MUSICIANS AND COMPOSERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2623, 22 June 1904, Page 72

MUSICIANS AND COMPOSERS.

y .» 11 It \\a^ due to the late ex Quom Isabella, v (»•)}=> x!ic AVe-jtmmster Gazette) that one of '1 the greatest of ihmg Molini-ts owed las '- oaiU' naming — namely, Sarasatc. The son « ot a poor Spanish army officer, Sara=atf> c lisplajed his gifts as a child, but if; \\a? c Queen Isabella who pro\ided the means for 0 hs training. From the- same kindly bener lactrcis the famous violinist received a „ beautiful Stradivarius violin, on which it l-i ' said that he has played more frequently than on any ether instrument throug-houc „ the 50 year-3 of his career. It has further be 11 sidled that at his death 'this instru1 incut js to bo returned to the Spanish Go- - -\ eminent — which may or may not ba true. "> Tho London Sketch charactoris&s Brahms 0 i>s one of the most 'teasing composers who ever 1 cairso before 'tho general public. He wag - magnificently technical, and yet he was lacka ing in beauty; he knew, almost as well a? 1 Mozart, how to combine suffering with joy3 ousness ; but his joy was not of the lighter " kind; he ~n as too much occupied with the ' pain of the earth for common human enjoyment. He always loobed back to sup- | pesed' days, of gladaoss, and he always fui3 filled 'tho.=e ideal moments m phrases of ■ quite unutterable- sadness. That is why he 1 scarcely appeals to the men who look ta i life for a biief day of mere enjoyment. ; Brahin=, it » would seem, was among- tins thoughtful, and therefore serious, men of - his time. Who shall deal with such an one? r He himself summed! up the whole situar lion by writing a "Requiem." , It will be a great disappointment to the manj' admirer? of the great tenor to hear ' that M. Jean de Reszke has decided to re- ' tire from the stage and to give up singing ? for teaching. Of course, he is, through the 1 success of his art, a very wealthy man, and not bound any longer to work for a 1 , Ihing, but 'the reason, for his retirement is i ' not this, but the> fact that he is tired of j the same round of operas and songs each 1 • year and in every country. Ho even goes r so far as to hint that, were some great t composer to arise and write a new work, he might be 'tempted to return, but nob t under present conditions. Thu* the greatesfa _ tenor of 1113 age retires from what amounts ' to ennui and a dislike of the monotony of ; playing the same parts year after year. .But M. de Reszke has always had a naturaf bent for teaching, and his wish is now to utilise his powerc by teaching others to > sing. Hs intends, therefore, to form a little > class a coleri© of promising musicians, au j his Parisian home in the Arc de Triomphe, . to which is attached a small theatre, ancfc there to educate then* voices for grand ) opera. Money not being his main objeer, 1 Si. Jean de Reszke will refuse to take any pupil unless hs considers that he or she shows possibilities of becoming a greau ■ artiste, and there will be two scales of fees, based upon the piinciple of the rich paying , for the 23°oa'- • By the. death of Mr Charles Durand, . the famous baritone and manager, -the ope- . ratio stage lose? a popular favourite — a L vcrita'b'e father oi English opc-ra, who laboured consistently to uphold that form. ' , ot artistic entertainment at a timo when it stood in imminent danger of extinction. ■ Long before the late. Carl Rosa had arisen s Mr Durand hadi made his own name fam^1 liar and respected in every important towa ■ of the United Kingdom. He had been an , associate of the famous Pyne and Harrison . combination in London ; he had 1 sirng both ( at C'ovent Gard&U' and Drury Lane. Bat it [ was with the great -theatres of the country that Durand's reputation was chiefly ■ identified, and many of his impersonations remain a fragrant me-mory to this day. The > terrible wear and tear of English opera ■ touring in the '"sixties" is but faintly appreciated by the musical public of this age. A , principal had no "off nights." He wa3 in the bill every evening. Take a sample fortnight of Mr D irand's labours — a sample ' which held good for several consecutive months of tho year. On successive nights ' he appeared as Count Arnheim in ''The ' 80l cmian Girl" ; the Count di Luna. "IITro\atore"; Mephistoplwles ; Don Jose, "Maritana" ; Henry Ashton, "Lucfa di Lam1 mermoor" ; Lord A!Jpa«h, "Fra Diavolo" ; Rhnieberg-, '"Lurline" ; Dr Dulcamara in Donizetti's "The Elixir of Love" ; Count Rodo'pho, "La Sorinambula" ; Plunkefct, 1 '-Martha" ; Don Pedro. "The- Rose of CasJ tille" ; and Don Giovanni. It was under tho management of Mr Durand in 1866 that provincial audiences obtained the earliest ' opportunity of becoming acquainted with , (Jounod's ''Faust."' The great opeia. when ! originally produced in London, did not achieve that instant success which its permanency in every operatic repertoire now would seem to imply. Various devices were ! resorted to in order to stimulate the book- • ing, and concerning thc=o tho late S'.gnor I Ardiii had many omreing- stories to tell. In ■ Mephistophcles Mr Durand =• ecu rod to him- ■ self a character by which he will be always ' famous, although his Figaro, in "Tho Barber iof SsiiHe," ran it close for popularity Tho J musical director of his company at lhafc j time, was the late- Herr Meyer Lutz, afterwards a pillar of strength t-o the Gaiety. ! Another notable production of his nag j Meyerbeer's lasr. grand opeia, "L'AfricahnV { in which Mr Ditrond undertook the character of Nelasko, Ym>co di Gama's faithful slave. It is many years since Mr Ditrantl's name was prominently before the public, but although he had "reached his seventyseventh year, his many successes and life of ! industry in the cau*e of English opera witt not be-* forgotten. His fine presence always i ••filled*' the sf-age, and his voice seemed ini1 r.m-uou^ to the continued strains put upon f it.