THE PUBLIC TASTE IN MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 94, 14 January 1908, Page 6

THE PUBLIC TASTE IN MUSIC.

THE CULT OF.'THE' CLASSICAL,

/When a community, has emerged from its pioneer stage, andj' .m the fullness ,of its prosperity, finds time to cultivate the assthetic arts; .there ensues a process'of refitiomont.wliich is interesting ,and.instructive to those who study -its development. '. / ; In the begirtmng the s pioneer,m his whare found; solace :iu such .music as could;be extracted from a' tin ifhistle,. a decrepit ■ violin, or v an! asthmatic concertina;;,; It is''a far cry to those • days,' however.' ' We -'have survived the atrocities -ofs/a; succession ''. of: - popular ;s'oiigs and dances; .cake-walks, ■" coon; songs, and the': like,' swept iover; the country ilike ppidemics, .and/it; is -just /possible; that \yo -have now,, become a, ,little c: refined in our fmusical', tastes.,'/ '■'■ ■ A - represcatatiyo' of 'The Dominion, who ;wished : to/, ascertain" from ;>.4uthontataVe' .^soiirces, to jwhat standard ..of/musical apprer'ciatioh publie/had. so far; been educated, called yon '■ Mr.-Robert". Parker, : 'L.T.C.L., , yo'sterday, 'arid . asked/for 1 enlighteriinetit..: /' He '-"found, that ■ iniisician'.- seated ; the organ». in' St. Paul's, ■'enjoying ■ ai.gujqt, hoUr wifsh-Bafch.: " J ;.. ; ./,);' •"•/'HeV.is' : in'ann j'triily; said,'observed the/'orgaittisfc,,'as he 'rose.'to 'greet' the repotter... / - >// *. ' ' Mi:. ;,Parker discoursed ttiost" interestingly oh; the/prpsent /condition.; of music,-: in .Ayellirigton.,'.l'c'airie -here,, .'years'- ago;" He said;". " and during that'time I liave .seen a - good many changes in the : attitude- of the ,public..towards, certain classes of; inusje.. /'■■' "Thore was a time. when. I.;was scolfed at •for presuming 'to , to a Wellington aiidiehce \ one of Haydn's symphonies. . It' was, said that I was attompting 'something far too classical—rsomething- hopelessly beyond- the intelligence of my audience.,'- Contrast that'w|tn their attitude to-day.."Now-adays you frequently hear/moyoments-from the classic symphonies "of Beethoven, Haydn, aii'd" even Bach's 'Passion 1 music.. Yes, I r eertainly- think that the musical taste of the public has Keen -lifted up considerably.',' .> " Has thii; change come . about' naturaTly, as .a nrocess/pf refinement'i, or has, there been : any direct influence' at'' work?"/asked- the interviewer., . /'-' ■ •'' '"•A. little' of the one/and'a-good deal of the other,'.' said - Mr." Parker. > " I consider 1 that the / crowing/ appi-eciatiotr of .- artistic mu?ic can/be ■atti , ibutpd v very/largely.'to/tlje influence of the examinations' conducted 'by the Associated Board, of ; the- Royal l 'Academy of MusiOj and; ill a subsidiary sense,, those of . the Trinity -Gollego. The syllabus ' fpr' these exammation's, is of a very high' standard,' and UlO student 'is, v"illy-nilly, compelled* ,to ' engage in the- serious 5 study of ;'a" class iof music; which, tenda .to refine his taste.. -V - "Nor is this' alii'' .'said" Mr.' Parker; "'The preparation -of candidate's for . these esamina- , tions; demands from the .teacher .not; only thkt--1 thorough knowledge.- of the: theory!: and -practice,of music .which none bi\t qiiali- • ? alsOj a degreo ; of.;'literaryattainment;which; ■ alono -will pnablo a toaclier to "approach, his work- from /an intellectual standjipiht.; Tlip, ihfliiencb of - 'fepup/ pfsuch -musiciniia" must and .inevitably .permeate-the" co'm.munity and, ;* the clientele, ■°-x- ;who, fopresent /the/'medibc- : tu" • wiHNsteadily climliilsh, ?P*R' e i'? a . so n' that -they 'are hot 1 Cqiial ;to,;yip, work of : preparing; candidates for' the '.examinations;". •''i'-' "y .. eould/ 'you ' Parker/'/' sOTho '/whiqli/the. musical/amateur 'fWIPK- - ■^ v j n tage',VfQllpw-T'so'm'e'/ ! giiide ™?W^'T a «!W ; aslcqd fcKo reporter.'«/ 1 best I can give t >;« 'to ; intl|.cat o 'tho/coursO'l : :usu®l'lv adopt .with iny. awn . pupils../ Of cpurse Mi mntil° e | S "I temperamdnt,'- and adaptability; niay 'alt-er the character my .prescnptien.'., Let, ns' coilsider vocal »■: 1 n?t- ; thmk the -young si 7 SnoH 0 - ii Hlß ' so . n e, s , not difficult, and some of them are rpally beautiful. ".Then there Omrnn^ 0 m°tF 9. ; Menaolssolin, 'Rubinstein.' i-S?®".' M DowclWthis" composer" is 'very little known here, and he is well.'worth cui-' hlrnJ'?f S ood % do '. ; . whose r J'ttle tcomposit.jons , 'ai;e\ strikingly \i Wd. quite out' of the .beaten • tracK— SUnfirrf n, Q if d '•* Va }?^ : ' hito; ownford, Sullivan,> .rrance-r-another l littleknown; cpmpospr; of, exceedingly fino. sorie-musm-and Frances Allitzen. -I: mpnt,on young.■ Willbughby-a ' New Zedl- • exceptional'nierii.' I assing; on to the more ' difficult cpmposiS'a^rsS^^ In pianoforte _music.,ono should 'certainlv make a study of Mozart. Some of "the'easicr St If i C , h °P ln '- '^ nd a'so ' his Valses, miglit then be. attempted, leading up to 'Mfeh' defssohn s beautiful- 'Liedfer.' Here the .musician -learns . art of.'. ;pianpforte-siheinE. In to / play /these "Songs'/ without words -with;- an.y.f.dogree :of expression' at all, one must, possess sufficient depth of feel- ! ing and artistic .perception., to, Inako the instrument sing Then there are the. compositions of Beothovon "and Bach. / This by no means, exhaust's -'the field.,'"' There is such a lot of really- good. musicin < existence, and so-very, little, is; known -about ''it.'; -.A course ■, /- "lies I havo indicated, . however-,.■■ one's .musical judgment that a certain ainount of discrimination"'between 'good--and bad, must;follow.'"- , • - '''Aro-modbrn-- musical compositions of supcnor artistic ..merit?" /asked; the 'reporter. . - les, I should say so. Some of our' pre-' sont day song-writers; Amy Voodforde, I'indon, Malhnson, •Willoughby, and others of the . same class,- represent a superior' typo, in most of. their/compositions tho accom■panuncnt is really a .feature of the son" 1 a;-musical- commentary. ' Of course/ you know the» old. style', said Mr. Parker, "turn-; tee-tu.m, tum-tee r tuin," and'so on-- ghastiv, .isn't it? *..• i•

