THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 196, 20 August 1938, Page 16

THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

NOTES OF THE DAY.

FROM FAR AND NEAR.

(By ORPHEUS.)

Miss Christina Young, the Wellington contralto, is to broadcast from Daventry, on transmission 6, on Saturday afternoon next, the 20th inst., from 1.50 to 2.20 p.m. According to an American I»aper, a Mr. Doe, a Mr. Ray, and a Mr. Mee all attend the same college; they also sing together!

Mr. Stewart Harvey, the well-known Auckland baritone, will present a recital in the Lewis Eadv Hall on Tuesday evening. August 23, when lie will be assisted by Miss Meryl Harvey, soprano, and Mr. Alan Pow, pianist.

The next event on the Society of Musicians'- schedule for the year is a concert to be given in the Lewis Eady Hall on Sunday afternoon, September 11. The programme for tliis occasion will be provided by professional members of the society. SCHOOLS' FESTIVAL. All music-lovers wlio attended that memorable concert given by the secondary schools last week, will most certainly join with tlie writer in congratulating tbe organisers upon the great success achieved, both as regards performance and attendance —this latter being a record. To the congratulations should be added a vote of thanks, for these concerts entail much preliminary hard work, work that is largely a labour of love. WILL KIPNIS RETURN?

Many people who, to their sorrow, misled the Alexander Kipnis concerts, have been asking whether there is any likelihood of a return visit from this great artist in the future. This question also is being asked l»v a great number who consider themselves fortunate in having been present at them, and now the suggestion has been made that the National Broadcasting Service should engage him for a return season at the time of the centenary celebrations. It appears that Mr. Kipnis has already been sounded about this' by those in authority, but his reply was non-com-mittal. He. however, has promised to let the writer know his future movements upon his return to Chicago from Belgium, which will be sometime in ■November.

THE AUCKLAND TRIO. Under the above designation a new chamber-music combination has been formed in Auckland. The members are: J. W. McElwain, A.T.C.L. (violin), C. Atliol Jonas, LF-S.M. (organ), and Frank Morton, A.Mus. (piano). A wide range of music is published for such a combination, including standard o\ er " tures by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and Weber; movements from symphonies, arrangements of classical and standard solos, as well as special compositions. Rehearsals for an inaugural recital are now well under way, while a varied programme is contemplated, including solo numbers. A WELL-DESERVED TRIBUTE. A particularly pleasing incident at the concert given recently by the secondary schools was the presentation to Mrs. Maye Boult. who has been the honorary secretary of the festival ever since its inception. When one regards her many aetivitiew in our little world of music here, which include the secretaryship of the Auckland Society of Musicians, it is difficult to realise that this dear lady was born*into this vale of tears early enough to have seen, when a music sUident in Germany, the great composer Brahms and to have heard the famous fiddler Joachim play. The secret of her l>erennial youth fulness must surely be that she always has been so busily occupied in good works that she has been unable to spare the time to grow old! Among lier many delightful attributes Mrs. Maye Boult is blessed with a charming disposition, sound judgment, marvellous memory and a keen sense of humour —attributes which help to explain why she is regarded amidst a very wide circle of friends with genuine feelings of love and affection.

"FLUTTERING FINGERS." It was interesting, and sometimes entertaining, to watch the methods of the various conductor® engaged at the recent secondary schools' music festival. To digress for a moment, it might be mentioned here that the art of conducting is, comparatively, an innovation, and the start of it was simply an audible marking of the tempo by means of tapping upon the floor. Later a baton was used and we read that, in Mozart's time, its use was confined to church music, whereas operas and orchestras were generally conducted from the harpsichord. It was not until 184G that the present system of conducting was regularised in England. Returning to the school concert again, most of the conductors seemed to disdain the i*se of a baton, preferring instead to communicate their directions to the singers by means of the hands and fingers alone. To some this fluttering of fingers may have seemed somewhat unorthodox and rather 'suggestive of "mesmerism." Perhaps that was the idea!

JUVENILE CHOIR. ■ The Auckland Juvenile Choir will gfa its second concert of the season in the Lewis Eady Hall on September 22, when, under the conductorship of Miss Ida. Holmes, compositions by Mendelssohn, Liszt, Handel, Beethoven, Strauss, Lolly and Be«s]y will be presented The assisting performers for this concert are Miss Leela Bloy (violin), Mies Lalla Hemus ("cello), and Mrs. Phyllis Bloy (piano), who will play trios by Arensky, • Tschaikowsky and Widor. WHY ITO ORCHESTRAS. When Professor James Shelley accepted the post of director of broadcasting it was hoped that, with a man of culture in control, the orchestras at the various main centres would be brought up to strength and the players put on full time —the only way to obtain artistic results. And this, no doubt, might have come to pass but for the establishment of "the commercial stations. The eighty-odd thousands of pounds taken from listeners' fees to provide fundi* for these stations would have gone a long way to maintain orchestras capable of giving regular symphonic concerts under the direction of guest conductors, as in Australia, and thereby providing employment for the memliers of a bard-hit profession, that of the instrumental player. It would be interesting to hear the private opinion of the members of the Musicians' Union and also of that sometimes sorely tried official, the Director of Broadcasting, concerning this raid upon the funds of the X.8.5.!