MUSIC.
. [By Treble Clef,] Amongst tho artists announced for Alts- . ... tralia next yoar is Miss Dorothy Maggs, a pianistc, who will anticipate the winter season by arriving there in March. Miss Magga lias been touring tho Cape,. and is at pre-, sout at Johannesburg. ' v , Madamo Clara Butt lias been giving as- ..'..-• piring vocalists some most valuable hints as / to tho best methods for preserving and perfecting the voice. Her system may bo summed up as "the golden, mean." "Simply take caro not to overwork the voice" is her advico, "and never tiro it out, by too much singing at a time. It is perfectly easy, for instance, to get through a large amount of , study by simply _ having the music'in. front of ono, and thinking the musical phrase , well over in connection with the words. -By ! doing this, one is practically able to. Accom- I plish half tho initial work beforo even opening tho -moutli at . all. Not only should tho Student refrain 1 from-singing too much, but also from talking too much. Talking is as great' a strain ;as sinking,..and !,if people-3' would only. bear,, this in mind, wo should , hear less of. voico troubles. To obtain tho • best results one should, moreover, never practise more than a quarter of an hour at 'j, a time.' Personally I practise my'scales for ten minutes oach day. With regard to lessons no general rule can, I think, possibly bo laid down as to tho ago for starting.. Ono; could'without harm, however, begin practising whilo'still 1 quite young, but, of course, no attempt at a public .appearance should then bo mado. _ Mere lung power has littlo to do with singing, excepting'that it is. good j ' for breathing purposes. Singing is on. the ' other, hand extremely' beneficial to th'o lungs and would certainly prolong life in'a caso ol consumption." \. . - i , ! A' New Opera. • : "'' ' ; . , " :'i'ho new opera, "II Battesta," by Don Giocoiido Fino, a priosfc of Turin, has been pro- ■ duced with very great success in several of tho large.' Italian cities. It, is,, to bo per- 1 formed this, season at Mantua.. Tho work is " . remarkable from the fact that Christ is one > ■ of tho, characters in the story. Tho production has been sanctioned by the Roman Gatnolic Oliurcli;. it is proposed to produce the work-, in America. . England,"pieces-' . ■'.• •. saril.v, is a forbidden country in tho circum- ' stances. Signora Biaiica Volpiiii, a young American artist-, is singing ono of the prin^ cipal parts. ' ' Sydney Harmonic Society. 1 Mr, Joseph Bradley has just been engaged i as,conductor of tho Sydney Philharmonic So-; ciety for two; years, to replace Signor Hazon v . . on his~'retirciiioiit. ' Sir William I*. Manning, who 'is-"'Australian-agent for the Earl of_Carnarvon, and for Lord Rosebery,. who is at •... present in London,, acted' for ."the Society, and .. selected Mr. Bradley out of 50 applicants. Sir W. P. Manning was aided in liis selec- ' tion by. Sir' Fredericki Bridge and: Dr. F. H. Cowen* Mr. Bradley lias been for,:the last■;■« 20 seasons conductor to the principal choral „ union ill Glasgow, where lie presides over. y-.-:-.. 80 iristnimcntalists and a chorus of 350 ; voices.'; He is due in Sydney in March.' , Melba at Sydney.' ' ; v > -~ Un her; second appearance at Sydney, ' Melba was in magnificent' voice, and looked handsome in a gown of pale blue'brocaded silk, with: gofd sequined .overdress (says'tho Sydney "Sunday Sun" of Dcccnil/er 15).: She wop 3 her different orders and , a diamond tiara. Tiie opening number, was the m'ad,v scene from; "Lucia di Lammermoor" (Donizetti), with flute obligatory Mr. John . Lemmono;; This was the song in which Madame Melba made her debut at Covent Garden in 1888,' and the artiste's interprets-. tion last, night, was faultless. Her' wonderful -technique was a revelation, to that part of the; audience who - had not heard tho singer before.! ; Her trills were _as perfect as it is possible for' the human voice to be, and in the filial cadenza with Mri;iLemmone; thq llute and voice blended delightfully.