THE WORLD OF MUSIC

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21035, 10 February 1940, Page 13 (Supplement)

THE WORLD OF MUSIC

Viennese Conductor The famous conductor, Dr Furtwaengler, has been appointed musical director of Vienna. He has been instructed to reorganise and revitalise Viennese theatrical and concert life, and “to stamp it with one-track musical personality.” An Unsuspected Talent

Mr John Farrell, as the representative of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., has been listening to other persons’ songs all his life without knowing that he had a talent for song-writing himself. It took a bad cold, a couple of synovitic knees, time on his hands, and an unused typewriter to lead him to self-discovery, says a southern paper. An hour’s strumming on the machine and Mr Farrell had produced the lively words of a war song founded on the author’s footballing days. Entitled “The All Blacks’ Marching Song,” the words have been set to music by Mr Howard Moody, the pianist in the company’s latest New Zealand production, “Switzerland,” and it has now been published. Mr Farrell is modest about his brain child, but hopes to hear it sung in his company’s theatres before he is much older. Comedian and Song-writer Will Mahoney is a grand comedian; in fact, one of the world’s best, but his capabilities run even further than the commendable quality of being able to make you laugh at will. He is a writer of hits! Since he first commenced work at Cinesound on “Ants In His Pants,” Will, in association with his genial manager, Mr Bob * Geraghty, has written two songs. The first, entitled “When I Saw My Wife In Pictures,” was composed in honour of his wife, Evie Hayes, who plays an important role in the picture. The second—and most important—is “It’s Up To You,” a martial tune destined to leave its mark upon the warsongs that the present conflict has produced. Already arrangements have been made for its publication, whilst the Macquarie broadcasting network have recorded it for subsequent sale throughout Australia. So just as the picture will prove yet another milestone in the path of Australia’s film production progress, a song created by its star may prove to be another “Tipperary.”