The World of Music

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19512, 10 June 1933, Page 15

The World of Music

(By “Semitone”).

Notes and Comments of General Interest

The assisting artists at the first concert of the 1933 season of the Timaru Orchestral Society have chosen some fine offerings of vocal creations. Mrs. Evelyn Barley, L.A.8., will present a bracket of two numbers (a) “Wild Geese,” a Chinese lyric from the pen of James Rogers; (b) Mary Turner Salter’s “The Cry of Rachel.” In the second part of the programme Mrs. Barley will sing (a) Bemberg's “The Hindoo Song,” (b) Pearl Curran's “Dawn.” Miss Evelyn Hosken, whose harp solos were so delightful at a previous concert, will present d'Alberti’s harp arrangement of Schubert’s “Serenade.” Mr. Don Mclnnes, who will make his first appearance associated with the Orchestral Society has chosen for his principal contribution the intensely dramatic excerpt from Verdis “Rigolettos” “Cortlgianni vll Razza.” In the first part of the programme, Mr. Mclnnes will sing Schubert’s “Earl King.” The Society's policy of affording local talent a chance to be heard, ought to be generously endorsed by the musieloving people of Timaru.

The Auckland Chamber Music Society has arranged for its July concert a programme which will be of great interest not only to serious students of music, but also to many who might imagine that chamber music is something coldly austere. The principal work to be given will be Dvorak’s Quartet, Opus 96, known as the “Nigger” quartet because of its introduction of many American negro melodies as motifs. Dvorak deliberately set out to form a musical tradition leaning on semi-barbaric sources for its inspiration, and in this quartet, as in the “New World” Symphony he succeeded admirably. The work will be presented by Mrs. Winifred Hayes' quartet, comprising Mrs. Hayes (first violin), Mr. Henry Engel (second violin), Mr. Colin Munro (viola) and Miss Jean Clarkson (’cello). Mrs. Hayes will also give the Erieg Sonata in F, Opus 8, Miss Markrom taking the solo part, and the quartet will complete the programme with a rendering of a Tschaikowsky Quartet, Opus 11, a very typical work, in which the Andante Cantabile movement performed with muted strings is of particular beauty and pathos.

During the May Festival an exhibition of old Italian violins of great interest to connoisseurs was held in Florence. The evolution of these weird combinations of rhythmic form with rhythmic harmony belongs to the Renaissance, and like all created things owes their possibilities to their creators. The makers of violins are many, but few possess the creative faculty of imbuing the wooden, varnished boxes with the responsive resonance which enables the violinist to set free the spirit of music imprisoned therein. The greatest violin maker of Cremona remains Antonius Stradivarius, who was bom at Cremona, 1644, and died 1737. His first instruments show great affinity with those of Nicolas Amati, but he soon struck out a bold, original manner in the “long Strad.” about 1700, in his 56th year, he reached the fruition of his genius, and in 1714 produced “the Dolphin,” regarded as his most superb production. The name was bestowed from the exquisite variety of tints imparted by the lovely grain of the wood to the varnish, while the model is matchless. A great connoisseur says of these later “Strads”: "When a red Stradivarius violin is made of soft, velvety wood and the varnish is half worn off the back in rough, triangular form, that produces a certain beauty of light and shade which is the ‘ne plus ultra.’ ”

When the Marama steamed up the Wellington harbour on her recent voyage from Australia there was an excited group of people on the wharf waiting to greet Mr. Peter Dawson, the famous singer, and Mrs. Dawson. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dawson made many friends during their visit to Wellington two years ago, and Mrs. Dawson was laden with wonderful bunches of spindle berries and fragrant violets. “You know,” she said, in between being photographed on the top deck, "I feel as though I’ve been here all the time. It’s hard to imagine that Peter and I have been travelling four thousand miles during the last few weeks; rushing from one end of Australia to the other.” “We had a most exciting time in Ireland when Peter sang in Dublin,” she said. “Of course, British goods and people are not popular there, and it seemed to us that everyone was talking in a whisper and peering over their shoulder. My husband, in his jocular way before he began to sing one night, said to the large audience assembled: T am not bringing coals to Newcastle, for I’m not going to sing you any Irish songs.’ He didn’t. He sang, in addition to heavier works, English ballads, the Floral Dance and other lilting English melodies that they had never heard before; and of course they loved them.”

Schubert sold his immortal songs in the last years of his life for flvepence apiece. He did not give a concert until eight months before his death. Three years before Mozart's death a Berlin critic trounced “Don Giovanni,” and said that Mozart was not a composer of note. For Bach’s works there was so little demand that the plates had to be melted and the metal sold to pay part of the expenses. His wife died a pauper. Tschaikowsky wrote, five years before his death, that up to that time Berlin had ignored his music. Muscagni lived for a while on a single plate of macaroni a day shortly before he wrote “Cavalleria Rusticana.” Wagner was 44, and had written all but three of his operas before Vienna, Munich, or Stuttgart produced a single one of them. He was 56 before Italy. France, and England made anv nttemut to produce them.

