WORLD of MUSIC

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 17 October 1925, Page 4

WORLD of MUSIC

NOTES

The Eisteddfod at Pwllheli, Males, on ’ August 4, attracted competitors from all parts of Wales and as far as' Yorkshire, England. Tne Londofl Times said that “while the AVelsh choirs were admirable, they were surpassed in two contests by English societies.”: The big prize was won by Huddersfield Vocal Union, and first honours >in the competition for ladies’ choirs went to a ohoir from Birkenhead. Six choirs took part in the chief choral; 'competition, singing Wilbye’s; six-part madrigal, “Lady Oriana,” written in honour of Queen Elffitfceth, “Beyond the Veil,” by Dr. L>e Lloyd, whose opera “Gwenliian,” was given a concert performance, and "Snowflakes,” by E. T. Davies. Sir Walford Davies was one of the judges.

The Highland pipers held their annual 'gathering at South Uist •on August 4. The gathering at 'South Joist is unique among Scottish meetings. The .anguage spoken is Gaelic and all competitors are” natives of the island. ’ South Uist is the home of pipers. , In almost every cottage, said tie London Times, there is at least one inmate who. is a finished player on the Highland bagpipe, the piob mhoy of.the Gael. The meeting opened with a competition in piobaiieacfid. the classical' music of the pipes, each time the work' of some celebrated riper and usually at least 301) years old. Then came the march, strathspey , and. reel, the Tighter music of Hu, Highland pipe, followed hy dancing of the fling, sword dunces, and olu daiices which are being rescued from oblivion by the Royal Celtic Society.

The Royal,Mountain Ash ‘‘Olyndwr’.’ ma,e choir pf Wales, winners of more national Eisteddfod prizes. than any • ether organisation of the British Isles, beginning a tour of the United States. §a*s its opening concert in New, York City recently, -The organisation com- ' priierl sixteen Welsh tenors; baritones and bassos, and is under the direction b Professor T. Glyiidwr Richards, h:)n'self a ’ winner of eight national prizes. ‘ • 1

. Musicians in Los Angeles do not favour -feinale conductors, and this view is Supported by the Los Angeles Tunes, which expressed its opinion of Ethel Legipska in the fo,lowing terms : ‘‘Ethel Leginpka came with a militant banner emblazoned with ‘women shall conduct,” and was almost defeated by the ; antagonism which she engendered. Legihskh, with' a 1 her 30,C00 auditors in the largest known Bowl, audience, left Lcs Vneelcs a saddened ; artist. The attitude of hostility expressed by the orchestra men in ‘words and in their playing made it necessary for her to make superhuman exertions to which there was comparatively small response.. : Tlie result was a disorganised concert, which was , only saved from chaos •by the triumph - of her Meber piano concerto and the rallying of . the orchestra to the demands of the ‘Meist.ersinger” She may be a master of, mu sic, but she hah not yet learned that soft words make masters of men, be they orchestral or otherwise.”

•- Apropos of AVood’s visit to Los Angeles, i\lr. Chin Downes writes as iollows in the New York Times: “The odd twenty-five thousand calculated as the maximum audience of the contorts of the preceding week swelled with Sfr Henry’s appearance to thirty thousand or more; an audience spread over literally acres of ground, gathered and seated before the opening of the first Wood concert of 'July 14, and making audible its impatience. There had bpen some. delay in the conductor’s

