ANCIENT INSTRUMENTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 84, 6 October 1909, Page 3

ANCIENT INSTRUMENTS.

AN INTERESTING LECTURE. Mr. Henry Saint George, visiting ex« aminer for Trinity ~- College of Music, London, gave a most interesting lectur« last evening hi Sydney -street Hall on the viola d'araore and viola da gama, instruments, wliich. were in vogue some three centuries ago, sa"id the lecturer. He was entirely unconventional in his remarks, treating his audience as friend* and using language which was as frea from technical expressions as it was possible to be in the circumstances. Aftee giving tho history of the instrument* with which he dealt, he performed 9 number of pieces upon thorn, including old French and Dutch compositions, and* m the case of the former, an anonymous piece. The Mayor (Dr. Newman) presided and warmly commended Mr. Sains George for affording a unique opportun-r ity for people in New Zealand to hear music played on instruments which weif now very rarely heard at home. Ths lecture was enjoyed as fully as tha Mayor predicted it would be, and- the j expressions of thanks for hearing it werj appreciative and sincere. To very many, as the Mayor thought: they would be, Mr. Saint George's olx j servations threw an entirely new light I upon the music of olden times. The: lecturer showed how the viola d'amora. was originally an English invention oi one Daniel Parrant, but it was reintrc^ duced into England by the Italian Ari< osto; it was also brought into promiiw j encu by Bjononcini and Handel. AU I though the finest instruments were .mads 1 in England three centuries ago, 'they ■ had to be sent to France for the necks ' which were not made so perfectly in tha country of origin. The viola d'amore. was used as a solo instrument, and pieces were not written for it; but so-called) lessons" were, the performer extemporising on it, using at as a means ofl expressing his individuality, which fact, by the way, should be borne- in mind* by young musicians when rendering piece. Over expression was often fol, lowed by a grotesque caricature of tha, piece with alarming results, as examine ers well knew. So far as was' known, j there were but eight to twelve perform, ers on the viola d'amore in Europe today, and yet it was, as Mr. Saint Georg* gave abundant proof, a most beautiful instrument, and eminently 'euited toe modern music. * The viola cla gamba' -was the bass viol, a name often wrongly, given to the double or contre-bass. Mr. Saint George also played upon this in-! strument ancient and modern music giving selections from de Caix Hervetois!' and also from Chopin. When these two instruments were in the hey-dey of their popularity, said Mr. Saint George, the viQhn was not so popular, in fact, it was not considered a reputable mera-, ber of the fiddle family, and was do, scribed as "the scolding violin." A gentleman who claimed to know music then was expected to play upon the lute, harpsichord, organ, all the viols, and upon many weird wind instruments now, long defunct. He had also to be able to sing at sight. Mr. Saint George not only played* many pieces upon the viola d'amore and the viola da gamba, but he also played on the violin Vieuxtemps' "Reverie "> and^ Sarasate's "Zapateado," both- of which are remarkable for their executive difficulties as for their own particular charms, and to give his hearers a taste of his quality as a pianist he played the second movement from . Beethoven's Sonata, op. 23. The lecture was manifestly much enjoyed by 'the large audience, who wore most enthusiastic in their applause of the various numbers. Mr. S. Cimino's ' accompaniments, where they were required, were artistically played on a fine Brinsmead.