MUSIC AND RECORDS

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 111, 3 February 1934, Page 19

MUSIC AND RECORDS

(By

C.J.M.)

Links with Brahms. According to "Music in New Zealand,” Mr. L. D. Austin, the Wellington musician, is one of the few people in tlie Dominion who have ever seen Brahms. It is interesting to note in tins connection,” adds "Orpheus” of tlie "Auckland Star,” that Mrs. May Boult, the' energetic and very capable secretary of the Auckland branch of tlie Society of Musicians, hud, in her student days in Germany, the great privilege of seeing and hearing Brahms play in Berlin. At the same time Mrs. Boult heard the great friend of the composer. Joachim, the violinist, play. A Much-Prized Scholarship. A much-prized scholarship in music, held at Worcester College, Oxford, has been won by Denis Mason Mulgan, aged 18, eldest son of Mr. Geoffrey Mulgan, an old Grammar School boy, now living in London. The chief subjects for examination were organ playing, choir training, harmonising of chorales, and a general knowledge of music. Denis Mulgan was educated at Charterhouse, taking a good place in tlie classical side, but left last year to study modern languages at the London University. He has attended the Royal College of Music, playing several instruments and conducting orchestras. Airs. Geoffrey Mulgan (nee Doris McIntyre) is remembered iu musical circles in Auckland and Christchurch as an accomplished violinist. School Orchestras. Aluch has already been done in England and in America to foster instrumental music in tlie schools (says "Music in New Zealand” in the editorial for its January issue—a bright number). Here in New Zealand only vocal music is officially recognised as being suitable for inclusion in school time tables. There is it very great deal to be said for properly organised school bands and orchestras. In the first place, the teaching of vocal music is severely handicapped in technical and secondary schools by the inevitable "breaking” of boys’ voices. Of course, vocal music can still be carried on, but much more artistic and interesting results can be obtained by concentrating at this stage upon instrumental groups such as the orchestra and the military (or brass) band. Actual experience has proved quite definitely that New Zealand boys are hungry for instrumental music in which they can take part. Wherever there is a school band, there we find undoubted enthusiasm. Here is Hie opportunity to inculcate those principles of unselfish co-operation which tire taught so consistently through tlie school games and which can be no less successfully taught through the school’s instrumental musical activity. Hero is also lite opportunity to provide music for school massed physical training, for school cadet corps, and for tlie accompaniment of school community singing. Here again Hie future bandsmen and orchestral players of tlie Dominion can be brought up to think rightly about their musical duties to the community. They etui lie taught that they must sacrifice -self for tlie good of tlie group. They can be taught that loyalty to tin organisation makes a far greater claim upon (hem than considerations of monetary reward. They can learn that it is possible to bo a musician and at the same time to be a gentleman. Australian Composers. At its annual musical competitions this 'year the Murwilhnnbah Alusicai Festival Society will make a commendable effort to stimulate interest in the work of Australian composers. The committee asked Dr. Keith Barry to compile a schedule containing as many Australian compositions as was reasonably possible. Tlie programme is now complete, and it contains works by local composers in every section except one. In the choral section, for example, the set pieces include work's by AHctor Alassey. Alfred Barry, G. C. Percival, James Brash, and A. J. Steel. Elsewhere, in Hie schedule occur works oy Frank Hutchens, Alfred Hill, Lindley Evans, Louis Lavater. Do Giorgio, Varney Alonk, and Dr. Barry himself. "Some of us feel,” writes Dr. Barry, "that Australian artists and Australian authors have given their' country reason to lie proud of their work, and that, there is already it big sale of Australian tiiclures and Australian books. It is our faith that, given similar opportunities, wc have among us composers who can reach a similar standard and perhaps bring similar honours to their country.” Musical Frost in Germany.