arrival associated 'with .a ■ missing score. When he appeared, on a stage > ornamented with the American and British flags for a back-drop, a band 0; Welsh •bagpipers marched through the. audience, and confusion was worse , cpn.o jtided. Sir ; Henry, wa-s perhaps ndt -.as astonished at all this as he might have been. He had already been fete 4 and barbecued, as tbev do in these parts; he had been the guest of all the Hollywood ‘•ooiety.’ Aye, he had been tea-ed and photographed with Gloria Swanson and accepted it ah . lyi't-luaii unruffled urbanity, even enthusiasm, -wholly gratifying. He bowed modestly to -ah audience which was probably the largest in his Jong and varied experience, and turned to Jus work as quietly as if it had been his ' .thousandth concert in Queen’s Half. No doubt the promenade concerts were in tlleir way . an excellent preparation for the br.eti-air performances in Holly. • wood. . . . At the same time Sir Henry, desbite these gargantuan pfoportons, did not hlake the mistake cf exaggeration cr.an undue t beat r,ica\ity. He made his effects as legitimately as ho would lmve done in a concert ha 11.' If. these, on the- outside listened w ith, . special, intensity for his pianissimi, they were the .more responsive to the. and. the climaxes when these in !due course arrived. . Sir Henry showed the basic qualities Of a true .. and Enthusiastic iriiisician as well as an | orchestral ",leader, and tire .impression •ihe made on. the 'audience ffas dufe to more things than curiosity- to hear |a noted foreign musician. 1 This trak jirOved by the- fact that his second audience -was .fullv; as large as the . first..-and this in the face of much unfaihKiab ihttsic * and a programme for ... the-fjrst night that was none too wellcomposed from the standpoint of. effect .. .tivfenpss.” ■ 1 .. “'v

KINGSLEY’S ENDORSEMENT. ‘‘There is something very Wonderful it) ' lhusic.. \ Words . are Wonderful ehdbjith, but music is even more wonderful. Itwpe'aks not to our thoughts as Words do~-Hft ; speaks straight to our beayti and Spirits to the very core and roots' of out' sbuls. Music soothes us, stirs Jig un ; ib puts noble feelings into u&; it mhlte us to tears, we know not how :ut is'a language bv itself, just as .perfect in its way as speech, as wards'; just as divine, just as blest. . “Music has’been called the speech of- 4ngels. I will go.further, and call it 'the speech of God Himself. . . : Yes, I say it with all reverence, hut I do "say it- There is music in God; npt; the -music of voice or sound, a music which no ears can hear, but only the spirit of a man when awakened by the Ifolr Spirit of God andi taught .to khow Son, and Holy Gljost., -Inhere is one everlasting melody ih -'Heaven which Christ, the Word of God, makes for ever, where He does all things ‘ perfectly and wisely and righteously and gloriously, full of grace and • truth; and is a dim pattern thereof here, and is beautiful only because it' is a dim, pattern thereof.”

ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY. It is a .distinct compliment that the Hawera-Orchestral- Society was asked by a number of admirers-to repeat the concert of last week,-which was.so outstanding a success, probably the best musical event ever given in Hawera. 1 was a remarkably good performance in every ivay, excellent interpretations or good works and therefore with a double claim to appreciation. The performance arranged for Monday is certain to be popular and again to attract a large audience. ' . ~ The Eltham concert on behalf ot tne Country Carnival Queen on the following Friday is promised strong support. Eltham is likely to give the society a welcome that will be warm and wholehearted. The performance will be ot value to the. society because it will serve to spread the reputation made by the orchestra to other parts of the province and. should also result in a material assistance to a good cause. Few -probably know the amount ot work done oy Mr. Fox, the conductor, in copying out parts which cannot be secured, fHe has a consuming perseverance and faculty for hard work and to this must be ascribed much of the success achicvod. This should serve to encourage members to continue practice unabated and also to enrol more honorary, members so that the work of the society may be largely free from the worries of finance. A'large'ly increased list would be < very ‘welcome to the executive. •. , * “THE MESSIAH.” Work will be commenced at. once towards the rehearsal for the coming performance hv the Male Choir’s combined chorus of‘the great oratorio, “The Messiah.” The numbers offering are specially strong in sopranos, but moiv altos and tenors would be welcomed. Negotiations arc in progress to secure the services of loading soloists, and it is certain, a good selection will bo made. The success of the performance depends a'great deal on the soloists. 1 Many of the leading soloists of the Dominion are travelling to various parts towards Christmas, and it is probable the services could be secured of. the best,"* cn route to or from one of the. centres. MALE "CHOIR, Tho news that Mr. W. Geiiimcll, of Dunedin, one-of the leading baritones of the Dominion, has been engaged for the next Male Choir concert, the last of the season, will be read with interest by all musical enthusiasts in Hawera. Hardly less popular will be the opportunity offered to Miss Olive Grindrod, the j'oung Hawera contralto, who has created such a good impression whcrcever she has appeared. Her work was very favourably spoken of by Mr. Tidmarsh, the Associated Board Examiner, and he said he considered she showed great capabilities and distinct possibilities, „ She is, most enthusiastic in her art and possesses besides an attractive personality and temperament. By. the choice of these two singers thb choir arc carrying out one of the fundamental-"principles of their establishment, which' is to introduce to the peoplo of Ha’wcra and district artists outstanding’in their own sphere. That one of them belongs to the town is the more a matter for congratulation, because it-proves that it is not always necessary ,to go outside the ranks of artists in our own town.

