MUSICIANS AND COMPOSERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2669, 10 May 1905, Page 76

MUSICIANS AND COMPOSERS.

— The French publisher of the famous vocal waltz, ''II Bacio," once told the composer Arditi that he had cleared 40,000fr by its sale, and with the money had been able to build himself a handsome new place of business. So little did Arditi himself tiiink of his own composition that he sold it in a batch with three other compositions for a few pounds.

—Mr Graham Harvey, the composei of "The Glory Song" now being sung at the Torrey- Alexander London mission, is a/ young man m the early thirties, and was educated at Dulwioh College and Cambridge. Of athletic build and happy disposition, he is a great believer in outdoor exercise. Pei*haps the only "cheap musical composition which gained so much notoriety as "The Glory Song" was "Crossing the bar," the setting to music- of Tennyson's famous words. This sold in hundreds of thousands, although it is Mr Graham Harvey's boast that he wrote it in a few minutes.

— Germany's rosition of recognised authority in the domain of criticism, lends great interest to the direction taken by German public taste. In the world of music there has just been published a. list which brings the appreciations of Germany into clear relief. It relates to the operas performed throughout the country during 1903. Wagner was, of course, a more than easy first, with 1525 representations. After him followed Bizet, with 303, Ambroise Thomas with 250, Gounod with 237, Auber with 168, Adam yvith 125, and Saint-Saens with 79. Siegfried Wagner had only 14representations. The modern French school, at least, has reason to be satisfied, though, with its "demi-millieme" fresh in the memory, one wonders why '"Manon" scored not a single performance.

— A London magazine relates how great war songs were wi-itten. It was in a mood of wonderful inspiration that Rouget de Lisle wrote both words and music of the world-famous "Marseillaise," said to be the most inspiring military and patriotic song ever written. De Lisle was a little-known captain of engineers stationed at Strasburg in 1792, when a chance attendance at a public dinner indirectly made him famous. Diiring the dinner his feelings had been, aroused to a high degree of patriotic excitement, and while in this mood of exaltation he sat down, and with incredible rapidity composed both the words and music of his great war-song. Mrs Julia Ward Howe, who wrote America's great war-song, was inspired to compose it after witnessing a review of troops at Washington. The Crimean war inspired Henry Russell to write his famous "Cheer, boys, cheer !" which put such brave Hearts and inspired such cheerfulness and patience in otir troops.

— Jeaiuy Lind is now only a memory to the oldest of us. To the younger generation she is a tradition. It is, therefore, something more than startling to hear a nr.an in this year of giacj 1905 saymg calmly, "I remember when I was teaching Jenny land." Teaching Jenny Lind ! And yet Manuel Garcia, whose hundredth birthday was celebrated on March 17, does not speak idly. What is more bewildering, he was 43 years of age when he first met the ■Swedish nightingale. "Garcia was moie vivacious at 90 than he was at 40," said an old pupil of his. "I went to sec the great singing master 011 his ninety-ninth birthday, and we talked about the fiscal problem all the time," said another.

— Mr Herbert Grover, who has been singing at the new ballad concerts at St. George's Hall, Langham place, London, has been for some years one of the most popular of English temrs, but he began life as a journalist. He is a thorough Londoner, and he is proud of it. For several years he woi-ked as a reporter on the City Press, when it suddenly struck some of his appreciative friends that the fine tenor voice which gave them so much delight might please the wider public, which it certainly deserved. So he was introduced to Mr Vert and the late Mr Sims Recvos. Mr Vert was not long in making up his mind, but promptly gave the young singer a good contract, while Mr Sims Reeves ga\e him encouragement and good advice. "Never let people try to make you what they call a ' robust tenor,' " said he. '" Go on singing as you are singing now, and always let them, hoar you sing 'Tom Bowling.' " And that is what Mr Giover did.

The following; favourable notice of a talented lady violinist appears in the March number of Music: — The violin recitals of Miss Maud M'Carthy have been another striking success to be recorded in the evergrowing- annals of performances on that intsrument. Miss M'Carthy's first appearance was a little in advance of the bewilder-

ing rash of violinists just now before the public, but the young Irish artist has been by no means forgotten. Nor. indeed, is she likely to suffer by comparison with the many rivals who have latterly appeared. Miss M'Carthy, at least, does not belongto the virtuoso school ; her faultless technique is placed purely at the service of classical art. The result: is a fineness and a purity of style which is possessed by no other player I know of. Whether a slight coldness and lack of passion is a drawback or an advantage to classical interpretation is a nice point which I leave to others to determine. Such a delicacy of line, such balance, and such calm intensity are qualities centamly not compatible with displays of emotionalism.

— This year being "Kelson's Year," Sir Frederick Bridge the other day took the opportunity to lecture about the life and work of that great writer of sea songs, Charles Dibdin. Dibdin himself said, "My songs have been the solace of sailors in long voyages, in storms, in battle ; and they have been quoted in mutinies to the restoration of order and discipline." There is no doubt that he brought more men into the navy than were coerced into it by press-gangs. His capacity for work was enormous ; some of his best songs, words a.nd music, were composed under tho hour. He was also actor, playwright, and general entertainer, nearly always in debt, and without the moral qualities which he expressed in stich robust sentiment and sefc to such stirring airs. He wrote 70 dramatio pieces, and claimed that he had composed 900 songs, of which "Tom Bowling" and the "Sailor's journey" are probably the best.— T. P.'s Weekly.

IS MUSIC COMEDY DECLINING?

It is, perhaps, not quite easy to understand what the various composers and others interviewed by the Daily Mail mean by very light opara as distinguished from musical comedy, which latter is said by some to be doomed. Mr Owen Hall, however, throws some light on the difference. "In musical comedy," he says, "we give, with the addition of actuality, all that comic opera did. I mean that whereas irt comio opera you get the Mayor of Bruges in a nondescript costume, we give, say, the Mayor of Leicester — a real man in place of an imaginary one. Words from the mouth of a man we know come with more force and point, and so, instead of a French notary, we give you an English Judge of the High Court, and instead of a grand duchess, a smart lady of fashion, who, agrin, speaks up-to-date dialogue with more authority than the stagey grand 3uchess.

Another abuse, he adds, is the to< free introduction of songs, mostly American. Managers don't seem to care for originality. Each new-comer tries to do what the other did, only with more dresses and more American songs. What good result can be expected if managers are careless of plot, development, and characterisation?

"I think that a funny farcical comedy with music will always be popular, and I am not at all sure that extravaganza of a modern type- won't also succeed."

Mr Leslie Stuart, composer of some of the biggest successes, considered that when a good musical comedy came along there would be no difficulty in finding a public to patronise it. "The same thing applies. to good light opera. Granted the plot, costume defines the difference between the two," he said.

Mr Howard Talbot, composer of "A Chinese Honeymoon" and other pieces, referred to musical comedy as being "as dead as door nails, for the simple reason that there's nothing now to do in it. Every idea for introduced numbers lias been used up. I will set no music unless to a straight plot."

"There is a. fast-increasing public for light opera, and from an artistic point of view that is to be welcomed," said Mme. Liza Lebnrann, the composer of "Sergeant Brue. " "I will say nothing derogatory about musical comedy ; on the contrary. I am personally very grateful to it. Light opera will, however, give a chance to composers that musical comedy cannot do." — • Music.

— A turner's workshop, with large motive wheel and dog trained to turn it, is advertised to be let in the -city of Liege, where one-dog and two-dog tilted cars and waggons are common.