MUSICIAN'S MEMORIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 101, 29 April 1910, Page 2

MUSICIAN'S MEMORIES.

HOW PAC_t_GANN PLAYED ON YOUNG NEW ZEALANDER'S CHEEK.. THE LURE OF LONDON. MB, CYEIL TOWSEY'S ADVICE TO YOUNG COLONIALS. (Prom Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, March IS. It will interest New Zealanders to know that Mr. Cyril Towsey, who acted as aceompaniot to Miss .Mary Cooper at her concert at the Beehstein Hall on March 14, and will do 30 in the forthoonting tour of the Dominion, is engaged to be married to the young Auckland singer. He, too, is a New Zealander, and well-known in musical circles. During the past three years Mr. Towsey has been engaged in concert work in England and on the Continent. He wi'l probably leave for New Zealand early in ApriL During his residence in England Mr Towsey has heard and met many of the foremost musicians of the world. He has many interesting reminiscences o£ celebrities. We were talking yesterday of famous pianists, he and I, and the name of Pachmann, the greatest living exponent of Chopin, cropped up. said he, "is delightful. A wonderful player, with the heart of a child. Everybody loves 'him. Once when I was touring in the same company he came and spoke to mc after the concert and asked ' Was I good ? I praised his playing, and mentioned one study in particular which I thought had been beautifully played. The old man -was radiant, and held up his face to be kissed! And, do you know, it did not seem stupid to kiss Pachmann. He is so spontaneous, so child-like in his emotions, so lovable-" I mentioned tha well-known story of Pachmann, who., when asked to name the greatest living pianist, modestly replied-: "Well, Godowsky is the second greatest!" BUTTEBFLLES AND GOSSAMER. rf "I know the story," said Mr. Towsey, -but I think that now he is inclined to give the palm to Godowsky, in cert_i_ kinds oi music at any rate. I well remember sitting near Pachmann at one of Godowskys recitals in London. After ' Godowsky 'had played a certain piece, Pa/ehmann stood up in the stalls and called out, "Like a "pig! Like a pig!" ■ But the nest piece pleased him much better. He leaned over to mc, and, addressing mc, but taking the whole audience into his confidence, he said:

"The beautiful passages I play better, but the big passages —Godowsky!' Then he said, ' Give mc your right cheek.' I turned my face, and he played lightly on.my cheek with -is fingers, as though I were a keyboard. 'There,' he said, 'it should be "like _tat—gentle, like, butterflies 1 Now your left cheek. —gain I turned an obedient cheek, and. he played anather inaaginary passage. 'An!' he said, 'gossamer!* All this in full view of the audience, who enjoyed it im_lensely. That is Pachanann. He is always like that, both on the platform and dff it" OUTLOOK GETTING WOKSE. I On the outlook in music for those who make it a career, and on the prospects of young New Zea—inders —ad Australians •who come to London to seek fame and fortune in music, Mr. Towsey was very emphatic. "Music," he said, "is becoming more and more com—lerciak Here in England the question is not 'How do you sing? but rather 'What sure yon -wortiif In other words, the agents judge yon bj your drawing powers, not by your quality. Singers whose voices are long past their prime can stall command good terms if their names on. tha program—le are still a good 'draw,' whereas an unknown ma— with a bettor voice -will be lucky to get engagements at all. "I have noticed, even in my three years here, a great eh—age for the worse in the orrtlook from the professional point of view. When I first came to, London it was the regular custom for I artists on tour to be paid fixed fees. Now a concert party usually tours on sha_in<» terms. It is a sign of the' times. "It cannot be impressed too strongly on young colonial music——s that it is folly to come to London in the belief that they have only to display their talents to find London at their feet. They must not take too. seriously; the flatter—.g comments on their abilities made by famous artists who visit. New 2e_and. Let them remember also that London is the easiest place in the world to starve iv. But wntiings seem to be useless. S_l they come! I suppose they w—l only leaxn by bitter experience." _ -After his concert tour through New Zealand with Miss Cooper, Mr. Towsey hopes to settle in the Dominion.