RURAL RAMBLES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2105, 28 June 1894, Page 22

RURAL RAMBLES.

SOME NOTES ON A BIDE THROUGH OTAGO.

(By C. N. B.)

Last week I remarked the fiendishness which is often displayed by country people in misleading unwary travellers. Yesterday evening I went to tea with a gentleman at Wedderburn, ' and at about 9 o'clock I set out to walk back to the hotel, a distance of about three miles. Here was his opportunity. " The road is very bad ; I think you had better go the short cut across Mewhinney's paddock ; keep right along the fence all the way, and you can't go wrong." I set out, keeping close to the fence, and the first thing I encountered was a long piece of wire stretching out from the fence to a coil about syds off. I fell with a crash on the frozen ground. Like jEneas of old, I "murmured many things" — such as "Bother it ! " or words to that effect. I then skated along on the frozen ground till I slid into a pond about 3ft deep, covered with ice which was not strong enough to bear me. Having once been in the water, Ljust waded on through bogs and ponds and ditches till I arrived at the road. If any country man suggests a short road to me again let him die the death, and his blood be on his own head.

Some of the ladies who grumble about their town servants Bhould come up here for a few weeks. One girl — the Eecond 6tupidest girl I have met— suffered from an overwhelming catarrh. The first day I had dinner in the hotel she came up to me after taking the meat away, and with a dreamy, far-away look in her eye, she exclaimed, " Buzzeedah ! " " What ? " I exclaimed. Still with that lack-lustre eye and pre-occapied stare she repeated the magio word,' " Buzzeedah ! " " I really don't know what you mean," I said. " Boiled buzzeedah," she indignantly exclaimed ; " and then I perceived that she was endeavouring to say "Maizena." And the name "Buzzeedah" ntands as a memorial in Naseby even unto this day. I met a few days ago a veritable rara avis. The bird in question was a Scotch blacksmith, apparently an uneducated man, but first of all he astonished me by his remarks on the vibrations of strings, and the advantages of ironframed pianos. Then we were talking of the advantages of gas over kerosene, and one thing led to another until he said : "Aye ; ye ken the diffusion o' a g&rse (gass) is inversely proportioned to the equare root o' its densuty." II Great Scott ! " I exclaimed, " where did you come across the law of gaseous diffusion P " " Weel, ye ken, I read whiles," exclaimed the Scot. And I found that his knowledge of physics, although somewhat crude, was most astonishingly wide. Who can say what he might have been if he had received the benefit of university training P

Another thing that has surprised me very much is the immense number of pianos that have been bought on the time-payment sy -tern from the different Dunedin houses, all round the goldfields. In a great number of cases the piano is much more ornamental than useful. for no one plays it. But " Mistress MacDonal' has got a pinaany, ye ken, co Mistress M'Tougal will no' allow the MacDonal's to crow orer her."

While in Naseby I attended a concert in aid of the Athenseuna, which took place in the Town Hall. The concert was more successful artistically than financially. In fact the attendance, to borrow the language of natural philosophy, was inversely as the attractiveness of the programme presented. A sestet chosen from the local band contributed the first number, and a quintet from the same organisation opened the second part of the programme. In each case the parts were either badly scored, or wore written for a fuller complement of instruments. The balance of the parts was bad, and the accompaniment often almost incoherent. The tone produced by most of the instruments, excepting the bombardon, was poor, and the attack feeble and wanting in decision. The intonation was also faulty on each occasion, the middle parts were often badly out of tune, and a liberal sprinkling of wrong notes was also perceptible. In the second selection, the cadenza for cornet was somewhat blurred, and in each number most of the players made use of the highly objectionable habit cf keeping tune with the feet. This should be as unnecessary as it is annoying and unmusicianly.

