THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 237, 7 October 1933, Page 7 (Supplement)

THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

DIAPASONS AND- ECHOES

FROM FAR AND NEAR. (By ORPHEUS.) COMING CONCERTS. TOWN HALL. October 1".-—Desmond Casey (boy soprano). LEWIS EADY HALL. October 3 o.—Society of Musicians' Associates' Concert. October IS. — Miss Cherry Anderson (pianist). October ~S. —Auckland Chamber Music Society Fourth Concert. The next concert to be given by the Municipal Choir takes place on October 28. The Royal Auckland Choir will give its third concert of the season on November 23. The work chosen to be broadcast by IYA at two o'clock to-morrow afternoon is Beethoven's Piano Concerto, No. 5, in 13 flat, played "by Arthur Sclinabel and the London Symphony Orchestra, under Dr. Malcolm Sargent. Albert Coates, who is summering as usual at his villa on the Lago Maggiore, has just linishcd a piano concerto. The conductor will be busy during October and November in London, and then he will go to Italy to conduct opera. After a short season of opera in Cairo, he plans to return to Russia. The complete chamber works of Brahms were given recently in London at a series of eight concerts by Isolde Mcngcs, Ivor James, Harold Samuel, and their associates. For nine months these artists, already long versed in eacii. other's playing, rehearsed these specific programmes —an example of thoroughness for less proficient players. A writer in an English musical journal suggests that there should be a committee to deal with auditions of candidates nt broadcasting studios. This idea might be considered worthy of adoption I by our own Broadcasting Board. An unseen committee of three people with knowledge, good taste and experience might assist at auditions say, twice a month, and thus lighten the responsibility of the programme organiser, who cannot be expected to be infallible always in his judgments.

In the June number of "The Musical Times" a Dunedin musician contributes an article upon music in New Zealand. He gives in this n list of the various musical organisations in the larger towns in the Dominion. Ten of Auckland's musical bodies are named, but two of the largest of these, the Auckland Choral Society and the Royal Auckland Choir, are not mentioned at all; a demonstration of how little one end of New Zealand knows of the other —probably an Auckland musician would lie just as ignorant of Duncdin's musical activities.

Brahms' beautiful second Symphony, Op. 73, in D major,-is to be played at the Bohemian Orchestra's third concert in the Town Hall on November 10. For many years this fine work was the most frequently heard of Brahms' symphonies in London, at a time when this composer's greatest works were a sealed book to the public at large. This performance will be, possibly, tlie first of the work given in Auckland, and the orchestra is to be complimented upon its choice, a most appropriate one, in view of this year being the first centenary of the great musician's birth.

Writing to a well-known English journal devoted to musical matters, a correspondent who does much examining and adjudicating, especially in singing, says that during recent years lie lias found an increasing tendency, even amongst otherwise good singers, to bo slightly off pitch and unsteady in tone, lie is convinced that these defects are mainly due to the influence of the large proportion of bad singing broadcast. He believes, too, that slithering violinists and dithering, wobbling cinema organs are also exerting a pernicious influence; and he warns competitors and audiencr ; that a broadcasting engagement, which ought to be a guarantee of at least reasonably good quality, is nothing of the sort.

Assisted by Miss Tlieo Halpin, pianist. Miss Helen Gray, violinist, and Mr, Robert Simmers, baritone, Miss Cherry Anderson, pianist, will ph-© a recital in tho Lewis Eady Hall on October 18. Included in the programme will bo tho Grieg piano concerto in A minor, played by Miss Anderson, with Miss Tlieo Halpin supplying the orchestral part on a second piano. Miss Anderson will also play two Seriabin Preludes (B flat minor and E flat major), an Etude by the same composer (C sharp minor), one of Granadrts' "Goyescas," a Brahms Rhapsody, and Chopin's "Fantasio Impromptu." Miss Helen Gray will play Dvorak's "Slavische Tanz Weisen" and "Praeludium and Allegro" (Pugnani), while Mr. Simmers will be heard in several songs of a classical character. The accompanists will be Miss Tlieo Halpin and Miss Anderson.

