WORLD of MUSIC

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 March 1925, Page 7

WORLD of MUSIC

NOTES AND COMMENTS. *A very considerable activity is being evinced in the various local musical organisations, and each has some special work in course of preparation, a fact that speaks well for the musical life of the town and district* liesides the actual work done, it means that a very large number of the young members of the town are busy with an interest that is all to their own good as well as that of the society to which they belong, and through that to the interest of the community. Any artistic pursuit which has the effect of creating enthusiasm amongst those who

follow in its train has a good effect individually and collectively, and therefore it is the duty of the whole community to encourage all such forms of effort. This may be done in various ways, but one of the most effective and practical is through the medium of honorary membership and .-attendance at the performances when the work for which preparation has been made is produced. By these two methods the societies are helped financially, a most necessary and valuable form of assistance, and encouraged from a performer’s point of view, for nothing nerves a body of singers, players or actors to continued effort more than a large audience. There is room for more encouragement by the community to all local societies. ... It has been wittily said that ‘‘Singing is the only heavenly hobby on earth, and the only earthly hobby in heaven.

' CHURCH CHOIRS. St. Mary’s choir and the Methodist and Presbyterian choirs are hard at work on a work suitable lor Passion Week, 'and practices are going along well with each choir. In this, as in all other similar bodies, every member should take a personal interest 111 backing up the effort of the choirmaster. It is wonderful help and encouragement. Only those who have had experience “know * the difficult lies besetting the choirmaster and organist in their effort to keep their choirs up to a good standard of efficiency, and with that feeling of striving always after improvement so necessary to success. Choirs are generally vomitary bodies, and do, mostly with very little expression of •appreciation, wonderful work week by week the whole year round. The choirmaster has to be striving all the time to maintain the interest of his members and to get new and appropriate music suited to the capacity of his choir, in order to foster an enthusiasm, without which no real success can be attained. He is the subject, more often than not, of a good deal of criticism, mostlv destructive, and altogether he must be imbued with a distinct love of the work to continue his efforts. It seems as if all- this work, done so ungrudgingly, might be better encouraged by church people generally, and no doubt it would he if they gave the matter a little thought. A word of advice was given by a musician of great experience when writing on the subject. He urges choirmasters to see, that all they attempt is not beyond the powers of his choir, and to ensure' that in all that is done musically in every .respect the, effort is made to see that it .is done to the very best of the powers of the' choir. This is what a well-known cleric has to say on the subject, a man who is generally quoted on very different subjects'. In an exchange recently _ was the following extract: —The Archbishop of York has uttered an appeal to the English churches to raise the standard of the music at divine service. By this he does not by any means intend to encourage more elaborate music. The unsatisfactory performance at many church services is. in fact, due to an attempt at something more elaborate than the occasion or the ability of the choir warrants. Pretentious anthems, seldom worth the paper they are printed on. are commonly essayed in places where the choir have never troubled to learn to chant properly. Church musical performances should he based on the adequate execution, first, of the simplest essetnials, and next oii the principle of avoiding the effect of music for musical display’s sake. , The w'ork selected by St. Mary's choir is that fine sacred cantata “Passion of the Cross.” by F, A. Challinor, Mus. Doe. . It is described as a cantata Inr «nli Jinrl flmrns; with hvrrmw for rtnn-

gregational use. It therefore should appeal to choir and congregation alike. Good solid work lias been, and is being, done by the choir under the direction of their choirmaster, Mr. G. A. Burgess. The cantata is creating keen interest amongst the members. At the Methodist Church the work to be. performed is Sir John Stainer’s well-known Passion Week cantata, “The Crucifixion.” The conductor is Mr. Matthew Newberry, and he advises that they intend to take up “Olivet to Calvary” shortly after Easter. The Presbyterian choir, under Mr. Clement Howe, will be giving selections from Handel's “Messiah.” These will include about four choruses and a similar number of solos. It will make a

capital programme. On Tuesday next Mr. Howe will give .his second organ recital at the Presby- ’ ter ian Church. His programme will be formed from the organ works of Bach. Handel and Mendelssohn.

OPERATIC SOCIETY. While in Christchurch last week, Mr. J. G. Osborne, business manager of the society, made inquiries of the work of the work the southern society were tackling. He found it was “Skntoy,” and on asking why they chose that, his informant said it was the only one practically available. The choice of a work is most important to a society which must always go ahead when once they have made a name. Mr. Osborne is very anxious to delve into Gilbert and Sullivan’s wonderful operas, and suggests “Pirate of Penzance. ” This has always been a popular selection from a large field and would, we feel sure, be immensely popular, iind attract as much as any that could be selected. The year’s work of the society will lie looked forward to with very live interest.

MALE CHOIR. One of the interesting features of the work of the choir at present is.preparation for the visit of Ethel Osborn, the famous soprano, who is on a farewell tour of the Dominion before going Home to study further. This, in itself, should be an inducement to the people to attend the concert, quite apart from the fact that she is a singer of outstanding quality. The Male Choirs of New Zealand sponsored the first visit of this capable artist, and therefore the honour of opening her concert next week, has been conferred on the Hawera Choir. It is up to every mem.

her to make special efforts to see that their work is in every way worthy of the occasion, and each .member can individually assist in this object. Their work towards the season’s livst concert goes a. long way. Their conductor, Mr. Howe, is an enthusiast, and lie is naturally anxious to see that their first performance under his baton is a credit to him, as to them. In this it is up to every mem bey to assist, and some personal effort will be the readiest and most effective way of achieving this desired end. It it, too, good for the individual as for the society.