-^An-: other musical treat was "Preghiera,"' from "La Tosca" (Pucchini), in which her dramaI tic power .was manifest, .especially- iii the finale, when La Tosca stabs'Scarpia. This - - opera, which-Madame Melba is studying for Covent Garden next season, is one in which the., diva will add to her numerous laurels. For ' encore, she' gave Tosti's "Good-bye." < ( Her other contributions were "Pleurez Ales Veux," from "Lo Cid" (Massenet), which was doliciouslv sung, tho encore being "Les Anges Pleurent"/ (Bembcrg), 'Mid. Arditti's yalso song "So Saran Rose," .given with iimch brilliancy .and and. showing . the; artiste ill t-lio florid'style which suits her. • ; flexible voice to perfection. Her audience again (Icmauded aii encore,, and after five recoils,- Madame .'Melba, seated, at tho -piano, played her' own-' .accoriipanimeut to a new . , song of.j'dsti's "Lovo's_\Vay," a.dainty bal- ~ for the first time in Sydney. 1 : ; A Creat Singer. . ' . Madamo Tetrazzini (says "M.A.P.") lias / emulated ,tho great Caesar,, inasmuch as sho came, saw, and conquered. : A few days ago' i sho. was unknown to«t-he musical public of /*-><■ London—to-day she; is ranked with Melba. Already her admirers have droppetP,. .tho prefix of-Madame,'.the hall-mark of a ' ; i .genuinesuccess.'and speak of her as TctrazV.ini. After only 'a .couple of performances -. she can boast of a: public, an" achievement ' unrecorded. in the case of cither':' Patti. or Melba. The new prima donna is.a Floren-tine-arid, comes ,of a : musical j .family.'.-'.Hor.'sister made/a gratifying debut • at Covent Garden some years'ago, while her biother-in-law'is Sign.ol' Canipaniriii tho celebrated conductor:- It is'a remarkable fact t[iat Tetrazziiii, .like .Dc-Res/.ke and Caniso, r ■ v has practicallv been her. oirn instructor. For six montlis slie'studied under, Signor Cceclioririi, and,, at'theeiul of 'that, period;- her pro- . fessor shrugged his shoulders, saying, , "Go, .> neither I nor anyone else can teach you any- ,; thing more." . ; So the, singer wont, and, elpven years ago, made her first appearance > tit the 'i'catro. Verdi, in Iter jiativc,city. Sho sang the.iriusio,of Inez, in "L'Africaiuc,"; - arid-gained.sonic^little attention. Last- year, • through a ' misunderstanding, , Tetrazzini .••••. found herself booked to appear with each of America's rival ' impresarios, Conried and - Hannnerstein. In,her dilemma she was iin-' ~ able to tell what to do. Each manager wanted her to sing, .yet each threatened to injunctVthe other if tho artist appeared. . There was only one possible solution—riot' to sing. at all. But even this suggested an action for. breach of contract..' The . singer choso ,; tlie latter course, with .sat-isfa'ctory.'re- ,; stilts, and London lias been the gainer by hor notion. Resides the Queen of ■ Italy,-the Diva has sung beforoithe ,Tsar and. the King arid , : Qiicen of Spain,; and she wears' , many ; jdwelicd souvenirs of these-occasions.' Sho 1 is a woman of. such catholic*tastes that when sho is jaded and tired she -onjoys: 'herself at a music-hall. Her face is ono of particular dignity, in which two' dark, penetrating-eyes are deeply set. Her hair is most luxuriant : , and of a'beautiful colour; while her manner is vivacity iself. This is her first English visit, and. her. thoughts "men and tilings"aro most-ingenuous. ' ';•■ .
Notes. The recently discovered eleven Viennese Dances for .septet of string ami wind, - by Heothoven, were to be introduced to English: musicians at one of the Hambourg subscription 'concerts at Hcchstcin Hull. i 'l'ho proposal made by Sir Homewood Crawford, tlio Master of the Musicians Company,. that' tho Company should endeavour to purchaso a valuable musical library which is !on salo,'has borne fruit- (states a recent Homo exchange), and an attempt to raise: , tlio £'<!00d required is now being made., Tho collection includes a copy of tho first opera ever porformed in England. It . was published in 1675. and is entitleil "Tho English Opera: or, Tho Vocal Mustek in Psyche, with the mstrumentals therein intermixed, to which is adjoyue'd the instrumental musick in tbo .Tempost."' A copy of the first opera over published, composed by Jaeopo l J eri for the marriage; of Henry IV. of France with Marie do Medici, printed in ICOO, is also inrJudod in tho collcction.
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Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 80, 28 December 1907, Page 13
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1,316MUSIC. Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 80, 28 December 1907, Page 13
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