LIFE INFLUENCES COMPOSER’S WORK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18623, 27 November 1928, Page 3

LIFE INFLUENCES COMPOSER’S WORK.

ACADEMY EXAMINER GIVES AN ADDRESS

“Character in Music” was the subject on which Mr Russell C. Chester, examiner to the Royal Academy of Music, lectured to a large audience at Begg’s recital chamber last evening. During the course of his lecture, Mr Chester played selections from the works of the composers he mentioned, on a Duo Art recording piano, a gramophone, and a Rogers grand piano. At the time, in the ISth century, said Mr Chester, when Vienna was the centre of musical culture, the life of a musician who did not have patronage was extremely difficult. There was in Vienna an imperial choir, continued the speaker, and in this was Ilaydn, a boy who had once had a soprano voice, but after it broke, had been employed on odd jobs. As a result of a rather silly prank he was sent into the street. He had no money and only a very small musical education. He decided to learn music and went through four years of the direst poverty. At last he obtained a position as the head of a household orchestra in a wealthy family in Vienna. In the course of a few years, he had visited a number of wealthy houses. One of the Austrian nobility at that time built a magni-

ficent palace, and the young man gothis great opportunity. He was here able to put his compositions into practice, and originated the string quartette and the modern symphony. At this time, wind instruments were very primitive, but under his influence, the string and wind instruments were blended successfull}’-. He spent most of his time in the country out of touch with the development of the music of ! the time. Bach was known, said the speaker, to have composed six or seven hundred songs. He started with songs in his early days and later went on to more elaborate compositions. Referring to Schubert, Mr Chester said that after he died, he left with his brother a pile of dirty old manuscripts from which was drawn one of his most famous symphonies. Schubert was not gifted with very much self criticism, and his facility for writing was rather a handicap. However, towards the end of his life he got more balance and produced some of his greatest and most interesting works. To Vienna, later, came Chopin, a young Pole, said Mr Chester, who had exhausted the musical possibilities of Warsaw. While in Stuttgart he heard of the Polish revolution against Russia and the later revolution by which Poland lost Warsaw again to Russia. This news produced the Revolutionary Overture. Mr Chester himself played this overture on a Rogers grand piano, receiving great applause. Love, also, had a great influence on the work of some composers. Schu* I mann. during the year after he- was married, produced a burst of songs,

mainly on this theme, which rank second only to those of Schubert. In mediaeval times music was so closely associated with the Church, that it had little independence. About IS6O, Cesar Franck became organist of St Matilda’s Church in Paris. He turned the ideas of the young composers from opera, so popular as a sure money-maker at that time, once again to instrumental music. He was the great influence on men like Ravel, and Debussy and the modern french composers. Conspicuous originality was so common nowadays that it was little regarded, continued the speaker. In England at the present time there were many composers showing great originality. Debussy was one of the most individual of modern composers. Mr Chester also mentioned Scriabine and played one of his works. In the art of music there was a great diversity, said Mr Chester. The best of it had always been the result of life, tragedy or laughter. Music would soon become one of the greatest of educational mediums. It offered a child the best medium of self expression and an adult the best of relaxation. Music expfessed something very vital. The speaker had only mentioned a few of the best of the composers, but there were many others who had all contributed something. Unless music was played with imagination and the realisation that every note expressed some human emotion, it lost its true meaning. Mr Chester concluded with an item which he said was “ by an unknown composer,” and the piece was received with the heartiest applause, as most of the audience were convincd that the composition was one of Mr Chester’s own.