MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15056, 27 July 1912, Page 4 (Supplement)

MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

BOOKINGS. ,

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. To-night-Miss Maggie Moore, M«. Mo Sweeney** ■'■'•"' ' ~ '•*?'»* August 15 to August, 24-" The Blue Bird. - August 26 to 31-Miss Margaret, Coo.per. . September 9 to .September Pant ?."""- t :,- September 23 to October 12-oicar Ascne-Liiy Brayton, "Kismet." _ . _■. . October 14 to Plunmer-Dennbton Co.

Mr. Norman Chttbtox, of Auckland, who has been for some time in Melbourne, has returned to New Zealand to take up a nine months' engagement as basso with the Bell-Crome Company. The company will begin a tour of New Zealand in Dunedin shortly and will visit Auckland in about three months.

Miss Dija Fletcher had a letter by the last mail from her master, Sir Charles Santley, in 'which he says he is composing some songs he means to publish shortly. Some years ago, Santly published one 1 or two songs, an "Ave Maria," which is truly devotional in character, another, "The Old, Old Time," is often sung by this pupil, Peter Dawson, of London, the well-known baritone. From his letters it is evident Santley took a great deal of interest in Miss Fletcher, training her as a teacher, which,, as he says, is "much the more difficult work.

The final selection of the principal members of the cast for the production of " The Mikado," by the Auckland Amateur Operatic Society, will be made on Mon : day. In order to stimulate interest in the business of the production, a competition is being arranged for the performing members of the society. Rewards .will fall to those who sell the largest numbers of ticket* for the performance.

• The annual competitions at Ballarat, known as the National Eisteddfod of Australasia, will be held in October this year. A huge programme has .been prepared, including literary, .Seßating, elocutionary, reading, instrumental, vocal, choral, brass band, calesthenic and gymnastic competitions, and a total of £1400 is to be awarded in prize moneys. ■. . v, -.

There are quite a number of people who collect musical instruments. Men have been known to pay tremendous prices for violins, of rare make, merely to place them in collections. One of the "greatest fiddles that ever was known was to be seen at the French Court in the time' of Charles IX. This was a viol so large that several boys could be placed inside of it. These boys used to sit inside this queer instrument and sing the airs that the man who handled the bow was playing on the viol outside. The effect is said to have been very beautiful, though it would seem as if the presence of the lads in its interior would seriously interfere with the tones of the " Great" Fiddle," as it was called. Many years after, another huge instrument of this kind was used at concerts in Boston. It was so large that to play it the fiddler had to stand on a table to use his bow at tho proper point on the strings. This instrument, was called " The Grandfather of Fiddles."

Some idea of the progress of the motion picture- can be gauged from the fact that between fifty and sixty picture stands in Sydney and suburbs were raised officially from the "temporary structures" to "public halls." controlled under the Theatre and Public Halls Act.

Allen Doonc has scored well with "The Wearing of the Green" at the Palace Theatre, Sydney. On the opening night two of the Home Rule envoys were in the audience.

The acting profession is not free from risks, or from heroisms. While performing in "The woman" at the King's Theatre, Melbourne recently, Herbert Bentley was badly hurt by slipping and failing eighteen teet into the "well" of the theatre. He played through .the remainder of the drama, and was then taken to tho Melbourne Hospital, where nine stitches were put into a nasty wound in his head.

Whenever " Macbeth" is put upon the stage, very nearly a fourth of it has to bo omitted, for, although it-is the shortest of the tragedies, it would take fully three hours to read it out aloud without gabbling. " Hamlet," thus read, would take nearly .two hours more, and this seems to bear " out the contention of Swinbouine, among others, that much of the play and, indeed, of other tragedies—was %vritea bv Shakespeare for the study, and not for the stage. A six or seven hours' performance , must have been too much even for an audience of Elizabeth's spacious times.

Judging by the- taste in Europe at present, the plays to be seen in the near future will ■be rather Japanese than Arabian, as they were during the past theatre year. TrTree Japanese dramas have recently been given in Paris, where " The Typhoon" made more of an impression than it did anywhere outside of Germany.

Mr. Alexander Watson the English elocutionist, had large audiences in Christchurch, and at his concluding recital Mr. Watson paid a tribute to the manner in which the citizens had supported bis work, and said that his visits to Christ-church would remain amongst his most pleasant memories.

The actor-manager is such ail instituI tion in London and so many of the principal parts are written for him, that the leading lady takes second place, says a writu' in the New York World. In America the woman's part is the big part, and the octrees has far the greater opportunities. That is why England has not produced so many great actresses as America has. It is also the reason wliy England has produced so many fine actors, because the actors- given all the chance. ' Miss Eileen Castles left Melbourne for Europe by the R.M.S. Moldavia last week. She will leave the vessel at Marseilles and join her sister, Miss Amy Castles, at. Vienna. The two Australian singers will open at the Imperial Opera House, Vienna, in Sept-ember. Miss Amy Castles, who has been appointed Court singer at Vienna, has entered into an engagement extending over five years with the management of the Imperial Opera House. I Madame Melba will leave Melbourne 'on August 7, for Europe. Mr. John Leinmone, her Australian representative, stated last week that Madame Melba would proceed by the Otranto to JToulon, thence to I Paris, "to replenish her wardrobe. She would appear at Royal Albert Hall, . London. on October 5, and make a tour of twenty-five English towns, finishing at I Bradford, on December 6. With her I would be Ysaye, the great Belgian violinist, Willi elm Backhaus, the eminent , German pianist, and a new symphony or- ; chestra, conducted' by Landon Ronald. A communication had been received from : -Messrs. Schulz, Curtains and Powell, Ma- . dame Melba's English representatives, ! who stated that the success of the tour, | both artistically and financially, was assured. She had two magnificient offers from America for next year, besides the 1913 Covent Garden grand opera season. These inducements would prevent her returning to Australia in 1914 in all probability, and possibly she would not arrive before 1915 Madame Kirkby Limn, who commences her tour of Australia next- month, is to be supported by a brilliant company of musicians, among whom will bo 51. Andre de Ribanpierre, a violinist of considerable distinction. 51. de Ribanpierre is a young man of French extraction, who made his debut in England quite recently, but he has already won some very favourable notices, from the press. He "has a finelydeveloped technique, and is remarkably certain in his intonation, even in the double stopping and harmonies bv which Vieuxtempß made the "Ballade and ■'Polonaise" test pieces. ► Mtrsico-DaAMAxicrrs.