PROFESSOR LEARNS

Evening Star, Issue 19994, 11 October 1928, Page 5

PROFESSOR LEARNS

FAT WOMEN AND STUPES Dressmaking, chocolates, cooking, and, incidentally, music were some of tho subjects dwelt upon by Dr Peru. C. Buck, King Edward Vll. professor of music at the University of London, addressing the Summer School of Music Teaching at Oxford. “Until last week,” he confessed, “ when I was initiated into the principles of dressmaking, I had no idea that if a person is fat she should wear striped material with a stripe going down, while a thin person should have stripes going across. My two daughters, one of whom is thin and the other fat, amazed me by springing this home truth .upon rao. (Laughter.) I would perhaps have more discrimination over a cigar or box of chocolates.’’ Referring to music, painting, architecture, sculpture, and literature as tho fine arts, Professor Buck said: “Almost any of the fine arts can bo tho means of bringing tears to the eyes of a person, but there are dozens of other arts which are incapable of producing such emotion. Take tho art of cooking. Tho sight of a delicious meringue gives you joy, but all its beauty will not bring tears to your eyes. (Laughter.) Anything you do is an art, while knowledge of how to do it is a science.” Dr George Dyson, director of music at Winchester College, lecturing on early music, described the collection of instruments mentioned in tho Bible story about Nebnchaduezdar as Nebuchadnezzar’s jazz band. “ I am perfectly sure that Nebuchadnezzar did not nave flutes, cornets, psalterys, sackbuts, dulcimers, and harps,” ho said. “Tho translators simply knew that the string of Hebrew words were there, so they put in all tho sixteenth century musical instruments so that people might understand the passage.” Dealing with old dances, Dr Dyson described Cardinal Richlieu (the French statesman-prelate) as “a cross between Mr Baldwin and tho Archbishop of Canterbury.” “Yet,” ho added, “this high and mighty person dressed in purple breeches, bells on his shoes, castanets on his hands, and peacock feathers in his hat, solemnly danced tho saraband, which was the Charleston of Europe at that period, in front of tho French Court,

“ Can you imagine tho Archbishop of Canterbury or Mr Baldwin doing that nowadays? (Laughter.) No, you cannot. because in these days people take dancing frivolously or as a form of good exercise, whereas in those old days dancing was a very serious side of life.” Two of the most enthusiastic members of Dr Dyson’s audience were blind men. one of them with white hair and white beard. They sang with tho aid of Braille.

The audience, particularly the men, were so ardent over tho old forms of music that a number of young men shouted again and again; “Please Jet us sing it once more.” This was despite tho fact that Dr Dyson was somewhat caustic about their efforts.

“My hat. my hat I’* he shouted once, “ for goodness sake don’t scoop a note, but sing in the middle of it. Some of you are not within five minutes’ walk of it.” “ I consider that the thirteenth century ‘ Summer is a-coming In ’ should become a national anthem. It is unique for ite date and beauty, and in some respects is greater than any music before or after it.” declared the speaker.