' Arrangements hare now been completed for the assisting artists for the 'chair.’ts ; next concert .to be held on November 11. With the help of Mr. T. Harvey, an old member, the com-it-tee has secured the services of Mr. W. Gemmell, of Dunedin, a baritone who is very (popular: in the South and has engagements all over the Dominion. He will ;be singing at Auckland just after -being at Hawera. , The engagement, too, of Miss Olive Giiindrod, of Hawera, the well-known contralto, will be popular. Miss Grindrod has made a well deserved reputation by her singing at concents in the district, aiid her work was exceedingly well spoken- of by Mr. Tidmarsh, the associated board’s examiner, -who was in Hawera recently. : •

A NEW ZEALAND SINGER.

IMPRESSIONS FROM ABROAD. ML'feiC IN LONDON AND VIENNA. Much of interest to musical people of the Dominion was related to a representative of a Ladies Weekly by: Madame Winnie Fraser, of Oannaru, who returned'a- short time since, after | a visit to Europe “to round off the rough edges of her musical accom-j pl.ishmehts.’’ She, is enthusiastic over, the.;wonderful; advantages to be gained from such expeiiencets and from the privilege of tuition from the great per.sonages in the world of music to-day. I Madame Fraser is enthusiastic over the: wonderful training in interpretation’ peeured from Sir Henry Wood, of London, who she said “revealed inner beau ties innumerable aiid showed great lights oh the dark places.” ' He took her through such works as Messiah and Elijah. ‘ * '■" '’ | For production, she went, to Von Muchlen, of Vienna, where she spent 1 a great deal of her time and where! she had the privilege of meeting people who had{ topic! their for tuition from all iparts of the world. ■ | She studied also under Herr Ma.n-j zch.i, spending altogether a full year in Vienna and becoming an enthusiastic admirer not only of the musical train- ] mg available to students, but of the pecple and the musical atmospherej which Gunounds the life in the great: city'. Three Opera Houses give per-fm-nVam-es every night for a great portion of the year and, besides Grand | Cipera, many pei formalities are given of Cbroie. Opera. An outstanding musical event given one night in a. great stadium in Vienna was a performance of “Aida,” conducted by Mascagni and k brilliant light' opera by Moussorgsky, the Russian composer. Madame Fraser is to sing at the musical festival to be held in. Dunedin this year and early in 102(1.

