UNKNOWN

Southland Times, Issue 16786, 15 July 1911, Page 11

UNKNOWN

(By “Monocle.”) ‘ MUNICIPAL THEATRI it July 19 and 2U —Scarlet Troub a dours. July 21 and 22—Marlow’s tire .malic Co. July 25 and 2ti—Boxing Asso Ration. July 31 —Sou--a's Band. Aug. 23, 25, 28, 30. Sept. I— i Compotili < ; is Society. Aug. 22—High School Gymn; * tic Display July 21 and 22—The Prii * e and the Beggar Maid. Sept. 2 and I—J. &X. Tai * s Nicola. Sept. 15 and 10 —J. C. Wil f .arason. Sept. 12, 13, 19. 20, 26, 2' f. Boxing Assn, (pen.) Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 —Clark e -Meynell. Nov. 24 and 25 —J. C. Wil'd amson (pen.), Nov. 30 —J. C. Williamso: i . Dec. 1 and 2—J. C. Wil' J amson. Dec. 4 and 5 —J. Carte f . magician. Dec. 12 and 13 —Crotne 7 Sell Ringers. Dec. 26 and 27—Keynoh jj s Denniston. Deo. 2S, 29, 30 —J. Wi T.oughby Co. Jan. I — Caledonian Soc J ety. Jan. 15 and 16 —Clarke- -J Jeynell. Jan. 18 and 20 —Max ' I laxwell Co. April 5—G. N. Dawsor i (pen.). June 1-s—Boxing Ass c -elation (pen.). June S-14 —Fullers’ ( p en.). July 26 and 27—Clar k .e-Meynell (pen.). ZEALAND! i \ HALL. Every Evening—Fu) J ers’ Pictures. LYCEUM S HALL. Every Evening —Ho .3 -wards’ Pictures. The several loca j concerts held recently clearly shov * that there are many good voices in th e town, while on one occasion the male ; members of the First Church Choir ga p e a very pleasing Interpretation of f -me part songs. That the choral sectr a n of the Musical Union’s work shot d have been dropped through want r > 4 l support by singing members is nr »t, attributable, by any means, to a s sarcity of good choir voices. A member o t the Musical Union raised a lament at tb ,e , last annual meeting that "Elgar" was t a ,0 high-class and that the choral section * of the Union had devoted too much tii xie to that composer. He advocated something of a more popular nature, such j as the “Messiah” or “Elijah.” Meml >/ jrs did not protest—they only bowed their heads in deep meditation. Possi'j'iy that member has changed his mind rt vgarding Elgar since Monday’s concert.

Sydney ."Mannering, stage director of the Scarh fj- Troubadours, was formerly a schooln taster in England. This probably acco tints for his mathematical ability. The 'writer remembers a time when. Sydney «as enabled to turn his hobby to remu iterative account. It was somewhere o ir t in the South, Atlantic. Sweeps were da I’iy held* on the ship's run. Sydney, or ‘‘Guy,” as he is known to his friends,, undertook the dally task of working out the ship’s position and calculate her run for the 24 hours. Then at the mid-day auction he bought up the numbe s -s which were close to his own figure 3 , with the result that he cleared quite a tidy little sum in dividends on the i i jyage. He was badly out of has reckr i: aing only once, when he forgot to divic(<3 by 12 or something. In, the concert last Monday Invercargill -heard the Sheffield Choir at its best in t'ne unaccompanied music which occur li.ed such a big share of the progrt c mme. The absence of the orchestra wa 4 therefore, not noticed to the same ex tent as if a big work had beear alone pf 3 formed. The choir’s performance in er u;h number was a revelation in choral w '( jrk.

