MUSIC.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4467, 21 September 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

MUSIC.

NOTES BY G STEENG. The pupils of St.: Mary’s Convent: may be heartily congratulated - upon Monday night’s concert. Some of the work done was worthy o£ any concept room in the colony. That a. body of singers should, without a conductor, give a chorus like “The Cuckoo Song’ with such spirit and decision,; and such attention to the lights and shades of .the music, abundantly proves the thorough character of the training they have received. The singing of Miss Nora Long, Min« jviaginnity, andAliss Connie' Molioskey, was uotabl© ..in that .do-, serves, praise. Some of the voices, are not ■ yet ‘ under control; . but the remarkable feature,of the' singing, in nearly every case, was the clearness of enunciation, ad well as the intelligence shown in interpreting the spirit of the music. The pianoforte selections were likewise excellent. Miss Falconer played the Mendelssohn allegro with firmness and expression. One .was glad to find that tho selections representing modern composers were drawn from the works of- Mdlle. Chaminadei : whfse music acquires more extensive popularity, the better it is kfiown. * # ft • * • . “Pasquin.” of the “Otago Witness,” was told by Mr Tom Pollard, of Pollard Opera, Company fame, the other day, that in JUagter of .1884 when he was in, Hobart with an opera company, he was sitting in the back parlour of the Kock Hotel with some friends, when a young fellow walked in and asked for Mr Pollard. On being introduced to that gentleman, he stated that he wished -to have his voice tried,' as ho had an opportunity of going to England. “And who do you think it was?” said Mr Pollard to “Pasquin.” '“None other than Lempriere Pringle, tho talented young Tasmanian of Musgrove’s Grand Opera Company.”

; ‘ Madame Adelina Patti was . staying for a few days last winter in an isolated village: at the extreme end of Yorkshire. To kill the monotony of the plaoe, the great ginger went one night to »_ concert got up in-aid of a certain village institution.' ' Not half the performers turned up. Seeing the difficulty in which the ‘ chairman and committee were placed. Madame Patti (incognito, of course) offered to oblige them with a song' or two if they cared aboutdt. After she had rendered, in her own glorious way, three of her sweetest ballads, the chairman approached her, and, in solemn'tones, thanked her: “'Well, miss, you’ve done onoommon well; and, although Any ’Ock, the juggler, who thinks nbwt of takin’ ’old of ’ot pokers and a swallowin’ needles j couldn’t turn up, yet you’ve pleased us very considerable, nua»l” : , .• • • - ’ Madame Belle Cole cave two concert! in Auckland, and at the second one, im mediately before her departure for Sydney,' sanar Gnonod’s “Entreat Me Not t t Leave Thee,” ' Pease’s ! “Fighex Song,’ three -slumber gonja composed for Mad. ame Cole—“ Sleep, Little Angel.” “olua>

her. Still, My Dear,” and “Sweet and Low.”—‘‘ln Questa Tomba” (Beethoven’), “Down the Old Lane” (Lisle), and "jiiy Lady’s Bower” (Hope Temple). Thera were in addition to these five encore songs—‘Darby and Joan,” “O, Rost ’n the Lord,”* “Rory Uarlin’,” . "On the Banks of Allan Water,” and “The Cow's are in the Corn.” Mr John Prouse was likewise recalled for nearly all his songs, w'hich included “Les Rameaux” of Fan re, and the “Ho! Jolly Jenkin,” from ivanhoe. At both concerts the Choral Hall was crowded.

The Musgrove Opera Company opened the Dunedin season on Monday niglit, in “H Trovatore.”

Mrs Howie, who left this colony fop England recently, is taking lessons from Mr Santley.

The -Christchurch season of the PoL lard Opera Company began on Monday night with “Florodora.”

Kimberley, in South Africa, seems to have recovered from its war experiences,, for a Association, which to all appearances is going to flourish, has been formed there, and has already given its first concert.. Mr Cecil Rhodes is ,the president, and Dr Jameson, one' of the hon. members. ••• • * ■ The well-known Christchurch musia ci’an, Mr F. W. Painter, bandmaster 'of the Professional and Cycle Hands, is now in the public hospital in that city, , seriously ill. A concert on his behalf, r in jvhich leading musicians of Uhrst. church took part, wag given last week. Miss Josephine Stanton and her Opera Company are' playing a return season in Auckland. • f * . » . ■ • 1 1, • w i j

