MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2523, 31 July 1915, Page 9

MUSIC.

TBx Tbbdlb Cuutf Choirs and Quality. During tho past week Wellington has witnessed the resuscitation of the Wellington Musical Union, and the first appearance of the Wellington Harmonic Society. Whilst tho performance of .both of these societies wero bright with promise, I do not think that Wellington can ensure that they both, us.well, as the Choral Society, will flourish. One must always estimate the chances of the future on tho experiences of tho past, and if that is done, there is no encouragement for tho existeneo of a multiplicity of choral bodies. Thero is no law against their establishment, and any. lover of ensemble singing would naturally desire to see them all flourish as the green bay tree, but at the same time, does not the very fact of there being so many weaken each one, paving tho way for mediocrity. Tho Choral Society has not progressed chorally during the past four years—if anything it has retrogressed, the Musical Union began with 24 male voices, and the Harmonic Society begins its career with a choir of fifty all told. For such work as was programmed by the latter society the number is sufficient, but the conductor (who appears to bo painstaking and earnest) should, set his intentions resolutely towards an ideal that will mean a gradual improvement in the quality of the i voices. . One voice with an odd timbre can, and often does, spoil a choir of fifty. ■ Something, like a fair test should be made of voiceß before admittance to a choir. ' Mr.' Bernard Page has insisted on that preliminary in the caso 'of tho Operatic Scciety, the chorus of which , is, I am given to understand, showing splendid form.

To America. Mr. Robert Parker, the fine baritone singer with tho Tivoli Follies, is leaving for America in company with Melba and Mr. Frank St. Leger nest month. With the trek to America of nearly every notable musical persona in tho world, the coming season, in the United States is likely to prove not only tho most remarkable in the history of that or any other country, but managerial!}'the competition promises ■to be of a highly feverish character. All tho Italian, German, Austrian, French', and Russian virtuosi are about to stream States-ward, owing to.the prevalence of the charity concert only in those sorelyliarassed countries. America's persistent neutrality has proved a god-send to Continental musicians, and in Now York we find tho lamb lying down with tho wolf, the German artists consorting with Russian and Frenchmen quite friendly with Austrians. Now that Italy is involved, it will ■ he extremely interesting to note tho intermixture of nationalities in the opera casts at tho Metropolitan, where tliey are all paid well enough to sink their national prejudices. The one uncompromisingly hostile maestro now visiting America is Saint-Saens, the French composer, pianist, and organist. To hiin tho German is anathema, and he hopes and prays that they will never degrado his music by playing it in Germany again.

"Chocolate Soldier" Revived. Saturday, July 31,-will mark an important event at Her Majesty's, Melbourne, when "The Chocolate Soldier" will be played with C. H. Workman in his original role of Buinerli, which ho created in London. A;strong cast will be associated with Mr. Workman, including Victor Prince as Massakroff, Reginald Roberts as Alexius, Pearl Ladd as Nadina, Albert Kavanagh as Popoff, Ethel Morrison as Aurelia, and Dorothy Brunton as Mascha... All of the principals have already appeared in their respective roles either in England or Australia. Mr. Charles A. Wenman, who staged tlio first Australian production of the opera, <will again produce, and Mr. Victor Champion will again bo musical director, as in the 'previous productions. "The Chocolate Soldier" will bring the season at Her Majesty's to a close,, running for five nights only.

Death of an Enthusiast. Th© news of Professor Marshall Hall's death in Melbourne will be deeply rogietted by all wlio knew that big genial enthusiast, who has been a leader of musical, endeavour in the Victorian capital for a quarter of a century past. The writer knew the late Professor slighly. It was at. a matinee performance of Saint-Saens' "Samson and Delilah" by tne Melba Opera Company in His Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, that my attention was first drawn to him. After every number I was distracted by tho applause of the loudest handclapper 1 had ever lieurd. His applause .cas so loud, his "bravos" so insistent, that I began to regard the. big man with the beetling eyebrows as a nuisance, au dinqmrcd who lie was., . . "Don't you know who that is?" said the manager in surprise. . j "No-7-unless ,he is a licensed nuisance." "Why, that's Marshall-Hall, of' Melbourne. I thought everyone'knew him." I had heard" of him for years, and now found a curious pleasure in.watchiu ghim. He leaned forward in his seat, all alert, iutenselv interested with both the music and spectacle." Occa-sionally-110 would close his eyes to get only the sound otfect. It was noticed that he never applauded in tho wrong place, and only after some. beautiful oic'hestral passage or a line bit of phrasing on the part of tho soloists. To me he appeared to have tho glowing soul' of a cultured .Latin encased in the physique of a typical "cornstalk." Ho had largo hands, large feet, and' a large heart. Melbourne owes much to his enthusiasm for orchestral music, and for years the ■ Marshall-Hall Orchestra stood for all that was best 'in musio in Australia, until, its foundations were isapped by unionism (which can nover assist art). Some five years ago _Mr. Hall composed an opera entitled "Stella," in'which Miss Rosina Buckmr.nn (of New Zealand) sang the title role. . He had some idea of having it 1 produced in London, but it never eventuated. Miss Rene Queree, of Wellington, was at one time a pupil of Marshall Hall's. <

Charity Concert Epidemic. "Tho charity concert," says Landon Ronald, the well-known composer and director of the Guildhall School of Music, "has spread like bubonic plague. Every member of the musical profession is suffering from it in some form or other. And there aro 110 doctors to deal with it, 110 surgeon to cuit it out, no strong hand to 6toy its deadly course. The free services of all musicians aro looked upon and considered to be the property of tho charity concert-giver, and if any should bo so bold ds to pray for a- small fee t-o pay for out-of-pocket oxpenses they are dubbed 'unpatriotic.' " A sinister aspect of the charity concert business, says a writer in comment, is that social climbers fiud the charity concert an easy step-ladder to the higher strata of society. Charitv covers a multitude of sins, and the sick and needy- must be served, but surely not at tho expense of musicians who are themselves suffering terribly -from tho economic derangements brought about by tho war.

"Wli'at is ail optimist?" asked a Fuller comediennc of lier male partner on a recent evening. "Ail optimist," lio said, "is a man who doesn't caro jvliat happens as lone as it doesn't 'happen to him." "And what is a pessimist?"- was asked. . ' , , "A pessimist is one who has been liy. ,iog a long time .with an optimist I 1 * '