MUSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 416, 26 July 1928, Page 16

MUSIC

(By

Mr. Neville Smith, a vocalist and musical instructor well known in Christchurch, left Wellington last week by the Makura for San Francisco. He will take up an appointment at the Music Conservatorium of Phoenix, Arizona.

Only English conductors have been named so far for next winter’s concerts of the London Philharmonic Society. They are Albert Coates, Sir Landon Ronald, Sir Hamilton Harty, Sir Thomas Beecham, Basil Cameron and John Barbirolli. The soloist list is international.

“A just complaint that the Dominion may hold against its musical students is that, once abroad, they are usually inclined to stay abroad and to keep to themselves the benefit of their experience and training. It is seldom, then, that one has the privilege of welcoming home such an exceptionally good pianist as Miss Dorothy Davies, who made her New Zealand debut in the Jellicoe Hall recently,” says the Christchurch “Sun.” “Fresh from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she has received many distinctions, Miss Davies has returned at the height of her accomplishments, one hopes, to stay. “Not merely in Christchurch, but right through New Zealand, there is ample room for piano recitals as musically sound and as popularly enjoyable as she presented la3t evening. Emphatic applause and many bouquets of flowers left no doubt of her public recognition as a pianist of outstanding ability.” Miss Davies, whose parents, reside in Auckland, will probably give a recital here soon.

A popular musical attraction at the Regent Theatre to-morrow evening will be the appearance of Dawn Assheton and Laszlo Schwartz. Laszlo Schwartz is a Hungarian violinist who has had an extensive experience in the musical centres of the world, and who, incidentally, is a gifted writer on musical subjects, is an excellent exponent of Hungarian folk-songs, as well as classical and modern music. Dawn Assheton is an English soprano whose varied and extensive repertoire includes the folk-songs of Central Europe, grand opera, and modern ballads. Eric Bell, the well-known Auckland pianist, is associated with the artists.

Nearly 500 people were present at the May Fair Hotel recently to listen to Mr. John McCormack, the IrishAmericau tenor. Three-quarters of the audience were Americans and threequarters, too, were women. McCormack’s power of drawing a large audience was such that it was necessary to have all the seats in straight rows instead of in comfortable circles, as was possible when the other artists of the present series of celebrity concerts were performing. Mr. McCormack was in wonderful voice. Few o< the audience realised that Fritz Kreisler, the violinist, who had had his usual success at the Albert H#'l a few hours earlier, was in their midst. Mr. Kreisler was one of the most enthusiastic persons present.

F.I.R.

Modern Music More Vitamins Badly Needed NONE REALLY GREAT Modern music and its achievements are measured by Ernest Newman, English critic, in an article in the “Current Vanity Fair.” The writers of modern music, he believes, have failed to produce anything but theories. “No one who is sensitive to the currents of the time,” he says, "can fail to perceive that the revolution of the last fifteen years has amounted aesthetically to next to nothing; ‘modern’ music is falling into deeper disrepute with the public every day. Everywhere the ‘movement’ as a movement is rapidly breaking up. The

public has steadily refused to follow any of these new leaders in their latest developments, for the simple reason that it feels instinctively that none of this new music, however interesting it may be in some ways, especially the technical and the theoretical, is great music. “The world is all the better,” concludes Mr. Newman, “for the turmoil that it made for a time; music had become too easygoing, too complacent, and was badly in need a violent shaking. It has had it, and the field is now clear for the next great man. One thing only is certain as the result of the recent upset—that the vitamins the new music needs cannot be made by laboratory chemistry.” Henry P. Gilbert, Boston composer, died last month. He was much interested in negro songs as the possible basis of a truly American music. The Metropolitan in 1918 produced his ballet, “Place Congo.” His "Comedy Overture on Negro Themes” was part of the modern music festival at Frankfort last summer.