WORLD OF MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 57, 8 March 1930, Page 9 (Supplement)

WORLD OF MUSIC.

GOSSIP OF THE PLATFORM.

FROM FAR AND NEAR. (By ORPHEUS.) A Choral Society is being formed in Ashburton. A large and very enthusiastic meeting was held on the Monday evening before last, when close on a hundred chorus singers signified their intention of joining up. The famous Covent Garden Opera House in London is not to be closed with the 1930 season, as was previously announced. Arrangements have been made by which it will remain in use for at least two more seasons. i Miss Kay Christie, whose photograph appears in this column, is one of our most pleasing contraltos. Her voice is a light one, but her tone is pure and round, and she sings with taste and feeling. Her singing over the air from IYA has been greatly appreciated by listeners on those occasions when she has been broadcast. Mr. J. E. Perry, one of the foundation members of the Royal Wellington Choral Union, who has held the position of librarian for the past 19 years, does not intend to seek' re-election for a further term. When Mr. Perry took up the position of librarian the society did not own a single sheet of music, but at the close of 1929 he had over 7000 volumes in the library. Mr,, Perry's place will be hard to fill. He spent most of his spare time in keeping everything right up to date, and could tell at a glance how many copies of a particular work he had and the cost of each score.

One of the chief faults one notices in local singers, particularly certain of those who perform at the radio stations, is their poor diction. In many cases it may be due to a natural disability to pronounce words properly; in others, to bad training; and in still others, to a belief that the "words don't matter." To these last it may be pointed out that the words certainly do matter, or they wouldn't be there. It would be just as reasonable to assume that the music doesn't matter. In the cast of most of these artists, however, I think the fault lies in bad training. The importance of good diction is not insisted upon strongly enough by the teachers. They are so much occupied with the production of a good tone that the other elements, in singing are overlooked. If more attention were paid to the question of diction, the standard of amateur performance would rise considerabty.

It is interesting to recall, in connection with the recent announcement of I the death of Madame Kirkby Limn, that during her Australian and New Zealand tour of 1912-13 the famous contralto sang as one of the soloists in "The Messiah" on December 20, 1912, for the Royal Wellington Choral Union. On that occasion the Choral Union paid Madame Lunn £175, the highest fee ever offered by any Australasian Choral Society, for a single night's performance. But such was the fame of the singer that the box-plan was filled on the day it was opened, and the society cleared a profit of £160 on the concert. The other principals on that occasion were Mr. Andrew Black, (baritone), Mr. Walter Whyte (tenor), and Madame Wielaert (soprano). That performance of "The Messiah" was also notable as being Mr. Maughan Barnett's farewell to Wellington. Mr. Barnett entered on his duties as Auckland City Organist early in 1913.

According to Mrs. Helen Campbell, director of a large American music academy, there is no reason why even adults should not take up the study of a musical instrument. This applies especially to instruments other than the piano, which yields less result for the amount of effort expended than a wind or string instrument. It is not muscles and their adaptability that play the most •important part in an adult's playing possibilities, Mrs. Campbell believes. A childlike attitude of thought is more important, and that is what the adult sometimes finds it harder to contribute. But an adult has one great advantage over the child beginning to learn to play —for he has a larger musical experience. An adult, indeed, can go mentally far faster than a child in learning to play. He can do in one year what a child needs three to cover. It is unlikely that a person taking up the study of an instrument late in life will ever become a superlatively good player; but he has every chance of becoming a proficient performer. Not only will he derive considerable pleasure from his own playing, but the knowledge he gains in studying will enable him to appreciate better the music he hears at concerts. The playing of a piece of music by a great violinist becomes very much more enjoyable when one has tried the same thing oneself, and found out its technical difficulties, and one's own limitations.

Mr. John Bishop, conductor of the Royal Wellington Choral Union, has been appointed conductor of the Wellington Commercial Travellers' Male Choir for the 1930 season.

Most people know that George Bernard Shaw was once upon a time a music critic, but few are aware that he has tried his hand at composition. There is in existence an autograph copy of a song, dated September, ISB4, the words by Caroline Radford, the music by G.B.S. The person who owns the manuscript also possesses a covering letter from the composer which shows that, unlike most music critics, he could criticise himself as well as others: "The music is trumpery enough, but I am not a composer and only profess to be tremendous in the third volume of a novel. So do not be too hard on my commonplaces."

The large attendance at the Auckland Trio concert last Monday evening argues well for the future of chamber music in Auckland. We have had little enough of it in past years, but if it continues to be as popular as it has proved since the Trio began its series of concerts, there should be no lack of it in future, provided the performers are willing to continue with the good work. These concerts represent a great deal of time and energy on the part of the players, and a debt of gratitude is due to Mr. Towsey and his associates for providing the public with an opportunity of hearing such music. As there seems to be some misapprehension on the subject, I may point out that there are at present two chamber music organisations in existence in Auckland. One is the Auckland Trio, which has } already given a number of concerts. The other is the Auckland Chamber Music Society, which has just been formed, ana will give its first concert on April 28. The confusion, where it exists, has no doubt been brought about by the fact that on this occasion the Auckland Trio will provide the concert for the Society. This will be quite apart from the regular series of concerts to be given by the Trio on its own account.