WELLINGTON SING WHISPERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2210, 9 July 1896, Page 39

WELLINGTON SING WHISPERS.

By P. Rojimbr.

July 2. Dear Pasquin,— A big bouncing bumper benefit to Alf Lawton at tho Opera House fait night closed the successful season of the beit variety show we have had for many a day.

Next week we are to have the Royal Comic Opera Company at the Opera House. Then won't we have' a merry time? Tho company has done and is doing a rattling good season in Christchurch.

By an English mail to hand to-day Mr Maughan Burnett was notilied that Messrs Wilcocks and Co., the London music publisher!?, have accepted a sec of his piano compositi >ns, and will publish them immediately. The set includes the Horseman," " Old Castle," " Humoresque," and Valsec»prlce, all of which have been heard in Wellington.

In further letters describing tho good time he is having in London, Mr John Baillie gives his impressions of the actors and actresses he has saeu perform in London. Words fail him to describe the gorgeousness of the settings for the Wagner opera season at Drury Lane ; tho ballots at the Empire ; and the picturesque scenery of " For the Crown," which fie characterises a great play. 'The only thing that troubled him in listening to Mrs P*t Campbell was her enunciation, which teemed too evident ; otherwise she also is great. He heard and saw tho much-boomed Yvette Guilberr, and he says she's all her admirers claim her to bo as a singing actress. Cissy Loftus is a real clever and charming mimic. It makes one long with a groat longing that wo were John B. and be John B. in London to read his interesting letters, which are full ofspoiuts on art and artists, plays and players, and books and bookmen. Heigh-ho ! On Monday evening Alf Lawton and his merry 'troupe had to let up to give our Festival Choral Society a show to produce, for the first time in the colony, Dvoraks " Stabat Mater," and those ' wher stab at Parker say the' interpretation was a' failure. Certainly ona of our paperj damns the concert with faint praise ; the other praises the - cmnposi iron, highly. Tha whole thing was amateurish in the rerfderiog. The- concerted parts weren't balanced, the bassos being , weak, the tenors weaker, the soloists weakest. The latter were really debutantes. Wouldn't the composer with the unearthly name of Dv and an orak feel sore if he knew how suck a pretentious society had performed his masterpiece? The society has gone off terribly since the days of the Harmonic, and if it doe.-n't do better than it has done during the past two years— well, it ought to send its united vocal organ to Marchesi for diagnosis. The above-mentioned society are' running a fair just now as a means of paying off the £150 back debts. It is run on musical and popular lines— that is, the raflte prizes are a 90-guinea piano and three bikes 1 Harmonics, pneumatics, numismatics 1

• The Christchurch theatric advertising firm of Garden, M'Donald, and Co. are working the Royal Comics programme for all it is worth. Mr MD. is working the business up here. It isn't easy to upset the equilib. of our theatre ushers, but I saw it done t'other night during the Alf Lawton ssason. A stranger came into the circle, usher handed him programme in usual way, the visitor handed over a coin in exchange. The lad gazed at the Btranger and then at the tanner, whilst the other fellow passed along as if he had been in the habit of paying for progs, all his life. Here we give 'em away ; in England and America you have to buy your prog. Where was that stranger from ? Item from a Launceston (Tas.) paper of the ISth'ult. :— " Maggie Moore's seasonat.the Academy has, as we predicted, been most successful. The biggest attendance tolled up to witness ' Struck Oil.' This was to be expicted. The buxom Maggie claims to hava played Lizzie Stofel about 6090 times, but she looks so young that only old stagers can poasibly believe it, don't you know." " You don't know you're bom I "»Is the gag of a familiar showman hereabouts. Well, certainly Wellingtonians don't know the talent vegetating in their midst. For seme little time past two of pur clever young citizens have worn very rough hair. The secret's out. Mr Maughan Barnetfc's Musical Society is announced to give an original and Maoriland cantata entitled "Hineinoa. It appears that 'this is the work of Messrs Alfred F, Hill (composer) and Arthur H. Adams (librettist). The collftDoiftteure have been engaged on the work

j for several months past, and the cantata is now { complete in vocal and pianoforte score. " Hinemoa" is founded on the Maori legend of the name, .' and the author has written 13 numbers, which include a prologue, epilogue, and choruses. The 1 soloists are four— Hinemoa (soprano), Tv Tanekai (baritoDe), Tiki (tenor), and a Tohunga, or Maori wizard (bass). The composer has made use of Maori xhythms and a Maori melody, the latter being utilised for tbe flute-song which Tv Tanekai sends to his love Hinemoa across the waters of Rotorua. Mr Hill has spent some-time recently in Greytowu, where facilities were afforded him , of making a clo3e acquaintance with Maori ideas of melody, and the cantata shows in some degree the fruits of his study. Mr Hill will soon have the work ready in full orchestral score. ! Of Mr Alf Hill and his work in our city I have often written you. Mr Adam?, who attains peculiar honour to many in bang a Bulletin poet, is of your DnnetHn city, now a reporter on our Evening Post. Theee two have collaborated befoTe in j "The Whipping Boy," and also in a few Bongs. ! May success attend their friendship, harmony ' prevail, and notes come to them attractsd by those emitted for and committed to publicity. 1 notice by a Brisbane paper" that Walter B^ntley ha 3 been repeating himself as he was over here, and as he did o' Sunday evens around our theatres— only he haß added to his v accomplishments that of preacher instead of lecturer. He got ouo on to his Brisbane audience by calling his function in the Opera House on the Sundny evening referred to "a new departure " and "Sunday i evening for the people." vocal and instrumental j was the programme. Admission was advertised I to be by collection, with free entrance to the pit. Numbers of persons presented themselves at the stalls door willing to subscribe some silver coin, but two stalwart attendants barred the way with two pla!e3, while numerous placards announced "Youaro requested to contribute one shilling." ! One shilling was requested for the family circlo ! and 2s for tne dress circle. The result was about ' 200 or more persons sjjaid, and the free pit was well filled. When Walty gave listeners " Nellie's Prayer" they couldn't do aught but admire ,the recitation ; but when he started in to give them Sturgeon's sermon on "Faith," then it was that there was some protesting— the reading being bad and the effect worse and wower. As a peroration to this par. let me quote one who was there :— " If the spirit of the late Rev. 0. H. Spurgcon j was anywhere in the vicinity of the Opara House ■ on Sunday night, it must have been startled at j the spectacle of Walter Beutley in his imitation pulpit reading Spurgeon's sermon while the gas was turned down on the audience, and the limelight shone on Beitley. The great preacher would have objected, we think, to the trained elocutionist's 'God' (pronounced G^hd) and his ' rojyce.' "