MUSIC

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23341, 5 November 1937, Page 3

MUSIC

NOTES AND RECORDS By Allegro Children's music plays no small part in our musical world. We attend such performances as those of the Junior Orchestra and the Caversham School Choir not only with the idea of encouraging the young to build a foundation for their music of the future, but for the present pleasure w are afforded by their entertainments. We feel also that the enjoyment which the children themselves obtain along with their education is real and sincere. In New Zealand the scope for mass performances by the young is, of course, limited; but there are those of us who, having heard of and appreciated mass song and orchestra by thousands of children in other countries, would like to see something similar attempted in our own land. Here is a recent notice from an English paper:—The National Union of School Orchestras is holding its twenty-eighth annual violin concert at the Albert Hall to-day. Some 2000 young violinists will play, conducted by Spencer Dyke. Over 60 years ago John Curwen, of Tonic Sol-fa fame, was concerned with music in schools, and on one occasion, in 1874, he visited and heard the singing of the Jewish free schools in Spital.elds, in which 2500 children were trained in his system. It is interesting to recall Mr Curwen's views on the type and quality of music necessary to bring out the best which a child possesses. " Some people," he wrote, '" suppose that children generally can be taught to sing well with their voices—without their hearts—like some poor, miserable, artistic chorister boys in cathedrals, or the fainting charitj. children in St. Paul's! No; if you want children to sing well you must give them words which will stir a child's heart, and music • which will suit a child's voice." We hear also that Mr Robert Mayer has just concluded the fifteenth season of six children's concerts at the Central Hall, Westminster. The first of these concerts, which are now no longer considered an experiment but an institution, was given by the Adolf Busch String Orchestra, conducted by Stanley Chappie, with a Bach programme. The other concerts were conducted by Malcolm Sargent. International exchanges of music and its artists are surely a means of upholding friendly feelings among the nations concerned. Sir Thomas Beecham was in Italy recently, listening to opera singers, with a view to next year's season at Covent Garden, and making arrangements for the tour which the London Philharmonic Orchestra is to undertake at the Italian Government's invitation next April. Six or seven concerts are tt Be given—two in Rome and the others probably at Milan, Turin, Bolgna, Florence and Naples. Though Sir Thomas Beecham has conducted in Italy a number of times, no English orchestra has ever before played there. It is the opinion of Sir Henry Wood that England can to-day boast a finer band of living composers than any other countrty in the world. "Unfortunately," he says, "other countries do not hear our works often enough; sometimes they do not hear them at all, because publishers do not send the works abroad. But the compositions of foreign composers, quite rightly, are sent to this country. I get great batches of scores. It will surprise you to know," Sir Henry continues, " that when an English composer recently asked a quite prominent German conductor how often he played the works of Elgar, the conductor answered, "Elgar, who is he? Never heard of him.' The Englishman was incredulous. 'Surely,' he remonstrated, 'you know the "Enigma Variations," the Violin Concerto, the Introduction and Allegro?' But, no, the German honestly and phenomenally did not know Edward Elgar or his works."