Music and Musicians

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11933, 13 September 1924, Page 11

Music and Musicians

Gramophones and Records

MUSICAL GOSSIP AT HOME AND ABROAD. Th© pianoforto recital to be given by Mr Clifford Kemp lias been iixedl for Saturday, October 4th, in Hie Concert Chamber. A large proportion of the programme will be selected from modern composers, some numbers being performed lor the first time in New Zealand Mr Kemp ■‘/ill bo assisted by Mrs R. J. Wildish (soprano). Richard. Barth, who died recently in Germany, was oue of the few left-handed violinists ever achieving eminence. Ho studied under Joachim, possibly the greatest vialinist of his time and became a conductor, a conservatory director, musical Licgrapfoer, and other things of distinction. Alexander Zarzycki, whose Mazurka is being featured by Morini in a recent record, was Ibocn at Ijeniberg, Poland, in 1831, and for some years was director of the Conservatory at Warsaw*, where he died in 1895. Ho wrote a number of violin compositions, a piano concerto, and minor works. For a time he was conductor of the Warsaw Musical Society, and he was known as a concert pianist. We are not surprised to hear of a crowd of 13,000 attending a big Rugby game, but when that number and more attend a concert —that is news. More than 13,000 attonded a cinglo ooncort given by John McCormack during liis tour of the Pacific Coast. But he is almost as much an institution in America as baseball. Cyril Scott, whose “Lullaby” Frances Alda recently has recorded, is one of the more distinguished members of the ,r New School” of serious composition in England. Bom in 1879, in Cheshire, England, he received a part, at least, of his musical training in Germany, under German masters. His style (though this varies considerably) has been compared, at timec, to that of Debussy; in later works, however, the influence of earlier men has disappeared. Lucrczia Borgia, heroine of Donizetti's opera, and probably the least-loved woman in modern history, wag by no means the tigress and fiend of common romance. Dim at Rome in 1490, she lived irt a cruel time. She was betrothed by her father at elevon to a young Spanish nobleman, but tho engagement was swiftly broken off aud she was married) by proxy to another; this marriage was annulled, and she was married again to Giovanni Sforza, from whom she was separated in turn, by annulment. She then, at eighteen, was yet again mairried to Alphonso of Aragon, a youth of eighteen, who soon was murdered by her brother. She married finally, at twenty-two, Alphonse d'Este, who became Duke of Ferrara, and but for the single circumstance of tho murder, by her husband, of an admirer of hers, she lived) quietly. She is described to-day as a woman of probably mediocre talents, neither better nor worse than those at the courts around her. MYSTERY GIRL FROM ISHOP TO STARDOM. A WILLIAMSON VENTURE. J C. Williamson, Ltd., are soon to launch a mystery girl as a new. stage *tar. Her christened name is unknown, but “the, firm” thinks of presenting her as “Jill Manners.” She is to have the role of Julia in “Cousin from Nowhere," which begins in Sydney on September 27th. Twentv years of age. the mystery girl will leap straight from a shop counter in Pitt street to the coveted position of principal in a big musical comedy. On Augqst 15th, Jack Cannot took her to Mr E. J. Tait. “Hear her; she’s sood,” he said. And Mr Tait heard her, Mr Andrew McCunn heard her, and the upshot of it is that She is to be a star. She has a five years contract, and at present is being motored from Apollo Granforte, where she has her singing lessons, to dentist, to manicurist Mid dressmaker, and her attendant sylph® fly round incessantly. Mr Granforte says that her voice is wonderful. And on September 27th Sydney will see. SHARPS AND FLATS WHAT THE WORLD THINKS. If in tho end, with everything against him, an English, composer does succeed in getting his work played, he has at least some chance of seeing it fairly launched on a living stream. For on the Continent opera leally is a living stream, whereas here it is, bo to speak, a succession of isolated puddles. Some of them glittering ones, but . . . puddles for all that, and likely to dry up untimely— Dame Ethel Smyth. In the last analysis vre must all fall back on the most primeval thrill, the thrill down the spinal column. . . . When I get such a thrill I know that what I am listening to or playing is all right. If I don't get it, I Know there is something wrong.—Fritz Kreisler, Not everyone, unfortunately, has an educated backbone. ... On the other hand (and if it means death at dawn let it stand), the fiftieth performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony no longer speaks to my spine. Wo are too intimate, that Symphony and I—“Mephisto” in “Musical America.” The “B Minor Maest” is officially regarded as Bach's masterpiece. When I say “officially” I mean it is so regarded by church musicians, writers of programme notes, academic professors and all the amateurs who have never heard it. Personally I can only say that many works by Bach give mo greater pleasure. If I had to chooGe between the Fortyeight Preludes and Fugues and the “B Minor Mass” I should plump for the former, and there are many others of Bach's compositions which I should be loath to lose for the “B Minor Mass” — although I would certainly givo up both the St. Matthew and) the St. John Passion for the Mass —W. J. Turner. Stripped of its dialectic trappings, and with its metaphysical convolutions straightened out, Wagner's theory is briefly this: In any sort of drama, whether musical or otherwise, the play's the thing, and in the music drama, the music must lend itself unreservedly and continuously to intensifying, emotional expression of the text, and to giving an illustrative colouring to the dramatio action.—W. F. Apthorp. Amateur choral culture is in its infancy as yet, and tho time may come when it will arrivo a.t a stage of development which will make it possible to revive the taste for so pure and 1 lofty a style of unaccompanied chorus music as that of tho mediavel church composers.— Arthur Mees. Once the critic begins to listen to the promptings of his better nature he is lost.—Ernest Newman. AN EDITOR’S CONVERSION HARVEY GRACE CONFESSES. “Conversion” is the right word (writes Harvev Grace, editor of the “Musical Times*' on “Voice” when talking of his new* attitude to tho gramophone) for it was a case of complete change of attitude. Like most, musicians, I had come to regard the instrument solely as a contrivance for the raucous delivery of bad music. Again like most musicians^l was partly to blame: we had given the gramophone a bad name and waved it aside. But some of the blame must be laid at