Maestro Wando Aldrovandi, the artistic conductor of the Imperial Grand Opera Company, which was in New Zealand last year, has joined forces with Signor Franco Izal to conduct a grand opera academy in Sydney. The first-named will take care of the departments of “Interpretation” and “Repertoire,” whilse Signor Izal will specialise in “Voice Production” and "Stage Movements.”

In the May number of “Music in New Zealand,” Trevor Fisher writes interestingly on "Music in Vienna.” Max Scherek contributes a timely article upon "Examinations.” “Sight Reading for Pianoforte Students,” by George Martin, calls attention to the need for the development of this neglected (though highly important) exercise. Street Musicians "Oh! where is my wandering boy to-night, The boy—of my fond—est care. . .” "You don't hear so much of this sort of thing from the street musician in these days. It won’t do, now that we are all so musical, with with the wireless, the gramophone, and the popular classical concert. The more frequent thing is for the singer to strike an operatic posture in the middle of the road and ring the welkin with 'La donna e mobile,’ ” write* the Special Correspondent of the “Evening Standard.” "Equally the standard of instrumental performances has risen. Barrel organs have gone out of fashion. Cornets seldom cleave the air with 'The Lost Chord.’ Tin whistles have dropped into disuse.

“Instead, violins and even ’cellos discourse to our surprised ears selections from Bach and Beethoven. "The kerb has gone highbrow. Why?”

"Mr Batten, secretary of the Musicians’ Union, gave me a clue to the reason.

“ ‘More than 50 per cent, of the musicians in the country are out of employment,’ he said, ‘There is no unemployment benefit in connection with this union, and we have little knowledge of what becomes of them; but no doubt one reason why street music has suddenly gone classical is that many of them have been obliged to eke out a living by it. “ ‘These unemployed musicians are for the most part youngish men of good musical education who were attracted into the profession at the beginning of the cinema boom, when all the cinemas had orchestras or music of some kind, and the salaries ran into £4 or £5 a week. The peak year of such employment was about 1928. Then came the talkies, and most of these young new-comers have been thrown out.’ “When the worst comes to the worst, there are the streets. They seek the more exclusive inner suburbs where their type of music is likely to be appreciated,” adds the writer in the "Evening Standard.” "In a quiet St. John’s Wood-road the other day I heard some beautiful violin playing. It came from a young man, well-dressed and obviously wellbred. It was a road where street music was not ordinarily encouraged; but gate after gate opened with maids bearing contributions to this interesting and romantic stranger with the magic bow. “He told me frankly that he was an orchestral artist unable to get work, and that he had found quite a good living by playing good music in care-fully-selected streets.”

Several most attractive numbers are concluded in a programme to be presented at the first subscription concert of the Timaru Orchestral Society next Thursday. Particular mention might be made of Weber s Concerto for Clarinet, Weber was bom in 1786 and early gave evidence of rare musical gifts; his “Oberon,” "der Freischertz,” and "Euranthe” are well known. The Concerto for Clarinet was written in 1811 and displays the tone, timbre and technical possibilities of the instrument to advantage. The work is particularly pleasing, giving the soloist fine scope for artistic work, and in the hands of such an accomplished instrumentalist as will be entrusted with the solo work, this number should provide a musical treat of the highest order.

The Auckland Amateur Operatic Society’s forthcoming fourteenth annual production, “Les Cloches de Corneville,” which will open a nine nights’ season on July 4, includes some spectacular stage effects. The glorious music of this light opera by Planquette is well-known, particularly the “Ding Dong" chorus, the “Hiring Fair” chorus and the “Silent Heroes.” Under the musical direction of Mr. Colin Mus ton particularly attractive chorus work will be a feature.

A very good story is told by Mrs. Peter Dawson and her husband against themselves. They were travelling on a liner up the coast of India, and had been shown Into an attractive suite, when one of the chief attendants, bowing profusely and calling them by name, waved them from their suite into a magnificent cabin de luxe. Having settled themselves and unpacked, the door opened and the "kind” man returned and said: “Mr. Dawson, we know your whisky well—in fact, its very well known indeed—and we do a splendid trade with it. I hope you will both be very comfortable." Mr. Dawson retorted: ‘‘Here, listen don't make any mistake. I'm a singer, Peter Dawson—singer." With an expression of dismay the disillusioned man fled! “But we had our luxury suite all the same," smiled Mrs. Dawson.