The principal feature of the Classic Club's seventh, meeting, held last Tuesday evening, was tlie performance of Schumann's very beautiful "Frauenlicbe und Leben" Cycle, which was charmingly sung by Miss Dulcie Hugh soil. It is doubtful if this cycle lias been given in its entirety in Auckland before. Other items worthy of particular mention were Beethoven's »immortal love song, "Adelaide," and two eighteenth century operatic arias, sung by Mr. Roger Errington. Other contributors to an interesting programme were Miss Norma Joll (contralto). Miss Lillian Kennedy (mezzosoprano), Mr. Arthur Btuld (baritone), and Miss Pearl Wallace (pianist). The items given covered a. wide range of the higher forms of vocal expression and were mucli enjoyed by an exceptionally large attendance of members and their friends.

Once a year tlie Auckland branch of the Society of Musicians gives a eoncert in which the performers are the associate members of the society. This annual concert is to be held in the Lewis Eady Hall on October 10, when a programme containing several interesting items will be presented. Included in this will be a Beethoven trio for violin, 'cello and pin no (Opus 11); two vocal trios, "The Fairy Ring" (Frank Bridge) and "On Himalay" (Bantock) ; two pianoforte solos, Rhapsody in B Minor (Brahms) and Ballade in F Minor (Chopin). The performers will be Mrs. Dundas Edmonds (violin), Miss Jean Brown ('cello), Misses C. Armour, Cherry Anderson, Joyce Hcvyitt (pianists), Misses Patricia! McLeod, Bcrvl Smith and. Mrs. N. V. Le Petit (vocalists); other performers will bo Miss Erica Blamires, Miss Ediia Craig and Mr. A. B. Thompson.

! Desmond Casey's numbers in the recital to be given by him in the Town , Hall on October 12 will include "The Lass | With the Delicate Air," "Love's Old j Sweet Song," "The Better Land." «"He j Wipes -1 ho Tear," and, with Mrs. .11. j Armstrong Kevin, contralto, the duet, '•Remember Now Thy Creator." Amongst the assisting artists will be Mrs. Frances Ingram, pianist, and Mr. Athol Jonas, who will preside at tlie grand organ.

Serge Konssevitzky, director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, who conducted tiie British Broadcasting Company Orchestra in London last May, stated in a recent article in "The London Radio Times" that, judging by the progress in music in England during the last ten years, he felt British music would play a dominant part in the musical world of America in another decade. He said that while in London "the somewhat timorous and incredulous question was often put to me: Is British music really played and liked in America? Perhaps that lack of faith in their own creative genius lies in the fact that for over a century England produced no epocli-making music. The same attitude of fellow-countrymen was noticeable in Russia toward the music of .Mussorgsky, Balakirev and Borodin, which met with such widespread scepticism."

A writer in "The Musical Times" a few months ago pointed out a number of silly mistakes made by ignorant novelists in attempting to introduce a musical atmosphere into their books. He suggested that these writers should first submit their •manuscripts to a committee of musical experts for examination and correction before publication. Dorothy Sayers, in "Have His Carcass," writes thus about a classical concert: "The band parte for the 'Lroica' Symphony having gone astray, the orchestra played the 'Moonlight' instead." A "shocker" entitled "Tin Queen's Hall Murder," describes how the body of the murdered conductor is taken into the rehearsal room "surrounded by the big black boxes containing the 'cellos," and refers, incidentally, to a '"cello concerto by Brahms." A gifted Australian authoress makes her hero, a worldfamous violinist, play only transcriptions of popular melodies and thereby draw packed houses. (No doubt he had hoard of the advice alleged to have been given by the late Dame Nellie Molba to Dame Clara Butt, when about to tour Australia.) She also makes this virtuoso take out his violin and play "a haunting air on the B string!"

Reference has been made to "musical bricks" dropped by ignorant novelists, and now it is a pleasure to quote from a book written, obviouslv, by a sound musician, that is, "White"in the Moon," by Musgrove Strange. "It was not—Richard thanked God— one of those trembly affairs so frequently heard, where an exaggerated tremolo is used to disguise botlMack of iesonance and ability to sing in tune. They are to be heard everywhere—at concerts, on the wireless, even in the opera. Nothing infuriated Richard more than to hear, instead of a straight lino of sound, a wobbly indeterminate wandering above and below the note, all around it but never quite on it. Sonic of them did it because they could not help it, never having learnt to sing properly; many did it deliberately, believing that it gave 'colour' and "'character' to their notes, and some did not even know they were doing it. Margery's voice was not strong, but she sang on tlie notes that were written and not just in their general vicinity." (Other people, besides Richard, have been infuriated by hearing "wobblers," and in Auckland, too!)