The two numbers from the “Bavarian ? £J ighlands” came along as old friends, as they had been performed previously t.ere by the Musical Union. Mr Gray’S //interpretation lost nothing ocf the high opinion formed regarding it when comS pared to that of Monday. It was noticeable, however, that Dr Cowiard took the ~\ tempo of "The Dance” very much faster /; than did Mr Gray. Many untrained singers there are who resort to all kinds of tricks and devices with the object, maybe, of gaining effect and of lending the impression that their voices have been most rigorously trained. The commonest trick is to cultivate a tremolo or a wobble in their voices. Some get bigger undulations than others ; but ail get unbeautifully out of tune. If the attendances at the Lyceum have been not -so large as the management would desire, the programmes have been of the very best. The current programme which will be shown for the. last time to-night, contains two beautiful coloured films by Pathe Freres, while that showing the fox hunt in France is alone well worthy of a visit. Dr Harriss, of Sheffield Choir fame, was spoken to by a "Southland Times” representative just before the Manuka cast off from the Bluff on Monday, and. asked if he would say something regarding New Zealand, his impressions of the country and its people. Dr Harriss said that he could not speak too highly of tlie treatment the choir had received from the press and the public, and he had no complaints to give voice to. The accommodation which had been placed at their disposal during the time they I were travelling in the Dominion, by rail j and steamer, was almost luxurious. In I regard to the appreciation shown to the ! choir’s singing, it exceeded any thing they had experienced in any other country, j The music was of the kind which apj pealed to even the man in the street ; j but, nevertheless, he was surprised at I the evident knowledge of music, and the desire to hear it, that are possessed by the average New’ Zealander, In leaving New Zealand they did so with sad hearts, for they had made many friends here, and so long as life lasted they would not forget the many kindnesses they had received from the hands of the people of New Zealand. The visit, which had just been brought to a conclusion he hoped would be the forerunner of many similar ones ; indeed lie proposed within the next few years to bring out another choir himself. It was certainly a hard life ; and lie, personally, had had no homo life for the past seven years : but after all it had its compensations. His mission in life was to bring about musical reciprocity between the different countries in the great British Empire, and lie felt proud to think that already ho had paved the way for this desirable end. He felt, however, that he was at least' ton years ahead of his lime, but the time would come when the different States in the Empire would come together and work for the cause which was so dear to him. Dr Harriss touched shortly on the | financial side of the tour .and statedj that the critics who had stated that the. choir was a money-making concern did, not know about what they were talking. The expenses were enormous, and his secretary could produce figures which; would astonish the people who had thought fit to impute such motives to himself and the other members of tli/o company. Dr Harriss concluded a very interesting chat by again expressing 1 pi s thankfulness to the people of New Zealand for their many kindnesses, and Tils admiration for the progressiveness and j general prosperity which he had obj served during his tour. “New Zealand j and its people.” lie said, “axe an, object lesson to the rest of the civilised world.” Fullers’ have been pre.sen.ting another strong bill during the week and attracting business accordingly. Next week something special will be provided In a pictorial representation of the "Royal Divorce.” In the course of a week's round of socials, concerts, and mu.-nea! evening.-, the most noticeable feature is the utter inability of seventy-five pet- cent, of amateur vocalists to sing in tune. Nearly all can discourse with more or less grandiloquor.ee on methods uf voice production, but few realise tiiat a faulty intonation is an offence agnhist the laws of nature for which capit;a’i punishment would be but a light penalty. The same fault is to be observed in. ;many of those whoso reputation as siiggers is much thought of. American band instruments are coming into this country, -ami the old-es-tablished British, maker’s may yet have to look for more wof-lcljs to conquer, if not to defend what Uvey have already got. Next tVednesday the -Scarlet Troubadours inaugurate a two-night season at tHe Municipal Theatre. The main portion of the talented combination remains tlie same as on the previous occasion of their loc.'il visits, Messrs Warwick, Waltham, Cunningham. Manncring, and Griffiths lieing. apparently. In the best of form, jpleasant memories of dainty Gertie Barker will promote regret at her depart tire from the country. Miss M-xud P'aue, also of pleasant recollection, is, al>.o, no longer with the company. Mr A. A. Paapc has in hand the arrangements for -tlie local performances to be given by Sousa’s Band on July 31. In tlie course of his tour round tlie world with the Sheffield Choir, Dr Charles Harris*-;, tlie promote.!’ of tlie tour, is, in pursuance of his musical reciprocity scheme, testing the voices of leading vocalists ■ in the different coun-

tries visited, with the object of making a selection of soloists for subsequent tours. While in Christchurch last week (says the Press) L)r Harriss asked Mrs Gower-Burns to sing for him, and Mrs Burns responded with the so! 0 “Hear ye Israel,” from “Elijah," a work produced by the choir while in this city. Dr Harriss was quite delighted with Mrs Gower-Burns’s voice and her artistic way of using it, and expressed the hope that Mrs Burns might bo able to accompany the choir in view of further tours. He added that the different musical societies in New Zealand should be only too glad to recognise Mrs GowerBurns’s qualities as a soloist while that lady remained in New Zealand. Dr Harriss promised to communicate with Mrs Gower-Burns on his return to England stating definitely what arrangements would be made for securing her services for the next tour. Our old friend William A. Hassan, the animal impersonator, boss prop maker and scenic artist, has been earning unstinted praise for his impersonations of “Jessie the Cow” and “The Horse” in “Jack and the Beanstalk.” One admiring writer says :—“ It is something akin to genius that enables Mr Hassan to put Into Jessie the humour, the pathos, and the other interesting, varying moods which he imparts to the animal; The general effect is to make Jessie the most lovable and laughable cow—or any other four-legged animal—ever seen on an Australian stage.” “Jessie the Cow” will, in due course, visit Invercargill when the pantomime season comes round.