MUNICIPAL BAND. The standard of work of the Municipal Band continues to improve and there is now about their playing a solid confidence and a full tone that augurs well for them when they are matched against outsiders at New Plymouth. Who knows they may be able to go further afield if they bear themselves with credit-in their first band competition? SCHOOL MUSIC. ' Excellent progress is reported from the Hawera -School Elute and Drum Band and from the orchestra. Both have been practising hard and parents and friends will look forward with the keenest interest to their initial performance at the break-up concert. MOZART’S “TWELFTH.” (Otago Daily Times.) - Says the writer of “Passing Notes”: Of the “Gloria” in Mozart’s Twelfth Mass, sung by contending choirs at the Dunedin Competitions, the judge said, as other critics had said before him, that it was “cheap music” and probably not Mozart’s. ‘ Whereupon a correspondent of the Daily Times asks “If Mozart did not write the ‘Gloria,’ who wrote the ‘Twelfth Mass’ ?” Alas, we have here a parallel to the heresies that “Shakespeare” was written by Bacon, and that the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer were not written by Homer but, as the schoolboy said, “by another fellow of the same name.” According to certain unpronouncable Germans, the “Twelfth Mass” as a whole is “spurious,” with the doubtful exception of the “Cum Sancto Spiritu” movement —a scholastic , fugue which only a scholastic musician would sing or listen to with pleasure. Speaking from the seat of the unlearned, which in this instance is alfio the' seat of the scornful, I reject and deride these pedants. The “Gloria” is great declamatory music, great in its boldness and simplicity. If not by Mozart, it must have been written by “another fellow” of equal genius. German higher criticism condemns- along with this Mass a hundred other compositions—yes, a hundred —which have been attributed to Mozart and published under his name. Poor Mozart! His life, blameless in morals, was disorderly and careless. Wandering in poverty from city to city be would leave behind him a mass, a symphony, a concerto, and forget all about it. How many masses he wrote, I don’t suppose he knew: the r-atalogues count up to a score, I believe. So facile and so prolific a genius! They tell of him that the night before the first performance of “Don Giovanni” the overture had not been written. On the evening before the representation the overture was still wanting, and he worked at it far into the night, while his wife kept him supplied, with punch and told him fairy stories to been him awake. Sleep, however. overcame him. and he was- obliged to rest for a few hours, but at seyen ! in the morning the copyist received the score, and it was played at sight in the evening. A great' overture. too. As for the “Twelfth Mass,” bear it when I may. if the music is effectively sung I should never call it “cheap.’’

WOMEN COMPOSERS

FAST INCREASING RANKS. STRIKINGLY VIRILE' WORK. Women can. in executive music, rival the feats of men. The great Brunnhildes and Isoldes have achieved every whit as much as the Siegfrieds and the Tristans. , True, there have been no women conductors cf note. But there is no counting the great violinists and pianists. Think of Lady Halle and Teresa Careno in the past, and in the present Miss d’Aranyi, Mme. Suggia, and the young violinist Erica Morini. who the other day was compared by serious critics with Kreisler. Why have there been so few creative women musicians? Their day is very likely coming. Certainly there are more working to-day than ever before, and in England especially there are several women composers of eminent gifts. Most famous of all the women composers who have ever lived; is Dame Ethel Smyth, who has written many operas, sonatas, and big choral works, nil possessing a strikingly virile stamp. She will live longest possibly by her opera, “The Bosun’s Mate.” She lias jlust published a Jriew Iciomic opera, “L’Entente Cordiale.” Her “Chryeilla” is one of the most beautiful of modern English songs. Miss Rebecca Clarke is another composer whose work stands high purely on its merits. She writes songs and chamber music, which have been- compared with the strong work of John Ireland and Arnold Bax.

Women musicians might, in fairness to their sex, remember—to look back a' generation l or two —the charming Longs of the Franco-Irish Augusta Holmes, and the songs and piano pieces of Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann’s wife.

Mme. Gharrmnade’s pretty piano music is generally known, and then there are the songs, well above the “shop ballad,” of Maud Valerie White and Liza Lehmann.

Ethel Leginska (who, in spite c-f her name, is English) and Dorothy Howell are young women who lately have boldly essayed, the field of orchestral music. In France, Mile. Germaine Tailleferre was one of the disbanded “Six.” And the other day a Queen’s Hail audience was applauding some orchestral pieces of Susan Spain Dunk.-

DUNEDIN COMPETITIONS Commenting on the of the competitions, he says: “The interest of a competition’s audience is not in the music "but in the competition. It is not -to- see horses frallop that crowd's flock -to a- racecourse; it is to see which house call gallop fastest and -get in first. So with football, .so with cricket. No game would be worth looking at that was net a- competition. When the nui.-do judge compliments us on our interest in -art, arguing from crowded audiences at the competitions,' wo arc being flattered.” «