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American Composers Receive Awards
in Recent Victor Symphonic Contest
CAMDEN, N. J.—The works of four American
composers have been awarded $5,000 each by
the decision of the judges in the Victor Sym-
phonic Contest, according to an announcement
made to-day, on August 15, by E. E. Shumaker,
president of the RCA-Victor company. The
composers whose works have entitled them to
the $5,000 rewards are: Robert Russell Bennett
(two awards), "Sights and Sounds" and "Abra-
ham Lincoln"; Louis Gruenberg, "Symphony";
Ernest Bloch, "Helvetia," and Aaron Copeland,
"A Dance Symphony."
The board of judges who made the awards
included Rudolph Ganz, noted pianist and con-
ductor; Serge Koussevitzky, conductor of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Mme. Olga Sa-
maroff, famous pianist and critic; Frederick
Stock, conductor of the Chicago Symphony Or-
chestra, an-d Leopold Stokowski, conductor of
the Philadelphia Orchestra. Since the conclu-
sion of the contest, on May 28, 1929, the dis-
tinguished jury has given much effort to the
task of classifying and evaluating more than
one hundred and fifty symphonic manuscripts
submitted in the Victor Contest by the outstand-
ing composers of America. The judges reported
that the general level of merit in the works
submitted was exceptionally high, and they
warmly congratulated Victor on the project
undertaken for the benefit of serious music.
A prize of $25,000 was offered in the contest
for the one outstanding work in symphonic
form by an American composer. The judges
unanimously agreed upon the five works named
above as being approximately equal, and, in
fact, of exceptional merit.
Under the terms of the Victor Contest, the
judges had the right to award the prize money
to any project devoted to the development of
creative music in America. They therefore sug-
gested, in recognition of the magnificent efforts
of the above-'named composers, and to assure
them of the security and leisure in their work
of composition for at least a year, that the sum
of $5,000 be awarded the works of each of the
four composers who have proven themselves
outstanding in creative musical work in this
country.
It was originally planned that the announce-
ment of the results of the Victor Symphonic
Contest would be made publicly at a dinner in
New York on October 3, last. However, be-
cause of the care exercised by the judges, the
announcement had to be delayed. It is now
planned to present the composers and excerpts
from their works in a broadcast program to he
given over a nation-wide hook-up of the Na-
tional Broadcasting Co. some time during the
coming season, the date to be announced in
the future.
Atwater Kent Golden Voiced Radio
Receiver Introduced to Distributors
V J EARLY 400 Atwater Kent distributors, At-
-L^ water Kent factory executives and repre-
sentatives enthusiastically greeted the new 1930-
31 line of Atwater Kent "Golden Voice" sets at
the Seventh Annual Atwater Kent Distributors'
Convention, held on July 29, 30 and 31 at the
Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City.
F. E. Basler, general sales manager of the
company, formally opened the Convention on
Tuesday morning with an able address in which
he reviewed the general situation in the radio
industry and proposed certain remedies to in-
crease distributor and dealer profits. He em-
phasized the fact that the tendency seemed to
be toward fewer and better dealers, and
stressed the eight-year standing of Atwater Kent
in the radio field.
A. Atwater Kent, president a,nd founder of
the company, was the next speaker to address
the convention. In welcoming the distributors
to the convention, he reminded them of their
responsibilities and predicted that Atwater Kent
would do a larger share of the general radio
business during the coming season than ever
before. Mr. Kent then presented the four new
Atwater Kent models individually and explained
the new features of the line in detail, stressing
the superior quality of the cabinets, chassis and
speaker, and dwelling at some length on the
new and exclusive quick-vision dial and the new
tone control.
After the new models had been discussed Mr.
Kent announced the list prices, which were as
follows: Model 70, $119, less tubes; Model 74,
$125, less tubes; Model 76, $145, less tubes, and
Model 75, $195, less tubes. The Model 70 in
25 cycles, $129, less tubes; the Model 74, in 25
cycles, $135, less tubes; the Model 76, $155, less
tubes. The Model 70 D. C, $129, less tubes; the
Model 74 D. C, $135, less tubes, and the Model
76 D. C, $155, less tubes. The Model 70 battery
set, $99, less tubes, and the Model 76 battery
set, $125, less tubes.
