is not exactly something to blow your
nose upon.

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC_Symphony_Orchestra

>...  I believe that while the NBC Symphony under Toscanini brought
>many of the great masterpieces of music, in some of the most magnificent
>performances, to the radio audience, those particular broadcasts did
>not, from my perspective, give an adequate representation of the
>literature.

However even if radios didn't have a knob to off the power, the plug
could still be yanked from the wall (which my parents would have certainly
done), resulting in my never even having been exposed to any of the
literature.

>As to whether or not the idea was to pander to an elite, I cannot
>say.  I do wonder if there was some intent to create a false
>elite...as was much of the marketing of classical music in those
>days.  Surely, part of the goal was to sell records...and those
>records still sell well!

Bravo!, all to better improve the chances for the survival of CM.

Norman
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