The World of Music

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20105, 11 May 1935, Page 14

The World of Music

Notes and Comments of General Interest j (By “Semitone").

Dvorak’s “Spectre’s Bride” is now under rehearsal by the Dunedin Choral Society. Barnett’s “Ancient Mariner” is at present being rehearsed by the Hamilton Choral Society. The Auckland Choral Society is at present rehearsing “Judas Maccabaeus’’ for their first concert of the present season. Miss Winifred Conquest has been appointed honorary secretary of the Royal Wellington Choral Union’s Social Club. The first concert of the Royal Wellington Choral Union has been fixed for Thursday, July 4, when Wagner’s “Lohengrin” will be performed. The art of teaching music in the elementary schools is nowadays coming to receive something of the recognition that is its due. As a result increasing numbers of teachers are, during their training, specialising in school music. “Music in the Modern School,” by Thomas R. Mayne, a practical teacher of many years’ experience in all types of schools, has been written to fulfil the need of a manual dealing with the actual conditions of music in the schoolroom. It deals with the reasons for its inclusion in the curriculum and describes school music from the various points of view of the head teacher, the music teacher and

the child. As the author points out, this volume is not a “method,” but a straight-forward attempt to bring experience to bear in descriptive narrative upon the many problems which confront the school music teacher. It should do much to demonstrate the need for methods of teaching that are really up-to-date and alive.

Opera in the Covent Garden may languish and music on the air put impresarios of concerts “in the red,” but Britain is not to be deprived of hearing classical music first hand nor a generation rise incapable of playing any instrument. Not (says an American paper) if that doughy organisation, the London Musical Club, can help it. With an admirable enthusiasm born of some success in stimulating bagpipe playing, the club is now launching a campaign to put “a concertina in every home.” That not inconsiderable opposition on the part of those who feel that one in every home is, perhaps, one too many only whets the club’s determination to succeed. To dispraising critics who contend that the concertina is second cousin to the mouth organ even if a few scales higher in musical evolution, the members of the club retort that concertos with orchestra, and at least one sonata with piano, have been written for concertina. Sentimentalists with memories going back to the blackface minstrels whose astounding effects produced with a banjo and a concertina delighted week-end trippers on the sands of Margate or Clacton-on-Sea several decades back will recall pleasant associations. The concertina might be rather wheezy and the banjo a bit insistent, but when trousered performers played “Auld Lang Syne,” the furtive tear would drop upon the cockney tripper’s sandwich. It always brought the pennies into the collector’s little tin cup. Some will feel, perhaps, that there can be too much of a good thing, even of the high-toned modern concertina. The London Musical Club may find that some persons don’t really hanke* after it. They may prefer bagpipes.

Mr W. H. Dixon, who recently resigned from the conductorship of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, has taken up his residence in Auckland.

A new choral society has been formed in New Plymouth under the title of the Philharmonic Society, and it is proposed to perform for its first concert Bennett’s cantata “The May Queen.”

“Aida,” among operas, seems to hold first place for the teacher, as determined by a vote at the close of an “Opera Listener’s Course" at the Hippodrome of New York. Fifty per cent, favoured “Alda,” 25 per cent chose “Carmen,” and “La Traviata,” “La Tosca,” “Faust," and “Lohengrin” were the respective third, fourth, fifth and sixth choice.

The appointment to the Broadcasting Board of Dr S. K. Phillips will be warmly approved in musical circles (comments "Orpheus,” of the "Auckland Star”). He has been a very active and most progressive president of the Auckland branch of the Music Teachers’ Association of New Zealand, and listeners may rest assured that Dr Phillips, who has proved himself to be a musician with a broad mind and wise understanding, plus unbounded energy, will be of great assistance to the board in bringing about a muchneeded reorganisation of the musical side of its activities.

The following extract from the music column of the “Birmingham Weekly Post” answers a question frequently asked by amateur composers here (and elsewhere): —“From a correspondent I have a query as to whether any money can be made out of songs or dance tunes, and if so do the publishers pay it?” The answers are respectively. ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’ A popular ‘hit’ might easily bring its composer a few hundred pounds, but the revenue is not derived from the house publishing it. It Is made up with the performing rights and gramophone and film royalties. The popular notion that a money-making song or dance can be written on a scrap of paper under a street lamp or on top of an omnibus is all moonshine. ‘Winners’ in the accepted sense are not invented this way. It takes an able musician to compose a tune calculated to make money, and even then influence of a kind is required to get well-known singers or bands to exploit it. It is more or less essential, also, to secure publication first, and this is a fairly expensive condition.”

“The Methodist Hymn Book,” the greatest new hymn book of recent years, was published soon after the iminn Of the Methodist churches, and Mr James T. Lightwood had the happy inspiration in his book, ‘ The Music of the Methodist Hymn Book,” to tell the story of the tunes, which have been selected. Here, for example, is a section of what he writes concerning the tune of the first hymn, “O for a thousand tongues to sing.” “ ‘Richmond, by Rev. Thomas Haweis, is from Carmlna Christo, a collection of 250 hymns and tunes he compiled in 1792. It was reduced to its present form by Samuel Webbe, junr. It has been used with great effect by H. A. Chambers in his anthem ‘Praise to the holiest in the height.' The tune is named after the composer’s friend, Legh Richmon, rector of Turvey (Bedfordshire), and author of the once famous story ‘The Dairyman’s Daughter . . •’

The fact has only recently been brought to light that when the Wesleyan Tune-Book of 1876 w»as being prepared, the committee chose ‘Richmond’ as the first tune for ’O for a thousand tongues to sing.’ But when Gauntless succeeded George Cooper as musical editor he did not approve of the choice. In a letter written February 9, 1876, he said, ‘Of course this tune will not go fast —and there are ten verses to sing—sing it slow, the hymn is destroyed; sing it fast, and the tune is destroyed.’ So the committee gave way, and ‘Winchester Old’ was substituted. Their original choice has at last been confirmed.” Then, with regard to “Lydia,” the second tune, after a few words about the disputed composers, Mr Lightw’ood records how Thomas Hardy, in his ‘Return to the Native,’ writing of Yedbright and his bass viol when playing “Lydia,” says:—“Neighbour Yedbright, w’ho had just warmed to his work, drove his bow into them strings that glorious grand that he e’en a’most sawed the bass viol into two pieces. Every winder in the church rattled as if ’twere a thunderstorm. Not a soul in Kingsboro could hold a candle to Yedbright.” Then, again, with the second hymn, which is set to the tune of the “Old Hundredth," Mr Lightwood says:—“The story of the ‘Old Hundredth’ has been fully told in ‘The Choir’ (1925-1926). Briefly it is now generally agreed that the

tune consists of phrases which were common property in the sixteenth century, and which were skilfully ‘composed,’ or in other words, put together, by Louis Bourgeois, who is definitely known to have been what is now called the Musical Editor of the Genevan Psalter of 1551. An unfortunate accident happened while he was engaged on this w’ork, as the Council of Geneva convicted him of altering the melody of certain psalm-tunes without leave, and sent him to prison. Modern editors, though equally guilty, have escaped that fate . . . The statement given at the head of No. 2 in the Tune-Book, that is the ‘original version,’ is only correct as regards this country, since it is the version lound in Day’s Walter of 1563."