MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2132, 25 April 1914, Page 9

MUSIC.

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Ago of "Paul Jones." "The Insect": "Paul Jones" (.Robert Planquetto's ■opera) was originally pro duced in tlio. year IBSO, and is therefore a quarter of a cmtury old. Plauguette's operas .appeared ill the following sequence-"Los Cloches do Corneville," 1877; "I* Chevalier Gaston," 1879 5 "Les Voltigcti*s," 1880: "Han Van Winkle," 1592; "ilia Old thiard, " 1887; "Paul Jones," IS'®>; "Le Talisman," 1893> and' "Man'sello {Juat-'sous," 1897. Robert Planqiietto was born in 185!) ar.d. died in 1803.

Tscliaikovsky Honoured. Russian musical. enthusiasm finds its outward expression in cold cash. Tho "Musical Courier" informs its readers 1 that "moneys that had bceii contributed to placing a Tsehaikovsky statue in St. Pctersberg Conservatory showed an unnecded surplns of 32311 rubles SO kopecks. In 1911 that surpks had been turned over to tho.central body of tho Russian Imperial Musical Society, to bo bestowed upon needy and woftliy composers and musical artists. Tho Imperial Ministry now finds tho fund ample for ■ further application to mat,tors and ob-> jeets going to tho general improvement of .Russian musical taste." A sacred service was recently held over the grave of T«chaikovsky in Moscow- in comnieiTiora-tion o£ tAio twentieth anniversary of W$ death.' Sacred'.©an* tatas of . tlio composer we.re ..sung. Similar services Wfifte'held : in and other large cities. of the -Russian Umpire, and many musical societies participated.

Musical Novelties. • Most important among thcjiicw operas to, bo. produced on the Continent soenis, to bo or "Virandiere," with its scene .- laid after the battie of Leipsig, The heroine is suspected of being a spy, but is really an ardent German patriot, and liclps to guide the soldiers to victory in tho end, A love story is, of course, present as ■part of the plot. "Potiphar," which Strauss has been sotting, turns out to bo aii opera, with text by Count Heiimch von Kessler. Chirpifflticr is working eft "L'Amour da Faubourg," Paul von Klenau's "Sulainitfo," in six: scenes, won high praiso at Munich, the caiuoaser Using tlio full modern orchestra with, striking lyrical richness. Do Lara "Three Masks" has a Coracan subject, dealing witii pa-rental opposition to lovoand a protended death to do away with it. Prague ofters "The Marriage Night," by Zamrzla, and "Uglita," by Piskacek, which does trot sound very eaphonions, but may ntean good music all the sat;:.o. Other stage works include Tk. _ Blumer's two-aot "Karnoval," Hoinrich Pern's incidental nvwsic to tlio "Hcrnnann-sohlae'ht," and 1 Bossi's "Giovamia d'Areo," in a prologue and en.o act. The latter subjects should make a good libretto, but neatly all; its settings seem to bo failures. Chamber music i's represented by a pia.no quintet iwm Mracsck and part of a posthumous jtring quintet by Bruckner. Walter Niemann, is writing an important book on "Music Since Wagner.'', Tlio Alb.isiphoii, tried at Berlin, is a new bass fiiite. A now mechanical violin is" Out, ' with player-piar.o attachment. A German piano invention, makes marks for played nates visibly to tie -eye, scf that mistakes, like children, may heseen 'if Hot heard. Tetfazisiiii, in. an article on singing, warns her readers against attacking a note while still.inhaling ; hut it sounds rather impossible, oven when one tries.—"lStiide,"

How Verdi Taught Tamaeno. l.ii the recalteetions of the first pef~ foi'Manoe Of Verdi's "ptelio" (February 5, 1887), prcs.cni.ed hi Monaldi's biography, 'there, is'giv-cn a luminous account of how Verdi taught tlio leading, rolo of Otello. XJp to this tinw the great Iciior Tainagno bad only been known as a singer with a golden voice. In this performance he becamo distinguished as an. aotor. It- was first JiotiMKl in tlio scon© when Otell-G catnniits suicide. Itall reverts to tho genius of Verdi. In all ill© rehearsals. Vordi had don© bis bost to improvo the acting of Tanmgno, Tho groat tenor oane more aftd more up to Verdi's ideals, but in tho suicide sceno ho seeiiied to fail to pleaso tho great master. -Ono day Verdi lost liis patience. Countless suggestions had failed to move tho singer. Then Verdi took it iipon himself to act the scene-. Tlraso' \vho*«'<sro present were amazed at tho sfiTftftty-fivo-j'G-ar-cld Yerili aetiiig the leading role in his greatest o.pnra-. Standing at the bed of DosdeiiKma he suddenly foil and wiled backward dovrift tlireo stops. All tbosa present iveto so surprised that they thought that he had nil attack of heart disease caused by ovop-excitomcnt, but Verdi was only acting. It wa,s- then that Tamagno got- tlio spirit of. tho scene which made him moro famous than any other of his achievements',-—"Etude."-

Holes. 'flie pj'issc of ene hundred pounds (fivo hundred dollars) offered by the Lomalou "JCvcuiiig News" lor a song for man's voice wus won by Mi'. Albeit Kcte-lbisy. Mr, Ketelbey was educated at ibo London Trinity College of Music, and during t-ljp six ycri.rs ho was there lie won every prixo i'oi- s\iiioh ho was eligible to compote. He bus booh :i rather persistent prize-winner ever since, An opera by Amite Messager, director of the Paris Opera and composer of tko light opera, ''Verimiqne," that was so popular in Now Zealand a few years ago,ivifl shortly bo produced. The "new work is «-'it =.tlo'i ''Beatrice," and wit! have its initial pcjfoimiinco in N-ko early ae-xt isar.