HERITAGE OF MUSIC

Taranaki Daily News, 10 May 1935, Page 2

HERITAGE OF MUSIC

DEVELOPMENT OF ART EVOLUTION OF COMPOSITION. LECTURE-RECITAL AT STRATFORD. A lecture-recital of exceptional interest and width of scope given by a prominent Wellington artist, Miss V. Corliss, L.R.A.M., honorary Dominion _ organiser of the British Music Society, opened the first season of the Stratford branch of the society on Wednesday night. Miss Corliss, whose subject was “Our Musical Heritage,” outlined briefly the chief stages in the growth of musical form and composition up to the present day, and illustrated her remarks with a large number of pianoforte selections. Her vivacious personality, keen sense of humour, and artistry at the piano made her thoroughly popular with her audience. The meeting, which was held in St. Andrew’s hall, was very well attended. In studying the development of . the constructional, historical and imaginative aspects of music, said Miss Corliss, one found that certain principles were constantly brought into prominence. Music from the earliest days had' been striving towards spiritual expression on the part of man. The principles of personal and national feeling as an expression in music could always be traced. An absorbing study was the tracing of the effect of instrumental, technical and creative interdependence; for instance, the productions of the instrument-maker influenced the work of the composer, and the maker also adapted himself to suit the composer’s demands. The performer in improving or altering his technique created a demand for a change in instrument-making and in composing, thus influencing both factors. THREE VITAL ELEMENTS. There were three vital elements in all great music—zest or vitality, taste and personality. Without these three factors nothing great had ever been composed, nor had there been any great interpretive artist to communicate composition to listeners. Another point madp by MisS Corliss was that there was “nothing new under the sun.” She said the works of a composer vitally influenced the works of other composers, both contemporary and in the succeeding generation. “A composer is a link in a chain suspended from or depending on the link above and holding up the link below,” continued Miss Corliss. The embryo of many modem works was to be found in some of the earliest musical compositions, she said. The dependence of every branch of music in the early folk music from which it sprang was a further point. The intimate relationship existing between the music of one country and of its neighbours was also an outstanding feature of the history of music.

“The art of music is so young,” said Miss Corliss. “What we hear on the concert platform rarely dates back beyond the fifteenth century, except for a few folk songs.” Up to the eighth century, she added, music was purely melodic; the period up to 1230 was occupied by the first experiments in counterpoint; in 1230 a monk in Reading Abbey evolved that wonderful composition for voices, “Summer is i-cumen in,” a very important step; and in the fifteenth century came John Dunstable, who taught Dufay, the great Belgian composer. The next century saw the art of counterpoint brought to perfection, and music began to make rapid strides under the guidance of a brilliant band of English composers of Queen Elizabeth’s day, including Byrd, Farnaby and John Bull, who first developed music suited to a keyboard. . ’ INFLUENCE OF FOLK DANCES. Tbe importance of the folk dances at this stage was stressed by Miss Corliss. They were a constructive influence, she said, and imbued the composers with a desire to-use a form that would convey a comprehensive shape and change to listeners. After dealing with the instruments available in Elizabethan days and pointing out the lack of interpretive mediums on the instrumental side, Miss Corliss said the composers were forced to write their best works for the only medium that was as perfect then as it was to-day—the voice. Miss Corliss referred to the immense advance made possible by the invention and popularisation of the pianoforte, the development of the Italian invention of 1710 by James Kirkwood and later by Clementi being outlined. Clementi -was indeed the father of modern pianoforte music in that he was the first to realise the type and style of music best suited to the pianoforte. Soon came the beginning of a period of phenomenal development—the tremendous emotional potency and added colour of Beethoven’s pianoforte works and his wonderful grasp of the possibilities of the instrument. Later there was Chopin, in the early nineteenth century, “the very spirit of the pianoforte," whose Intimacy, power and subtlety in composition broke altogether- new ground. ' Parallel with the growth of instrumental music, Miss Corliss traced the progress of song, referring particularly to the development of the opera from the time of Monteverdi to the compositions of the present day. Monteverdi’s momentous innovations were later echoed in the astonishing experiments of Wagner in his search for the perfect “music drama,” in which poetry, descriptive and colourful music and acting should all form a perfect ensemble.

NATIONALITY IN MUSIC.

Passing to the present day, Miss Corliss gave a brief sketch of the importance and significance of nationality in music, giving examples of modern Russian, Spanish, French and English compositions. The modern orchestra, with its wonderful possibilities for subtlety and colour, had an incalculable effect on modern music, she said. She described some of the orchestras and modern compositions she had heard at the Ninth Annual Festival of International Contemporary Music held recently at London and Oxford, where many famous composers of the present day had presented their works.

The address was properly entitled a “lecture-recital,” the copious musical illustrations being an essential complement. In all Miss Corliss played about 24,pieces, all necessarily fairly short, of widely varying range and style to illustrate the various stages of her story, and her memory and the versatility of her style were a revelation and a delight. Her playing was always artistic, sometimes unusual, and thoroughly in keeping with her reputation throughout New Zealand. A particularly popular section of her recital was a group of modern compositions at the close, illustrating Spanish, French, Russian and English ideas. Liven’s picturesque “Sing a Song of Sixpence” and Granados’ “Spanish Dance” were two specially popular items. Appreciation of Miss Corliss’ address was expressed by Mr. L. J. Rowell, who moved a vote of thanks to her. Supper was served at the conclusion of the recital.