OF MUSIC PAST AND PRESENT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20104, 6 December 1930, Page 15

OF MUSIC PAST AND PRESENT.

(SPECIALLY WRITTEN FOB THF, rJIESS.) [By S>:r.\d.j A few months ngo wo wlt. 1 informed that the 8.35.C. Jind reorganised their orchestra rind extending it in personnel and efficiency, set up its claim, us the finest instrumental body iu England. They also perfected a "dance orchestra" intended for very active service. But . these creations, noteworthy and creditable enough as they may he, seem yet iar from satisfying their ambitions. According to the latest news (hey propose now to install gland opera on a permanent footing, preferentialiy to rely on English singers, and of course to be broadcasted. Nonchalantly they (.ilk of '2OO operas a year. What they mean is 200 performances, including many repeats, which is quite a different proposition; for no two hundred operas exist worth the doing, presuming such a gigantic scheme to be practicable at all within a number of years. That a standing operatic institution, governed by expert, knowledge, would bo a great boon to English singers and composers as well as a valuable education to the people at large, is evident. England may at last take kindly again to an art once cherished.

As the most significant feature of the scheme must be regarded, however, the granting ot' a subsidy by the liomc Government. The sum mentioned as its contribution is not large, but times are bad, and it is tho principle of supporting a great branch of musical art by State aid that is now to be recognised. On the Continent of Europe, States and municipalities have long acknowledged similar obligations, in many cases very generously, and not a few of the German rulers spent, in pre-war times, huge sums on their operatic institutions. The training necessary may require time, but there is no valid reason why the venture, with Covcnt Garden as tlie Mecca, should not be eminently successful. Sir Thomas Beeehani, whose great experience as operatic, conductor is now being appreciated by engagements on tho Continent, seems to be amicably inclined towards tho 8.8.0.'s enterprise, although it may affect his own scheme now pending. What is the 15.8.C. to promote next? Apparently they will not rest until every biped, with or without feathers, >s-ho can sing or play is pressed into their service for their millions listening-in. It is to be hoped this monopoly will never be abused to the detriment of music.

Under the influence of these new schemes opera lias become quite a prominent topic. Orlo Williams in the "Daily Telegraph" takes a look ahead in an interesting article. "Where, if anywhere, does the future of opera lief Opera cannot indefinitely exist upon the works of dead composers. We are rather behind the times in this country, but even we must be aware that a conflict is going on, that the Wagnerian tradition is being challenged seriously and that new life i.s to be looked for in a revival of an old tradition—what we generally call 'ltalian opera.' It does not imply that Wagner's own works arc dead —a visit to the Wagner nights of the Promenade Concerts would easily disprove it —but that his theories about opera were wrong, that they contain no germ of. development and that hope for the future lies in a revival of what Italians call 'melo-drama' of which the ripest and latest representative genius was Verdi."

Mr Orlo Williams quotes at length the Italian critic Casella, whose opinions ho accepts as unbiased. To the Signer's opening statement, '"the history of art no moment is eternal and the struggle of ideas continues ceaselessly" no exception need be taken. He describes as "the fundamental error to suppose that opera could ever be reasonable and produce by a combination of two acts, poetry and music, a result more realistic. "Another error," lm says, "is to assume that music in itself could describe with peculiar force anything, a passion, an emotion, or event. In tho fact that, at present, Italian opera seems to regain popularity, even in Germany, ho sees a probable solution of the problem, a return to old methods, with their arias and duets, now so popular in tho 'talkies ' and that gives composers a lesson in what direction any really popular music drama must go. That is where Verdi triumphs as a composer and as an example Tho solid and robust art of tho old peasant-musician is the type required to inspire and please the new humanity." These arguments, plausible as they sound, will no doubt undergo many a revision. I, for one, hope that if the old ana-form, with its melodious appeal, is revived, it will discard the inanities of repeated phrases and of staging formerly prevalent. But it would be unwise to prophesy v hat really going to happen.

What is "atonalitv" ? a correspondent asks. On the plea that everyone of the 24 keys hitherto available for musical comjHisition is filled to bursting point, it is held that composers are forced to invent new ways and thus the advanced class abandons key-sig-naturcs of every description and puts the chromatic signs, where wanted, in front of each note. On similar grounds, melody is being tabooed, reformers protesting that its old means are exhausted and now devices have to bo invented. One may as well argue that we are required to invent a tiew language to enable us to express the m-ost modern thought. Regarding melodious originality, a mathematician asserts that even in a short musical form like the Anglican chant, no less than CO million d fferent melodies are possible. Supposing only one in a hundred of these tunes to be interesting, we still have a possible repertory of 600,000 single chants.

-May 1 confess that I have not checked those figures, but a lew thousand more or less will not matter much to a budding composer of some ingenuity.

In his recently-published book, "A Victorian Peep Show," Mr E. F. Benson tells a story funny enough to make one shake with laughter, if one can vividly imagine the scene. "Once, when quite an old woman, she—Queen Victoria—suddenly made the portentous announcement to her gentlemnn-iu-waitin<*. that after lunch he and she would sin£ duets. Some one sat down at the pi.ino to play the accomnaniments and the Queen nronned un on a table a copy of 'Patience' and found the place. 'Now, Mr you begin,' and Mr Yorke sang obediently to the Queen, 'Prithee, pretty maiden, will you marry me?' and then the Qiifon in a Hear soft voir-p fin". •Gentle Sir, although to marry I am inclined,' and then in the middle o* the rerse sho stunned to to]] bin ■ 'You know, Sir Yorke, I was taught singing by Mendelssohn.' "