MUSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 84, 30 June 1927, Page 14

MUSIC

(By

Following his New Zealand tour Jascha Heifetz has been engaged for a Fan Francisco season. It is two years since Keifetz played on the

American coast. Ignaz Friedman will also undertake American seasons following his tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Mascagni has come forward with one of the most practical suggestions of many years, for the development of opera composition. This is a chain of ama.teur opera companies where young composers’ works may be tried out, a thing which cannot be expected often from the great metropolitan opera companies.

There is not much hope that Paderewski will oe broadcast in New Zealand. In a recent interview at Adelaide Paderewski remarked: “I am an enemy of broadcasting: it is demoralising to artists. I tri6d it once, but never again.” The only explanation Paderewski gave was: “One performs under conditions that are not conducive to the best expression.”

Those in Auckland who enjoyed the artistry of William Heu,./han will be interested to hear of his return to London after his 100,000-mile tour. On May 3 Mr. Heuglian was announced to give a vocal recital at Wigmore Hall, the programme including arias by Handel. Halevy, and Meyerbeer, songs by Schumann and Moussorgsky, and various national folk songs. Miss Gladys Sayer, who accompanied the singer in Wellington, was to be the accompanist for the London concert.

The Beethoven House at Bonn is to be turned into a museum in memory of the composer.* It is to be restored and furnished with an exhaustive library of Beethoven literature. Autographed letters, articles from newspapers of the period, and facsimiles of the master's score are to be exhibited. The University of Bonn and the Prussian Government are sponsors for the undertaking.

MUSICAL APPRECIATION A pianist once played before the Emperor Franz Josef, and at the close of the recital the Emperor sent for him. “Sir,” said the Emperor, “I have heard Busoni.” The pianist bowed. “I have heard Liszt,” continued the Emperor. Another bow, deeper than the first. “I have even heard Paderewski; but not one of these great men, no, not one of them, ever perspired as much as you do.”

Ernest Thesiger, the actor, in his book of reminiscences, “Practically True,” says: "Melba is no exception to the rule I was once told of, that people with a beautiful singing voice rarely have a good speaking voice*. Melba is a human nightingale when she sings, but to hear her speak is like attending an orgy in the parrot-house!”

The modest accordion is this year celebrating its centenary, though it was not till 1829 that Damian produced the perfected instrument in Vic*nna. Though its once great vogue has passed, in the hands of skilled players, such as are found in southern Europe the instrument is not without its artistic merits. It will be remembered that when going to America no less a personage than Charles Dickens borrowed an accordion from the steward and, as he wrote home, “regaled the ladies’ cabin.”

A violin made by Antonius Stradivarius (Cremona, 1699), the property of the late Baroness M. J. Huyssen de Kattendyke, was sold at London recent.ly for £1,600. After spirited bidding the violin was knocked down to Air. A. Khan, of Paris. During the last 25 years about half a dozen Strads have been sold by auction. The record price is £3,000. This has, however, been exceeded at private sales, and several great violinists have paid from £3,000 to £B,OOO for their instruments. Stradivarius, when he died at the age of 94. had made 1,100 instruments, of which 540 were violins. For making the violin sold yesterday Stradivarius received £lo—the price he charged when he became famous.

One of the most valuable ’cellos in the world is the property of a woman —Miss Beatrice Harrison, the brilliant English player. It was made by an Italian master in 1730, and she has already refused a dozen offers, each of thousands of pounds, for it. The underwriters refused to insure it, during the war. when Miss Harrison wished to take it with her on a tour in America.

Ignaz Friedman, the famous Polish pianist, who will visit New Zealand next month under the direction of Air. E. J. Carroll, was a child prodigy, for, at the age of eight, he could transpose Bach’s fugues with ease so extraordinarily precocious were his gifts. But fortunately for lovers of great and beautiful pianoforte playing the world over, he did not suffer as so many gifted child genius have done, by early exploitation of his genius. And thus has he retained all his powers of inspirational imagery and beauty. He lias not evolved into a mere machine of virtuosity, though regarded as the giant erf our dav among technicians of the keyboard. He was 22 years of age before he could be persuaded to give recitals, but he then brought all Europe to his feet and has captured the imaginations and affections of Britain and America and returns to every city again and again. Strangely enough it is a grandniece of the great Russian novelist and idealist. Count Tolstoy, whose ebsession against music may be set down as merely one of his many eccentricities, to whom the illustrious Polish pianist married, but it is needless to say that the dislike of music is not a family failing.

The famous Heyer collection of musical instruments, numbering 2.600 specimens, has been bought by the Saxon Government and will be removed from Cologne to become a part of the Ethnological Aluseum of the University of Leipsig. A unique feature of the museum has been that all instruments have been kept in repair for the playing of music of their period, among them being the only specimen still In its original condition of a grand pianoforte by Bartolomeo Cristofori, inventor of this Instrument.

The first performance of Dvorak’s overture “Nature” by a New Zealand orchestral society will take place at the Bohemian Orchestra concert on Thursday night next. This overture is the first section of a three-part work, entitled “Nature. Life and Love, ’ originally intended by Dvorak to be performed as a whole. The second and third sections are known as ‘Carnival” (Op. 92) and “Othello” (Op. 93). The complete work was first performed under the composer in Prague in 1892. A work also to be performed fqr the first time by the orchestra is “Othello” by Arnold Krug, 1849-1904.

F.1.R.)