WORLD of MUSIC

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 25 July 1925, Page 7

WORLD of MUSIC

NOTES. The Sistine Choir Soloists gave no fewer than. 17 concerts in two weeks in Sydney. Mr, Bernard Page, Wellington city organist, gave his 400tli organ recital in Wellington last Sunday night. Tne Royal Squadron Syneopators are the latest jazz band to arrive in Australia from America. Evidently the days and night— or jazz are not ended. Alias Marie Burke, of **Wild-flower.” acted as song leader at the community singing in Auckland on 'Wednesday. The proceeds of these gatherings this season are to go to the Jubilee Institute for the Blind. The Veterans of Variety in Sydney arc reviving the song hits of thirty years ago —“After the Ball.'' “Daisy. Daisy, dive Me Your Answer. Do,” “Oh, Mr. Porter,” “Two Little Girls in Blue,” etc. The audience joins in singing the choruses lustilv. Mr. James Watson, conductor of the Lithgow Brass Band. New South Wales, has been appointed conductor of th© Wanganui Garrison Band. He. is a young man who was recommended by Mr, Schugg, conductor of the Malvern Tramway Band, Mellvourno.

11 AAV El? A COMPETITIONS. MUSIC A L AND ELOC U I lONA KY. I’tospecx* ior the cu.npeLiUons next moii.Ui, uimer tlie auspices ul tne tlawera, Mate Utimr. ate icpotcecl to be very good indeed. Jnqtiny is coming fionii all quairtei.s! lor tlie soiledule, aim emibraces all classes, ot work. It certainly would appear tiiax- tlie success ul the Conipetitnou- for 192,5 irs assured. The demand for schedules, is very gratifying to the committee. A feature tried out this year is lor choirs, not necessarily chinch, choirs. The limit, is placed at 15 to 20 voices, but it would appear to have been wise to have had another clivss lor a larger number of voices. It ie. ho |>ed that masters of choirs all over the district will support the committee by entering. There is little reason why every district imind Tanaiimki .should not have one or more entries. 'I his week at Maugatoki a vocal trio, first accompanied and then without accompaniment. was on the programme of a Farmers' Union concert. The work done was simple, but it was exceedingly well and intelligently done, and shows that there is: musical npprccia'tion as at other places. It should be I added, too. that, the trio wa.s one of the.most popular numbers- on the programme. Manaia. have their glee club, and are doing good work. It. is hoped that the competitions will have a mutually beneficial result, that they -will oaiuse the formation of more small Koe.ieties. and that the competitions will benefit therefrom.

OPERATIC SOCIETY. Excellent progress is still being tirade with “The Toreador,” the chosen opera for this .season for the .society. The opsi a is a very popular work, and wherever it has been staged, has proved a great attraction. • it has recently been produced with milch success in Sydney by one ol the local societies. The practice's recently held in Hnwera have been marked by much enthusiasm. They have proved that the numbers in tho chorus are steadily growing, and in addition there appears' to ho no difficulty in .securing principals for the leading parts. Everything i.s going ahead most -satisfactorily.

DUNEDIN EXHIBITION. One of tho attractions being prepared lor \ isitors to the big exhibition in Dunedin by the Diiector of Amuse men Is (Mr. ,>eott Co’. > ilk:; i.s a season of comic opera. The Exiuoitiou Operatic Society has been for meet, with tne Governor-General (Sir Charles rergusson; an patron, to organ Jse » strong combinat.on or soloist.', chorus and orchestra. The Society will have the bene.it of Air. Gesture S apoffski’.s long experience in training th« chorus and leaning the orchestra, and a profess.onal conductor wjli be engaged. Finance is guaranteed by the exhibition authorities. It is proposed to stage a musical comedy the first week, and something a. little more advanced during the second, but whatever works are chosen will have the appeal of novelty. The operas wi'il be produced in the Festival Hall, which seats 2500, and full advantage will b e taken of the unique scope offered for elaborate scenic and lighting effects.

LISZT AND THE TROUBLESOME A M ATEITR. Many pianists know the arrangement of Chopin’s favourite “D-flat Waltz,’’ which Rosenthal and a few other virtuosi play —a brilliant piec e of juggling, in thirds ami sixths, with the themes of the waltz interwoven. It was written by Rosenthal under amusing circumstances, when lie was a youth and a pupil of Liszt. That great pianist complained to Rosenthal that he was pestered by a wealthy amateur pianist, who insisted on playing to him on every possible occasion his own amateur version of the ‘D-llat Wfailtz,” Rdnenthal thereupon wrote his difficult elaboration of the waltz, arranged to he present when Liszt’s troublesome visitor was calling on the maestro, and during the visit himself sat down to the piano and jdayed— Chopin's -‘D-flat Waltz.” but. under his hands, a coruscation of dazzling effects. The startled amateur left without venturing his own customary performance, and from that, day Liszt heard him no more.

