MUSIC.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19311, 24 October 1924, Page 3

MUSIC.

NEWS AND NOTES, In Uio grand finale to the Welsh Musical Festival at Wembley a choir of 30CO voices sang in the Stadium to an audience of nearly 30,000. Among the listeners were Mr Lloyd George and Dame Lloyd George, who arrived just after the “Hallelujah” Chorus, and were given an ovation hy both audience and choir. Thirty-six Welsh choirs sent contingents to this massive chorus, which was under the conductorsliip of Sir Walford Davies, all districts of the Principality being represented. Some wonderful singing (writes The Daily Chronicle musical correspondent) was heard from this magnificent body of voices, and fortunately the conditions in the. Stadium were ideal, a gentle breeze bringing tho sound right across to the audience opposite the choir. Responding to calls for a speech at the close of the Welsh Musical Festival' at Wembley Mr Lloyd George used a megaphone. It was an instrument, ho said, which he was not accustomed to perform upon—(laughter)—but he would like to say a word of his deep sense of appreciation for the magnificent music which had just thrilled them. He was proud of Welsh music always, but he had never been prouder of it than he had been now. On behalf of that vast multitude, he thanked Sir Wnlford Davies for the manner in which he had conducted the performance, a mast difficult matter, when one recalled the fact that the choirs had come from 20 or 30 different localities, and that they could not possibly have had an opportunity of rehearsing together. (Cheers.) The Earl of Balfour, who was also called on, said it would be an outrage for him to add anything to what' Mr Lloyd .George had said. Mr Lloyd George had a right to speak on Welsh music, as a Welshman; but if, as a Scotsman be were to add his opinion, it would be to say that he did not believe there had been anything parallel in artistic history’ of what had just been heard. “If music were Used simply as an attraction to the services, church organists were beaten by the cinema, every time,” declared Mr Sydney Nicholson, organist of Westminster Abbey, at Newcastle, recently. He was speaking at a donference of the National Union of Organists’ Association. which discussed the report on “Music in Worship” issued some time ago hy the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Committee. Tliat report laid it down that “tho function of the organ is to bo an adornment and not a necessity,” and Mr Nicholson raid that, if it were taken as the organists’ charter, they would see a revolution in church music.

Just 60 years ago Miss Anna Williams, the great soprano, whose death occurred last month, made her debut at the Crystal Palace. For more than half those 50 years she lived in retirement, save for her teaching engagements. An old pupil has been giving a personal recollection of her first lesson, which consisted mainly of being taught how to yawn. Miss Williams declared that she owed the phenomenal power of her voice to stretching the larynx by this yawning exercise. In the August number of a German musical journal, “Music,” there apnears a ncwly-discovercd “Song Without Words” by Mendelssohn. Although the original manuscript of the composition was found in an old family book, it bears the authentic Mendelssohn stamp and character. Tiro dedication is made in Mendelssohn’s own handwriting to Fraulein Doris Lowe, who was the daughter of a Viennese Court actor, and a sister of a well-known singer, Frauloin Sophie Lowe, who later became Princess Liechtenstein. It was while accompanying her sister on one of her concert tours that Doris Lowe met Mendelssohn in Berlin in 1841, and it is very probable that the recently discovered piece was written in that year. Writing in the Daily Chronicle Mr Henry Coates observes: —“The musical festival provided by Wales, which has been in progress at Wembley, is something more than a magnificent feast of music: it is the expression of a great musical leadership. For the wonderful performances of great masterpieces which we have heard are due to the inspiration of one man —Sir Walford Davies. He it is who for years past has devoted himself to the development of Welsh musical talent. There is no corner of the British Empire in which natural musical gifts are to be found in more abundance than in Wales, as their exquisite folk-music and beautiful voices show; Welsh tenors are famous in the English-speaking world; and all over the Empire one finds Welsh choirs. But in the past Wales has not made the fullest use of its musical gifts. At an Eisteddfod some years ago Sir Walford bluntly told his fellow-countrymen, in a famous speech, that the music they performed was unworthy of them, that of instrumental music they knew but little, and that there was need of great technical improvement. The truth was resented at the time, although it is now admitted to be justified.”

Mr Coates continues;—“However, Sir Walford set liimself to bring about a very different state of affairs. With unwearying energy lie preached, through Universities and schools, the gospel of good music.. Tho study of the great classics, the knowledge of modern musical developments, the need of thorough technical equipment. Ilieso ideals he has ever worked hard to accomplish. And Wembley has been the wonderful result. In choral art Sir Walfovd has led Wales to that music of all time—Bach. Those who have been privileged this week to hear performances of such masterpieces as the “Wachlet Auf” (“Sleepers Awake”) cantata on Monday by the Cardiff Musical Society and the great Bach 1! minor Mass on Wednesday by the Ammanford Choral Society, have received an impression they can never forget. Perhaps the Ammanford achieve,meut has been the most remarkable. Here was a choir of 160 voices, taken from a tiny town of three or four thousand people, tackling one of the greatest things in all musical literature. As Sir Walford explained before the performance, they were just working folk who had come up that morning from Wales (they wore returning at midnight) and they "would sing to the Umpire audience just ■ as if they wore holding a good rehearsal at home.” In reply to a correspondent, it may be stated that it is customary to speak of Handel’s well-known composition as “Tho Dead March in Saul.” Grove so quotes the title.