The task would have been easy if the composer had illustrated in one orchestral succession the expected occurrences of the Marathon race: the start, the struggle, weariness, collapse, and victory. Instead of making use of a multitude of suitable harmonies and tonal groups, he confined himself to a few themes which he wove together in counterpoint, the melodies constantly recurring. He arranged his composition in three movements, a short scherzo for the beginning, a continuous running movement, sometimes slow, sometimes increasingly swift, and a short victorious striding conclusion. The special feature was a single rhythm which ran through the whole, a running rhythm which never ceased and which bound together the separate and often harmonically different subjects. After the start of the Marathon race, those responsible for the broadcast had only the task of passing at the right moment from the opening movement of the music to the great succession of the theme of action, and later at the right time of introducing the onrushing, almost breathless finale. In the same way it was necessary to make the change from the music to the spoken report at the right places, and the music had each time to catch up the reporter's last word and continue it. The success was impressive. Listeners experienced the Marathon race in its greatness and endlessness, its struggle and outcome, and as a mighty dramatic event which was never interrupted. It was surely a coincidence that the collapse of Zabala, the last Marathon victor, immediately afterwards found expression in the music in an exciting, even touching manner. But it is only a proof that the bold attempt to create a connection between reality and an impression this time succeeded.
The floating transmission station for the yachting regatta in Kiel.
If this dramatic race was depicted by the reporters in such a way as to be a great broadcasting success, this was due not least to the fine cooperation between the staffs of the international broadcasting companies.
Television passed its ordeal by fire. After about 15 kilometres of special television cable had been laid to the Reich Sport Field, the following sites were chosen for setting up television reception apparatus : the Olympic Stadium, the swimming stadium, the Dietrich Eckart Theatre, and the May Field. The Farnworth camera of the Fernseh A.G. was placed in the Olympic Stadium from August 1st to 10th, in the Dietrich Eckart Theatre from August 11th to 13th, and again in the Olympic Stadium from August 14th to 16th. The apparatus was operated by a staff usually numbering 6 men on 16 days for a total of 100 hours. These pictures were relayed in 15 transmissions. The total time of transmission was 19 hours. The ikonoscope of the Telefunken A.G. was set up from August 1st to 16th in the Olympic Stadium. Served by three men on the average, the total operating time on 10 days amounted to about 60 hours. The ikonoscope made altogether 24 transmissions amounting to a total of 29 hours. The ikonoscope of the German Post Office was set up in the swimming stadium from August 1st to 16th. The total operating time also amounted to about 60 hours on 10 days. This yielded 26 transmissions lasting 24 hours. Each of these three ikonoscopes made 90,000 pictures every hour, so that during a total operating time of 220 hours 19,800,000 pictures had to be made. Of these 6,750,000 pictures were transmitted. The intermediate-film car of the German Post Office was stationed before the Marathon Gate between the Reich Sport Field and the May Field from August 1st to 16th. The total service time amounted to 100 hours, the number of transmissions was 32, lasting 34 hours. In order also to obtain a permanent record of the life of the Olympic Village the sound film team of the Reich Broadcasting Company was detailed for work there.