SINGERS AND PLAYERS

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 153, 27 June 1908, Page 12

SINGERS AND PLAYERS

•*'•'* ; ' ' '•',' . .'. ' ...,' .'■■'- Professor Theodore Leschetizky, the famous teacher of the pianoforte, was married recently in Buda-Pesth for the J fourth time, his bride being Mdlle. Marie yon Roszborska, one of his youthful pupils. The distinguished artist celebrates] his 78th birthday.next month. ':. i "The Bulletin" hag thiscriticism of ■ the bagpipes' by a iting;Country Maori, who heard : the Scottish national instru-1 ment for the ,first time'the! other day: "No' good! . :N© ;begin, no end*. All a same. ;;.No good! " \ The tenor Caruso has become a member of the New: York Society;for the Abolition of Vice, an organisation which last' year caused to be destroyed 12 tons of immoral /books and pictures, including, from one place alone, 180,000 picture postcards. Caruso takes an interest in New York vice.,. j : .:•' The; price'for the gala performance at Covent Garden on Wednesday, May 27, at which the King and Quecnand the President of the' French Republic were present, was as follows: GrancJ.tier boxes and pit tiervibbxieSj 40 :guihesjs'. each;, first tier boxes, 30 guineas each; second tier boxse, 15 guineas each; orchestra stalls, 7 guineas each; balcony stalls, 4 guineas each; amphitheatre stalls, rows 1 and 2, 2 guineas each; rows 3 and 4, 1* guineas each; rows,, 5, 6, and 7, 1 guinea each; gallery (unreserved), 10/.-

A prominent Sydney pianist, the other day, asked the landlady of a city hostelry, much frequented by musicians, what she thought of Kubelik. She said: "Did he run on Saturday?"

Miss Irene Ainsley, in consequence of. her decision to make a tour of Australia and New Zealand, has relinquished her, engagements at the Birmingham and Norwich fastivals.

London exchange says the 72 concerts given by Miss Clara Butt and! Mr. Kennerley Rumford in Australasia brought ln £51,000, an average of over £708 per concert. .

The Royal Welsh Male Choir may commence their Australasian visit in Auckland at the end of September next, instead of at Melbourne, as originally announced, difficulty being experienced in finding suitable dates in the commonwealth, about that time.

An orchestra, in which every preformer is a prodigy, will appear in London shortly. The age limit has been fixed at sixteen years.

It is stated on good authority that Madame Melha has decided to fulfill her long-standing promises to appear both in "La Tosca" and "Othello," during the present Covent Garden opera season, The title role will be sung by Signor Zenatelld. •:'"-.,: ,•''.

Some statistics recently published in Germany about_ppera performances show that during the past winter in that country- Wagner heads the list with 1700 representations, Verdi 700, and Mozart and Bizet 500. In light opera it is easy to understand that " The Merry Widow" comes easily first with no fewer than 3000 performances.

Almost every notable violinist of the present day! owns to the tutelage of Sevcik. Marie Hall was one, Kubelik another, and a third is M. Leon Sametini, who will be out here in a, few months to tour Australia with the".Ada" Crosstey Concert Company. •■ '

• Mr. Paderewski has just brought to a close bis! lengthy tour of the United Staes, in the course of which he gave'recitals in sixty-four towns. It is stated that the Polish pianist has achieved so great A success that he sailed with no less a sum than £50,000 as the reward of his labours.

" Slow, Horses, Slow," by Mr. Albert Mallinson, is one of the test songs this, year at the examination for Licentiateship at the Royal Academy of Music.

"New York" (says the "Musical Home Journal"). " can boast of a band the like of which, it is claimed, has never been seen or heard in any other, city in the' wOrld. This combination is made up entirely ..of .inmates' of the New York Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, and, curiously enough, the first step towards its organisation was made with an ordinary door key—the kind that is hollow at one end, and can be made to whistle. The fife being .the simplest wind instrument, it was decided to make a start with that, arid a key, -such as the one described, was used for demonstrating the correct position of the lips necessary to produce a tone. A key, therefore, opened the door, as it were, for the formation of the band), All .the players in the band are boys, yet their performances said to equal those of the vest bands in existence."

The Royal Artillery Band have been playing to record houses in the Town Hall, Melbourne. The excellent reports that preceded the arrival of the Royal Artillerymen have been amply justified by their performances in Melbourne and Adelaide, where the press has been unanimous in its praise of the: organisation.' The Band is composed of four cornets, three French horns, three trombones, one baritone, ; euphonium, tuba, bassoon, saxaphone, tflnte, piccolo, two oboes, bombardons, 10 clarionets of different kinds, and tho usual drums, cymbals, etc Amongst its members are a number of well knOwn, soloists, and their performances are a special feature of the concerts.

When Detroit gets the chance of indulging in a little musical criticism, it "does itself proud." There is nothing tame or half-hearted about the effort. And in the matter of " headlines" Detroit would take a lot of beating. Listen to this, as an example, from the "Detroit Free Press ": " Padercwski scores Knockout, delighting a Great Audience. Heedless of the'fact his hair was:falling out in handfuls, the Pyrotechnicai Polish Pianist pounds., his way through ay'de* lightful Program.?' That's a good" her ginning, anyway. But hardly less impressive is what follows! Thus:- "'With; but any more.preliminaries than a."-blow, from Paderewski, time . was called for tho first round. Then; with «his: arms working like pistons, the pyrotechnic Pole prOceeded'ttd pound his way through the How bringing forth a, perfect*, deluge of -■ sound!. -Heedless of the 4, fact that his hair was falling out by the Handful, the artist rested his Chin On the Centre, of the music rack, arid thumped, clawed, arid mauled like a wild beast. All the boiler shops in creition,'■'•Jail the shrieks of strong men in mortal agony, jCouia^nOt!rival the din emitted by that .'suffering instrument." ~-.,.; ' ; .'*' A'pieee for' piano or organ,: entitled ;," American Fleet March and Two-Step',*' published, in commemoration of;the approaching' visit of the United States squadron ;is. n stirring composition byl Joseph Barineker Adger. The composition is marked by originality in style and treatment, and as a whole is decidedly good.', "' ■•'■■'i'rt Zy\\ '•./.•;-•:•■' '■.'..',, ■■(■"> ■;,.;,,*'; Inetruetor in Singing: "WJiat :jr the matter,with you, Mr. Brown? Can't you sing any, loudert rße more enthusiastic. Open your mouth and throw yourself into it"