MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1336, 13 January 1912, Page 9

MUSIC.

(BY THOLE CLETJ

Humperdinck's New Opera,

"Konigskinder," the new opera, by Humperdinck, tho author of "Hansel and Ciretel." had its first performance in England at Covent Garden last month. Like his earlier opera, it is a fairy story, but unlike that work, it ends in tragedy, for the youthful hero and heroine die together, like the babes in the wood, multifile forest trees. The. critics hesitate, rightly, lo predict on a first hearing whether "ICouigskiiu'er" is likely to rival the mora famous opera in popularity. Tho fact remains, however, that tho new score, according lo them, contains charming music. "The composer speaks his own. language," remarks the "Telegraph." "And how pure and gracious a language it is, to bo sure! To listen to it after the stress and storm of so much twen-tieth-century music is as refreshing as p;ust bo a draught of cool, clear water to one who conies from the heat niul burden of battle. Ilumpcrd'.nelc hero decs liis spiriting with a genllenrss born of an instinctive feeling for the poetry of his art. In his 'Konigskindei-' you will meet with no •orchestral tempests; no noisy climaxes will assail your cars. Yet tho music, notwithstanding its suggestions here and there of a naive simplicity so characteristic of its composer when the child spirit stirs within' him. is as rich, surely, in contrapuntal ingenuities, in adroit manipulation of themes and weaving and inter-weaving of■ melodies, as any that has come from . him. Therein lies Humperdinck's unique charm—the secret, as it seems to us, of the spell tie' casts, witch-like, over his hearers. The very antithesis are his methods to ' li-v-'.o favoured by so many composers of the 'advanced' school. For whereas the latter would seem so often to be proclaiming their sheer cleverness, as it were, at tho tons of theix voices, Humperdinek, on tho other hand, is at pains, apparently, to conceal liis sure command of all the resources of musicianship, and ,lo lull tho more unfonhistieatcd of his hearers into tho beiiof that they are listening to music bv no means elaborately wrought, and as simple at moments as the story it illustrates." Frau Gura-Hunimol was the goose-girl and Tferr Otto Wolf Ihe King's son. A fleck of geete followed the heroine about, and according lo one writer, "behaved with exemnlorv decorum, and cackled with discretion."

Notes. Mr. John M'Cormack's next concert tour of America will open at Vancouver on February 9, and four concerts a week will then be given from Los Angeles to Chicago. Boston, Washington, and other great cities, to New York. Mr. M'Cormnck will open nfc Coveni" Garden in May for the Italian season lasting until July, and will then make a brief motor tour of Ireland (with Mr. Clay still as piunist), including concerts at Dublin, Cork, and Belfast. The tenor will then star for seven months in concerts in America, reopening at Covent Garden May, Wl3. He has contracts after that to 1015, but there is a vacant period from July of four months, and during that time ho fully intends to revisit tho Commonwealth and New Zealand.

Tho wives of some London clubmen recently found a novel way to remind their husbands cf the rapid flight of time at the latter end of the day. On the occasion of tho ICing's Coronation they presented tho club with a beautiful vase. Everybody admired the graceful lines and fine colouring of the ornament, and it was given a prominent place in tho smoking-room. AbouL a week afterwards, just as the clock in the • hall struck tho midnight hour, musical sounds were heard, evidently emanating from the new vase, and the strains of "Home, Sweet Home" hushed the talk of the astonished members. Much indignation is felt, and many of the younger members ai;e wondering if they cannot devise somo gift for the ladies which will musicallv portray the sentiment. "We Won't Go Home Till Morning, Till Daylight Doth Appear."

The violin nsod by the rate Lady Halle (Mme. Norman-Ncruda) is being held in Berlin by the representatives of her estato at a valuation of 2").000dol. It is aSfradivarius, and was in the possession of Ernst before Lady Hallo owned it. Not long age Kubelik paid 20,000d01. for his famous "Emperor" Strad.

In a reeont intorviov; Kubelik complained that 100 many of the younger violinists are liioroly slavish reproductions of their teachers that is to say, tlio Aucr pupils play like Aner, tho Joachim pupils play like Joachim, the Sevcik pupils play like Sevcik, and so on. Tlio" same sort of thing is being said of the younger composejs. and ivill continue to 'be said for countless generations. You cannot make a purse out of a sow's ear, and you cannot make a genius out of a mediocrity. Genius is as rare now as ever it was— even rarer. Nevertheless, the world has advanced enormously a.s regards general ability. In violin playing alone, for instance, a hundred years ago orchestra writers were afraid to go much above the third position for fear they could not get players cajiable of plaving in t.ha higher registers in time. The modern composer soars freely info the blue without the least fear thai liis violinists won't be able to follow him, provided he writes true violin inusic,