“Impoverished” Without Music

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31907, 7 February 1969, Page 12

“Impoverished” Without Music

“I think that life that has no music in it is impoverished. I’d like to see music taking place in the lives of all citizens of Christchurch,” Sir Thomas Armstrong said in an interview in Christchurch yesterday.

Sir Thomas Armstrong, who retired recently as principal of the Royal Academy of Music, London, is making a good-will tour of the Commonwealth. He will address teachers in Christchurch on Saturday evening on problems of teaching music. On Monday he will address a more general audience, and on February 15 he will return to Christchurch to judge the piano concerto

competition with the Civic Orchestra in the Civic Theatre. When Sir Thomas Armstrong reached Christchurch Airport yesterday he carried on his shoulder a 40-year-old canvas leather-bottomed fishing bag. “I am a fell walker,” he said. "I carry my little bag everywhere. I don’t see any need to change it for a modern type of executive bag, which would offer no advantages over this light, flexible and in every way convenient receptacle.” Yesterday he carried books in the bag, one of them on Buddhism in which his interest was fostered by his recent stay in Bangkok with a family of Buddhists. “I am interested in religion,” he said. “I am deeply impressed by the quality of the life I saw round me in the Bangkok Buddhist family. It had dignity, a distinction

of outlook and a sense of courtesy that are very uncommon in the world today.” On his way to his hotel Sir Thomas Armstrong looked at the site of the Town Hall and said he hoped it would have a fine organ, because a concert hall without an organ was much restricted in what it could offer. Many masterpieces of choral music could not be performed without an organ.

Discussing contemporary musicians, he said that among

the younger artists he greatly admired the Russian pianist, Emil Gilels. As violinists he admired Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern but “no artist will ever supersede Kreisler in my affections.” Two singers who had given him great pleasure are Pierre Bemac and Janet Baker. Asked at what age children

should begin to learn music, he said he thought they could learn an instrument as soon as their hands became strong enough to control the instrument and as soon as they had self-control sufficient to enable them to submit to discipline. “This will vary in the individual. Some children have shown their musical talent by three or four years of age. About seven or eight years would be a reasonable age for Christchurch children to start learning an instrument.” Although he is 70, Sir Thomas Armstrong teaches youngsters general music and singing at the primary school in the Buckinghamshire village in which he lives. “I have made up my mind to devote the years that are left to me doing what I can to help in bringing music to all the boys and girls in the schools, beginning with the youngest,” he said.