Image source: Library and Archives Canada, Albert Campbell and Henry Burr of The Sterling Trio, 1919

Music on the radio

Music crossed cultural and language barriers allowing for greater enjoyment of the medium. One young mother of three in Belleville remembered that her Italian-speaking husband, who was less comfortable in English, would select radio programs during the evening and have her translate the news. Certain programs required too much effort to comprehend and consequently held little appeal, but he always enjoyed musical programming. Another Toronto listener from a Polish-speaking family with seven children explained that there was little time to listen to the radio, but her father enjoyed the news and all of them liked to listen to music. Different genres of music were mentioned, country music in particular was a popular choice for some of the listeners interviewed. In Montreal an Italian-speaking family listened to the opera on the weekends as did the family of Italian descent in Belleville. Yet another from Nova Scotia remembers the Gaelic music as a favourite in her home.

Image source: Library and Archives Canada, Albert Campbell and Henry Burr of The Sterling Trio, 1919