TECHNICAL COLLEGE

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12526, 16 August 1926, Page 11

TECHNICAL COLLEGE

“GOOD MUSIC AND BAD" LECTURE BY MR DOUGLAS TAYLER Unfler the auspices of tlie Technical College Students' Association, Mr Dougdas Tayler, supervisor of school music for New Zealand gave an interesting lecture on "Good Music and Bad" before a large audience in the gymnasium at the new college on Friday evening.

The lecture was profusely illustrated, by songs, piano, anti gramophone music, and was listened to most intently. Mr Tayler show'ed how sounds appeal to the senses, to the emotions, and to - ' the intellect, pointing his remarks with humorous illustrations. He went on to demonstrate the effect of music, using for Illustration Schubert's "Marche Militaire" and ''Sailors' Chanties" as tending to produce movements of the body, and a sonata of Beethoven as appealing to the emotions. The lecturer also showed how the intellect is brought into play, for when the hearer is acquainted with the circumstances in which o piece of music was written and the feelings and aspirations to which it was giving voice, he was able to appreciate it to the full. "Piece Heroique," for example, written during the time of the Belgian invasion, and intended to express the struggle, devotion, and hopes of the suffering people, meant a great deal more to the listener wliq knew this than to one who wn ignorant. The essence of good Tayler said, was sincerity. It might be of extremo simplicity, consisting of variations of a few notes; yet if it adequately expressed real feeling tho music was good. The characteristics of bad music, on the other hand, were one or other of the following:—(1) The appeal to unworthy emotions, or the tendency to excite ill-bal-anced, graceless movements, as shown in ragtime and jazz; (2) useless elaborations, such as variations on the simple melody of "Home, Sweet Hobe;" (3) hotch-potch of fragments drawn from otheT compositions, which Mr Tayler amusingly illustrated by a popular 6ong; (4) idle repetition of chords and themes; and (5) what tho Americans call "sob stuff," giving expression to sloppy sentiment. The lecture concluded with gramophone records of Saint-Sacns' "Carnival of the Animals," which Mr Tayler accompanied with descriptive comments, enabling his audience to enter into the humour of tho piece. A hearty vote of thanks to Mr Tayler was proposed by Mr Gribblo on behalf of the Students' Association.