the door of the manufacturers. Before we had given the gramophone that baa name they had given it a bad reputation by their nolicy of catering almost solely for the least musical section of tlie populace; and even when they began to improve their choice of material, too littje was done in enlisting the interest of musicians. I believe I am right in saying that it was the starting of "His Master's Voice" Education Department, under Mr Walter Veomans, that woke up a *?ood many of us. (I dislike that word "education" in this or v 7iy other musical connection, but don't ask me to suggest a better 1) My conversion began with a visit to Hayes m 1919, when I heard from Mr Yeomans some account of what had been done and what was in prospect in the recording of first-class performances of the finest music of all types. Before 1 left the factory, I had succumbed to«*ome records of Cortot, the Flonzaley Quartet, and Galli-Curci, and within a few days 1 had bought a gramophone. To-day, after five years* regular use of it, for purposes of work and recreation, I am keener than ever. Only once has the convert shown signs of backsliding. For a few days after my wireless set had been installed, I wavered. A new broom. .... And it was so jolly to be able to turn on the tap and draw one's supply of music without having to jump up every few minutes and wind up a machine and reverse a record. But the relapse was fleeting. I soon saw that the chief claims of the wireless were set aside by those of the gramophone, and I have never doubted since. THE CRAMOPHONE REVIEWS AND NOTES. The very piok of the vocal records is the fine sintrinir of "II est venu ce jour de Lutte" (H.M.V.) tv Dinh Gilly. The splendid baritone voice comes through ‘well in an aria which reminds one now of Verdi and anon of Massenet. The song is from "La Coupe du Roi de Thule" (Diaz), an opera better known to Parisians than on the English side of the Channel. The number fills both sides of a 10-inch Tocord, and the recitative on the first side is given in true dramatic fashion. In the flowing pria Gilly reminds one forcibly of Caruso's lower register. He has the Caruso quality without a doubt. It as to 'be wondered that Chaliapine has not recorded the "Catalogue Song" from "Don Giovanni'' before to-day. Here is an N.M.V. 10-inch record bearing the famous "Madaminal il catalogo," full of broad humour. It is sung by Leporello, Don Juan's dissolute servant and assistant in all his debaucheries. He recounts the numerous conquests of his master to Dona Elvira, one of the Don's victims, and boasts of his adventures. The song is a magnificent one, and is «ung in the Chaliapine manner, with tho brilliant orchestration of Mozart weaving a gay pattern round the splendid voice. The artistio Frieda Hempel records Hro stadanrd songs, "None But the Weary Heart" (Tschaikovsky) and "Phyllis Has Sudh Charming Graces" <arranged by Lane. Wilson). The old English air is a finished piece of work, and an addition to her recorded work. We all have our stupid settled ideas, and I confess always to have thought that ''None But the Weary Heart" by right belongs to contralto. Hempel almost forces a change in a settled conviction, so well does she sing the tender melody. Joseph Hislop records well in two of the lesser-known tenor arias from "Rigoletto," "Ella mi fu Eatvita" and "Parmi vtder le Labrimei" (H.M.V. lOin), in which the Duke laments the loss of Gilda. The beautiful cantabile of the latter number, and the colour of Hislop s rendering, puts it among the very Pick of his records. The introductory Paxmi voder" is of lesser moment, but beautifully sung. The popular Michael Fleta sings two popular numbers in "La Donna e Mobile" ("Eigoletto") and "E Lucevan le Stolle" ("Tosca"). (H.M.V. lOin). His singing of the Puccini number is marked by a rather wonderful diminuendo; but marred by a too tearful finish. The eternal favourite, "La Donna e Mobile," however, is sung with spirit and abandon, and Fleta revels in its lightly tripping measures, especially at the brilliant close. For the dplefully minded here is a record by Stanley Lupino, "Oh, Italy!" and "Mexico" (H.M.V. lOin). The cheerful nonsense of thp bold brigand of Mexico should dispel any blues; but most people will prefer being taken into Lupdno’s confidence as to the way in which Italian girls make love. "Oh, Italy" is the better melody, but the orchestral work of the other song is clever. "William Tell" is perhaps Rossini’s masterpiece, and the overture with its vivid picture of calm and storm and the awakening of a nation is one of the most familiar of orchestral works. The Coldstream Guards Band now gives us a brilliant record of the ballet music from the same opera. (H.M.V. I2in). Thoroughly good music, this record cannot fail to appeal even to those who are not over keen on band numbers. There is a wealth of melody in the work, and some extremely fine clarionet playing in the latter half for lovers of the wood wind. Rollicking, gay, martial by turns, the record is one of the choice. One of the very best of orohestral releasee is the "Fantasia in O Minor" (Bach-Elgar), and the "Overture in D Minqr" (Handel-Elgar). Sir Edward Elgar conducted the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra in these arrangements by him of two famous works. The Bach "Fantasia" is a wonderful work, and reveals the old master strong, purposeful, intently meditative and mystical. The Handel overture created a sensation on its first performance, and its straightforward and open appeal is very characteristic.