THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 50, 28 February 1931, Page 8 (Supplement)

THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

GOSSIP OF THE STUDIOS. FROM FAB, AND WEAR. (By ORPHEUS.) It is til© intention of the Levin Choral Society to stage during the present seaeon "The Bohemian Girl."

Elgar's "King Olaf" will in all probability be the first work of the present season to be put into rehearsal by the New Plymouth Choral Society.

Wagner's "Tannhauser" has been selected by the Christchurch Musical Society for presentation early in May. It -will be followed by "Elijah" for the second concert of the season.

The Auckland Piano Students' Association commences the third year of its activities on March 2, when a general, meeting will be held. At a recent committee meeting it was reported that several new schemes were under discussion and the members might look forward to an interesting and busy season.

According to the "Musical Times," the performance at the Norwich Festival of Handel's "Solomon" wa.s "a joyous occasion. All were delighted with the numbers restored in Sir Henry Wood's version, new to the audience. Chorus and orchestra alike thoroughly enjoyed themselves in singing and playing music of a style so frank, friendly, and pure."

Thus a critic in "The Monthly Musical Record": —"The Sunday concerts at tho Albert Hall were begun by Dame Clara Butt and her husband on October 5. A pity that the former has never learnt to sing a scale properly, for the only songs to which the fabulous voice can do justice either have a very narrow range or else call for a violent contrast (thus, 'Death and the Maiden'). Her baritone notes made one stare. Her English words were good. Kennerly Rumford's voice is now too worn to be able to deal with Brahms' Biblical Songs, Op. 121." This critic is either a very plucky man or, perhaps, Mr. Rumford may have lost his punch!

"Ravag," the Austrian Broadcasting Society, will commemorate the 175 th anniversary of Mozart's birth (in January), by performing all his 50 symphonies either during the last months of 1930 or in 1931. "Ravages" programme of forthcoming events also includes cycles of Mozart's violin sonatas, Haydn's quartets, Haydn's keyboard works, Bach's organ compositions, Mahler's symphonies, "Sixty Years of Symphonic Works" and "Modern Works in Variation Form." Schonberg will give a recital of bis own compositions. But the most novel feature of all will be the production of Wagner's operas as spoken plays, to enable people to gauge his powers as a pure dramatist.

The third Bradford Festival of Chamber Music was given on September 30 and October 1. The out-and-out novelty of the festival was Arnold Bax'a nonet for strings, wood wind and harp, in F minor, composed for the occasion. Someone stated that this was the first chamber music nonet since Spohr, but there are also, of course, examples by Rheinberger and Stanford. The new work, in two movements, is essentip/ly lyrical. The structure is far from classical, it also departs from the excessive effusiveness of Bax's early chamber music. Slight though the work may seem to the casual listener, its every stroke is significant. The writing speaks of a' new refinement and new mastery in Bax's art. The nonet is a poetic and exquisite piece which may not be often heard, for the necessary players are not to be found assembled every day, but which will not fail to give pleasure whenever produced.

The idea of giving children the opportunity to hear good \ usic is one that was once given a trial here, and it seems a pity that we have not continued the experiment, for this is undoubtedly the best way to raise the standard of appreciation in the years to come. Here is an indication of what is being done in London: —"Mr. Robert Mayer announces his eighth series of concerts for children on Saturday mornings at the Central Hall, Westminster. The symphony orchestra (leader, Samuel Kutchcr) will again be conducted by Dr. Malcolm Sargent, and tho soloists will include Fanny Davies, Artur Schnabel, Keith Falkner, Albert Sammons, Lionel Tertis, and the Oriana Choir. The of the first concert on October 18 included Sinfonia in D, to Church Cantata No. 42, in D major, Bach (1685-1750); Concerto in A, for piano and orchestra, Op. 54, Schumann (1810-56), solo pianoforte, Fanny Davies; Overture, "William Tell,'' Rossini (1792-1868). The remaining concerts were to be given on November 8 and 29, 1930, January 10, February 7, March 7 and 21, 1931."

The Liverpool correspondent to an English musical journal writes: "With the municipal elections in view, the Liverpool Labour party committed itself in principle to the establishment of a city orchestra. No doubt there is something to be gained if music is considered to be a good election cry; or, at least, worthy to rank with such' problematical reforms as a municipal milk supply. That Liverpool must sooner or later have its own orchestra there can be little doubt; but it is evident that nothing valuable could be achieved except as a result of a carefully thought out scheme, which would have to take into consideration present organisations such as tb° "Philharmonic Society." It is a pity that our Auckland Municipal Band is not, instead, an orclicstra; we would then get much better value for our money; but then there would arise the same problem that remains to be solved in Liverpool.

"The Jew in Music," was Mr. Bernard Shiilman'a subject at a Dublin lecture of the Leinster Society of Organists and Choirmasters. Among the Jewish labourers in the field of opera were Meyerbeer, Ilalevy and Offenbach. Other famous Jewish composers and musicians were Mendelssohn, his _ two companions, Moscheles and Joachim, Carl Gold mark, Anton Rubinstein, Gustav Mahler and Maurice Ravel. A new era, Mr. Shillman said, appeared to be opening for Jewry in the sphere of music. The call to nationhood, which was so marked a feature among all peoples to-day all over the world, was sending Jewish musicians to seek inspiration from their own Jewish national consciousness, and instead of composers who happened to be Jews, they could look forward to Jewish composers and a characteristic Jewish note in musical composition. Tho leading spirit of this renaissance was Ernest Broch, a Jewish composer who had just celebrated his iifticih birthday, and whose musical compositions were intensely Hebraic. His music was a large, a poignant, an [authentic expression of what was racial in the Jaw.

"It is in melody that jazz has failed most signally. I assume that the prims consideration of those who supply it is the aforesaid rhythmic life and punch. Melody, nevertheless, haa its place and is a necessary element in all music worthy of a moment's consideration. Basking in the smile of popular favour, with youth waiting these ten, or fifteen, or twenty years, to offer it a welcome, jazz has not yet brought us one outstandingly beautiful melody. Its desperate melodie poverty is patent, and never was more so than now, when the writers of it are obviously struggling in a cul de sac."—(From an article on "The Poverty of Jazz," in "The Musical Standard").

Clara Novello Davies in her book, "You Can Sing," published recently, says:—"Exaggerating the consonants in word-practice gives strength, grace and facility in singing"; "The great diaphragmatic and abdominal muscles at the base of the lungs give the dynamic power of a natural bellows tto the singer, along with control of the breath and graduation of tone." A reviewer in "The Monthly Musical Record" says: "While the title of this book ("You Can Sing 5 ) is true up to a point, it is not true that everyone can eing acceptably as a soloist in public. We should have liked to see more prominence given to the plain fact that no amount of ambition, patience or cultivation can wholly make up for the lack of a natural gift of a big voice."