THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 31, 6 February 1937, Page 11 (Supplement)

THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

NOTES OF THE DAY. raOM .VAR. AND NEAR.

(By ORPHEUS.)

"Now, what is a mandoline?" "Please teacher, a mandoline is a, big Chinese official." Tho lii"c:cft organ in Europe is to lie seen at Xurcmburg. It has 10,000 pipes, some of them" 40 feet in length, live manuals, and pedal. Ten motor engines provide, the requisite power. From "The British Musician": "A gentleman is a man who is able to croon —and doesn't." "If all the crooners in the world were laid end to end. that would be a good plnce to leave them." "A singer is a. person who sings. A vocalist is a person who makes singing noises. To call a singer a vocalist is an insult. To call a vocalist a singer is usually an undeserved compliment. Of this, however, a few vocalists are aware. Xeville d'Esterrc in "The British Musician.l, Vohudi Menuhin once arrived somewhat late at a rehearsal for tho Beethoven Violin Concerto, attired in plus fours, shirt open at neck and tan shoes, etc. Then followed tile following short and snappy dialogue: Sir Thomas Beeeliam, who was conducting, in sarcastic tones, "lioing to piny golfT Yehudi, tersely, "No,' fiddle."

There are many good stories about Sir Thomas Beeeham, the famous British conductor. ]U'rc is one of thorn: Arriving late one morning Tor .1 rehearsal, Sir Thomas addressed tl:c orchestra thus: "I am sorry to have kept you waiting, gentlemen. I have, licen detained at an interview with the Official Receiver . . . and for whatever lie thinks he is about to receive, may the Lord make liini truly thankful." A stern critic pays that the improper use of the glissando changes the loveliest of all musical instrument* (the violin) into a weapon, and adds, "When littles Tommy is ploughing resolutely through some hardy perennial, like "The Blue, Bells of Scotland," it is the fiendish quality of hie gliseandos, even more than his intonation, that sets the neighbour's teeth on edge." The slur, to u?e the homely name, is, indeed, at the root of nil the, unkind things that have been said about fiddles and 'cellos." writes F. W. Wheeler, in "The Strad." To this he adds, "Nowhere -is the difference between an indifferently equipped violinist and .1 virtuoso more plainly presented than in their respective uses of the glissando."

It seemingly has become the practice for touring musical companies from Australia, to open in Auckland, with the result that their orchestras are largely recruited from the ranks of the professional players here. This is certainly an excellent state of affairs for local professional musicians, but, at the same time, it is certainly upsetting for the conductor of the National Broadcasting Service orchestra at IYA, who periodically finds himself minus the services of a number of his most proficient players, attracted away by the better pay offered by the theatrical companies. Some day, it" is to be hoped, the broadcasting authorities may bo able to afford to keep a permanent orchestra fully cmployed and paid at such a rate a"s will induce the players to put the orchestra first when other engagements arc offered. Such an orchestra in each of our four main cities might, well form Iho nucleus of a larger professional symphony orchestra which could give each year'monthly concerts, including highclass music such as is seldom heard here, and thus help to elevate our musical standards, which, at the present time, are inclined to sag overmuch.

THAT marvellous girl in black and white, near the end of the platform, really had no notion how to control a boisterous terrier pup. Girls as glorious as that seldom had—luckily, because, if they had, there would he one means the fewer of getting into conversataion with them. Allan Saunders strolled along the platform towards her, and at every step it became more obvious to him what tonic value there would be in her company on tho -25 minutes' run to town. It might actually make the difference between getting that job and merely onco again being told: '"We'll let you know if we have an opening for you." These early morning interviews were trying enough anyhow. And nothing could ho a more depressing and enervating prelude, to the interview than to travel up alone, pretending to read liis paper but really searching the small ads. to see what he could apply for next. Nothing, by contrast, could better fortify the natural vigour of hie personality, or givo him more of the selfconh'denco so likely to impress a staff manager, than to have begun the day by scoring a success with the girl in black and white. Tho terrier, straining at its lead, romped wildly round, making a maypole of her. She looked as if she would bo glad to hand it over to the guard. Poor kid, sho did need eomeono to help her with it! Allan's protective- instinct was fairly roused. Ho wondered why she wore black and white. Admittedly, sho looked wonderful in it; but possibly it meant that sho was in half-mourning for some rela.-

