"LIFE."

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20023, 3 September 1930, Page 8

"LIFE."

MR ARTHUR LILLY'S WORK. MUSICAL SOCIETY TO PRODUCE IT. Fifteen years ago Mr Arthur Lilly, the well-known Christehurch musician, composed a work which he called "Life," being a musical setting, for a baritone soloist, chorus, and orchestra, of Word worth's ode, "Intimations of Immortality from Eecollections of Early Childhood.'' Its merit has been recognised and it is to be performed by the Koyal Christehurch Musical Society under the direction of ilr W. H. Dixon, on November 19th. As Mr Lilly is a. New Zealand born composer the event will be an outstanding one in the encouragement of New Zealand music. Much interest is being shown in the work in musical circles and Mr Lilly has received many messages pf good wishes for its successful premiere. I "Life" is dedicated to the composer's brother, Lieutenant Leslie G.-. Lilly, while on active service in the Great War. There are 12 numbers altogether, j The orchestral introduction opens with ! the motif of regret at the passing of childhood. This leads to an ascending passage for full orchestra, representing hope and encouragement. It climbs up and up until it reaches the highest notes of the strings. The violins are muted and divided into eight parts. This ethereal movement depicts divine love and sympathy.. The first chorus, "There was a time," opens with the contraltos and is •written in the form of a short retrospect. The second chorus, "The rainbow comes and g6es," commences with men's voices, answered by staccato soprano notes. "Waters on a starry night" is treated lightly until The sunshine is a glorious birth" develops into a brilliant outburst of chorus, enriched with independent orchestration with high ascending runs. The motif of regret intrudes again at "That there hath passed away," followed by the third chorus, "Now while the birds, introduced by a merry movement tor the orchestra, suggestive of. a vllla g° fair, and becoming noisy at 'The cataracts blow trumpets from the steep. Then comes the first baritone solo, "Ye blessed creatures." It is interrupted by the chorus, "0 evil day if I were sullen." The solo resumes at "But there's a tree," accompanied by the strings only, played pizzicato. The chorus enters again and reaches a strong climax at "Where is it now?" followed by the divine love motif. No. o, Oui birth is but a sleep and a is an unaccompanied chorus. 1 railing clouds of glory" contains - interwoven descending harmonies. "Behold the child," a baritone solo, comes next, and is a narrative of cUildhood. The seventh chorus is T ' l whose exterior semblance doth belie thu soul's immensity," and is the biggetr in the work. It is dignified in character, "Mighty prophet" is declaimed majestically by solid combinations ot sound. The portion, "Thou over whom thy mortality broods," is treated as fugue, leading to a plaintive for the tenors at "Thou little child. There is another outburst .of sound immediately before a meditative mezzo for flute, strings, and horn. The heavv chorus work enters again at spoil tljy »»») £ earthly , freight,"- diminishing at the words, ''Heavy as froslimffl it again bursts forth at the word-, Life. The little unaccompanied c *>orus, "Hence in a season, of c f lm J®*! ,<' ln inserted recently, and scribed In memory of my little son, Iran , simple and childlike. "Hear the cli.l dren sport upon the playful treatment and Hear _ mighty waters rolling evermore" is excited,and in an No. 8 chorus, "Then sing ye birds, is a riot of chime-like passages, reminiscent of birds carolling, and a band playing on the village green. Memmt and brightness pervade all. The tone solo, "What though the follows, and is set to the beautif theme used to depict divine love i sympathy. The harmonies are unusual and the accompaniment is for stri "|® only. The chorus, "O love, while thou hast yet the power " the words of which have been inserted, is sad in character. At the end, the words, "Too late, the tote? one goes away," the ™1 ins and oboes are heard benpth the voices and the "regrV theme appears aeain with oboe alone. _ The final chorus, "O ye fountains," has a massive unison first part, accompanied by brilliant arpeggio figures for L strSgs and .-woodwind, while the brass is in unison with the \ oices. chorus .is the result of an im P resß^ e °a the composer's mind when, as q ££ h. W ell»bin g ne.r tko waterfalls in Dunedm. The arpegg figure represents the splash o - boulders. On that occasion he heard some children singing™ * in J distance and this is depicted in tne wan for contraltos only. _ The performers' abridged copies have wn urepared by Messrs Whitcombe