MUSICIANS OF ENGLAND

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 7 March 1935, Page 6

MUSICIANS OF ENGLAND

Influence of Byrd on Modern Composers CINDERELLA OF THE ARTS LONDONER’S LECTURE “Music and Musicians of England” was the subject of a lecture to members of the Hawera Music Teachers’ Association and some of their pupils last night, the lecture being given by Mrs Hester Stansfeld Prior. It is- interesting to note that Mrs iStansfehl Prior is one of the very few women members of the Royal Philharmonic Society, London. She is not only a pianiste of note, hut a lecturer who has spoken in London for the London University Extension. The lecture was delightfully illustrated with excerpts from the various works of the composers of whom she was speaking.

Some of the most prominent musicians of Europe to-day were Englishmen, said Mrs Stansfeld Prior, but be fore dealing with the works of these men she traced the history of music through the Elizabethan period, quoting William Byrd and Giles Farnby. In the 14th century England was the home of the keyboard instrument, and one of the foremost composers was William Byrd, although little was known of the latter and his influence on music until the 300th anniversary of his death in 1923. All the great composers used variation form, and William Byrd was the man who invented this, said Mrs Prior. One of the greatest problems in that period was the lengthening of the pieces, and this innovation was of immense importance in this direction. Mrs Prior demonstrated her point by playing the “Carman’s Whistle” by Byrd, the whole piece being confined almost to two octaves.

Another characteristic of Elizabethan days was that the major and minor scales wefe not then established, and in the old madrigals were still used the modes which came from the old Greek days.. Incidentally Mrs Prior said that some of the modern composers indicated a departure from the major and minor scale. Giles Farnby’s “His Dream” was given as an illustration of that composer’s work, this also being limited to*'little more than two octaves in range.

Coming to the moderns Mrs Prior said that during the last 30 years England had produced some of the world’s greatest composers. Music in England, however, appeared to bo the “Cinderella” of the arts, and Elder was often disappointed with the public’s failure -to appreciate his music. The Government would find money to purchase a picture in order to keep it :n the country, but would not find money for music. There was no Ministry of Fine Arts such as was the case in France to see that all the arts received an equal share of support. “To-day, ivc are teaching in the same old groove,” she said, “and it became a ‘bore, and appreciated by few when everybody should learn.” The first thing to realise about modern music was how it was changed. To-day, all sorts of discords were arranged, which formerly would have been carefully resolved. Mrs Prior quoted some of the foremost English composers, including Arnold Bax, John Ireland, Cyril Scott, Bridge and Walton, and said that the same differences of opinion existed today regarding the merits of each as was the case in the days of Beethoven and Hummel, Wagner, etc. Their musie may never be properly appreciated until they had been dead for a century. Music was like people,, it improved, or otherwise, on acquaintance, and the music which improved on acquaintance was the music which would live. The difficult thing to do to-day was to discriminate between good and bad music. One player will make much of “trashy” music and receive the plaudits of the crowd thereby, while another person will play a better class of music in a manner which will be the reverse of artistic and the music will be condemned as having no appeal. One of the ways in which modern music could be distinguished was the manner in which repetition was written.

Mrs Prior played as illustrations of modern works “February’s Child” (Ireland) a lullaby by Bax and one of Cyril Scott’s compositions. She also gave a magnificent rendition of Scriabin’s Fourth Sonata, and by request “.Shepherds Hey,” by Percy Grainger,

Thanks to the lecturer w T ere extended by Miss C. Reilly, who said that Hawera was very fortunate in having Mrs Prior before her departure for England at the end of this month.