MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 312, 26 September 1908, Page 14

MUSIC.

[Br Tbbblk Clm.] Liszt Effcots. Miss Amy Fay gives some of her reminiscences. of Liszt in the July "Etude." Ha once spoke to her of ..the new effccts ho had invented, as, for instance, . tho chromatic roll of octaves, td represent a storm on the ' piano; and tho transposition of a melody to lower part of-the keyboard so as to make it. sound as if .sung by a baritone or tenor, as in the song "Du bist die Rub," by Schubert, or Wagner's "Isolde's Liebestod." "Liszt declared towards tho end of his life that only sacred music was 'worth while, 1 and that ho was more interested in church music than 'any other. The most surprising, thing Liszt ever did, it seems to me, was to- arrange a piano scoro of Beethoven's septet and nine symphonies. How he over had the patience to do that passes my comprehension, and I don't wonder that ho manifested a sort of revolt against Beethoven the latter part of his . life.' Tho very last conversation I had with him, in -1885, when .1 returned' for a short visit to Weimar, Liszt said: 'I respect all that, but \it no longer interests me,'—referring to Beethoven's works." . An Arriving Composer. Poldoni is a composer who is coming moro and moro to the front. Heretofore ho has been known chiefly through some charming short pieces for the piano, but now he has written an opera, which apparently is going to mako a sensation, _ After its premiere at Breslau the other day it was at onco accepted lor \ ienna and Leipzig, and other cities aro negotiating with tho composer. Tho name or the opera is "Tho Vagabond and the rincess j it is based on au Andersen tale, and the librettist is A. F. Seligman, Miss Marie Narelle Suing for Divorce. A sad story of the domestic unhappinesß of Miss Mane Narelle, the well-known singer • who in private life is Mrs. Callaghan: is being unfolded in tho Sydney Divorce Court, where she is a. petitioner in n suit for divorce from Matthew Aloysius Callaghan, on the grounds of his habitual drunkenness for three years and upwards, and for non-support. Evidence was given of .respondent's internperance, and of the necessity for tho issue of a maintenance order against him in 1902. Lately, it was stated, tlipro had been a decided improvement in his habits. For the last seven years lie had been a clerk in Mr. Mark Foy's office. One witness stated that he had complained that his wife was treating him badly, that she would not let him see their children, aiid also that she was doing very well in tho world, while lie had to struggle along; and that she would not speak to him. The .evidence, of the petitioner was that she was married to tho respondent in 1891, nt Sydney, according to the rites of the Catholic Church, They had known each other from childhood. There were three ' children of tho marriage. She went on a visit to her mother in 1902, and while there her husband wrote to her spyipg he bad sold the furniture, aud she had to send him 30s. to pay his passage io Cobargo. 'Then she acted as cook for her mother, earning 15s. a week. After that she took charge ot Sharpe's Hotel, in G.eorgo Street, Sydney, for a short time, then moved to Paddington, where her husband received £300 from an estate,'of which ho gave her half, paying it into an account in the bank, Ho only had employment for three weeks, at £1 or 255. a week, during the year 1903, 60 sha was obliged jo maintain the' house on the money ho had given her. to bank, During that year one of her children was born. Sha discovered that of the £150 her husband had kept in his own name ho had spent £70 at tho races. After leaving Paddiugton they went to Leichardt to live, and there her husband's habits became worse. From there they went' to Darlinghurst, where she kept a boardinghouse. Her husband turned a poor pld man about 65 years of ago out in* the streets because ,he was in arrears with his payment, without any boats, at 2 o'clock in tho morning. Before the birth of her second child sho gave her husband the, money to bring a nurse, but ho did not return until tho next morning, and in'the meantime she had to send tho cook for the nurse. Oa his return ho threatened to throw the nurse over tlio'balcony. After that sho and her husband separated, and she and a. lady cousin .took a house at Darlinghurst, and after that moved to Paddihgton. Her husband came there, and was very abusive, addressing passers-by, tolling them who ho was and how badly, ho had been treated. li* , 1902 sho obtained a maintenance order against her husband for ss, a week in respect of each of tho children. Her previous proceedings for divorce had been abandoned because she had been told that the barrister's fee would ho £50, and. sho had not the money; also that her friends brought their religious scruples to bear so as to influence her against tho proceedings, and .she feared also that divorce might injure her professional career as a singer. The cassis not yet concluded. Ada Grossley in Australia. Madame Ada Crosslcy and her concert party arrived in Adelaide from London by the R.M.S. Orontes on Monday, September 14. The famous singer is accompanied by herhusbaud (Dr. Muecke), and tlipywcro welcomed at tho outor harbour by Mr. H. C. E. Muecke, M.L.C,, and Mrs. Muecke, the members of their family,'* and the Collector of Customs. (Mr. T. N. Stephens). Madame Crosslcy, Dr. Muecke, and Mr. J3au)ilton Earle (tho baritone member of tho company) will bo the guests of Mr, H. C. E. Muecke for a few days. Notos. ' Some amusement was caused, says .the London "Times," at a cpucert recently given iu honour of tho veteran Saint-Saens, tho Composer, who "has done more than anyone else to advance Frcnch music along tho lines of classical development." He came forward to accompany Mrs. Julia Culp's selection from "Samson ct Delila," forgetting that it was to be. given with orchestral '; accompaniment. That, however, was the only thing ho forgot. Ho played his fifth concerto, "with wonderful brilliance • aud accuracy; and although younger players may get a greater volumo of tone out of the piano, noiio excels the veteran pianist iu sound, technique, or in delicacy." Adelina Patti sat 111 a box tho other day when Totrazzilii, for tho first time iu Loudon, sang Rosina-in "The Barber of Seville," : whjoh used to be l\pr own specialty. Tetrazzini, says ono of tho critics, was not . designed by nature for an ideal Rosijia, but i sho "sang both tho set pieces and the rcci- - tatives with great skill, although cleaner chromatic Ecnlcs have been heard,, and not l ' long ago, either," Iu tho lesson scene sha introduced "a surprising ventriloquial trick" whereupon slio was, of course, encored, and "gave another exhibition of vocal gymnas. N tics." Aiid the sad thing about it is that thoro are a hundred who liko that sort of thing to oiio who loathes it because ho is able to appreciate genuine music, which does not .include "ventriloquial tricks ' and other "vocal gymnastics." . 1 Tho statement made a fow months ago i that Padorewski had accepted the post of i director of tho Warsaw Conservatory is now ■ said to bo incorrect. Ho has not yet accepted tho offei 1 mado him; but if a subvention be . granted, aud a suitable edifice crectcd in I place of the present one, he may take charge ■ of the Warsaw institution, where, by the ' way, ho studied under Ragusi, and from > 1879-81 was a teacher of the pianoforte. Schubert died of typhoid fever, which he [ would have esfeaped had be had four Or fivo i pounds to go to tho country for a vacation . on tho fatal summer, as ho wanted to. The i other day the city of Vienna purchased tha • house in which ho was born, paying £4100 . therefor.