Music Notes

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7847, 8 July 1911, Page 18

Music Notes

I have received from the Melbourne branch of Chappell and Co.. Ltd., a budget of tho latest music. '‘Fleurette/’ a simple little song, is written and composed by Daisy McGooch- "The Early Morning/’ a short song from '“The Country Lover,” is an. attractive item for which Graham Peel sets words by Hilaire Belloc to music. Guy ITHardelot has provided a suitable setting for Arthur L. Salmon’s words, “Come to mo at the dose of the day.” There are three now songs by Tosti—“Never”; two little songs entitled "Could I but toil” and "I cannot tell,” tho words of tho throe being by Githa Sowersby. Tennyson’s famous "Crossing the Bar” comes in the form of a duet for baritone and contralto voices, and an organ accompaniment is also supplied. There are two attractive pieces for tho pianoforte—"ChaTmeuse,” a rather difficult but tuneful valse-intermozzo by Robert Coningsbv Clarke, and a pretty raise, entitled "Pleurante,” from the pen of Finest Dunkeb.

The parents of John Mac Cormack, the great tenor who will appear with Madam© Melba in grand opera in Australia, are, according to a, Duolin paper, living at Athlon©, Ireland. "Their kindly, simple, hearts,” continues tho para,graph, "hare been filled with gratitude over his immense success in opera both in London and New York. Mr Mac Cormack was born just twenty-six years ago in tho town .where his parents reside, and he frequently goes back to the green fields of his old home. He was well educated as a boy, as he was originally intended for the priesthood. His sweet, natural voice was til'st heard in the picturesque ballads of the Emerald Isle, and made him celebrated in a local -way. Ho made sufficient money to go in for a course of study, and then he captured London. X r rom London he went to Milan, and studied under Sabatini. His operatic debut as Tariddu in "Cavalleria Rusticana” in 1907 established his fame. In a week all London was talking of tho new tenor with tho fresh. Irish complexion, the blue gray eyes, and the wonderfully pure lyric voice.

"I believe in . tho uplifting power of music It makes people better in threo .ways; It. gives them better health; it makes them cheerful, long-lived, and tones up their nerves; also it provides the best possible recreation/’ remarked Dr Coward, addressing a children’s function in Sydney. He said that for twenty years hs had conducted 25.000 children, and had under his baton 'choirs ranging from 2000 to 60,000. Music was a wonderful gift to children. It made them open their' lungs, and it gave them perfect health- Dr Coward urged the boys to get well ground’ed in the tonic sol fa. Then the staff notation would follow. The dual system was essential. Sir Walter Parratt, the King’s Musician, specialised in - the tonic sol fa. "I am an educationalist,” concluded • the visitor; "I believe in making every boy and girl a good musician.” Charpentier’s "Louise,” like Debussy’s "Pelleae et Melisande,” is a work which requires a good many hearings before its music can be fully appreciated, though otherwise the two operas have not a very great deal in common (says a Home paper). But both are characteristic products of the modern French spirit, and inspired by a of idealism ■which, though it finds expression in excessive realism >in the one case and excessive' romanticism in the other, is none the less essentially the same thing in each, instance. In one sense the _ squalid scenes and ■ everyday happenings of "Louise” are as far removed, as possible from tho mystical dream-like atmosphere in which Debussy’s characters live and move and have their being. Yet the two operas are far more closely akin to oil'e another- than they* are to earlier examples-of the national school, as, say, Gounod’s "Faust” or Bizet’s "Carmen.” For both are as unmistakably the products of the twentieth century as the latter are of tho nineteenth: Of the two, Debussy’s is certainly tho more original creation, though Charpenlier’a, with its Eicturesque imse-en-scene and effective ook makes a more immediate appeal to the average opera-goer. If, indeed, the music of "Louise” were as telling as its book and its setting it would be a very remarkable work indeed, and would certainly enjoy a vastly greater measure of popularity than has attended it hitherto, But unfortunately this is not the case. ■ The music of "Louise” is, for tho most part, disappointing —well meant, well written, cleverly thought out, and so on; but at bottom uninspired and uninspiring. Its extreme scrappineas and restlessness stands ■ greatly m , the way also of its enjoyment. 'There aro picturesque and effective bits and. touches here and there, but they are seldom welded into a homogeneous whole, or brought to a focus in a manner required by music which is to produce its maximum effect. The ear, in consequence, is teased and distracted much as the eye is by a bad cinematograph. There are incidental pages of more’sustained interest certainly, but the, net impression left by the work as -a whole is that suggested.

Writes "H.A.S." in the "Westminster Gazette" of a recent date:—lt was spirited on tho part of Mr London Ronald to devote the sixth of the New Symphony Orchestra's concerts to native composers, for except where an Elgar or a Leslie Stuart (les extremes s© touchent) is concerned it is to be feared that British music is still something of a drug in.the market, though matters are certainly not quite so desperate in this respect nowadays as they wore a few years ago. Yesterday, for instance, there was quite, a largo audience who, whether they' had all paid for their seats or not, had, at any rate, thought it worth while to turn out and sit through a concert devoted wholly to tho home-made article. The composers represented were, moreover, Ml of the younger school, with their reputation still in tho making, beginning with Mr Balfour Gardiner, whoso lively and fanciful Overture to a Comedy opened the concert in happy style. Mr Gardiner is a composer who, if his ambitions do not lead him so far afield as some, always, on revanche, brings oli neatly what he sets out to do. A symphonic rhapsody by Mr Homy Gibson followed, having for its basis, as the programme stated, some lines of Owen Meredith, As, however, these are of purely reflective character, they can have served the: composer merely by the suggestion of a mood which ho has translated into music of a pleasantly aspiring and romantic character, -but not remarkable for much suggestion of distinction or individuality. Mr York Bowen’s'piano concerto in E flat, the solo part of which was very neatly played by Miss Irene Scharrer, is more ambitious in scope, but, hardly more distinguished in point of content. • Not a little of it is, indeed, sadly commonplace, with empty passage work galore and lots of bustle and noise but little enough of solid worth;- waie of his quieter pages, however, are more pleasing, and all is fluent and’ neat enough in the matter of mere technique, though the last movement, and indeed the whole work, might well be abbreviated. ‘‘The Passing of Beatrice,", by William Wallace, is a work which was first performed eighteen years ago, so that U is not surprising that a good deal of it sounds a little obvious to-day, the influence of "Parsifal" and "Lohengrin" being more than occasionally apparent. None the less it is so refined and elevated in character and sincere in feeling and expression that, with its smoothly flowing parts and sweet if rather cloying harmonies, it makes very pleasant hearing, though not avoiding as a whole a slight suggestion of monotony. A Sunset Rhapsody, bv Mr Gustav von Holst, and some vocal solos from Mile, Wilna. completed the programme of a concert which, from the critical point of view at any rate, was exceptionally interesting. Mr Ronald's conducting, as usual, left small room for criticism^