MUSIC MEMORIES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 198, 19 May 1936, Page 6

MUSIC MEMORIES

Outstanding Wellington Pioneer * MR. J. H. OTTO SCHWARTZ Further Recollections of Mr. G. A. Kennedy IV. The third article of this series of recollections of musical happenings in Wellington in the early days, as related bv Air. (I. A. Kennedy, of Hntaltnl, Wellington, appeared in our issue of -May 6. 1 made my first appearance with orchestra at a concert given in the old Athenaeum Hall, on Lambtou Quay, by Sir. Sydney Wolf, R.A.M., on November 8, 3880. Mr. Wolf was a funny little dark man, evidently of Jewish extraction. Notwithstanding the highsounding letters he always added to his name, he bad really very little claim to musical pretension of any kind. He was however, immensely persevering, and,’ by dint of repetitions, which were insisted upon ad nauseam, would hammer the most unpromising material in the way of a chorus into something like shape. It was in this way that Quite good results were obtained in a performance of "The Sorcerer’’ by the Choral Society under his direction on December 7, 8 and 9, 1880. My programme, strange to say, does not give the names of the principals on that occasion, and I do not remember who they were, but the performance was a great success, and the chorus got a lot of fun out of it.

In the programme of a concert given in the Athenaeum Hall in August, 1881, in aid of the organ .fund for St. Peter’s Church, there appear two names for the first time in these memoirs—namely, that of Mr. Hautrie West, who conducted, and Mr. J. H. Otto Schwartz. Mr. West was for some years organist and choirmaster at St. Peter’s. He also conducted several concerts in this city, but his musical attainments do not call for much comment. Ou the other hand, Mr. Schwartz was a prominent figure in orchestra and chamber music in Wellington for many years. He and his brother Guido (a french horn player) hailed from Hamburg, but in speaking it would have been difficult to find any trace of the foreigner in Otto. He was without doubt the most enthusiastic amateur instrumentalist I have ever met. He used to get all the catalogues of British and German music publishing firms as they were issued; then, having made a selection, he would send an order which in due time would be delivered at his office (he was secretary of tlie 'Wellington Building and Investment Society) in the shape of several bulky brown paper parcels, the contents of which were always at the disposal of the Orchestral Society or chamber music combinations, of which I shall have something to say later. Chamber Music. Iu addition to supplying the Orchestral Society with the score and parts of any work chosen for performance, Otto would sit up night after night burning the midnight oil copying parts, duplicating, or transposing parts to suit the capacity of the orchestra we had at that time. Indeed, to such an extent did lie perform this labour of love that his eyes failed, and more than once he had to spend some weeks iu a dark room until they had recovered from the strain. Mr. Schwartz played the violin, viola and ’cello with equal facility, and at one time, to fill a gap, took the oboe- Like nature, Mr. Schwartz abhorred a vacuum, and would spend hours In rearranging parts so that there might be nothing missing from the harmony. His supreme delight, however, was chamber music. It would not be saying too much to state that he was the father of chamber music in Wellington. He undertook the training of several of the younger players in this the most fascinating branch of the musical art, and on many occasions did we sit up until midnight exploring the beauties of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Mendelssohn. Schwartz was always anxious to tackle Brahms, but the intricacy of that composer's tempos always proved a little too much for us, aud we returned to the more straightforward work of the other composers I have named with a sigh of relief. To see Otto Schwartz on those occasions was to see him at his best. He would divest himself of his coat, light his pipe—which was never kept alight for more than a minute or two, and involved the expenditure of a huge stack of matches during the evening—then at his signal off we went, Schwartz leading with such vigour as to bring beads of perspiration on hi*, brow. Then there would be an interval at the end of a movement, and he would say “Guido boy, open some beer.” Guido would disappear, to return wiWi a tray of glasses and a jug of beer. After partaking of this refreshment, Otto would light his pipe, which promptly went out, aud would resume playing with renewed energy. Mr. Schwartz always summed up the capacity of au instrumentalist by bis ability to play chamber music. He might be a heaven-boru soloist, but it’ lie could not play chamber music, Schwartz dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “No good,’’ lie would say, ‘‘l’ve tried him.” First Thought for Score. One litWe incident may be related before closing this very brief and inadequate sketch. Schwartz was living somewhere on the slopes of Mt. Victoria, McFarlane Street, I think, and one night an alarm was given that, the house was on fire. It chanced that evening that Schwartz had taken home from his office, where it had arrived by mail that day, the score of Spohr’s “Nonebto.” He had laid it on the piano, and at the alarm of tire his first thought -was of this precious score, fie made a dash down to the drawing-room and, having secured the music and conveyed it to a place of safety, he returned to watch with equanimity the efforts of the firemen which were happily successful. The gramophone aud phonograph, as it was first called, had just made its appearance when Otto Schwartz passed on, and wireless was quite unknown, but I have often thought when listening to the splendid broadcasts of orchestral and chamber music by the best of world’s artists, how keenly he would have enjoyed and analysed these performances. Included in the programme of a very attractive concert given by Mr. Cotterill on August 30, 1881. was a violin solo by Mr. George .Tones, M.H.R. Mr. Jones, who hailed from Oamaru, in addition to being a politician, was a wellknown pressman and an enthusiastic amateur musician. He was a fine violinist, ami also specialised iu brassband music. He conducted choral societies aud brass bauds In Oamaru f-'r many years. When the sramophono

made its appearance he became an enthusiastic collector of records, and must have accumulated one of the finest libraries in New Zealand. Iu the concert lie played a little piece called “Les Bergers Watteau,” by Perrier, Mr. Parker accompanying him. On inquiring at Relehardt’s, then the principal music warehouse in Wellington. I was delighted at being able to obtain a copy. 1 have never heard anyone else play it since.