AN EMINENT SINGER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 276, 14 August 1908, Page 4

AN EMINENT SINGER.

MR. CHARLES SAUNDERS IN WELLINGTON. AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW. Fourteen years ago, Mr. Charles Saiffl. dors, the eminent English tenor, was one of the principals engaged to sing in the great musical ' festival held in • Wellington, when Dvorak's "Spectre's Bride," Sullivan's "Golden Legend," Handel's "Israel; in Egypt," a - n d other great' works, were produced. That great festival marked a new epoch in the history of choral music in Weilington, and its influence is evident in tho improved quality of both vocal and concerted music of the present day. Mr. Saunders is now with us again, and after a triumphant concert tour in tho south, made his reappearance at the Town Hall last evening as tho principal tenor in "Judas Maccabaeus" (Handel), which 1 was performed by tho Wellington Choral Society.

A representative of The Dominion called on Mr. Saunders yesterday; morning, arid spent an enjoyablo hour in his company. He found hiii) looking very fit and well, and considerably stouter than he was fourteen years ago, which is, as the.Americans say, •'a tidy spell." Mr. Saunders does not convey the conventional idea of a great tenor. One usually imagines a slight, nervous individual—all nerves —with a horror of chills, harassed by tho constant , fear of doing or catching something. which will injure his voice. But Mr. Saunders is not v of tho "hot-hous6 plant" variety of tenors'. True, lie has "nerves," tho heritage Of all artistic people, and he showed it when a sound as of many beer barrels tumbling into tha cellars of the Royal Oak Hotel smoto the ear. ' i " What on earth is that ? " he asked. .. "Tho New Zealand edition of tho British workman," suggested the pressman. Mr. Saunders laughed. "Sounds-like it," he agreed. ,

But this is a digression. To return to the subject, Mr. Saunders suggests in his manner and conversation, the man of the. world, keen and alert in matters of business, ana, of jovial temperament. And ho is not afraid of a good cigar. The conversation drifted from one channel to another, for the pressman had not gone to pump the tenor's', life history out of liim; ho nas been pumped, dry by. nearly every newspaper in tho world,, and was relieved to hear that lie was going to liavo a respite on this occasion. ;

Who is the coming tenor in tho English musical world, Mr. Saunders? ... He smiled. "A tenor takes a. long time to. arrive, you know," he said. "Si'ms Reoves was once asked bow 10115 it took to produco. a good tenor. He replied by stating that it took 'seven years to make a good shoemaker j so there you are. But apart from that I think that young Harrison,, who is coining out here with Ada Crossley, is the most promising tenor we have in the ..Eng'-, llsh musical world to-day. Then , there 13 M'Cormack, of course, who takes. a high place in musical circles. : The secret of success in art," he went on, "is study, hard and constant study. Do you know, a simplo English, ballad, like 'My Pretty Jane/ makes a far greater demand on the artistic abilities of a singer than, say, one of tho German Lieder. I have sung- 'My Pretty Jane' many times, and invariably have found that there were additional possibilities opened up in tho song whenever I studied it. The aim is to go one better every time one sings the same song." What is your favourite oratorio, Mr. Saunders? '

" 'Judas Maccabaeus,' " he replied. Mr. Saunders has a very great regard for Handelian music. In fact, he is considered, by those competent to ' judge, to bo the greatest Handelian tenor, of the day. Ho has a supreme contempt for the gushing con-cert-goer who is fond of remarking, in parade of a musical .he ;does'not reaUy possess, "Oli, I do lore to hear that sung in tho French.-v.nil,>b . .... Do you think that one should not smg to an English audience in a.foreign language, Mr. Saunders?-. . .. . "Decidedly," he. replied. . "To an English audience, , their own. language is' the" most expressive. I only, defend the singing of a song' in a ' foreign language, _ when the English translation of the words is poor, andconveys quite a wrong impression of the writer s ideas, and, therefore, stultifies, to soino 6xtent; the music. _ Some translations of'for. eign songs are piffle—sheer piffle," he con eluded. '