Madame Marie Solda't, of Vienna, it about to visit England with her Ladies' Quartet. Madame Soldat; of course, plays first violin, and hor associates are - Fraulein Elsa von Plank, second violin; Madame Beuer-Lcchncr, viola; and JJlisg Lucy Campbell, violoncello. * * * * Writing of the Pianola and similar instruments, the "Musical News" observes ' that the perfection of execution to which these automatic instruments have now, been brought is reaUy wonderful, and, they, are no longer limited'in their, re.'j , pertory to poor disarrangements' cf popular airs: the best examples of pianoforte, organ, and orchestral muaio are now prepared on their rolled sneots, • • and the space required tor atoning.,a large collection of rolls fis a. mere no- ,' ■ thing compared with that needed tor a - similar stock of ''barrels" for mechanical instruments of the older types- . -'. What pianist -or organist, short of a : Liszt, can give a decent representation' of an orchestral score on a keyboard? < The masterpieces of the concert room '■' can now be reproduced with easo ia places whore a competent pianist, or, still more emphatically, a full orchestra; could never be. heard. The chango is-' not all regrettable, though it has h,e rcwi crettable features.' i. 1 -'; ■° • » '» •. • The best note on origin of "Mucn Ado about Nothing" is, in iact, by Bunroek (Berlin, 1831). And it is also discussed in Tieck's "German Theatre," i., ia. Tlie plot has four component parts, tfirgt , the story of the lady under falso accusal lion by machinations of a'<waiting-gen. .' tlewoman (Ariosto, Urlando iuribso, iik. V.). Secondly, her seeming death and resuscitation (Bandello's Novella). Thirdly, Beatrice and Benedik courtship (wholly Shakespeare). ■ Fourthly, xiog-',, berry humour (the. same). ' But in the; first two heads it is probable Shake.'." speare used an earlier loßt English play.' The adapter to-day is Julian gturgis t an American born, all his life naturalised ", J' here, a distinguished Etonian and uxoat ,' ian, author of many novels, and libret' ''' tist for Goring xnomas's "Nadeehda" ■-. (1885), Sullivan's "Ivanhoe" (1891),- and • - Mackenzie's "Cricket on the Hearth"; (announced).' Berlioz gave preference" to the Benedik plot, the present author. , has united ,nll above-named four heads ofV'.. the original. - Beatrice's fiv&iour \'i)Oß* * to death by gland'rbus tongues,".,prior to the.denouement, is fine,music." Opera < ,- ends with "Sigh no" more, ladies-",, Th*,' 'construction of the whole is capable,, the balance between the lyric and the » declamatory or emotional is • justly ,«on- .' ceived, the music is always -even-flowing and light hearted.' ,-'' - '- ',' . The London opera season came to • close last month, ending,-, as-it began, with "Romeo and Juliet.", The popularity of ihi9 opera-is one of the *igns that ' the opera subscribers care'more to hear singers than to listen to music. -_• If - Melba or Eamee sing the part of Juliet, they are quite- satisfied. > It is, indeed, more than over obvious this year that opera in England has not advanced 'ia the least since Carlylo wrote his famous essay on opera-going as' a f asbionabla' amusement.^ •' * • • • A Home correspondent," writing at th» state of the English opera. -says:—Tha "star" system is by no means the worst of systems. It' is all very well to say that in any small town in Germany you can get opera,, more carefully done all round than at Covent Garden; xiut a good ensemble does not 'counterbalanaa the single effect produced by a, Calve, tit a Ternina.' ,We may reasonably com. plain that hackneyed operas are repeat-, ed much too often here,' but •on tha other hand, a - succession of singers of the .first rank is presented to as, and that is a kind of compensation. This season we\have heard no great tenor—if we except Tamagno. who certainly baa a great "reputation—but we , have been, given a perfect galaxy of prime donne— Eames, Melfca, Calve, lermna, Suzanne Adams, and last, but not least, that ex. quisite new singer, Paqhot, who proved a kind of jam, with which to swallow the disappointing novelty, ."Le Roi (FYs." In no other musical centre in the world could such singers bo heard in one short season. • • • • • ' According to the "Daily Express."* Miss Alice Nielsen, the comic opera ■ singer who hag made s 0 great a success in "The Fortnne-Teller," is deserting herpresent field;,for grand opera. The "step has been taken upon the advice of Lady de Grey. If it is true,' wnat a. pity! Grand opera possesses so many good singers, comic ooera. so-few." It : is pea. pie of Miss Nielsen's talent who are-... wanted to- prevent comic opera•■ being swallowed np entirely by what is called ' "musical comedy." '' ' . J