WORLD OF MUSIC

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 24 March 1928, Page 18

WORLD OF MUSIC

It Was good to hear the choir of St. Joseph’s Churich at the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone of the new church, in earlier years, under Mr Highiam, they did great work and it is certain they will be able to have one of the best choirs ever associated with the eliurc-h.

Few music teachers have had a greater number of famous .pupils than Miss Muthilde Verne, -who has been very ill (says a Home paper).* Nobody was more sorry to hear of Miss Verne’s illness than the Duches's of York, who has a deep regard for her farmer music mistress. When a little girl the Dudhoss began having lessons at the Verne school, and contemporary pupils recall how a very diminutive Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon sat on a music-stool to play a pianoforte solo at a pupils’ conicert. The Duchess continued having music lessons until shortly before her marriage, and lias kept in touch with Miss Verne ever since.

Prince George, -sslice he went home from the east, has become an enthusiois't pl'aygoer, and has developed an instinct for good dramatic and musical fare, and on three occasions recently, at all events, the King and Queen and the Duke and Duchess of York have visited theatres soon after a visit by the young Prince. Prince George is 'the most musical member of the Royal Familv.

A trio of young artists is soon to visit New Zealand, in collaboration Laslo Schwartz, Dawn Assheton and Kathleen Strathearn. Mr Schwartz is well-known in New Zealand as the eminent Hungarian violinist and composer. Dawn Asslieton is one of Eng land’s greatest Coloratura sopranos, and unquestionably the foremost interpreter of folk and character songs, whose tremendous and varied repertoire is proving a most valuable asset in enriching our programmes with colour and contrast. Miss Kathleen Strathearn, a brilliant young Canadian pianisto, is a living proof of the splendid strides Canada is making musically.

On March 3 about 30 members of the .Melbourne Philharmonic Society, and the Musical Society of Victoria, met in the Box Hill cemetery to lay wreaths on the grave of the late Alberto Zelman, who died on March 3 last year. Mr Louis Lavater (president of the Musical Society of Victoria) delivered a brief encomium, and those present sang “Forever with the Lord’’ and “Peace, perfect peace.’’

“Tlho piano sonatas and the string quartets of Beethoven’S Hast period are almost unknown to the public. We celebrate this year Beethoven’s genius, while undertaking as complete a review as possible of his works. But, beginning with next, year, we _ ougnt to have a ‘closed season’ for his earlier compositions and reserve a more prominent place in our concert programmes and in our homes than heretofore for his later chamber music.’’ — Carl Flesch, writing in 1927.

All the great pianists practise hard, says a musical critic. Even though they have been born with exceptional gifts they soon see that their natural endowments have to be regarded merely as the foundation upon which they build their executive powers. It is rather strange that no great pianist has given to the world a day-by-dav account of his work at the piano when he has been alone and immersed in his wrestling with the difficulties of pianotechnique, at the level at which lie was aiming. Such a record would 'be invaluable to students of the instruments as an object lesson for themselves. Some of them, we know, have withdrawn from public playing even when they were famous, so that they might perfect their powers. Paderewski is said to have practised seven h quits a dray for years. Bachman, Hofmann, I,'osontlial —any of them—would ‘tell a similar talc. They had their reward in their attainment of the highest grades of skill. Every student who practises as they did would have a reward commensurate with the calibre of his original gift.

There are comparatively few native races where a real talent for music is general, such as is found among the Maoris. iSuch a national characteristic though probably in a much lessor degress was remarked by Dr. Henry Rink riftv rears ago in a comprehensive review of the life and customs of the people of Danish Greenland. Writing or this f'aict the writer sayis that “the natives seem to "be more than usually gifted with a taste as well its a talent for music. No chief stations is in want of ;i musician whenever people wish to have a dance; playing the fiddle is a very 'common accomplishment all over Greenland and in some places a sort of cithern is also used, of course the musicians have always learned merely bv ear, without any regular instruction. A few of them have even made their fiddles -themselves. They have also nice voices, but except for singing psalms at divine service, singing is generally only practised bv women in attending children and in rowing There exist a number of melodies for these purposes which arc very characteristic and evidently to a great degree the fruit of native composition. Whether any of them are of ummixed native origin representing a relic of the ancient, art of singing, is doubtful, but not improbable. A few of these which are heard at the southernmost stations slound very agroeaibld. In the winter houses here and there, especially in 1 isolated places, the old monotonous song, perhaps also accompanied with the drum, are still said to be used but rarely when Europeans aiv present.