NEW ZEALAND MUSICIAN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 26 October 1917, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND MUSICIAN.

WELLINGTON COMPOSER'S LATEST SUCCESS.

There was a scene of great enthusiasm at the Consevvatorium on Wednesday evening (says the Sydney Sunday Times of September 30) at the finish of the performance by the Verbrugghen quartet of Mr Alfred Hill's quintet for piano and strings, when the oomposer, looking as hashful as a schoolgirl, was brought on to the platform to receive the applause and cheers of the audience. In announcing the performance of this work, Mr Verbrugghen said that it had been included on the programme for that evening, not to please Mr Hill, but eimply because his quintet was a work of sheer intrinsic value. This composition is a brilliant work, each movement giving token of keen musical insight and originality. Particularly attractive is the scherzo, the intricacies of rhythm and # harmonisation, of which are treated in a delicate and charming manner. The introduction of eight voices into the last movement is an entirely new venture, and one which probably Mr Hill was the first to undertake. Some months after this quintet was first produced (it was written in 1912) a letter was published in the London Musical Times, written by the well-known composer, Rutland Broughton, pointing out the possibilities of voices in chamber mmsic, and lamenting the fact that with the exception of a few works by Walford Davies and himself the field waa practically untouched. The effect at first of voices breaking in rather startles one, but gradually the charm of wellmodulated voices blending with the instruments makes its appeal. The singers were screened from the audience, end part of the time four of them left I the platform and sang from an outside i room, so that a peculiar effect of disstance was obtained. Mr Hill experi- | enced great difficulty in arranging for voices to join with a quartet, and his real ambition is to evolve a scheme ! whereby the singers, instead of singing words, will sing notes on syllables and produce chords and intervals like an instrumentalist does; if it is possible ( to train singers to arrive at this pitch of musical perfection, then it is Mr Hill's idea to have them seated with the members of the quartet and let their voices blend with the instruments instead of, as now, make the voices a separate part which detracts from rather than completes what should be a perfect whole.