SONGS WHICH'SELL. ' ''V-":-I 1 rom-conversations .with the'-'heads/of tiro tibe. reporter gathered, that the' forgoing; views. wore.'.borne:out:'.bv tlie' actual' sales.,c .. Formerly,'' the demand for classical; fnusic, as distinguished 1 from 'popular music, camp.from a very. smajl 'and select cotono. Now:, .owing.to,the influence of the high standard set in thb-syjlabus of examination prescribed by'the Itoyal- Academy of Mtisic, and. trinity College, and 'also', tho superior class of compositions which are being written by .modern .musicians, the 'taste-of the public is being deviated'. ' "}Ve frequently notice,!'' said the head of . the music department, of the 'Dresden Piano Company, that wheu. a new, composition, of more than, average merit, is .sung, at.- a localconcert, someone will-call in here early,next raofiiing for. a copy.. of that' particular piece'of music. Schumann, Schnbort, Abt Greig ' Mondelssohn, ißlumenthal, and other composers- of-the-same*type are always'in demand among a certain class. More widely popu-' lar, hut still strictly high-class music, are the songs of Allitzen, amoiig which niK-'ht be mentioned, 'Oh, ior a Burst of Song.' and the ' Thanksgiving Song.' Liddle is frequently sung, particularly his 'Abide "With Me. Mallinson, Kjerulf, Korbay—the Hungarian song-writer—Cowcn, Florance Aylward, and Chaminado are frequently asked for. ISdwin Greene,, composer of 'Sing Me to . Sleep ' seems to, bo on the deolino, although his. songs ,are still bought.- Amy Wooufordo-. 1* indon's songs are very popular in Australia, especially at the Sydney. concerts. She is best known by her 'Indian Love Lyrics,'■ and. her 'Lovor in Damascus' sories of songs. .The older, song-writers, like Stophon Adams, who'st . name on the title page of a song Was once quite sufficient to sell.it, aro nearly out of elate." • . B AND' MUSIC. . . ■ Discussing musical progress, generally, the manager > of. .the Wellington Piano Companv happened to mention an interesting fact in connection with bahd inusio.'■ In tho past, the music in vogue among bandsmen was dance music, and popular, .marches.. Nowadays it was. not an uncommon thing to hear a band play a .selection from Berloiz, or some othor of' tho great composers of instrumental music. On other points lie was fully , in agreement with what has ■ already been said concerning th e . public taste "in. music generally. Certain old songs which had sufficient artistic merit to ensure them against oblivion, were always in steady demand. Cheap popular albums were mostly dead stock, and the oornio albums absolutely JO.