MUSIC.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19316, 31 October 1924, Page 3

MUSIC.

NOTES AND RECORDS

Well remembered in New Zealand •will be Miss Alice Hollander, who has returned from England to Australia ior a brief period under engagement to Fullers' and in the prime of her artistic powers. Leaving Sydney still in her 'teens for Europe to complete her vocal studies she soon became established in the concert world, eventually touring with Paderewski, Kubehk, Backhaus, Patti, Caruso, and Gerardy, besides giving her own recitals and making her mark at festivals, and at the Royal Albert Hall, the Queen's Hall ballad concerts, "under the baton" of Richard Strauss, Sir Henry Wood, Sir Landon Ronald and Arthur Nikisch. The Australian singer, however, was induced in the end to abandon the concert platform for musical comedy in London—at Daly's, the Prince of Wales, and the Globe and Gaiety Theatres, and to appear at the best variety stages, not only in England, but in Holland, Germany, and Russia. Dame Clara Butt has given broadcasting her benediction. Her first experience of singing to a vast, unseen audience thrilled her beyond any singing to a visible audience such as packs the Albert Hall at times. The latter way is detrimental to the highest artistry. One becomes acutely conscious of one's audience. The mind is apt to slip a cog. "Now, when I was singing to that vast, unseen multitude, I had no distractions to fight against. Whatever of artistry there is in me had its perfect opportunity. I visualised my audience, though I did not see it. There was no talking, no fidgeting, no coming in late, no going out early. It was a most perfect audience, the best-mannered audience I have ever sung to! I had often longed for the record audience, a record both in numbers and appreciation, and, 10, I had got it! I felt it in every nerve. I knew I was singing, for once, at least, from heart to heartr-the only kind of singing worth while." The Dan Godfreys, who have been, bandmasters "s'mce the beginning of time," came into special prominence in 1922, when Dan Godfrey II was knighted "for valuable services to British music." This honour was accorded Sir Dan _ after 33 years of conducting, and now, in an imposing volume, published this year, this great British celebrity has given to the world his memoirs under the title of "Memories and Music." To-day he is known, more particularly the world over in musical circles, for his inestimable services to music as the director of music to the Corporation of Bournemouth. It has been an immensely successful experiment, illuminating and instructive, in civic municipal enterprise. In this respect Bournemouth for the last 30 years has been an easy first. It possesses a permanent municipal orchestra, capable of presenting adequately an orchestral programme. Its regular strength is 40 performers, and this is augmented to 50 for symphony concerts. In addition to the orchestra at the Winter Gardens, a military band is maintained to perform on the pier, making the total expenditure on instrumental music between £15,000 and £16,000 per annum. Sir Dan Godfrey holds that the advantages of maintaining a first-class orchestra, even at a loss, are obvious. "In the case of a health resort, it is, of course, a great advertisement; but in my opinion it is equally valuable to any city as a healthy form of ■■ entertainment for the masses. They would soon learn to appreciate good music if they were encouraged to do bo. A good beginning might be made with popular concerts of not too heavy but thoroughly well-rendered, music. We must get rid of the Anglo-Saxon idea that art is effeminate, and should begin to value it for what it really is. Music should be made more accessible to everybody, for it is easy for human beings to become submerged in the details of life and fail to realise anything beyond their daily acts and associations. For the last 15 years a. few enthusiasts have strongly advocated the introduction of lessons in musical appreciation into the curriculum of our elementary schools. A great step has been taken in-this direction recently in Bournemouth. The plan provides for concerts of good descriptive music to be given in the Winter Garden to about 700 selected pupils from the local elementary schools. A short explanatory lecture will be given by myself, and the children will bo invited write, essays after each concert, for which prizes will be awarded. Then a selected number—probably the prizewinners—will attend the symphony concerts, and later submit essays' describing their experiences." As Sir Dan Godfrey says, "Anything that helps to solve the problem of the future of children when school days are over surely merits our most careful consideration. The stimulating effect of music on the lives of these young people is all for the good of the community, apart from the fact that such training is building up the audiences of the future." The accordion is not ap instrument known to the musical elect, any more than the Jew's harp or mouth organ ; but it has come under notice lately in gramophone recording. A record by this means of the "Poet and Peasant" overture proved an amazing performance technically, and one of astonishing power, some passages equalling a whole reed band. A good deal of organ music could be transcribed for it with good effect, says a writer in the London Musical Times. A message dated October 7 runs: "Madame" Amelita Galli-Curci, the famous soprano arrived in London. She is to receive £20,030 for a six weeks' tour of Great Britain. One hundred thousand tickets have already been sold." latterly the United States has become over-crowded with artists, and this has resulted in an extension of American concert enterprise to the East. Successful tours in Japan, China, and Manila have been made by Mme. Schumann-Heink, .Wise ha El man, Jaseha Heifctz, Gadowsky, and Efrem Zimbalist, besides the Pavlowa Russian ballet. Java has sometimes been included, and a round tour of the States made by way of India and Egypt. Now a further extension of the Eastern tour visions Australia, and in a way one of the first to adopt this tour will be Chaliapin, the famous Russian singer, in 1925. . Alfred Cortot has just recorded Schumann's "Carnival," and the result has moved a critic to say : "The whole exquisite work is an incarnation of the dance, and Cortot plays it as only he can. It is one of the. test works in the piano repertoire, but he ripples through such movements as Paganini and the exciting final "March" with consummate ease while giving all possible effect to the poetry of the quieter movements. The recording is good and the piano tone unusually so. A London critic waves enthusiastic over Isolde Menges's unaccompanied violin record of Bach's "Chaconne'' (in four parts), just recently issued: "A chaeonno is a Spanish dance usually in three-four time, moderately slow in movement and consisting of a set of variations, as in this case. This example is taken from Bach's fourth sonata for violin solo, and has always been regarded as a fiery ordeal for the soloist. Isolde Menges emergl's unscathed and consolidates the high reputation she gained by her. performance in tlio Beethoven violin concerto. The violin tone is excellent throughout."