tive. Tho idea touched yet another sympathetic chord in Allan", as ho hr:d only just come out of mourning for an uncle. Thank goodness, however, that he was out of black now, and looking his best and brightest in a brown herringbone with a suspicion—the merest tasteful suspicion—of a blue line. Tho girl was too busy trying to keep her skirt disentangled from the terrier's lead to notice Allan's approach.- He would surprise her by making friends with the pup behind her back; then she would have to thank him for pacifying it so rapidly and elliciently. Ho was just stooping with hand outstretched, when she shifted her grip on the lend, and the terrier, given an extr foot of freedom, leapt forward joyously. It meant no harm. It simply had noyet learnt when to use its shar little teeth. In two seconds there was a snag in Allan's troueer leg. He drew back, the pup took a fresh hold, and hi four seconds the snag had become a rent. Of all the public scandals! These feckless fashionplate girls ought not to be allowed out in charge of untrained His only decent suit was ruined—his smart, new, distinctive brown, specially chosen to show stalf managers that he was a man of character and discernThe girl turned round. A torrent o: abuse came into Allan's mind (one gets rather bearish living alone and out of work), but fortunately not into his mouth. He realised that to use bad language on a woman would be to put himself, instead of her, in the wrong. Hβ merely said with frigid dignity, "Why don't you keep your pup under proper control?" She looked at his trousers, through which his shin and garter showed ignominiously, and her face became full of anguish. "Oh, dear! I'm so sorry. It isn't my dog. I'm taking it up for a friend. I wish I'd never offered to!" She seemed almost in tears. Trust a woman to take advantage of him that way! "You must let mo pay for the damage, of course," she added. A moment before Allan had intended to make her; but now he would never have the heart to let her. Confound all appealing girls with tiresome terriers! "Nonsense!" he said manfully. "It was all my fault for interfering. I say, I'm eorry if I was rude just now." She looked up at him with the loveliest, most understanding grey eyes. "Rude? Oh, no! I thought you were wonderfully restrained! Look here, you really must let me—." "Nonsense!" Allan repeated, wondering whether the invisible menders would charge five shillings or let him off at three-and-six. "Excuse me, won't j r ou? I shall have to go and change." Luckily he lived near the station and by the next train he would be no more than a few minutes late for the interview. The disaster was that now he would have to present himself in his discarded black suit, and he never did himself justice in black—even if it had been ; With his nail scissors he snipped off the frayed threads from the turn-ups of the trousers. The coat was just passable. Then he saw that his new foulard tie of light blue with white spots would also have to be discarded; its very beauty contrasted too painfully with tho drabness of the suit; the combination would have been ridiculous. He got out his antique black tie. and had to tie it carefully to conceal the worn patch.

"You're tho first applicant I've seen," ho continued, "who did not apparently think ho was attending a carnival. Such a pageant of fancy dress I never saw! What with light suits and spotted ties, it's an insult to a house with our traditions! "We're not a large company, but in tho matter of dress we ilatter'ourselves thflt we sot a good example to manv of tho larger houses. We insist on all our clerical etafT wearing black, and I'm glad to see you're not the type of young scalliwag to whom it will tome unnaturally. "You'll begin on Monday at nine a.m., but there are a few details which Miss Unities, the sales manager's secretary, will explain to you now."

1 here followed for Allan an interval in which he was too dazed by this stunning announcement to remember what happened. He had a vague fear that he had said, "Gosh!" or "Thanks most awfully!" or something equally inappropriate. After that there was a pleasing sensation of awakening, in which he became aware, at first confusedly and then quite definitely, that Miss' Haincs was the girl in black and white, with the marvellous grey eyes. So this was why "I'm ever so glad it was you that got tho job!" she told him. What was more, without being unduly conceited, he felt certain that, what she said she meant in full. Bless her!—ho must find out her birthday and give her one of those jolly little terrier imps!