MUSIC MEMORIES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 221, 15 June 1936, Page 6

MUSIC MEMORIES

First New Zealand Festival CONCERTS HELD IN WELLINGTON A Premature Obituary This is the eighth article written by Mr. G. A. Kennedy, of Ilataitai, dealing with bls memories of music and musicians of half a century ago. The previous articles appeared in “The Dominion” on April 2:1. 211. May G. 10. 2«, and June 2 and LT

Mr. Rous-Marten was a well-known journalist as well as being a musical enthusiast. Incidentally lie was also very interested in railways, especially in locomotives. On a visit to England he spent a considerable part of his time travelling on the footplate of the engines drawing the famous express trains of this days, and returned to New Zealand with the reputation of being an expert in railway matters generally. He was, too, one of the few men who had the opportunity of reading their own obituary notice. The circumstances are, I think, worth narrating. It happened that a cable from England had announced the death of Edward Lloyd, and, assuming that this was the famous tenor, RousMarten, who was, I fancy, editor of the “Post” at the time, wrote a fairly lengthy obituary of him. It subsequently transpired that the Edward Lloyd in question was a. member of the well-known shipping insurance firm, so Rous-Marten's obituary had to be amended. Soon after this Rous-Marten himself was taken seriously ill. and at a critical stage of his illness it was reported that he had passed away. Obituary notices duly appeared in the leading papers of the Dominion, but, as in the ease of Mark Twain, the report was greatly exaggerated, and Mr. Rous-Marten had the experience of reading all the nice things usually said of a man when he has shuffled off this mortal coil. For some years Mr. RousMarten was a member of the choir at St. Peter’s, and was quite a figure in local music, both as critic and chorister. . . Prout Piano Quartet. Included in the programme of Mr. Robert Parker’s annual concert ou September 20, 1888, were the quartet for l>iano, violin, viola and ’cello, by E. Prout (Opus 18), played by Messrs. R. Parker, MacDuffi Boyd, A. Hamerton and myself, and Mozart’s quintet for clarinet and strings, played by Messrs. T. 11. Sewell, Mac-Duff Boyd, E. Anderson, A. Hamcrton and myself, and “The Swig of the Little Baltung” (Alice Mary Smith). Mr. Boyd was a -violinist of considerable merit, who resided in Wellington for some years. He was a better soloist than a leader of orchestra or chamber music. I have heard'many good clarinet players, but none with a purer or sweeter tone-than Tom Sewell’s.

That concert was followed uii September 29 by one given by the Harmonic Club, in which “The Revenge” (Stanford) was sung for the first time in Wellington. At that concert Mr. Parker introduced the Slavonic dances of Dvorak as a pianoforte duet with Miss Maud Williams, and Beethoven’s “Romance in G,” for violin and piano, with Mr. Mac Duff Boyd. First National Festival. That year—lBBB—was an epochmaking one in the history of music in New Zealand, as it marked the date of the first New Zealand musical festival. The idea of holding such a festival originated with Mr. Parker, who modelled it, of course, on the great festivals which are held periodically in England. That event was of sufficient importance, I think, to warrant my going into full details of that undertaking. Sir Wm. Jervois, the then Governor, accorded his patronage, and the following committee was appointed to carry it out: Hon. J. W. Fortesque (private secretary ' to the Governor, and who afterward became known at Home as an historian and author), Messrs. Mac Duff Boyd, J. H. Cook, C. F. England, W. T. Glasgow, R. C. Hamerten, C. Hill, G. A. Kennedy, J. E. Page, John A. I’limmer, John Prouse. E. Reeves and IV. Widdop (secretary). The musical director was Mr. Parker. A strong list of guarantors, headed by his Excellency, was secured. The orchestra numbered nearly 50 players, with Mr. Mac Duff Boyd as leader, and the chorus was about 150 strong. The concerts were given in the old drillshed in Maginnity Street, which, was then dignified by the name of the Garrison Hall.

The first performance of the festival was given on November 2!), ISSB. It consisted of Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah,” with Miss Spenseley (soprano). Mrs. Westmacott. (contralto), Mr. J. Puschell (tenor), and Mr. John Prouse (baritone). Mr, Prouse, who was before the Wellington public for many years, made the part of the Prophet peculiarly his- own, and in later years achieved a much wider reputation by his performance of it (improved by special tuition under tue late Sir Charles Santley) than merely a. local one, his merits being recognised by leading musical critics in England. The other principals all came from Christchurch. Miss Spenseley was like a lititle bird, on the platform, and sang like one. Mrs. Westmacott bad a line contralto voice, and Mr. Puschell was an effective tenor, his only drawback being a slight foreign accent. On the following evening an orchestra and miscellaneous concert 'was given with the same soloists, the orchestra playing the Mendelssohn “Midsummer Night’s Dream” overture, the “Ruy Blas” overture, and the orchestra suite “Language of the Blowers” (Cowen) ; the chorus sang “The Messengers of Peace” from "Rienzi” ami the bridal chorus from “Lohengrin” (Wagner i. “The Golden Legend." Ou the succeeding evening there was a grand double programme, which included in the first parr the first symphony of Beethoven, the tenor air “Cujiis Alliman” from Rossini’s “Stabat Mater,” and the solo and chorus "Hallelujah to the lather” (Beethoven), which was followed by tlic lirst performance here of Arthur Sullivan’s "The Golden Legend,” with F. V. ■Waters as Lucifer, Miss .Spenseley as Elsie, Mrs. Westmacott as Ursina, Mr. W. Izard as Prince Henry, and Mr. A. (afterward Sir Alexander) Gray as the Forester. Notwithstanding its extreme difficulty for those times, the work went with a great swing and made a deep impression on the audience. We in the orchestra regarded it at, the most difficult work we had ever tackled, and when attacking a new work subsequently we always measured its difficulties by the standard of “The

GoldSn Legend.” The following note on the programme may be of interest—- “ The committee is greatly indebted to Mr. Henschel wood (of Messrs. Cable and Co.) for preparing the steel bars used as bells in ‘The Golden Legend.’ ”

The festival concluded on the Saturday evening with a performance of Handel’s “Israel in Egypt,” given for the first time in Wellington, and described on the programme as “the greatest choral work in existence.” The magnificent double choruses with which tlie work abounds created the greatest enthusiasm, which reached its climaxin the “Hailstorm Chorus” and “The Horse and His Rider.” There was no denying the clamour of the audience for a repetition of these groat choruses, and for once Mr. Parker waived his rule against encores and yielded to the demand; moreover, I think, very willingly. The festival was an undoubted success from a musical point of view, but, like so many of these ventures, it finished with a financial deficit, the guarantors being called upon for part of their guarantee. ,As a climax, on December 11, ISSS, a complimentary concert was tendered to Mr. Parker by the soloists, orchestra and chorus. There was a miscellaneous first part and a repeat performance of “The Golden Legend.” Less than three weeks later the festival chorus and orchestra gave a performance of the “Messiah,” with Mrs. Levin, Mrs. Webb, Mr. J. E. Page and Mr. John Prouso as principals. And so an eventful year for music was brought to an end.