WORLD OF MUSIC

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 10 March 1934, Page 2

WORLD OF MUSIC

TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION

The music teachers of South Taranaki are> to .be cordially commended for their enterprise in forming an association, affiliated to the Dominion -Association and may look forward to much good from the movement. it will benefit not only the professional teachers, but also all who are interested in music, because the latter may all join as associates and in this way the whole musical interest of a town and district may be linked up in the one bodv. . . .. The musical evenings which have been such a feature of the work m New Plymouth have been attended on many occasions by Hawera musicians and these have no doubt been a. factor in influencing South Taranaki to make a. move. This district is certain io be material gainers from the formation of the association and music generally is certain to benefit. Interest was created amongst members present at the meeting last Tuesday by the advice of Miss Dowling to every musician to take up some- second instrument or an instrument in addition to singing. She said it would widen their interest and increa.se their enjoyment. But, with most musicians time is the essence of the contract. Mis Dowling has- promised to arrange for a visit front a party of New Plymouth members to Hawera at an early date to give a concert or to assist m one here. •Airs A. Anderson of Hawera was last Monday elected a vice-president of the North Taranaki M.T.A ORCHESTRAL MUSIC. The Hawera Orchestral Society, after the usual annual “retreat,” has gone into active training once; mitre situ: looks forward 1 "to a most interestiitg and attractive first concert. The cuchestra has been strengthened, and members have got into their stride at once and .show an enthusiasm which is a good portent- for the coining season. The first programme has -been chosen, and it is very attractive: “Mari* .ana ” overture (Wallace) ; “American . Sketch” (H. W. Myddelton); “Amoretta Tanze’’ (Josef Gung’l) ; “Somerset Rhapsody No. 2’ ’ (Gustav Holst) ; “Carnival Suite” (Montagu King). The “Maritana” overture is one of the very few which have a fugal subject and it is a fine selection. The “American Sketch” embodies folksongs and has a male chorus in one movement. The “.Somerset Rhapsody” is of special interest because it is dedicated to Cecil Sharp, the greatest collector of British folk songs in the worid. It opens with the sheep shearers’ song and goes on to “A Marching- Song,” “High Germany” afid this is followed by the “Lover’s Farewell-” A movement of extraordinary interest is the “Marching SCitg,” in which the wind instruments . are contrasted in the same melody (with, all the strings. The climax is j exceedingly striking-. • 'ln addit-ion there will be the usual assisting soloists and honorary members may look forward to a particularly interesting- evening. Mr P. Maunder, the new instructor in stringed instruments at the schools, is doing good wdric and is having an extremely busy time. He is a real enthusiast in his profession and spares no effort to secure success. The pupils are responding well and excellent progress is -being made. Mr Maunder is an enthusiast also in chamber concert music and it is good to know he is encouraging work' in this direction. Duo trio and quartette instrumental work are particularly fitting for the small centres and one hopes to hear much of this class of work. BRASS BANDS. It was reported on Monday evening iat the Mfinicipal Band meeting that, one player. E. Gould had over forty years active association with brass hands and another A. G. Ogden just forty yeans., while Mr. H. N. Lester, not. now a bandsman, had thirty-five years association with the work.. Referring to the incident at Wellington that occurred when the massed hands were to -play, Mr R. J. Eistall of the Wooiston Band, 'said the bandsmen were out for fun after the strain, and there was generally a good deal of noise and hilarity. “No disrespect to the judge was intended, and, although on this occasion I. think the men overstepped the mark, it was not meant to be disrespectful.” The hands did play the march in good fashion afterwards. It did not see-m to be only one section of the bandsmen who took part -but all of them. This was ..iie first contest at which the bandsmen had selected the judge them selves. Previously it had been done by .me officials. To say that the incident . wa-s pre-arranged was incorrect. It seemed to be quite spontaneous. He himself had judged at minor contests and had invariably been' treated with the greatest respect arid consideration, and he could not imagine bandsmen setting themselves deliberately to he disrespectful. WALES AND MUSIC.

Everyone knows that a love of music- is inherent in tbe people of Wales and that they are credited with being one of the most musical people m thp world. Speaking at Lhiristcliurth on this subject, Rev.- H. Whitby James, vicar- of St. Mary’s, had something very interesting and apposite to say. He said, inter alia, that wherever Welshmen were to be found their native love of music appeared., and he hoped that the Welsh people in New Zealand would do all thev could to preserve and, cultivate that love. - In this wav he thought the Welsh people without being clannish, had a -great opportunity to do a service to New Zealand. It was supposed, on very good authority, Mr Janies -said, tliat St. David had preserved the gift of music in native tunes, and there was also a prophecy that made him responsible for the Welsh language, which, incidentally, was -supposed bv some persons to be the language of Paradise. He concluded by saying that St. David had hot- only a religions side, but also a .secular side, and surely such' a saint, was \rarth. honouring.’ NEWS AND' NOTES.

A much commended revival of interest is displayed by members of the Stratford Operatic Society and active steps have been taken to promote an opera for this year. The matter is to be finalised within a week or two. “While the development of broadcasting in Australia nas sounded the deathsknell of concert-giving, it is exercising a powerful and most beneicial influence upon music there,” said Dr. V. E. Galway, Dunedin city organist, on his return from Melbourne. Broadcasting studios were making great demands on the services of performing artists, he said, and everyone who was really good could be sure of a number of engagements. It was even of more .significance that broadcasting seemed to have had the effect of stimulating people to study the meaning of music they heard, and to endeavour to reproduce some of it for themselves. Parents had been given a new interest in music, and obviously desired to give their children that which they perhaps had missed themselves. As a consequence, private teachers were very busy.