The Standard Hour
Encyclopedia
The Standard Hour was a weekly radio broadcast by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Opera
carried on NBC
radio stations on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. Pacific time. Like The Standard School Broadcast
, the program was sponsored by Standard Oil of California (later known as Chevron Corporation
). A 1943 brochure shows that the programs were carried on KPO
in San Francisco
, KFI
in Los Angeles
, KMJ in Fresno
, KGW
in Portland, Oregon
, KOMO
in Seattle, Washington
, and KHQ in Spokane, Washington
.
The theme music for The Standard Hour, as well as The Standard School Broadcast, was This Hour Is Yours composed by Julius Haug, a violinist in the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. From 1935 to 1952, the broadcasts often featured the San Francisco's music director, Pierre Monteux
. Other conductors on the broadcasts included Alfred Hertz
, Sir Thomas Beecham and Werner Janssen
. Arthur Fiedler
, who led the San Francisco Symphony's "pops" concerts from 1949 to 1979, conducted several of the broadcast concerts in 1950 and 1951.
A number of these broadcasts were preserved on transcription discs or magnetic tape. Some have been released on CD, including many of Monteux's concerts in the War Memorial Opera House.
For more than two decades from the 1930s through the 1950s, NBC Radio broadcast programs of live classical concerts from California. The autumn months were dedicated to the San Francisco Opera, with its stars singing under the baton of its founder and general director, Gaetano Merola. Many of his singers were from the Metropolitan Opera
, but a number came directly from Europe.
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
carried on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
radio stations on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. Pacific time. Like The Standard School Broadcast
The Standard School Broadcast
The Standard School Broadcast was a weekly educational radio program, based in San Francisco, California, which promoted music appreciation for students in the western United States...
, the program was sponsored by Standard Oil of California (later known as Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
). A 1943 brochure shows that the programs were carried on KPO
KNBR
KNBR, The Sports Leader, is the on-air branding used by two AM radio stations in the San Francisco, California, area broadcasting a sports radio format, owned by Cumulus Media....
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, KMJ in Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, KGW
KGW
KGW is an NBC affiliate television station serving the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. The station broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 8, from its transmitter in Portland. It also produces segments and serves as the Portland bureau for Northwest Cable News , which is also owned by...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, KOMO
KOMO (AM)
KOMO is a radio station based in Seattle, Washington. Its format is primarily news. From 2003 to 2008, it was also the flagship station of the Seattle Mariners Radio Network...
in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, and KHQ in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
.
The theme music for The Standard Hour, as well as The Standard School Broadcast, was This Hour Is Yours composed by Julius Haug, a violinist in the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. From 1935 to 1952, the broadcasts often featured the San Francisco's music director, Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
. Other conductors on the broadcasts included Alfred Hertz
Alfred Hertz
Alfred Hertz , a German conductor born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. As a child, he contracted infantile paralysis and walked with a cane after that....
, Sir Thomas Beecham and Werner Janssen
Werner Janssen
Hans-Werner Janssen was an American conductor of classical music, and composer of classical music and film scores.-Biography:...
. Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...
, who led the San Francisco Symphony's "pops" concerts from 1949 to 1979, conducted several of the broadcast concerts in 1950 and 1951.
A number of these broadcasts were preserved on transcription discs or magnetic tape. Some have been released on CD, including many of Monteux's concerts in the War Memorial Opera House.
For more than two decades from the 1930s through the 1950s, NBC Radio broadcast programs of live classical concerts from California. The autumn months were dedicated to the San Francisco Opera, with its stars singing under the baton of its founder and general director, Gaetano Merola. Many of his singers were from the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, but a number came directly from Europe.