LECTURES ON MUSIC.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15159, 7 February 1923, Page 6

LECTURES ON MUSIC.

FOURTH NIGHT. Mr Gladstone Hill continued his course of lectures on music last evening. The question of producing the voice having been disposed of in previous lectures, Mr Hill proceeded to discuss what had to be done when a person had learnt to use the voice correctly. In order to sing it was necessary to have a good knowledge of music, particularly with regard to not.s value, time and key signatures. It was surprising how few members of choirs and choral societies could read music well; and, unfortunately, it was the person who made the poorest showing that wanted the greatest inducement to attend a practice, ‘i A musician will attend every rehearsal possible because he realises his own imperfections and the absolute necessity of practice. A rehearsal is the acid test for chorus, orchestra or band. The musician desires to come, the alleged musician desires to be I asked to come; therein lies the difference," said Mr Hill. The speaker said that as a result of over 20 years’ experience as conductor and choirmaster he was convinced 25 per cent, of the members could not ( read music, 50 per cent, could only jead after going over a piece a number of times. Those that were fair .or passable readers would probably number 15 per cent.,.while the balance, 10 per cent, represented good readers. This applied to reading music, as the percentages were worse when it, came to time and keys in which the music was set. Mr Hill said he could not understand a person being in a choir for years and making no effort to learn the most elementary forms of music, they being of such vital interest to members, and choirmaster. The lecturer proceeded to deal with the-production of pound and the various qualities thereof,' also how the question pf rapidity and number of vibrations determined the pitch of the sound produced. Mr Hill also dealt with important bearing reasonance lias upon sound, and demonstrated how the voice is amplified by use of the resonance cavities provided by Nature. He showed how the pitch of various notes was controlled by the number of vibrations it contained, and on this principle the piano was constructed. It was obvious that as sound could be produced and controlled in consequitive order, some language was necessary in order that people might learn' to read and write in musical terms. The earliest known method was employed by the ancient Greeks. Two parallel series of letters were used, one for vocal and one for instrumental music. The letters were inverted, accented[ or mutilated according to what it was desired to convey. There was certainly some excuse for those ancients, if they were not good readers of music! Mr Hill used the blackboard to show how in the early 10th century a new method was brought into being. It was very crude, and much confusion was occasioned by the many methods used of placing the letters. However, to Guido d’Arezzo as generally ascribed the systematisation of the four-line staff. This method, with its alterations, was traced by the lecturer, , showing how the musical language has been in a state of evolution, until to-day many people were endeavouring to introduce new methfds and ideas to supplant those we have been used to. Whether they succeed in doing so would depend upon the genuineness of the proposed alterations. As only two clefts were used in vocal music, Mr Hill used the blackboard to demonstrate how the notes were placed and the reading of same, and in similar manner dealt with the relative value of notes, rests and time generally.