IS IT PRICELESS VIOLIN? BORGrHT FOR £2, Forty years ago. Mr. W. Shepherd, an old resident of Goulburn, Australia, walked into a second-hand shop at Burrowa, and paid the Jewish occupant £2 for a violin. To-day the instrument: in believed to he a Grand

Aniati, which, if proved to be genuI ine, will b e worth thousands of pounds. The instrument came to light through I the mention of an old violin in a lor a l , newspa-jier. The owner, who always had been under the impression that it is a valuable instrument, was induced to bring the treasure forward. The violin bears tlie inscription, “Niccolaus Amatus fecit in Cremona, 1645,” and, this has strengthened the belief that it is a coveted Grand Amati. If genuine, it wms made by Nicholas Aniati. a member of th e famous Italian family of violin makers, whose pupil, Antonio Stradivari, finally settled the Cremona type of violin, which has been generally followed. Genuine Stradivarius, instruments, world famous for beauty of tone and design, have been sold for fabulous prices in recent years. Air. Shepherd is convinced that it must lie a very old instrument, as. although he has made very li.ttl© use of it, the neck is very much worn, the finger spaces being impressed deeply into the wood. “HIAWATHA.”

On the programme of the Ha wera. Male Choir each year is a. combined choral performance; and this year the selected work is Coleridge Taylor’s fine setting of part of the beautiful poem of Longfellow’s “Hiawatha.” The portion selected is Hiawatha’s wedding feast, and it makes altogether a veriattractive cantata. The music is written for tenor solo, chorus and orchestra. In the various orchestral movements the composer is able to incorporate much of the spirit and genius of tho. Red Indian and his life history and theology. There is opportunity, to'o, to introduce characters in the ‘poem so well known to readers of Longfellow— Minnehaha, wife of Hiawatha; Chibiaboft, the sweet singer; lago, the great boaster; Nokomis, grandmother of Hiawatha, and many another name familiar to those who know the poem and worth knowing to those who have not read it. The whole work is one that has been popular wherever performed, and is certain to be so in Hawera. The chorus assembled under the auspices of the male choir members, nearly eighty, all parts being fairly strong, and in addition there will bo a good orchestra. The practices during the last week or two have been the liest held, and everything is going with a fine swing. The conductor (Mr. Clement Howe; is apparently infecting them with some of his keenness and enthusiasm, and this is certain to operate. not only to the advantage of the society but to the pleasure and profit of the individuals. Everything points to a great success for the concert on September 4. By achieving that, the members will do a very great serivee to the male- choir.

MUNICIPAL MUSIC. CONCERTS TORI EVERYBODY AT BIRMINGHAM. A great deal of interest has been aroused by Uie« novel and extensive musical weuemes now being eaiiietl out unuer the auspices of the Birmingham municipality. llie City of Birmingham Orchestra, which was established live years ago, and is now dneoted byMr. Adrian Boult, gives concerts qii week days- and Sundays,, not only in the city itself, but also in the outlying districts; and there is a special series of concerts for children, in connection with which the -aid of the teachers is called in. The general scope of the ambitious scheme was explained to a .representative of the Observer by Professor Ernest de Selincourt. The concerts are divided into four classes, there are “Symphony Concerts” (eight in a sea-son), the Satuiday night conceits (six in a season.), anu the Sunday night concents (weekly), the children’s concerts (six in the season's .series, plus some extra Ghristm-as holiday concents). and,, finally a certain number of concerts in tlie outlying parts of the district.

‘The character of the programme at t’ne Sunday conceits falls into two parts (said Protocol de bold neon it.), cl which the firs* is given to some one greaib composer, and the oecond is'ot a miscellaneous characcei. Thus, oil a recent Sunday was a ‘Mozart’ night, and the first part, consisted of an overline, an aria, and a symphony; the second part included the new ’cello concerto of Delius, beautifully played by Misa Beatrice Harrison. We are convinced that a popular audience will always respond to the best music when they taro given a chance of hearing it well rendered, ami our faith has been justified. A curious, interesting, and, I. think, important feature at our Sunday night audience is the preponderance of men ; we have far more men than women. From the children’s concerts we are. unfortunately, obliged to turn away 500. to 000 every time. The Town Hiall will accommodate only about 2200 children. A. local music firm, with great spirit, organises a (flume of lectures for teachers, in order that the*e may prepare the children for the music Chey aye to hear. Next year we shall probably duplicate these children’s concerts, jji which case we shall he able to accommodate ■IOOO children. We Iliavo in mind a scheme for mid-day dinner-hour concerts—some seats free, and others at a nominal price. They would last for font,v-five minutes, and would probably he held weekly. Our one failure so far has lain in the Saturday concerto. So much depends upon habit, and we have not yet been able to establish a Saturday night music habit. Perhaps if smoking were allowed in the Town Hall we might do better!”