THE TWO SINGERS.

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 19389, 15 August 1928, Page 9

THE TWO SINGERS.

THAT TERSE ADVICE. . THE STORY REPEATED. (CHMED PESSB ASSOCIATION—BT BLECTBIO TELEOBAPH—COP7BIGHT.) (Received August 14tb, 11.15 p.m.) MELBOURNE, August U. Another scene has been added to the Melba-Butt comedy, "Sing 'em muck," by the receipt from Singapore of a cable in which Miss Ponder, the compiler of Dame Clara Butt's memoirs, gives her version. ' She says, in reference to Dame Nellie Melba's denial, that the story was told her last year by Dame Clara Butt, on whom it made a tremendous impression. When Dame "Clara Butt went to Australia she by.no means sang muck, but classical numbers which were always popular. The preponderance of requests were for really classical stuff. , Dame Clara told the story repeatedly, to show that the reverse was the case, and that Australian taste was well up to the average, if not above it. . Miss Ponder addß;. "Dame Clara Butt passed the book after a by no means cursory reading. A tremendous lot of things were;altered.''—Australian Press Association.

[Dame Clara Butt's recently-publish-ed memoirs contained an allegation that Dame Nellie Melba advised her, '?Sing 'em; muck, it's all they understand;" when she was about to make her first Australian tour. Dame Nellie Melba denied saying this, and the book was withdrawn from publication. Dame Clara Butt stated that the reference crept into the book without her knowledge.]