QUEEN AS SINGER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22100, 4 May 1935, Page 10 (Supplement)

QUEEN AS SINGER

KEEN MUSICAL TASTE ' f" 1 LEAD SET FOR SOCIETY Queen Victoria may have been to an extent responsible for some of the rather straight laced formalities of the era which bears her revered name; for she had most decided views as to propriety of conduct under all conditions. Nevertheless, to have come face to face and to receive a smile from her countenance was enough to dispel any preconceived notions of Her Majesty's austerity. She could command every deference due to her exalted position, and she could still be human. One of the manifestations of this humanity was her love for music and even an evident pleasure in participating in its performance. Till saddened by the death of the Princo Consort, who shared so many of the burdens of her office, they were frequently at the opera and concerts, often purposely to lend their favour to the success of a struggling composer and his work. When participating in music at her " parties " the Queen was but following—or was she setting?—the fashion of luminaries of London society. For Lady Normandy and Lady Williamson had won and held their leadership largely through their musical accomplishments. Not so long ago the London Daily Telegraph reproduced, as illustrating an article by H. E. Wortham, its widely recognised musio critic, a programme, in facsimile, of a concert at Buckingham Palace, June 12, 1840, on which appeared the item: " Duo, * Non funestar Crudele,' from Ricci's opera, 'II Disertore,' sung by Her Majesty and Prince Albert." On the same programme with the royal songsters were Rubini and Lablache, the Caruso and Battistini of their day. " That particular season," writes Air. Wortham, " was unusually brilliant; for the young Queen had been only five months married." He tells also of her youthful pride in singing. An incident characteristic of the simplicity of which coloured the whole life of " The Peerless Queen " happened on an evening at Buckingham Palace, when Mendelssohn accompanied Her Majesty in one of his songs and a nervousness caused her to fail to hold the last long G, upon which she naively apologised, " Generally I have such a long breath. Then she promptly confirmed this by a second song in such a manner that Mendelssohn wrote home that he never had heard better singing by an amateur. The young Queen must have had both a voice and a considerable technique; otherwise she could not have sung for her guests the part of " Paraina, with Rubini as the " Tamino " and Lablache in the part of " Sarastro, 'in the famous trio " Dunque il mio ben, from Mozart's " The Magic Flute.' How different from the present, when the social leader is either too vapid to cultivate music seriously or apt to be looked upon by her associates as just a little queer if she does so, remarks an American critic. Perhaps it would be better if we had someone in commanding position to set a custom or having music in the home other than that secured by turning a dial. Perhaps we may hail the day when seeing pictures of themselves in a box at a sporting event, or at a " political pow-wow will hold a lesser lure for our ladies of leadership than does the presiding over a cultured drawing room.