“We nrc navigating ihe first shallows of a sterile music season,” writes Hie Berlin correspondent of Hie "New York 'Times.” "Not even Hie most optimistic pretend that. Berlin lias much to look forward to this coming winier of anxious uncertainty and sinister forebodement.. The October concert schedule —usually of heroic dispensation—contrasts abjectly with the one now unfolding in New York. I understand that over there thirteen recitals are booked for the Town Hall alone. Yet Berlin’s five concert halls offer together only sixteen events for the entire month, and of these not more than ten can with tlie best will in tlie world be called important. There have been further cancellations by prominent foreign musicians since my last communication —among them, as I then prophesied, (lie much-worshipped Alfred Cortot. Boor Fnrtwnngler has been tearing out his yellow hair in his despairing efforts to bag a few prominent non-Gerinan for his Philharmonic evenings. Outside of Waller Gieseking. Lottie Lehmann, and 'Wilhelm Backliaiis. his list of soloists reads about us discouragingly ns tlie programmes lie lias compiled. For all of which the Nazis have only themselves, their ‘Aryan paragraphs,’ and their pernicious ‘cultural’ doctrine to thank. ’■

Larsen’s Impressions of Europe. Mr. Hugo Larsen, who is now in Sydney making arrangements for the forthcoming season of Pouishnoff and Harold Stevens at tlie Town Hall, left Europe only a few months ago after a tour which took him to most of Hie musical centres of tlie Continent. “Ex eept in Berlin.” hq said, "music is flourishing as it has not done since tlie war. In Paris, now flic world’s ‘music centre.’ more than Iwo thousand concerts, and operas were given during Hie last year. Chaliapin's season of Russian opera was the most outstanding musical event of the year. Chalia]>in told me he had very happy recollections of Australia, and if a suitable guarantee could be found he would be willing to product 'a season of Russian opera in Australia. In Vienna Kriesler’s operetta ‘Sissy was having a marvellous run at Theater an der Wien, while Jeritza was drawing enormous houses at tlie Opera. I spent a very delightful day at Hie home of Franz Leliar. whose Infest work ‘Guiditta’ will shortly be produced in Vienna will) Tmiber and Jerilza in flip lending roles. There lias never, I am sure, been so large a uum-

her of first-rate artists appearing in London as at iircscnt. To-day London is a close second to Paris as a musical centre.” Sea Chanties. "1 must go down to the seas again,” sang Alasetield —but lie sang of the days of sail ami tlie sea chanty. In these days of oil and steam propulsion and of luxury liners the voice of the cliant.vman is stilled, and the chorus on the clipper or tlie packet is heard no more on the seven seas," says H.T.11.” in the Brisbane "Courier-Alail.” Even on Hie few sailing ships that are left mechanical Ims largely replaced manual operation; the pulling songs and the windlass songs are disused. While still a few old men of sail survive, who may recall the genuine chanties, those should be collected, published, and preserved as a link with a stirring past. Occasionally some “sailor chanties” find a place on a concert programme. Alen who were seafarers in days that are gone declare indignantly, however, that these are not the "real thing": they are suggestions, adaptations, modernised forms, inadequate and inaccurate efforts to recapture the true spirit of the song. AVhat an Australian, Percy Grainger, lias done abroad for the folk song,some one may do for the chanty in the ports of Australia, of England, or of America, where a sprinkling of ”o:d salts” remain. Admittedly there ate chanties of the old convention available, but not readily. All that can ba assembled should toe arranged and published authoritatively. There are still sailing ships coming to Australia for the annual “wheat race.” but they are comparatively few. No help in gathering ancient sea, songs need be expected from the men on these vessels, which are mostly manned by foreigners. It is 15 years since' a sailing ship lias been seen in the port of Brisbane. The practice of chanty singing has died our. since the last days of the packet ships that ran between Liverpool and New York until tlie late 40's, and the East Indiamen until the CO’s or 70’s. Tlie IVestminster Glee Singers and the bandsmen of the Australian Broadcasting Commission Alilitary Band have sung chanties in Brisbane, and through their tours, but. as indicated, these are not regarded by oid seafarjng meu as tlie genuine article: the form and the spirit have been lost. The pulling songs facilitated the : simultaneous pull on the rope. The windlass songs relieved the sailors of the intensity of the tedium and hard work in raising (he anchor or working the pumps. A line or two would be sung by the chanty-man, and a line of two by the sailors, and so on iu turn. A distinction was that the windlass song had two choruses, and Hie pulling song only one. In a description of Ihe chanty it was written that the choruses were Hie fixed and determining qualities'of each song, while th” lines sung by the ehantymtiii were left in a measure to his discretion. The latter was always at liberty to improve at his own pleasure. He was also permitted to vary slightly the melody of his part. The accomplished chantyman was master of certain tricks of vocalisation, which could not be reproduced in print, but which contributed greatly to the effectiveness of his singing. If he were an artist of any real cultivation, a chanty-man had nt least 70 songs at his tongue’s end. A Hymn for the Dairy. When Sir Arthur Sullivan composed his immortal hymn tune. "St. Gertrude,” he could not have foreseen that it would be put to commercial use in far-off Neiv Zealand. Yet (says “Orpheus” in the "Auckland Star”) this has come to pass. An English girl who started a small dairy farm not far from Auckland, made the interesting confession the other day that when she first tried her inexperienced hand at milking the cows refused to respon l to her efforts, so, having read soincwhere that animals are susceptible io music, she tried singing to them. But "Dolly” - and "Pansy” did not: take notice until she tried the favourite professional hymn. "Onward Christian Soldiers.” when there was an inunediijte and gratifying response, and she now always milks to this tune! Should any traveller, carefully picking his way along the side streets of New Lynn, hear familiar strains rising in the evening air, he need not assume that they are audible evidence of devotional fervour. Just judging from tlie quality of tlie milk alone, the writer lias a shrewd suspicion that his milkma.t milks his cows to Hie tune of "On the Banks of Allan Water.”

