MUSICAL JOTTINGS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20104, 24 March 1928, Page 17 (Supplement)

MUSICAL JOTTINGS

(By “C. SHARP.”) The best wishes of the musical community will go with ..Miss Doris »Symes 3 who left Wanganui last week for Sydney, where she will further develop her wonderful vocal gifts. Miss Symes’ musical education is not lop-sided, like that, of so many of our singers; on the contrary, she has a knowledge of the pianoforte, theory and harmony which is above the average among singers ami her dramatic study should be of inestimable value in her artistic career. L hope that Miss Symes’ career in Sydney will be followed by further study —and success—in the European musical world. Her abilities and capacity for study stimulate the hope that such will be the case. * * * * The annual meeting of the Wanganui Society of Professional Musicians is announced for Tuesday evening next. A recently published list of the members indicates that the great majority of our music teachers are members of the organisation. Apart from watching the interests of its members, the society exists for the purpose of promoting the art of music by any means within its power and great educational benefit is possible to the musical community by the full operation of its powers. Not the least among the society’s activities is the entertainment of visiting artists, thus establishing closer contact between performer and listener, and tending to a better understanding of the artist’s efforts, and giving the artist, a better insight into the musical ideas and aspirations and those to whom he is playing or singing. The opportunities, for improving the musical culture of the community, which lie open to such a body as the Society of Musicians, arc very great and if every member pulls his weight in the Society great success must follow. « * « • Over the wireless a few nights ago I heard the President of the New South Wales .Musical Association, Air I'rank Hutchens, describing, for the benelit of country music teachers, the forthcoming conference of music teachers, to be held in- Sydney at Easter. According to the announcement, the number of teachers who have “registered" for the conference has already exceeded six hundred. Lectures and papers on various musical subjects are to be delivered by the leading musicians of the State. \ arious professors will analyse and demonstrate the music set for various forthcoming examinations. Concerts and functions to be given in connection with the conference include a special performance by the Conservatorium Orchestra, an ‘‘opera” night at the St. James Theatre, a concert by visiting artists, a garden party at Government House and a harbour excursion. Musicians apparently know how to combine business with pleasure, and many teachers over hero will be envious at the opportunity that has come in the path of their Australian brethren—and sisters- * « & • Some idea of the voluntary work that is carried on by musicians amongst the children of the towns of the Old Land may be gathered from a letter

that has just reached me from a gentleman whose acquaintance I have made through a musical .-Journal—Mr John Parr, of Sheffield. I'or thirty years Air Parr, a bassoon-player of some ability, has conducted a girls’ singing class in connection with Holy Trinity Church, Wicker, Sheffield. Not only has Air Parr given his services for this work but he has lent all the necessary music and has paid the fees of assisting professionals—generally reduced—out of his own pocket. The class numbers from thirty to forty, with an average age. of IL The girls generally remain in the class for from two and a half to three years, when they leave to go to work, and the leader rarely sees them again. Over 2000 girls have passed through Air Parr’s hands and between forty and fifty concerts have been given by the class, with assisting artists. Unison songs, part songs, and solos appearing upon recent programmes include those by such writer as Smart, Hurlstone, Dunhill, "Walford Davies, Arne, Gounod, Ireland, and others. The influence of membership of such a class ■upon the lives of the young girls who lartend it must be considerable and exitremcly beneficial, and such work de- i serves more sunport and credit than it usually gds. New Zealanders will be interested in tlie forthcoming tour of Aliss Esther l.'ishcr, the now-famous daughter of the lion. E. Al. B. Fisher, which will be under the Tait direction. Air Gordon Mcßeth tolls me that Afiss Fisher has achieved more than usual success in her Luropean career, and Whittaker’s Almanack classes her amongst the finest half dozen artists appearing in London during the past year. ” «= • * John McCormack, who is a Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur, a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory and the Holy Sepulchre, and a Freeman of the City of Dublin, has, 1 understand, just been made a Alus. Doc. of Dublin University. AfcCormack has earned other university honours in America, the kind of his adoption, but the foregoing are probably a unique combination in the case of a professional vocalist. ’That other fine tenor, Joseph Hislop, it will be remembered, was lately honoured by the King of Denmark with the Order of the Dannebrog. * * * * Sir Thomas Beecham is so prominently before the public eye, in connection with his Imperial Opera Scheme, at the present time, that the report of his first appearance in America is somewhat interesting. The musical writer of the London Telegraph says:-—On the whole Sir Thomas Beecham had a remarkably good Press after his first appearance as orchestral conductor in New York. I have seen a number of criticisms, and have found none that was not full of praise, generally expressed with much heartiness. As a fact, I seem to feel, after reading the criticisms, that Sir Thomas slightly puzzled his critics. But nevertheless they were more amiable than they sometimes arc to our musical experts. “When ho (Sir Thomas) appeared he was urbanity itself, confidence, poise. A man of some height, and of a stocky build, groomed and mundane (!), he surveyed the audience and the hall with deliberate interest, while the audience surveyed him.’’ Thus Olin Downes, of the New York

Times, who adds that Sir Thomas “is not a virtuoso conductor in the ordinary sense of that word. Not that he lacks the gesture eccentric or impetuous. Quite the contrary. r lTiis is the most athletic conductor America has seen for many a. season. He is energetic find to the point.”