SINGERS AND PLAYERS

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 31, 5 February 1910, Page 12

SINGERS AND PLAYERS

Caruso, the tenor, is seemingly a* " full up " of the stage as he eaye lie is, and as most Italian opera singers are when they get to middle age. At any rate, he is engaged to marry a 19-year-old Sicilian girl, who will be hie second wife. When the thoughts of a tenor -widower turn to a nymph of 19 he must be ceasing to worry about the welfare, of hie top-note.

Miss Jessie MacLaehlan, the Scottish, singer, has,.quite recovered from her serious illness, and in October commenced a tour of Canada. The " Scottish-Oana-dian" contains an interesting account of the official tendered her on arrival at Toronto by the Gaelic Society of Canada. The feature of the evening was the presentation of an address of welcome to the singer, and 'her eloquent Gaelic reply. She was also accorded official receptions by other kindred societies, and inaugurated her tour under the happiest auspices.

Another notable musician passed away recently in the person of Mr. Frederick George Edwards, editor of the "Musical Times," who died of pneumonia. Born in London in 1853, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music Mr. Edwarde was author of the " History of Mendelssohn's 'Elijah,'" and also wrote "Musical Haunts of London."

Rangiuia, the Maori tenor, sang at a society concert in the Ourzon Hotel, In the presence of the Duchess of Sutherland and other Society leaders. The newspapers state that he has already gained a great reputation. Singer Frances Adler, according to the American Press, is unconeciouely arousing. She has been having little chats with newspaper men. To one who lent her his ears (and paper) she said ehe was a Maorilander, and that her grandmother was a celebrated French singer. No mention of the name of Simonsenl The fair and fat -warbler was about to be married to a metropolitan opera house director. Probably she is •wedded by now. Lalla Miranda, who is at the Manhattan in grand opera, is well spoken of in the Eagle's Press.

Mr Morgan Kingston, the -working miner who appeared as a tenor-vocalist at Queen's Hall, London, is not the firet working man to reach the London concert platform. Mr Ben Davies, the famous tenor, might have been still a shop assistant in Swansea had his talents not been discovered when lie ventured to compete at an Eisteddfod and won the first prize of 10/6 for a tenor solo; and Mr Ffrangcon Davies has told more than once what he owes to his father, "a working man and a musical amateur, who was the guiding force of my life, intellectually, aesthetically and morally.' Mr Kingston is a foreman in a Nottinghamshire colliery.

Madame Melba once had a very disagreeable water journey from Naples to Palermo, and, arriving at her hotel about five o'clock in the morning, feeling very tired, she at once went to bed, but was soon aroused from her sleep by the occupant of the next room, who played through several times ! the 'cello part of Braga's "Serenata." Air ways, alert for music, she speedily aroused herself, and almost involuntarily sang the vocal part to the 'cellist's further - repetition of the well-known air. At the close her neighbour called out, "You sang that very well; who are you?" The singer answered, "I am Melba; who are you?" "Braga," was the response; and in this curious fashion came about her meeting with the Italian musician.

"lime. Clara Butt and her husband," eaye the London "Daily News," "receive large numbers of songs from unknown composers. Once a song was accompanied by the composer's own recommendation: 'It is thought very highly of in the circles in which I move, and I may add that I sing it myself.' The writer added: 'I enclose a Post Office order for 12/, and 1/0 in penny stamps, making 13/0 in ell. This and the stamps, I beg you to understand, are your own for the compliment which you will do mc of singing my song in public. Should you sing it more than once, and will acquaint mc with the time and place of its second rendering, I shall be very pleased to make the matter good up to, Bay, 15/.'"

In a lecture given at Messrs Obappell's rooms, London, by Dr. J. Warriner, on the subject of "The Musical Culture of the Young," he said at least £51,000 was spent every year in London alone for the learning of music, and yet the lecturer had no hesitation in saying that a large proportion of this money was absolutely wasted, as the children who studied for a time very shortly "gave it up" because they made no real headway. The reason for thi3 was the anxiety shown by parents for tangible results at the very outeet. Success in any subject depended on environment, and a considerable time should be spent in the acquirement of general knowledge of the subject of music before ever the learning of a particular instrument was taken up. If first impressions, are reliable, Nicholas Gatty's "Duke or Devil," produced by the Moody-Manners Opera Company at the G-aiety Theatre, Manchester, in December, supplies an answer to the question whether grand opera can be written by an Englishman, writes the critic of the "Pall Mall Gazette."

The circumstance is all the more gratifying because the libretto, by Mr Ivor Gatty, the composer's brother, is not particularly ambitious; it is episodic, a mere disengaged fragment from the life of the Duke of Bologna, who, visiting his people at Bologna after an absence of thirty years, and arriving in the dusk, alone and black-habited, is mistaken by the superstitious townsfolk for the Evil One. Hβ is 'bound and put aside for death by drowning. Bianco, a maiden of the town, speaks in his defence, and is in turn denounced by the priest as a ■witch, while her lover, Pietro, for defending his lady's honour, is condemned -with her to be burned. The timely arrival of the Duke' 3 attendant unravels the knot of misunderstanding, and, with the Duke's natural indignation and unceremonious departure the one-act opera comes to an end—slight enough material and stirring no very deep emotions, but it supplies a vehicle for the expression of tender love in Bianco and Pictro's night rhapsody, ac well as of rage, exasperation, holy indignation, mob violence, contempt and a host of minor emotions.

Mr Nicholas Gatty's music was worthier of a better setting, and in its promise of better things should inspire some writer to supply him with a more dramatic story. The choruses are magnificent, and contain some of the composer's best work. On highly dramatic lines, they suggest comparison with, but not imitation of, some of Strauss' work. The orchestration throughout shows that Mr Gatty has not allowed his inspiration to run riot, bui that, on the contrary, ■he is the master of his medium. Some of his contrapuntal effects are instinct with the right feeling for dramatic expression. His employment of French horns in emphasising certain phrases ia clever for one so young. He is only tWrty-flyo. The »«le in part* .how, •