Gifietl Younj New Zealander. When John Brownlee, Hie noted Ausiralian baritone, was in Auckland about twelve months ago lie told "Orpheus” of Hie "Auckland Star” that he had just given an audition to a youth who possessed a remarkable bass voice, and for whom he predicted a great future if. and here’s tlie rub, lie could get ihe needful financial support to go abroad to get expert tuition. The name of Hie singer, he said, was Oscar Natzke. Since then Mr. Anderson Tyrer, tlie well-known English pianist, who was in Auckland recently examining for the Trinity College of Music, has heard Natzke and considers his to be one ol tlie finest natural voices be has ever heard, and is most enthusiastic about the possibilities of this young singei, who. he says, is most decidedly a great "liiid." Oscar Natzke was born in Te Awamutu, his lather being a Russian, who was born in Germany, and his mother a New Zealander. His greatgrandmother. it might be mentioned, was a well-known Russian soprano, it was not until about three years ago that his phenomenal voice developed, and it is one of those wonderful bass organs which appear tfi be peculiar to those of Russian birth, very powerful and sonorous, and of an exceptional range, covering three octaves. _ Mr. Anderson Tyrer describes his voice as being ideal for an operatic basso, while Mr. Homer Samuels, the husband of Madame Galli-Curei. who also heard him sing, says that Oscar Natzke is a counter-bass and compares his voice to that of Chaliapin, the famous Russian singer. Miss Mary Campbell, the wellknown Melbourne teacher of singing, who is on a visit to Auckland at present. and who is considered to be one of the foremost authorities on singing in tlie Commonwealth, also considers that this young singer has a great career as a vocalist before him. and I hat an endeavour should be made to send him to London to study under Dinh Gilly. the famous French teacher of operatic singing, who taught Join) Brownlee. On a recent afternoon a number of people interested in music were given an opportunity of hearing him in the Lewis Eady Hall and were profoundly impressed by the exceptionally tine quality and tlie great range of his voice. It is to be honed that some day. in tlie near future, a scholarship will he created lo assist young male singers to go abroad and be trained, and if a great singer, such as Oscar Natzke promises to become, is found in New Zealand, it would lie a goal