MUSIC

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22397, 19 October 1934, Page 3

MUSIC

NOTES AND RECORDS By Allegro. The October Music in New Zealand contains an instructive article, “How the Romantic Movement _ in Art and Literature Influenced Music,” by Sophie Hall. Many famous names are mentioned in it, to illustrate the points in the clearest manner. “Progress,” by Mary Martin, contains a great deal of thought in a small space. T. Vernon Griffiths, in the “Leading New Zealand Musicians 99 column, tells of the musical doings of Mr Stanley Oliver, now returned from Canada. C. R. Allen contributed “ Jubal,” dealing with a new side of (music. , On reading in a well-known musical paper an article on the future of tonality, one trembles momentarily for the fate of simple music. The object is to alter or “ enrich ” the present tonal system. Joseph Yasser wishes to achieve a system which “synthesises” the principles of both atonality and tonality. The former, according to him possesses certain constructive features. His discovery, “supratoiiality,” is a new and more complex tonal medium modelled technically on the old. The scale in supratonality would consists of two sets of degrees, represented by the formula 12 plus 7—12 regular and _ seven auxiliary degrees against the diatonic scale of seven regular and five auxiliary degrees and the infra-diatonic scale of five regular and two auxiliary notes. According to the frank confessions of Mr Yasser, the new scale will at first displease composers, and special kinds of ear training will'have to he gone through to accustom them to it. They will have to be “ retrained and redisciplined ”; they will find the process slow and tedious. Rudimentary rules of harmony and counterpoint will have to be evolved—the “next and no loss complicated” step to the creation of super-tonal music. Such rules, moreover, must he mastered “at the very outset of one’s career.” Another writer on the subject thinks that the difficulties seem too great considering the doubtful quest, tor when you have evolved the rules, codified them and mastered them, what guarantee is there that the composer will use them to the best purpose? A medium which “displeases” is hardly likely to stimulate original work. He ends amusingly: «Possibly something may be done if you catch your composer young.” For some years a group of musicians at Horae and on the Continent have been agitating for a revised system of scoring They suggest writing notes which are actually "sounded for transposing instruments, leaving the performer to transpose if he wishes to. Such a system would certainly simplify both the reading and writing of a score. Two and possibly more Beethoven symphonies have actually been published with horns, clarinets and trumpets, as if they were non-transposing instruments, but it is not known what success f those issues had.

It has truly been said: “The fact that no other scores of this type were issued is significant.” In his suite for two clarinets (Oxford University Press) Mr Alan Frank takes a step in another direction, and writes notes as they sound, but tells the performer to use whichever instrument he prefers, the clarinet in A or in B flat. One London horn player’s views are as follows: “ I had a peculiar difficulty in playing the horn (which no other player I ever met seemed to be troubled with) owing to possessing what I believe is called a sense of absolute pitch. In my experience horn players almost invariably used the F crook whatever key the music was written in. When the music was written for horn in F there was, of course, no transposition involved for them, but in my case I always had to transpose the notes a fifth in my mind before I could play them. The only case in which no transposition would have been necessary for me was the rare one of a part being written for horn in C.” Peter Dawson’s second recording of the month is “ England,” by Besley, and “ Glory of the Motherland,” by M'Coll, ballads sung in the artist’s most popular style. " The New Light .Symphony Orchestra may be heard in “Prelude,” by Haydn Wood, and “ Intermezzo,” 'by Taylor, both modern compositions using the orchestra in an attractive way. The boys of Temple Church Choir, London, have given a 'clear recording of “Lord God of Heaven and Earth,” by Spohr, to organ accompaniment. Sir Hugh Allen’s arrangement of the Bach chorale “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring,” with oboe obbligato and piano accompaniment, makes an effective second record.