MUSIC.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6450, 22 February 1908, Page 11

MUSIC.

(By “G” String.) Madame Clara Butt and Concert Party, ufier a successful tour of the South Island will give two farewell conceits in Ihe Wellington Town Hall, on March 3rd and ath. The management hari arranged two prograinratcs ior these contor..: ih-it ougiu to appeal 10 ail lovers of music. The box plan is now open al the Dresden.

Mrs D’Oyly Carte is at present engaging a company for file revival of “The .Mikado” at tho Savoy Theatre, London, during tire later part of sprlug. It ought to bo a revival, having regard to recent circumstances of peculiar interest. Mr Rutland Barrington is named for his old part Pooh Bah.

There ia talk of a revival in Loudon of the popular comic opera “La Cigale.” which was first produced by Mr Uorace Sedger in the early nineties. In that production it will be remembered Miss (jeraldino Ulniar played the name character ; «nd Miss Ellis Jeffreys made her first theatrical appearance., j “Dressing is not only an art, but a duty,” says Mary Garden, the pranadonna of tho Manhattan Opera House, New York. “Tho woman who succeeds on the stage does so as much through her clothes as through her acting. Go without butter on your broad, if necessary, but have becoming clothes. In fact. Miss Garden insists that , clothes are a highly important condkieration for every woman who would succeed; and yet that each woman should dress in her own way, with her own requirements iu mind. ”1 never could understand,” she added, “why artistic people should elect to dress like frumps, as so : often seems to be the caec. They should use their artistic powers in the selection of clothes, just as much as in the choice of anything on eqrtb. It hurts me to appear dowdy at any time. tVben on the stage consciousness of a discrepancy in my costume becomes an obsession which mars my work. Hole, however,” Miss Garden proeeede.l, ‘ are my trial. I, believe iu appropriateness to Iho epoch, whether in art or life. 1 devote much time to producing stage costumes that shall bo wholly faithful to the times to which the} 1 belong; real gowns, not operatic near-gowns. Even tho plainest tailor-made gown should bear tho stamp of belonging peculiarly :to its owner’s personality." ; M. Bugeno Ysaye, the famous violinist played at a concert at tho Imperial [Marine Theatre, St Petersburg, on DcI comber 38th. On returning to his dressi ing room he found that his reserve vioS lin, a Stradivarius. valued at between I ,£2OOO and X3OOO, bad been stolen while ; lie was on the platform. No trace of i tho missing instrument has yet been/dis- | covered. I Dr Albert’s new opera “Tragaldabas," ! was produced in Hamburg on December i Brd, A Slradivarius violin, dated ICS3, | fetched X'l39 at an auction ep.le in London on December 10th. Two other ; instruments by the same master brought : i!410 and JHOU respectively.

The cablegram which announced the return of Mme. Ada Cross’oy to Australia on a starring tour next September .is confirmed by a letter from the distinguished contralto (dated January OlOth), expressing her delight at the prospect. It seems that as soon res lime. Crossley had signed the contract, under which sho sails from London in August, Air J. A. 11. Malone (Mr J. C. Williamson’s London agent and manager at Daly's Theatre)' comnfunicated it to the press, with the result that within a fortnight she received nearly two score applications from artists of position for places in her concert parly. Ko thing will he decided in- ,a hurry, however, as Mme. Crossley intends to take the greatest care to form a strong combination. In order to carry out her Australian tour, the contralto has just cancelled October festival engagements for Norwich, Birmingham, and Sheffield, as well as about forty other oratorio appearances during the (English) winter. Dor Good Friday of this year lime. Crossley has concluded three iu> I portant engagements, at the Crystal i Palace in the afternoon, in the “Mesi sfah” at the Royal Albert Hall in the evening, singing her last solo at 9.15, and then at Mr Wm. Boosey's "Chappell Ballad Concert” at Queen’s IJa.lI! No wonder the writer "feels rather perI veus,” and “hopes everything will go all right 1” However, during the past half-year the demands for the Australian contralto’s services hare, been great-' er than she can meet, and the parcel of press-cuttings now forwarded betoken a marvellous activity-. As pointed oat on a similar occasion, the position of a great singer can only bo occupied .by an artist of a cheerful, hopeful temperament, accustomed to make ligsht of difficulties, and of superabundant health and strength. It seems that on a recent occasion, when Mme. Crossley introduced G. H. Clutsam’s new song, "Life’s Gifts,’’ at the Chappell Ballad Concerts, the Sydney soprano, Miss Esta D’Argo, sang airs from “La Tosca” and “La Bohome,” anu a little later at the same concerts (when Mme Crossley again appeared) tho sopx'ano was Miss Julia Caioli. known here as Hiss Julia Davis. Another now Long to be introduced by tho contralto in Australia this year will be Dr Cowcn’s fine setting of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem, "lie Giveth His Beloved Sleep.” Mine Crossley sang this with tho Liverpool Philharmonic Society’s Orchestra and full chorus, under the composer’s baton, on December 17th. All the critics agree that this singer continues in splendid voice.