After luncheon the afternoon session was
opened by Mr. Kent and an open forum dis-
cussion followed. Charles L. Low, sales analy-
sis expert, was the next speaker. Leon Char-
bonnier, service manager of the Atwater Kent,
followed by Mr. Low.
During the various sessions following the
opening the distributors were addressed by
Charles L. Low, sales analysis expert; Leon
Charbonnier, service manager, and P. A. Ware,
sales promotion manager of Atwater Kent;
David Bauer, advertising manager of the com J
pany; Roy Durstine, of Batten, Barton, Dur-
stine & Osborn, advertising agents; John
McCoy, manager of the statistical department,
and Eli Dyson, credit manager of Atwater Kent.
One session was devoted to private discus-
sions among the distributors led by Ned Ves-
tal, of Reinhard Bros., Minneapolis, following
which talks were given by Delbert L. Loomis,
executive secretary of the National Association
of Music Merchants; Bert Dowden, of the At-
water Kent Co., who talked on "Radio in the
Schools'; W. Lee White, of the Bankers' Com-
mercial Security Co.; J. W. Hitchcock, assistant
sales manager of Atwater Kent, and finally by
Bruce Barton, noted author and advertising man.
There was naturally plenty of entertainment,
Tuesday night being given over to a series of
snappy boxing bouts in the Venetian Room of
the Hotel and Wednesday evening to an elabo-
rate program of singers and dancers presented
by Al Wohlman.
22
Plans Completed for
Annual Radio World's Fair
Plans have now been completed for the Sev-
enth Annual Radio World's Fair to be held at
Madison Square Garden, New York, during the
week beginning September 22, and indications
are that the Show will be more attractive than
any of its predecessors. The entire space within
the Garden will be utilized as in years past, for
the reduction in the number of radio manufac-
turers has been made up by increases in indi-
vidual space requirements, according to G. Clay-
ton Irwin, Jr., general manager. The two hours
from noon to 2 p.m., every day except Mondaj'
have been set aside as Trade Show Hours and
it is expected that they will attract many deal-
ers and distributors.
A particularly interesting feature of the Show
will be the Electrical Section, which will be oc-
cupied for the most part by manufacturers of
electrical refrigerators.
Special interest has
been shown in this feature of the show because
of the abandonment of the New York Electri-
cal Show. The National Federation of Radio
Associations has arranged for the observance
of National Radio Demonstration Week on days
to coincide with those of the Show, and there
will also be an elaborate program of entertain-
ment which will be broadcast widely so that
the Show will actually have national significance.
Brunswick Offers Cup
for Best Broadcasting
After more than a year of intensive planning,
the Brunswick Radio Corp. announced yester-
day the creation of an annual award for achieve-
ment in the radio and broadcasting fields. This
award will take the form of a trophy, the Bruns-
wick Cup, which will be presented for the first
time during September, 1931.
The Comtesse Marguerite de Taurines will
act as organizer and ex-officio member of the
award committee. She is being given a free
hand in the choice of judges with the stipula-
tion, however, that no representative either of
the broadcast world or of the Brunswick or-
ganization shall be among the judges.
R. W. Jackson, vice-president and general
manager of the Brunswick Radio Corp., said in
part: "Broadcasting has now unquestionably
reached the status of an art. Since its concep-
tion it has drawn upon most of the original
seven arts. The theatre, music and the fourth
estate, each have made a vital contribution to
what is to-day known as broadcasting, and
within the next decade the visual arts are also
expected to contribute. With the exception of
broadcasting, every art has had its annual award
for achievement, and I am indeed gratified that
it is our organization that placed radio on a
par with all other arts, at least insofar as annual
recognition is concerned."
The broadcast year, for the purposes of the
award, will be predicated upon the twelve
months starting September 1. Organized scru-
tiny of a,ll broadcasts, a definite part of the
plans of the committee which is being brought
into existence for this purpose, starts on that
date this vear.
The Schroeder Piano Co. with headquarters
in Pittsburgh, Pa., has opened a branch in
Grove City, Pa., with William Longacre as
manager.
,