An interesting letter comes from Mr J. S. Sheehan, once a well-known cornet player in this Dominion (says a northern writer). He is now in Pretoria (South Africa) and speak’s very highly of Sousa’s band. He says:—“l heard Herbert Clarke play a cornet solo “Carnival de Venice,’ He can play all over the cornet, particularly in the higher register. After playing the solo right through he finishes up on top C,D,E,F, in alt., and pauses for quite a while on the top note. Pryor (the world-renowned trombonist) is not with the band,” This news will cause much disappointment to many New Zealand bandsmen, as this Dominion can boast of many fine trombone players. The Sheffield Choir attracted to town a large number of country people. The railway returns show that about 1100 availed themselves of the cheap fare concessions. The morning trains were filled with excursionists, of whom 250 came by the Lumsden train, 350 by the Orepu’.d, 150 by the Waimahaka, 250 by the Clinton, and 100 by the Bluff. The 50th performance of “Our Miss Gibbs” at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, has just been registered, and still the hardy perennial blooms as freshly and strongly, as ever. When one comes to consider that it has now completed 230 consecutive performances in Australia and has only done one complete season in Sydney, with the end of the Melbourne run still in the distant future, it is only by the use of terms which in other cases would be extravagant, that the record breaker can be described.

Madame Melba (says a Home paper) has presented the Guildhall school of Music with a scholarship, confined to sopranos a large number of whom —prin-. cipally students at the Guildhall — already entered for the first examination. The scholarship is of the annual value of £3O. Miss Fay Foster, a Missouri girl, has just won 2000 marks (500 dollars), the second prize in a contest for the composition of the best waltz, offered by ‘‘Die Woche,” a weekly journal in Berlin. There were more than 2400 contestants. The first and third prizes were awarded to well-known German musicians. Miss Esta d’Argo, who opens a season in Australia with Ben Davies, the farous English tenor, in September, writing from London to Sydney under date May sth, states that the party will include Mr Edward Goll, “a particularly fine pianist with a splendid personality, who will help to make the combination a success.” This brilliant soprano, whose farewell in her girlish days as Hetty Holroyd was at a great concert at the Sydney Town Hail in September, 1901, after appearing on the Italian operatic stage for a year, settled in England, and has since sung everywhere there in the concert-room (says the “Sydney Morning Herald”). George Lilley, in the "Contemporary,” discusses modern programme music. An admirer of Bach and Beethoven, lie compares modern music with the decline of sculpture in ancient Greece. A century has passed since Beethoven’s last symphony, hut what organic advance has that form shown, except, perhaps, at the hand of Brahms, himself an utter classic ? We mistake vivid expression for beauty of, form. The writer says that programme compositions arc incompletely intelligible ; they need u verbal explanation. They are decadent, because they have renounced their artistic independence. Realism, individualism, is foreign to musical truth, and those are the evils Wagner left as his legacy—all of which must be taken witli many reservations. In connection with the Melba Grand Opera arrangements there appeared for a time a likelihood of a serious difference between the J. C. Williamson management and the members of the orchestra serving under that firm. But the.de-sire on both sides was for an amicable settlement if possible, and after several meetings conducted in a friendly spirit everything was settled in a manner that was satisfactory to all parties. “Jack and the Beanstalk” will bring its present Australian career to a conclusion at Newcastle next week, and on Wednesday next will leave for New Zealand for a three months’ tour of the Dominion. Auckland will be the first town to be visited, and the company will open there on the 24th inst. Miss Lottie Sargent, of “The Balkan Princess,” is milking a hobby of collecting photographs of beautiful Australian children. So far she has been very successful, and her spoil from the studios she had visited is interesting and varied. Mr 11. B, Irving is following in the footsteps of his father in that he has resolved only to continue playing "Hamlot” while he can make him .appeal- a young man. Sir Henry positively refused to play the part when well past the prime of life. On Saturday, July 22, the J, C. Williamson Dramatic Company will conclude its short West Australian season and thereafter will leave for the east once more. -Sydney will he the first objective of the company, and they will open there in "The Speckled Band,” the exciting Sherlock liolmc-s episode in Which the snake plays such a prominent pari. An interesting feature in connection with this production will bo the inclusion of Miss Dorothy Dix in the loading role. Miss Dix will arrive in Australia towards the end of the month and go straight on to Sydney. "The Woman in the Case" will be staged throughout Now Zealand hy Clarke and Meyncll. in conjunction with George Willoughby. The two principal parts will be laker; hy Mabel Trevor and Elinor Foster, who were in the production in England. A strong company will support the stars, including Hugh Muckier, Violet Fagot, Jennie Bollock, Arthur Cornell, Gerald K. Souper, ami others.

