Edgar White Burrill
Encyclopedia
Edgar White Burrill was a critic
and lecturer
on books and the literary scene who organized the 1920s Literary Vespers series held at Aeolian Hall and Town Hall. Burrill was a major precursor to radio drama with his dramatic radio readings during the 1920s and 1930s, and one of these readings led to a milestone in broadcasting.
He gave annual readings of Ida M. Tarbell
's He Knew Lincoln on WJZ during the 1920s. His reading in 1923 inspired George Furness of the National Carbon Company to produce The Eveready Hour
, the first commercially-sponsored variety program in the history of broadcasting.
In 1925, he gave a recitation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
's Evangeline
on radio with a musical background by Max Jacob's Chamber Symphony Orchestra. This was broadcast on Tuesday, November 24, 1925 at 9pm over WEAF, WEEI, WFI, WCAE, WGR, WWJ, WSAI, WTAG, WOC, WCCO and KSD.
The following year, he was heard on WJZ conducting the opening Literary Vespers of the 1926-27 season from Aeolian Hall. The subject Burrill selected for the opening Vespers was "The Mask of Civilization," along with a discussion of Eugene O'Neill's The Great God Brown.
In 1931, Burrill told "The Story of Our Flag" over WJZ as part of the Flag Day celebration, and he took part in a Memorial Day broadcast that same year.
Burrill did some of his writing as a guest at the Yaddo
artists retreat. His play Master Skylark, an adaptation of John Bennett's story of Shakespeare's times, was a staple of children's theater during the 1920s.
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
and lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
on books and the literary scene who organized the 1920s Literary Vespers series held at Aeolian Hall and Town Hall. Burrill was a major precursor to radio drama with his dramatic radio readings during the 1920s and 1930s, and one of these readings led to a milestone in broadcasting.
He gave annual readings of Ida M. Tarbell
Ida M. Tarbell
Ida Minerva Tarbell was an American teacher, author and journalist. She was known as one of the leading "muckrakers" of the progressive era, work known in modern times as "investigative journalism". She wrote many notable magazine series and biographies...
's He Knew Lincoln on WJZ during the 1920s. His reading in 1923 inspired George Furness of the National Carbon Company to produce The Eveready Hour
The Eveready Hour
The Eveready Hour was the first commercially sponsored variety program in the history of broadcasting. It premiered December 4, 1923 on WEAF Radio in New York. Radio's first sponsored network program. it was paid for by the National Carbon Company, which at the time owned Eveready Battery...
, the first commercially-sponsored variety program in the history of broadcasting.
In 1925, he gave a recitation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
's Evangeline
Evangeline
Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie, is an epic poem published in 1847 by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during the time of the Expulsion of the Acadians.The idea for the poem came from...
on radio with a musical background by Max Jacob's Chamber Symphony Orchestra. This was broadcast on Tuesday, November 24, 1925 at 9pm over WEAF, WEEI, WFI, WCAE, WGR, WWJ, WSAI, WTAG, WOC, WCCO and KSD.
The following year, he was heard on WJZ conducting the opening Literary Vespers of the 1926-27 season from Aeolian Hall. The subject Burrill selected for the opening Vespers was "The Mask of Civilization," along with a discussion of Eugene O'Neill's The Great God Brown.
In 1931, Burrill told "The Story of Our Flag" over WJZ as part of the Flag Day celebration, and he took part in a Memorial Day broadcast that same year.
Burrill did some of his writing as a guest at the Yaddo
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
artists retreat. His play Master Skylark, an adaptation of John Bennett's story of Shakespeare's times, was a staple of children's theater during the 1920s.