THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 125, 28 May 1932, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

DIAPASONS AND ECHOES.

ritOM FAB AND NEAR,

;(By ORPHEUS.)

COMING CONCERTS. To-night, and "Wednesday June 1, and Saturday, June 4.—Moiseiwitscn Recitals. No doubt many music-lovers have been looking forward to Benno Moiseiwitsch's opening piano recital at the Town Hall to-night. The programme is an attractive one, even if it cannot be described as original. It is understood, however, that Mr. Moiseiwitsch will make amends for this in his choice of encore numbers, and thus cater for those who are aware that the repertory of the pianoforte is not limited to about a couple of dozen solos, as many people, non-students of the piano, have been led to believe after studying the programmes of visiting virtuosi.

Mr. W. J. Williams, of 89, Ponsonby Road, writes interestingly upon the subject of the Tonic Sol-fa system, and has some novel suggestion;! to make. He says: "There seems to be an unreasonable prejudice in this country against the Tonic Sol-fa system, yet if singers would only try to realise that it is the only eure method for sight-reading that prejudice would be broken down and more use made of it. I wish that someone in a position to do so would organise a sight-reading competition between users of the two notations, and I» predict that the users of the staff would look very small. Such a competition could be held through IYA, and would be quite an interesting' variation to a spellingbee." Mr. Williams also suggests, if there are enough singers sufficiently interested, the formation of a "Tonic Solfa Society," and would like to get in touch with such-minded people. This idea, so I am informed, is not a novel one so far as Auckland is concerned. Over twenty years ago Mr. J. L. Innes, a sol-fa enthusiast, formed euch a society, and also wrote an excellent textbook for schools on the system. What happened to the society I do not know. Perhaps some of my readers can enlighten us uppon the subject. However, one thing is certain—if Mr. Williams can get singers interested in learning to read in this way choral conductors will rise up and call his name "blessed."

Are the voices we Lear in light opera to-day as good as those we heard forty years ago? When I say "forty years ago," I have in mind the days—the golden days they eeem to me—when we heard dainty little Violet Varley, Flora Graupner, Nellie Stewart, Florence Young, Juliette Wray, Henry Bracy, Charlie Riley, Sydney Deane—just to mention a few of them. When I have put this question to my contemporaries they have heen. most emphatic that -he present-day singers could not hold a candle to those of the past, which is exactly my own opinion. At the same time, however, there has been one doubt that has troubled me. When we were young we may have been more enthusiastic, and less critical, than we are now, when time has mellowed our judgment., That doubt was removed a few days ago, when I had the pleasure of

having a chat with Mr. Gustav Slapoffski, the well-known conductor, .1 musician who lifts been in touch with all these singers, past and present, for many years, and is therefore exceptionally well-qualified to express an authoritative opinion on the question. I'm sorry that I cannot repeat all that he said about present-day voices, but the sum of his observation was that the old-timers were far superior in every way, as singers, to those appearing on our stages to-day.

A story told of George Edwardes—he who ran so many successful musical comedies the last generation (mostly with "The" and "Girl" in the title). "Mr. Edwardes, Tolstoy is dead." "Oh, lam sorry to hear that. His 'Good-bye, Summer' has always been my favourite classical song." This would be in 1910. One wonders what he thought in 1916, when he heard that the composer had died again, now under the name of Tosti.—("British Musician.")

Behold Harold Baxter, conductor of the following orchestras:—The Orphans' Club, the Leys Institute, the Civic Theatre and the IYA Chamber Combination. There is a rather interesting etory attached to this photograph. The members of the newly-formed Civic Theatre Orchestra assembled one day recently to have a group photograph taken. There they sat in the studio

attired in (moro or less) faultless evening drees, in a tense atmosphere, slightly impregnated with the antiseptic odour of moth balls, and a very satisfactory picture resulted. Two separate snaps of the conductor were then taken, and everything seemed satisfactory. Next day, however, Mr. Baxter was surprised to get an urgent call to the photo-

grapher's studio. It seemed that his photos were not up to the standard set by the studio and they wanted a retake. Unfortunately Mr. Baxter was not, this time, exactly suitably attired for the part, and lie could only spare just fifteen minutes. What was to be done? The picture above is the answer.

How should our National Anthem be given at concerts? Last year wo had a foreign pianist who opened the concert by solemnly placing in front of him on the l'i lio a sheet of music and then gave us a hardly recognisable version of the familiar air. Another played u to us with embellishments whitii to many savoured of doubtful taste. Ourof our conductors, whose patriotic zeal evidently overcomes his judgment. makes a habit of performing it both at the commencement and at the end of a concert. This practice has given rise to some caustic comment, even from citizens who pride themselves upon their loyalty to the Throne. In their opinion this frequent repetition has a cheapening effect. The writer's own opinion, if it is worth recording, is that, rts an anthem, it should be sung by everybody present, or at any rate everyone should be invited to join in. It certainly ehould not be confined to an instrumental display. The most suitable time for it to bo sung is possibly at the end of the concert when people are warmed tip and in a mood to sing it as an act of thanksgiving. I can still picture Mark Hambourg's beaming face at the conclusion of his and Peter Dawson's final concert in the Town Hall last year. He had just come off the platform after playing the National Anthem, with Peter leading tho singing. "Did you hear that," he said delightedly. "Everybody sang it — I have never heard anything like thnt anywhere before," and there was absolutely no doubt that he was genuinely pleased. To return once more to our concerts and the appropriate number of times the anthem should be given, there is this to be said: If there should bi> any possible shadow of doubt as to our loyalty, let us make a triple demonstration and perform it in the interval as well.