It is stated that Mr George 33d war tie has acquired the English rights in Herr Lchar's unfinished comic opera “The Man with Throe Wives,” ilnd in‘Leo Fall's “Dollar Princess.”

Paderewski's tour of America is proving an enormous success in spite of the financial crisis. He gave his sixth recital in JN’ow York on December 21st to a crowded house. Paderewski shortly visits South America which he will tour in a special railroad car.

The concert season proper commenced in Loudon on ‘January oth when Mark Hambourg, in conjunction with tho Haiabourg Trio, appeared at an afternoon concert at Beohstein Hall on the above date. Tchaikovsky's big trio was the feature of th&'programmo.

Mr George Cecil, a London critic, recently contributed an article on English singers to '‘The Etude," a musical paper published in Philadelphia “The characteristics .of the young English voice are, usually disappointing/' he says, and then proceeds to give detailed explanation. “In nine cases out of ten the tenor is so throaty that it is impossible to listen to him, and«*his upper notes are so few that he seldom is able to sing legitimate tenor music/ 1 With regard to basses and baritones, Hr Cecil is more sweeping in his judgment. He says that Mr Charles Manners and Mr Robert Radford are “the only two 11 who sing their lower notes audibly, and that Mr Thomas Meux alone is capable of giving full effect to any notes above D sharp. With regard to the female singers, wo are told “they are even less satisfactory than the men/’ However, Mr Cecil quotes tho names of throe ladies—and three only who aro apparently worthy of being taken into consideration. These are Madame Fanny Moody. Madame de Vere Sapio, and Madame Kirk by Lunn. In speaking of English singers with a worldwide reputation, Mr Cecil accords the honour to just two—Sir Charles Santtoy and Mr John Coates! W© arc told that on tho death of Sims Reeves, “Charles Santley became the only English artist whose fame extended beyond

these Isles; and to-day John Coates \e ha res with him this distinction. A* jto those who ought to become wond- • famous, Madame Fanny Moody, Muai Ivirkbv Limn. Madame Clementine <le 1 Vere Sapio. and Mr iCilUani Waite are , mentioned, and the is complete. Lest any should think that Mr Cecil wm> inions of Die writer are not enhanceu . by the fact that lie is the press manag- ■ er of tlie Moody-Maimers Company, nu«- • that the verv small number or artists ; who bask in the sunshine of his «p- ---. suffering from lapse of memory, be concludes his article with the lollowing sentence: “For thoughß on h ,v , lCt '’ - Andre# Black, Gregory Hast. William i Green, Clara Butt, Kcnnerley Rumtord, . Ffrangeou Davies, Edna Thornton, arid , tho like have innumerable admirers in > Londoh and the provinces, it is highly - improbable that they will ever compete L ; with their better equipped compmtois.

The I.omlon “Musical News” (September Ist) hot! these comments: the <>P; m-oval contain a hfi'SO percentaim o the coinnany he represents, , eel < Oeil been a free lance, las view® .is .. critic might have carried emu l neiqnt. bnt as ho is not. it would have been better had he refrained from criticism!? aUoarether. That the names of various members of the EiurlUh opera company nr" justified in being included is beside the point. No mention i« m a?.» in the article of Mr Cecil's close Inißinois connection with s-nch artists as Madame Fanny Moody. Madame Clementine de Mere Sapio, Mr Charles Mann era, and Mr John Coates. That Mr Cecils views are perfectly sincere none need question, but. ias wc have said, the value of them is discounted by his present position.