GRAMOPHONE NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 19 June 1926, Page 5

GRAMOPHONE NOTES

HIVING BERLIN Irving Berlin has confessed that lie knows nothing about music, an incredible thing for a man to say who is making £‘30,000 a. year out of it. lie means., of coins. thaL lie is l ignorant of musical technique, or theory, although lie admits that he now plays the piano “a little.” i'll the same, Irving Berlin is a, genius. Genius is more than talent. Irving Berlin is fortunate inasmuch as his genius happens to produce a marketable commodity, He has the gift, the extremely facile gift—which seems so easy a tiling, but. which is so difficult for others—of making jvjnul’ar melodies. If you look carefully at The melodies of Irving Berlin, although he knows nothing about music, and although they are merely "popular” tunes, you will find that they possess both "form” and stylo . One recent example will suffice out of hundreds that he has written, namely, “All Alone.” Sing it over; note the balance, the easy flow, of the melody and how it lies just within the natural vocal compass. That’s genius. There jjre many examples of Berlin’s art in the H.M.V. catalogue. They are worth while as studies in the art of melodymaking, apart altogether from their gteat popularity in the ballroom.

TWO CHARMING QUARTETS 1 lie Catterall Quartet’s complete 11.M.V. version of Beethoven’s “Quartet in G Major,” Op. 18, No. 2, hitherto available only in a mufilated form, is a welcome addition to the ever-grow-ing list of the composer’s chamber music. Not only is the quartet singularly happy and care-free throughout with one of tlfe most light-hearted scherzos Beethoven ever wrote, but the Catterall Quartet have never yet made such a consistently excellent recording. The Flonzaley Quartet record of two movements from Haydn’s “Quartet in G Major,” Op. 77, No. 1, is one you cannot possibly pass over. The first movement is the very incarnation of the composer’s sweet and happy nature and one has only to deplore a cut of 41 bars. The scherzo is very broadly conceived and has a most charming trio with a cuckoo-like refiam following upon the resolute tramping of tlie opening bars. The music is played with a marvellous sense of rhythm and even the very high first violin notes in the scherzo lave been caught with beautiful precision by the recording apparatus. Altogether a disc to treasure. A GREAT VIOLIN CONCERTO A recorded work of unusual excellence and one which seems to have escaped wider attention than it deserves is Beethoven's celebrated “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.” (op. 61), played by flint finished and successful recording artist, Miss Isolde Menges, associated by Hie Royal Albert. Hall OrchesIrn, under Sir Landon Ronald. There arc five large double discs in the set,, which is well worth hearing by enthusiastic students of high-class recorded music. The concerto opens with a long allegro movement which occupies three of the discs, a movement displaying to pei feet ion the composer’s mastery of the arf nf thematic development. Then follows a beautiful larghetto movement, in two parts, forming a striking contrast to the vivacious allegro, after which comes a sparkling rondo movement, (lie finale of the concerto. The playing of both soloist and orchestra- is admirable, and the recording highly sntisfnctorv.

CESAR FRANCK’S “QUARTET IN D” V itli the vapidly increasing popularity of recorded chamber music there is open to the gramophone student a wonderful realm of delight. You may go hack through the TT.M.V. catalogue and wander at will through the gems of instrumental music that is offering. Amongst the most notable of recording achievements in this field is undoubtedly Cesar Franck’s “Quartet in D,” wiitten. bv the way. when he was in his 67th year. This is regarded as one of the most, perfect (examples of its kind, combining form and feeling to a unique degree. The playing and interpretation by the Virtuoso String Quartet are excellent. The .student of this work, which requires frequent re-hear-ings—as does all good music—before its inherent charm is fully revealed, will find pleasurable absorption in catching and following throughout the quartet the little motif which Franck in his characteristic wav has introduced.