WORLD OF MUSIC

Southland Times, Issue 19346, 11 September 1924, Page 11

WORLD OF MUSIC

AT HOME AND ABROAD. (By “Presto.”) To a newspaper interviewer, Mieczslaw Munz, the world-famous young Polish pianist, who is appearing with great success at the Melbourne Town Hall, confessed that he always plays best when he is in love. He admitted that this happens very frequently! Munz was born the son of a jurist in Cracow, and until the age of eighteen (he is only twenty-three now), the question of whether he should take up his father’s profession was a constantly argued proposition between father and son. “Many children suffer because their fathers or mothers have the ambition to be the parents of artists,” said Munz, “but my father had no liking for a musician’s life for his sons. He said it takes children away from home, and he did not like the life. He enrolled me in the University of Cracow for the study of law, but I did not finish one term, and after that there was nothing to be done but let me be a pianist, and my mother at least was glad. She was always a fine player herself. She had started teaching my big brother the piano, but he was a failure, and she was therefore twice glad when I showed a feeling for music.”

An English Grand Opera Company has been organised with the intention of giving the public grand opera in English. It has arranged a cycle of Wagner at Carnegie Hall for the winter, with a company of American artists, chorus and orchestra. The evening and afternoon cycles will be: “Rheingold,” November Ist, November 13th; “Die W’alkure,” November 17th, November 18th; “Siegfried,” November 24th, November 25th; “Gotterdammerang,” November 27 th, December Ist.

The tour of Fritz Kreisler, the famous Viennese violinist, has been definitely settled. He leaves Vancouver on April 16th next year, and passes through Auckland on his way to Australia. He opens in Sydney on May 7th, and arrives in New Zealand about the third week in June, opening in Auckland. Kreisler uses no sensational methods to advertise himself, as only by slow degrees the extraordinary beauty and power of his playing dawned upon his audience. He remarked to someone in 1908, when all Europe and America were ringing with his name: “I struggled very hard for recognition when I was between 20 and 27, and they didn’t give it me. Now lam 33—and I played every bit as well then as I do now.” He first performed in London in 1901, and in 1904, when he was 29, the Royal Philarmonic Society bestowed its gold medal upon him.

Mr E. J. Gravestock, the well-known concert director, is leaving shortly for England to arrange tours of various artists through Australia and New Zealand. He has been in negotiation with the Dunedin Exhibition Committee with a view to acting as its commissioner in England for engaging artists to visit Dunedin in connection with the Exhibition.

Two concerts in Paris a few weeks ago serve to show how largely English music bulks there just now. The first programme (given by the “Association France-Grand Bretagne”) included Faning’s “Moonlight,” the “Hallelujah Chorus,” ‘Tor Unto Us,” a “Lullaby” of Byrd, two choruses from “Israel in Egypt,” the epilogue from “The Golden Legend,” and two movements from Elgar’s Second Symphony. The second programme consisted of “Blest Pair of Sirens” and “The Dream of Gerontius.” Sir Edward Elgar conducted at times, and solos were given by Astra Desmond, Tudor Davies, and Herbert Heyner.

There was an unseemly demonstration by members of unsuccessful Welsh choirs at the Crystal Palace British Empire Festival. Mr Cyril Jenkins, advisory director of the festival, and also musical adjudicator, dismissed the matter by saying airily: “Unfortunately, many competitive choirs in Wales are more concerned with pot-hunt-ing than with the study of music.” This is naviete itself. As one journal pointed out: “At this festival one of the prizes was a trophy valued at 2500 guineas and £lOO in cash. There would be no pothunters if there were no pots for them to hunt.”

Ignaz Paderewski was recently decorated by King Albert of the Belgians with the Order of Leopold following his recital in Brussels. At the concert, which took place at La Monnaie, Mme. Paderewski sat in the Royal box at the King’s right. The Queen gave the signal for the audience to rise when M. Paderewski appeared. His reception was tremendous; the receipts broke all records. During their stay in Brussels the Paderewskis were the guests of the King and Queen at the Palace. They are now at Morges, in Switzerland, to celebrate their silver wedding.

