CRITIC ASSAULTED

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7029, 18 January 1910, Page 3

CRITIC ASSAULTED

mb' kennerley rum ford boxes HIS EARS. PEOiT OUH SPECIAL COEEESPONDENT. , LONDON, December 3., Mr Kennerley Rumfora, the husband of Jims. Clara Butt, created a ’eensation in musical ciro-cs this week by boxing the ears of a musical critic of Vl'lie 'I , iI2IDS/ , ■ * ' Blielly, the facts appear to be that Mr Kennerley.Rumford approached the critic in the vestibule of the. Queen's . Hall, and demanded la be informed if he were for the reference to Mine. Clara Butt in the. notice in "The Times” of the 1 {symphony Concert ut Queen s Hall on I Saturday; afternoon. ■ : ; The critic replied that he was, whereupon Mr Kennerley Rumford committed at least a -technical assault upon-him—-"boxed his ears,” he himself says. The ground of complaint against the critic appears to be that at the end of his notice of the instrumental, portion'of the programme he said:— ■ . . No douht the apathy cf its reception was partly due to the fact that the audience was -largely made up of the. admirers of Mine. Clara Butt, who are not generally interested in symphonies or other forms of serious music. The performance. of "some of Elgar’s "Sea Pic- ‘ tares," ; two songs by Beethoven, .with, of oouise, Donizetti’s, “11 Kcgreto” as an encore, apparently, satisfied them. . The fracas, occurred, about 9 o’clock in the evening. Mr‘Kennerley Rumford went down to the hall and. asked to see ' Mr Collis ("The Times” oritic). When that gentleman arrived Mr ‘Kennerley Rumford asked him if ho was the author of a critique of the.concert at the Queen's Hall in which'Mine. Ciara Butt took part. , ’ Jlr Collis admitted that lie kail wntiten the notice in question, whereupon 'Mr Rumford replied that he did not con•sider a certain passage of the critique was in.the realms of musical criticism, and maintained that Mr Collis had been persistently rude in this respect to ,his "The conscqn-’iicc of the conversation was that Mr Kennerley Rumford boxed Mr Collis’s ears. The incident . took place in the vestibule, and there were only some attendants present at the time. NO APOLOGY. Mr Kennerley Rumford, who, with his wife, is at present staying, tit Bristol, states that after boxing Mr Collis’s ears ho received the following letter from ■'The Times”:— "Sir, —We are informed, that last night, at the Queen's Hall,you committed a gross assault upon a,member of our staff, Mr H. D. Collis, on account of some criticism .which .appeared .in' /The .Times.’- IVo are very unwilling 1 that questions soonnected - with our criticisms should bo brought into the police court, but unless: you tell us you are prepared to. apologise to Mr Collis, we cannot refuse to 'allow' him to adopt this course. "l am, sir, "Yours faithfully, . "MOBEELEY BELL.” In reply to this, Mr Rumford said that he wrote the following letter; “Sir,—l should not dream of apologising to Mr Collis. My wife and 1 lake no exception to unfavourable criticism, but your critic’s notice was not criticism at till; it was an impertinence on his part. He said that the symphony was badly received by the public because the audience was' composed of ad-

mirers of my wife, who were unable t» appreciate and) understand' serious music, ; “I thoroughly agree with, you that it is unfortunate thut these matters should bo the subject of police court proceed;; ings. If; sir,, you are sincere, in the . expression of your opinion, tir'd; trouble is easily/remedied by; your instructing, your*' critics to confine themselves a’lii future to criticism,' and not to persistent and personal abuse, llad such' so-called 1 criticism been directed’/to' mo I should have- treated- it with the contepipt. it. deserves/ but as it was directed against my-wife, and*is one of tiro 601*1 es of sustained ' attacks; upon her /in your hews- / paper, I lint now compelled 'to'take strong, measures to put a stop to the annoyance. .‘‘My solicitors are Hilder, Thompson, ; ami Dunn, 36, Jcrmyn street, who will accept service on my behalf. :” / /

- ‘‘Yours truly, "E, KENNERLEY BUsTfORD> Judging by these letters, one expected that this dcporable incident would shortly form, the subject of police court i proceedings, and Bure enough, a summons ■ has now been granted against Mr Rum. ■ ford on a charge of ‘assault.