ORCHESTRAL WORK. There is said to be still a move in the direction of the formation of a society on the lines of the old society of some two years ago. There are a very large number of instrumentalists in the town, and most of them are keen on the work but, as suggested before. it would seem wiser for the orchestra to be attached to a strong choral society. No doubt, then means could be found to give the orchestra full scope for their own particular work. It is a phase of musical effort that certainly deserves the heartiest encouragement. MUNICIPAL BAND. Good progress still, continues to he made, and the band has recently been strengthened bv the addition of one or two good men from abroad. This will be a valuable help, and there is a possibility of more. The' band are most anxious to secure fresh instruments, bass especially, which are most urgently required. Had they new instruments it would be possible to train a junior band, from which to draw members as

PERSONAL. Mr. E. C. Cachemaille. Dominion Secretary of the Associated Board of R.A.M. and R.C.M. London, was in Hawera on Tuesday. In the course o.t a short conversation on musical matters, Mr. Cachemaille said that the work of the Board had grown very much in all the English speaking countries. and the spread in musical efforts was shown by the fact that similar institutions hail also increased their scope of work very largely. The Board, however. had not relaxed their standard in any way, hut if at' all, had raised it. A Royal Charter was granted to the Academy in 1830, by King George IV, and to the College by King Edward in 1883. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1882, and opened a year later to the public. MUSIO IN SCHOOLS. TRAINING OF TEACHER AND PUPIL, In an address on “Music in Schools” at the Auckland Rotary Club, Mr. • Barry Ocmey. a. leading teacher, referred to the fact that what had been done in the past in the direction of introducing: music, into the schools had been of a-,Vague and unsatisfying nature. There had been a, great deal of suggestion! arid too little instruction. Too much had. been left to the discretion of the headmaster. The speaker thought that from 15 to 20 minutes daily should be devoted to the musical education of children in the primary schools. At the same time it should be remembered that bad singing was worse than none. It ahvlays seemed difficult to understand why so much attention was paid to the matter of teaching by visual methods —such, as drawing—to _ the neglect of that through the sister senses.

Children should be taught to breathe properly. By simple exercises they could be prevented from tbe tendency to inflate themselves like frogs, with a seeming danger of bursting. Singing would have n.n influence on the pronunciation of vowel sounds. Mr. Barry Coney advocated the proper teaching of rhythm. so that they would have this sense strongly developed. 11l teaching the rendering of vocal music instruction on the tonic sol fa system should be simultaneous with instruction on the staff notation. To limit children, to the tonic sol fa. was to limit their choice of songs. Training allege students should he thoroughly trained and their examination should demand an intimia-te knowledge of musical subjects, since teachers .should be responsible for the instruction of children in singing. The singing should he Under the •supervision of competent men, and women, who could act in an advisory capacity to teachers and department. The speaker thought a director of musical education, should be appointed for the Dominion. Gramophones should he u..«ed in the schools with records selected by the mu.sicial director and accompanied with an explanatory note, so as to make the selections interesting. Early instruction in .matters musical resulted in much hajunnesis and personal improvement in alter life, said the speaker. An intelligent interest in music could be awakened early, and it wa.s to be hoped, that the day was not far distant when music would be given its proper recognition in the schools. The speaker thought that properly organised competitions for school choirs. held annually throughout New Zealand, would prove beneficial. Failing competitions. a school choir festival, would do much to arouse interest. (Applause.)

EFFECT O F GOO D M IJSJC. AIR. TEMPLE WHITE’S OPINION. In the course of his remarks at the annual meeting of the Royal Choral Union, Mr. O. E. Webb struck a pessimistic note when he attributed the falling off in the patronage accorded to the union’s concerts to the increasing number of higli-class musical artists who visited New Zealand. .Mr. H. Temple White said that the more good music we got the more keen would the taste be for it. “The pending visits of such groat artists as Kreis. ler, Galli-Curci, and Sir Henry Wood’s Queen’s Hall Orchestra,” he proceeded, “will do a great deal to foster a love of the best in music, and societies such is ours will reap the benefit. I am inclined to stress the matter of the lack of individual enthusiasm. The small receipts from tickets sold by members show a deplorable apathy. Members should take a little more pride in their society—if they had that feeling of pride they should have, nothing could stay our progress. In most of the small societies the members make a point of securing at least one honorary member every year. That is a very good rule, and this society should have no difficulty in securing a hundred new members each year.”

AN OVERDUE APPOINTMENT

At last the Education Department is going to put the study of music in schools under the direction of experts (says an exchange). The Minister recently announced that two specialist instructors, one for each Island, were ■ to lie appointed, whose first duty should be to review the teaching'of the training colleges, and the next duty to write a syllabus of instruction for use in the post-primary schools. The present singing syllabus was indelinite. A syllabus of instruction would be drawn up for each class. Education boards had been invited to establish instruction classes for teachers. Further, inspectors would give special attention to this subject this yerir with a view to the detailed syllabus of instruction being complied with. Singing improved not only the speaking voice and pronunciation and health of the pupil, but bad a high cultural value, emphasising us it did the right community spirit. And if so good for post-primary pupils, why not , for the primary schools ? Well, that may follow, in the meantime those who are interested in this subject will be gratified for the promise of more to follow. MUSIC 1 IN THE FACTORY. To stop the girls they employ from talking, a Tottenham hosiery factory is encouraging them to sing. A gramophone' has been installed in the workrooms. and when the machinery is running the gramophone is put on. ‘•Chattering interferes with output more seriously than almost anything else.” said a works official, “but the gramophone, while it does not distract their attention from their work, encourages .them to sing and stimulates them mentally.’’ '