GRAMOPHONE NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 46, 23 February 1929, Page 8

GRAMOPHONE NOTES.

ARTISTS AND THEIR RECORDS. (By SOUND BOX.) AVe do not judge great music: it judges —ALEC ROBERTSON, A.R.A.M. With a genuine baritone voice, Alexander Kissclburgh sings very acceptably "Tits Last Hour" (Kramer and Brown) and "Sylvia" (Speaker and Seollard). (01201 ID-inch.) Joseph Szigetti. who as a violinist icertainly among the elect few, plays Tartini's Sonata in G Major on three sides, with the allegro vivace from Beethoven's Sonata in G completing the second record. (03021-2, 10-inch.) "Evensong at Twilight" and "Evenins Lullaby," two linle pieces by J. 11. Squire himself, are played by the J. H. Squire Celeste Octet, and for those who want quiet, restful music artistically plavcd can be highly recommended.

Simple, straight forward ballads, ''Remember Mc to Mary ' and "Sweetheart Lane," provide Henry Burr with good material that he makes the most of. Good clear diction and a useful tenor voice, combined with a suitably sentimental manner, make Henry Burr an artist who, in this style of song, is likely, I imagine, to win a large following. (01275, 10-inch.)

... Two of the most delightfully sung f little songs I have heard for some time V J;re "It Was a Lover and His Lass" (Morley) and "Diaplienia" (Wliittakcr), by Jolin Coates, a tenor who combines a good voice and clear diction with a most understanding interpretation. Both of these are 011 one side, the record being completed with "0, Mistress Mine" (Cripps). (01323, 10-inch.)

There is a difference between listening intently and just listening. Very few peoplo who have not deliberately trained themselves to do so can maintain the necessary concentration for as short a time as tho length of one record and much of +lie keener enjoyment of music is missed if' the attention wanders. In a record that I thought I knew note for note, I recently heard something I had hitherto missed, because the record was of a class that does not greatly appeal to me and I had not listened with both ears and applied the grey matter between them—or in other words listened and remained intent on what I was hearing.

A correspondent, who has the very fine record by the Coldstream Guards Band, "Martial Moments," which is a selection of well-known marches, asks me to tell him the titles of the various items. I have played the record and find that of the twenty-two or twentythree marches from which extracts are played, about twenty are familiar, but to give them their names is quite beyond me except in one or two cases. So if any reader who possesses a thorough knowledge of martial music can oblige, I shall be very grateful. Just list the names in the order in which they occur and address it to "Sound Box,' care "Star" office.

Debussy's quartet in G Minor is another fine example of a string quartet that is well becoming acquainted with. . The Lcner String Quartet, who have done much by their London concerts and their gramoplionic work to popularise chamber music, play it on four 12-inch records. I was not familiar with the work, but found time to play it through again and again. Each repetition discovered new delights, and so it is, I find, with much music. What is quickly mastered, as quckily loses its charm, whereas the more "difficult" works ' amply repay study. If this were not so the frequent issues of big works would be impossible commercially. The last side of this set has the minuetto from Haydn's D Major Quartet. (04210-213.)

In the old days of "acoustic" recording a great deal of adjustment of the position of the players was necessary to secure tlio correct balance. A piece would be played and a test record tried out, when it might be found that certain instruments were over prominent, while others were insufficiently in evidence. Then after a re-arrangemcnt of the players the harassed recording expert would try again. The story is told of a piccolo player who made his impression far too noticeable, so he was moved further away and another test was made. Still he was over-empha-sised and he was moved further away again, but still without the desired result. This went on until the piccolo player could uot be moved further without being put outside the door, .when he saved further trouble by naively remarking that each time he was moved further back lie blew harder.

Georges Bizet is undoubtedly best known as the composer of "Carmen," but his is by no means a "one work" reputation. He was commissioned to write incidental music for a ptyy by Alphonse Daudet, "L'Arlesienne." The play had an unfortunate career, and although it hacl merit and was well produced, it failed somehow to achieve the success it deserved and ran only a fortnight. Bizet was' extremely disappointed, thinking that the failure of the play meant that some of his best music would be wasted. By good fortune, however, a famous concert conductor appreciated the wortli of the music and had it performed with very preat success in the form of an orchestral suite. As a suite the music is not unfamiliar, but this month we are fortunate in having it issued as an album set in its original form, including two choruses. Played by the Orchestra Symphoiiique de Paris, under Pierre C'hagnon, this music provides a series of live 10-inch records that contain a diversity of tuneful music, with a continuity of interest, greatly heightened by the admirable annotations in the accompanying album, without which it is certain the man in the street would miss much, and most of us can do with a helping hand through music that is worth while. There are two choruses, one of which consists of the word "la" repeated again and again. A slip has occurred in the album annotations in applying a comment regarding this curiosity to the first record, whereas the second is the one referred to. The story is of a Provencal farmer and a dancer in the town of Aries, hence 'k'Arlcsicnne." The overture is partly based on a Provencal folk song, which occurs later on as an introduction to a ance. The Parandole, peculiar to ShW 06 ' ] OUg St ™s o£ young men and women dance through the streets handsZV V holding picture the gaiety of a Mn eilsil >' the peasants dance as this music. (01324-328, 104 U I ! ucn '>' 0i '