John McCormack finished in April a concert tour of at least five months’ singing in every great town of the United States from New York to San Francisco. It was, it is said, the most successful tour of his life; the receipts were £60,000! Pretty good for a boy bom in poverty in the old town of Athlone. After fourteen years’ absence Beethoven’s “Fidelio” was given in London again last month. Since the Beethoven season of 1910, the big work had not been heard, and the Carl Rosa Company revived it at the Scala Theatre. The opera was very well presented, save for “an English text, which seemed calculated to take the wind out of any sail. Primarily a singer’s opera, the principals were Eva Turner and William Boland, the former being described as remarkably gifted, while Ben Williams is said to own a superb, robust voice. Madame Clara Butt, beloved of New Zealanders, stated in London last month that arrangements were under way for another world tour for herself and her husband, Mr Kennerley Rumford. A FOTGOTTEN POINT. THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. Some of the answers given by a bevy of prima donnas to Frederick H. Martens, New York pressman, when he sought the secret of their success , betray a fatuous conceit. Here is Rosa Ponselle, who ought to know better, putting everything down to “good teachers,” as if all the teachers in creation could make a success of some singers; here is overdressed Ursula GrenviHe attributing everything to “clothes,” and the much-talked-of Jeritza voting for “attention to detail”; and Anna Case giving a meaningless shreik of “Soul.” There is sound sense in the remarks of such great artists as Galli-Curci and Calve, who pin their faith to “hard work,” and “personality.” Certainly hard work is necessary, especially for the coloratura singer however gifted, and in the last instance it is, and always must be, personality that counts. But the statement of little Lucrezia Bori that success is due to "charm,” and a Japanese singer Muria’s choice, “expression,” are merely different ways of saying the same thing. No one seems to have thought of the obvious answer—intelligence—though Geraldine Farrar’s choice of “culture” approximates it. “Culture” conveys much, it includes “charm,” “expression,” and “attention to detail.”

But there are instances of singers who have attained the pinnacle of fame without displaying any intelligence worthy of the name. A Clara Butt voice proves the foolishness of speculation. The first law of success is not “soul,” or “personality,” or “clothes,” it is voice; always it is voice that counts. Caruso was one of the world’s greatest singers, not because of his good teachers, but because of the instrument which he owned; Amelita Galli-Curci is the most remarkable of our song-birds, because of her agility and wonderful tone, without

which all the hard work on earth would not avail. There are many baritones in England possessed of a greater degree of art than Ruffo, de Luca, and Scotti; but they have not such voices. And, indeed, in many singers, art is often a substitute for tone—they are compelled to hold the attention in other ways, because of what they lack in voice. In the old days, the ever-to-be-admired Jean de Reszke would strain and strain to obtain an effect which Caruso achieved with his hands in his pockets. The first business of the artist is tone. And give a singer a tone sufficiently golden, one which caresses the ear with subtlety, and he may throw “soul” and “culture” to the four winds of heaven. MUSIC IN DOMINIONS. IMPROVEMENT IN THE WORK. ATTENTION TO THEORY. The position of New Zealand with regard to musical culture in the Dominions, was discussed by Dr T. Haigh, Mus. Doc., F.R.C.0., who is in Auckland as examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music. Dr Haigh is well known in musical circles throughout the Empire as an organ recitalist of distinction; he has also composed orchestra and chamber music, pianoforte, organ and ’cello solos, and is at present on his fourth world tour as examiner for the above-mentioned colleges of music. Discussing the progress of music in New Zealand, Dr Haigh expressed the opinion that the percentage of students was as large, in proportion to the population, as in England, or any countries of the Old World. In Canada, Australia, and New Zealand excellent work was being done by highly competent teachers. “Year by year, I have noticed improved work in many branches of music,” remarked Dr Haigh, “and particularly during my present tour, have I found the theoretical side of music to be receiving more attention. This is good. If, in the future, the Dominions are to produce composers, a thorough all-round theoretical training must go hand in hand with the practical. As for examinations, they are a test, and provide evidence of the student having reached a certain standard of proficiency. The student who does not reach that standard, however, is receiving just as useful information as the one who does. The attainment of certificates, in my opinion, should be but the secondary object; the primary one is the satisfaction of knowing that each step taken means an advance in the gradual ascent of the long musical ladder.” Discussing the attainments of students who had come under his attention, Dr Haigh was inclined to the opinion that rather more attention is being given to technique than to the general details of musicianship, phrasing, rhythm, and sightreading being generally common weaknesses. “I think we may lo«k forward to Canada as the Dominion that is going to give us good organists,” observed the speaker,

“while Australia will continue to produce the singers. Particularly good vocal teaching is being done at the Albert Street Conservatorium of Music in Melbourne by Miss Mary Campbell ,one of Dame Nellie Melba’s most successful pupils. New Zealand will probably give to us some notable pianists, as that seems to be the principal musical interest at present. In a growing population like that of New Zealand, however, I think pianists should take up an orchestral instrument as a secondary study, so that more opportunities may be given for the formation of amateur orchestral societies.”