The Clarke and Meynell "Gay Gordons" company will be the next attraction Clarke and Meynell will be sending to Xew Zealand. This is the biggest musical company ever brought tat Australasia, the imported principals totalling eighteen, in addition to whom a number of “show girls" are included. The "Gay Gordons" is by Seymour Hicks,, and the piece is well known to playgoers in this part of 11 jo world by the fact that it ran for thousands of nights in England, and is still being toured. People have very little idea of all the trouble and difficulty which is attached to the taking of records for gramophone purposes, and it may be interesting to learn something of the drawbacks attendant on the process. According to Mr John Hemmune, who tells of Madame Melba’s experiences in this connection, the diva had to attend at the special ball erected by the company for five days, remaining there from 11 a-m. till 5 p.m. First of all tost records had to be made to get an idea of the tempo and duration of the song. These jwelintl. narics over, the work of getting the muster record had to be undertaken. To effect this successfully it is necessary to have almost absolute exemption from any sound foreign to that of the singing voice. A noise in the stree-t, or the striking of a clock, is quite enough to spoil the whole effect of the record, and sometimes five or six attempts would have to be made ere a really satisfactory result was gained, Mr Lemmone himself, whore flute records turned out very successful and are very popular in America, has received numerous letters from lovers of music, there telling him of the enjoyment Ills-records have given them. The coming Ballarat. contest promises to be the largest an,jcl most comprehensive yet inaugurated/hy the South Street

Society. Included in prize-money of over £ISOO are band prizes amounting to £6OO, in addition to 250 guineas’ worth ■of valuable trophies. A contest for Irish pipe bands is also included. The judge will be Mr Thos. .Morgan, X,.R.A.M., of London (late H.M. Coldstream Guards’ Band). As his name would imply, Mr Morgan is a Welshman and a high-grade player on the cornet anc trumpet. Every. State in the Commonwealth, and also New Zealand, is represented, the nominations reaching 22. Mr Morgan comes to Australia.' highly recommended by Mr A. Owen (Besses-o’-th’-Barn), Mr John Gladney (Black Dyke), and the following British band journals ; “Brass Band News,” “British Bandsman,” “Musical World,” also the “Bristol Mercury,” “Lloyd’s Newspaper,’ 'and “.Daily Chronicle.' Speaking last week at the presentation of awards, medals, and certificates won by Wellington candidates in the last examination of the Associated Board Dr Charles Harrlss said that he could honestly state that no certificate carried more weight among musicians than the certificates and' honours won by those who submitted to the associated examination. He did not desire to disparage other examining institutions, of whirfli there were mnay in . Canada, where he lived, but he believed that a parchment signed by eminent musicaans such as Sir Alexander Mackenzie and Sir Hubert Parry would always carry great weigh t.

SIGNOR PUCCINI. ' COMPOSER AT REHEARSALS OF HIS NEW OPERA. Signor Puccini is busy superintending the preliminary rehearsals at Covent .Garden of his new opersi, "The Girl of the Golden West.” One night he devoted two hours to a rehearsal of the first act, to pianoforte accompaniment. Although he did not conduct, the value of his personality was evident. He was constantly joining in the choruses, showing how certain notes and words should be sung, how certain scenes and passsages should be acted. “Legato, legato !” he would cry, waving eloquent hands. “No, no ! Like this—” and he would hum a snatch every line of his .mobile .face expressive of his meaning. The next minute he would leap from his seat, .and, bringing down his hand .with ~a crash on the piano-top, would act a scene for the singers’ benefit, throwing a world of passion into his movements. “Rage, rage! The man’s in a furious rage,” he cried ; and the pages of the score' would be turned back and the scene played again and again: Signor Puccini is a man of enormous patience, painstaking and attentive to the smallest details, and he seems to throw himself into each part in turn with furious energy.