The tableaux were for the most part decidedly clever, and great credit is due to the ladies and gentlemen whose assiduity and good tasts conduced to their success. In the " Tit for Tat " tableau Miss Maude Browne looked exceedingly charming, but both Miss Browne and Mr Larnach were just a trifle stiff and "stagey." The incidental song in this tableau and in " The Maids of Lee " was suug by Mr A. Ball. Neither song is at all suited

to a male voice, and the tftVcfc was somewhat incongruous. Mr Ball should endeavour to overcome a tendency to "singsong" and monotony. Mr R Montgomery sang " Tne Toilers" (Piccolomini) with some attempt at expression, but his production is decidedly throaty, . his singing somewhat lifeless, and he " mouths " his words quite Unnecessarily. Mrs M'Carthy, who sang "Listening 1 * (Packer;, phrases well but her breathing is very defective, owiDg to the fact thafc she resorts to the pernicious method of breathing known to physiologists as clavicular (from collarbone). Mrs M'Carthy'B voice would be greatly improved by breathing exercises, which would teach her to use the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm in respiration. Mrs Browne has a somewhat harsh and metallic ring in her voice, which might be greatly improved by practice of scales, well within her compass, sung softly. Quality of voice is of more importance than volume. Tuis lady also occasionally sang sharp through forcing the voice, and her enunciation is not as distinct as might be, owing principally to the liaison, of final consonants with initial vowels, which, although correct in French, ia decidedly objectionable in English. Mrs Rawson, who possesses a sweet and resonant mezzo soprano voice, sang ••Margarita" (Lohr) with commendable expression and good feeliDg. This lady's enunciation is good, but her pronunciation is very faulty. Fair, is suug fayev ; sweet heart, siceetart; floated, floatid; whispered, wHspered; listen, listun; golden, goldun; darkened, darkuned. This failing causes an nnpleasant shock to the educated ear, otherwise Mrs Rawson sings artistically and taste Fully. Miss Marion Browne was greatly handicapped by her sister's manifest nervousnesp, evidenced in the accompaniment. Miss Browne has a mezzo contralto voice of good quality, bub she must be very careful to sing within her effective range. "Dear Heart" is a little beyond her compass. This lady, with judicious training, will become a really good singer, and even now her natural perception and good taste are plainly noticeable in her singing. Mr A. Ball endeavoured to interpret a song with which I am not acquainted, and as the items were not severally announced, and no programmes were given away, I failed to glean the name of the song from Mr Ball's singing. He suffers from an unfortunate tremolo, which might easily be cured by the singing of sustained tones, without a cresco or dim, and his pronunciation of words is decidedly careless "ADgels come' sounded to me uncommonly like Anr/el scum. MrR H Browne sang "The old musketeer" with considerable vigour ; but as my intention m this passing criticism is to help the sweet singers of Naseby to something better in the art, no good end could be Berved in criticising so tried a veteran as Mr Browne. Miss G. Larnach and Master H. Browne united in a duet with considerable success. The little lady suffered somewhat from nervousness, but not so the boy, who not only possesses a clear, sweet alto voice, but evidenced on this occasion considerable histrionic ability. Great care must be taken just now that he does not strain his voice, and he will probably develop a fine tenor voice. Mr Keele sang «« The admiral's broom " with some perception of the meaning of the words, but a considerable amount of dramatic interest may still be imported into the narrative. Mr J. London fairly brought the house down with Father O'Flynn," and for the encore substituted •• Off to Philadelphia." A varied and interesting programme was brought to a most hilarious conclusion by the tableau " The Maids of Lee," and charming maids they were, until by a flank manoeuvre they were transformed into hideous old maids, a contingency that need not be much dreaded in actuality. By-the-bye, who is responsible for the toilette of the little fairy P It is. so long since I read illustrated "Cinderella" that I am unable to say whether these are the orthodox habiliments or not. The costume was much admired. Mesdames Lundon, Browne, Rawson, M'Carthy, and Miss Larnach acted efficiently as accompanistes. Altogether a most enjoyable evening was spent, and great credit ia due to. Mr Lundon, who performed the arduous duties of musical director, and to the delightful young' lady tableauists of Naseby. But not ODly is praise due to the performers, but also is it the meed of the good-natured and long-suffering audience, who were good enough to see certain' jokes at the concert and not the next morning. . The report of this concert has been written in' the hope that good may be done thereby, and' that those who suffer from remediable defects and no defect that I have pointed out is irremediable— may apply the suggested remedy to the end that they may improve their singing style. °