MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 27, 26 October 1907, Page 13

MUSIC.

A Hybrid Art. Singing is a hybrid art, being linked to ift) handmaid, language. It has lately been discussed by an American writer in tho "Musical Courier'':— < When the language, is-part of tho musical work- it 'suffices": /for- many to accept tho language and ,secure an aesthetjc pleasure 'or an emotional excitement free from tho music, . as music. ' It is only:then music as an ac-companiment-for the purpose of metre or rhythm.; This has. : caused a complete misapprehension. of' tho "iiaturq or quality, of the musical art,, and in/some countries, like England, it has retarded musical progress to such U P outside.of a few centres, class/pal mußie.is unknown and cannot be'pro-.' duced because of tho actual inability to secure support'for it.' 1 "'" ■ . : "In opposition HoVcertain musical forms, the.very dar.co forms Underlying tho architectonic: of modernmiisio, /which were cultivated ' chiefly in .J' ranee,' have been for centuries— from as; far back-as'the days. of John ,Kn'ox. -condemned as sinful,' and Puritanical Eng-, land put an act . of seclusion upon many of 'essential mUsical forms. The popu-larity-of- the oratorio "in England is duo to theso rigorous antagonisms, and as music had . vent >7 a ' l .escape, the people fell in with, tho oratorio as an excuse for cultivating music;* and with 4 disaster to themselves. It' Jas the.-intelligible '.text that misled them, '. tho'samo')ntelligible'.'but popular text of the ballad;-and -in tho",cultivation of these two-'-methods of expression l they lost sight entirely of music in its one 1 true'sense—t-hc absolute ■ Dramatic Muslo.' The .'inoi&ntal rnlisic/ which Sir Charles i Stanford has written to Mr. Binyon's new. poetical drama ''Attila* 1 comprisos a brief preludo, an introduction',' and an entr'acte to act iii and the same for act iii. The musio for the fourth : act contains, in addition to a prelude, some music . heard. during % tho/pro-v 'grdps of. the„scenoi a'danfce, and a kind -of: war-chorus. ' . There was a difficulty in hearing some of the. music owing to the covering : in of the orchcstra and the noise in the auditorium, but, much of it; has an interest apart from the; illustration of. the stage action,"andit ;always has tho . requisite barbaric touch', about it,'.the'composer suggesting some of thq ancient- ''modes" in 'his melodies. In the - overture and in.the subsequent numbers much is heard of a fino, rugged theme associated with.Attila. , .The.lldico theme, also heard in tho, overture, has. hardly • a sufficiently passionate touch about- it, but it is very cleverly handled and'a-good deal of /feeling evolved, from' it. ( The music in tho second . act is mainly based, upon ii theme, of lament. asspciatcd; with Korka j'-it is; deeply expressive, Mind is pcrhaps the best of all the num> ' bers. ; The preludo to the fourth act opens with a' mactial theme:developed out of • the; Attila theme, with which the composer makes ' skilful play.' ■ The (lancc -heard; in this act is rather too studied and elaborate tq.be quite successful. LaterVon)" some "very stirring - war .'niusic, built up from^tho.theme heard at'the.begirinmg of.tho;act; makes its appear- : anco. Tho scoring,.is- ivery effective, and would' have been eVeii.irioro brilliant if it hid ', not been for tlio .covering of , the orchestra. "The Dairymaids.".. : ; That "Tho Dairymaids" has made an unequivocally favourable' impression Upon Melbourne 'playgoers/is proved not only-by the ' great audience which; have thronged Her , iViSjesty!s' _Th'elitre'/ every . evening since the. bpenirig iiight','' , b'ht' : ;also by 'tho almost con- ' timious laughter arid'.'applauso ',that follow,' the; course of;;tho farcical musical play- from tho' crowdcd- benches of . tho theatro, and'th'o' : ' reception ■'is riot to bc' at, for-" all . tho''elements that gb 'to'i.tho v . making of'a;', lyric success arc included iivits composition. l :' . —ri'.-nibrry little'plot', snappy''dialogue',- 1 Aiinisi I ,' irigi incitionts, taking •'mclodifcs,' complet-enesa'l: of;mounting and general cribemble (in'whichi 11 lattor departments indeed th'G'Australiaii sentati6n''iß ; saicl-: by ..those iii a .position, to kiibwj- v tb:be ! a| tliq .liondoii" p'rSiluiltiqn). ! -'•Add.'ti) great) npvdty 0 , of' j scenp,'; tlie oxcollenf-'train-, irig' manifested 'lfiy' the' participants in it as,. well hs 'tho'.fact|that'the' : principals,. old and , now, of tho Royal' Comic Opera Company, i have seldom if ever,been,so happily distributed. tlu'ougli tho ldn'gxast with its numefdus comedy characters, ' and the present and future - populncity;.'ofiv''The Dairymaids 1 oan bo readily understood!' ; 1 Miscellaneous. . Mi,-. • As a last tribute tb'lstlyard Grieg, -whose music has delighted-audienefcs innumerable attlie Queen's' i-iAHS'Loiid&n; i'romeuadovConcerts;viir. Wbo'd inbluded in the programme-'; of'Thursday,'dyeuirig''(Septembor 5; tho "Peer' ' which tl:e • first two move-'.' at- the composer's •; funeral, '■ and,' : Ciiopin's Funeral _ jlarch; throughbut'rwiiich' orbliestra arid audience remained ; standing;,",', ..'Both works, 1 ,. it need hardly" bo" said,- -worb' beautifully played; "l'ecr tiynt" was ono of most popular-., . in''the repertoire','of!t(ie''Exhibition Orchestra. ; iJaniel Frblmiah has•niade arrangements to; briii'g 'lviibolik';' thV'viblinist, and fiambourg, , tho .pianist',': togetlieif .for; five "or six concerts ■ early'in the'Ariicfican'scason. -They will be heard-together? in 'NOw York, Chicago, Phila- , dolpliia," \\ : ashiiigtbh', r Baltimore, ana possibly. ■ 'in 'jJbstbn, 'hrid'/HairtWrd, Conn. l''oj the / Kubclili','tour/propei-,' J Mr. Frohman lias"-eu-: ; gaged ;as solo piaiiist .Bertho lloy, an 18-year-old'pupir'bf tlib latfc iMannontpl, of ,th 6 l'aris Conservatoire. Miss Itoy astonished Paris, some ton years an prodigy, but her coming .tour J mark's, her first,,appearance as/ r a' ; matufb artist!'?''' Mark Hambourg. will dpeii liis (bur; on October'' 15, and", return to Kufope oil DccOmborlS. Tho Russian pianistjs popularity'is .'shbwiv<ljyvt|io .demands for his. ' uppeariihce from- every city lie - visited. on his two previous tours'/:/. But a small proiioHiioii' ojp' ; tii^.''oiiies'Mh.te- ! in]Sttdediby the,'.present short toiir.''/ •" 1 I , . Swedish': journals 'aiiijounce that Christine' Nilss'on (iiow CoUntess ofCasa-Miranda) discovered a 'new SwbdisK/''hightingale".' during ■> lier;fecqht' sojourn ill'her native country. :. The p , rbdigy,'is.'a ; ypung ;, girl of 12 named - Reseda Nystroem,' and the Countess is paying nil tho expenses of her protegee's musiciu ■ oducatiori.'" .-/." /,. .K' ..

Jon'o'.Hubay, .tho'.'violiriist, has finished a. one-act op'tira; entitled "Venus." The pro- •. micro will take' place in Budapest, wheto the ' .virtuoso: fills the.functions of professor at the . cbftso'rvatcry of music'. '■ :