MUSIC

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 146, 14 March 1908, Page 12

MUSIC

■ W ■; "■• [Bl TttEßiß Clei.] A Prizo Opera. i Tho prize of £500 offered by Messrs. Ricordiand Go. for tho 'best opera in' English by'a British-born, composer has.beeii • awarded to Dr; Edward Wopdal) Naylor, • Emanuel Coll ego,' Cambridge, for his opera entitled " The Angelus," By the'stringent terms of the'competition, summaries' of the librettos had to be sent in for approval by the judges. Of 191 submitted by competitors 52 wore found suitable. In the final selection' Dr. Naylor's' opera was awarded highest placo, both, for musical qualities and ■ ;fbr literary and dramatic power, Dr. Naylor is a brother; of- Professor H.' Darnley Naylor, of Adelaide, formerly classical lecturer, and . vice-master of Orniond, Collego, Melbourne. .■ Sight Reading. 1 The headmaster of Eton, the Hon. and Rev. E. Lyttelton; set his boys for their holi- • day: work last Christmas the acquirement of sight reading and the life of one celebrated composer. As, he justly says in a ; ; letter . . addressed : to .the parents of the .boys':— ■. AIL boys (except about 2-per'coat.) have a taste.for music which is capable of development/' Spaco forbids me to give proofs of this statement, but it may be admitted'by all who realise ijt; that development does not mean increasing the number of third-rate performers, but'swelling the number of thoso who can listen intelligently' to good music, by giving them 'early in life an ~ olomentary knowledge' of harmony ' and tho bare technical rudiments;. . I "The simplest way of doing'this is to teach simple sight-reading in the ordinary notation. A little training, if taken soon enough, makes a! very >great, difference to. enjoyment later, not onty'as to listening to music, but 'aiS to part-singing. There are many hundreds 1 of educated Englishmen who would be glad to ' sing part-songs, but aro. prevented by in- : ability to read the simplest music. Such training, then, is cne way in which boys may : bo helped to do what most young men can- 1 not do, viz., use their leisure time really 11 : well."' . • i Shall We Hear Caruso? ... Mr. John Lommone, Mme. Melba's Aus- : tralian manager, has returnedVto Sydney, i Speaking to a representative of " The' Daily J Telegraph," ho states that Mmo. Melba will 1 return to Australia in March of nest year to 1 make tho comprehensive tour of fclio Comnionr wealth she could not on her present, visit entertain doing: Tho~ renowned ' artist, on hor way to England, will, in pursuance of her Australian grand opera project, make a call j at Naples to lay tho foundation of this enterprise, which, .it may bo remembered, ineludes the services of the experienced con- f ductor of the San Carlo 'Opera Company. s Signor Caruso is contemplated as the prin- ' oipal tenor, but this will depend \largely upon ] tho time,,- and place. tho famous singer decides upon for this prolonged holiday. J Notc3. 1 An unknown opera by Glnck, entitled "II t Tigrane," has been discovered by Signor Francesco Piovano in the library of the Academy of St. Cecilia, at Rome.' It was ' originally performed at Crema in 1743. 1 Mr. Joseph Holbrooko's " Illuminated Sym- l phony,", porformod in London in January, appears to have failed to arouse much en- f thusiasm. Tho subject was "Apollo and tlio 1 Seaman," and tho music, which is written f for a thoroughly modern orchestra," including ' a xylophone and a sarrusophone (whatever I that may bo), is very favourably criticised ' but the interposition of a screen between the S audienco and tho band, upon which tho words f of the poem wore thrown as tho music pro- a cocdcd, only served to distract attentioh, and there seems a general agreement that a printed programme would hayo served tbo composer's purpose better. Iho Hollanders, a novel concert company of eight members, vho, gwbed in the picture-. u quo Dutch costumo, give an ent-ei'tainincn-t of vocal aud instrumental /selections, havo I* been engaged'by Messrs. J. ; and N.'Tait for b an Australasian tour, oomraenciug in Svd- f? lioy nest month. . ■ ■ ' I o