Music

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XX, Issue XXIV, 11 June 1898, Page 737

Music

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Miss Govett has been elected President of the New Plymouth Liederkranzehen. The vice- presidents are Mesdames Paul, W. Bayly and Stanford and Miss Hirst; the librarian. Miss Devenish; secretary, Miss K. Hamerton; and committee. Mesdames Robinson, Holdsworth, and Dowling, and Misses George. Bayly, Jackson and Hempton. Miss Haise was chosen as the accompanist. The first At Home will take place on Wednesday evening, June 22. In Mr Ernest Young’s book, ‘The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe,’ some amusing details are given respecting the mounting of pieces at the Siamese theatres. ‘lf a horse is required, an actress comes on the stage wearing a piece of headgear shaped like a horse's head. The rider does not mount her steed, but places her hand on its shoulder and walks by its side. A voyage at sea is undertaken without ships. One of the players crosses the stage, having a pole, in imitation of a mast, fastened to his chest. From the top floats the national flag, while pieces of thin cord represent the rigging. The passengers embark by ranging themselves in two long lines behind the man with the pole. When they are all safely aboard, the stern of the vessel arrives and forms the tail end of the procession. He also bears a pole, a flag, and a quantity of siting rigging, and attached to his baek is a wooden rudder.’ Mr and Mrs Durward Lely had a very successful week in Auckland, attracting good audiences every night. Mr Lely's singing of Scotch songs and his anecdotes did not, however, create the furore in the Northern city which they appear to have done in the the South. Perhaps the Otago people were a trifle too enthusiastic, and the Auckland people not sufficiently- conversant with Scotch songs to appreciate the singer to the full, and hence the more or less wide difference of opinion in the two places. Fraulein Ella Fuchs, who accompanied Mr Lelyand his wife, is undoubtedly something of a marvel in her way. The command of the violin which she displays is quite astonishing in one so young, and gives promise of great things. Iler playing constituted one of the chief attractions of the concerts. Fraulein Fuchs accompanied the Lelys to Australia, having been engaged for the Continental tour by Mr R. S. Smythe. The ex-tenor Gambarelli, who enjoyed his quarter of an hour of popularity in Italy, has renounced the theatre for ever and has become a priest. News comes that he has celebrated his first mass at Bergamo. Some amateurs belonging to the court of Berlin are rehearsing a musical sketch, ‘The Road to Glory.’ Emperor William has snatched time from his manifold occupations to write the scenario for this work. Messrs Williamson and Musgrove’s Opera Company recently formed was doing good business in Western Australia when last heard of. ‘Twenty years ago.’ says the ‘New Zealand Times,’ ‘Adelaide and Christchurch were considered the two chief musical centres of Australasia. But in his autobiography Sir Charles Hallo declares that Adelaide is the least musical city in Australia, and prob. bly nobody would now give precedence to Christchurch over Wellington, Auckland and Dunedin as the city- in which celebrated musicians might expect to meet with the warmest welcome.’ After her engagements at Dunedin Exhibition Madame Amy Sherwin is going- to Western Australia, where she will be joined at Perth by- Mr Stockwell.

We learn from the ’Canterbury Times' that the ballot taken by the committee of the Christchurch Musical Union to decide what method should be adopted in the allotment of seats at its concerts, has now been completed. Altogether 332 votes were recorded, and of these 228 were in favour of the drawing for seats adopted at the last concert. This method will therefore be adopted in the future. The next concert of the season has been fixed for June 30. when Haydn’s ‘Clock Symphony’ and Mendelssohn's ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ will be produced.

Signorina Virginia Mariani, who wrote the music of the new opera ‘Dal Sogno alia Vita,’ which has been produced in Italy, is a graduate of the Musical Lyceum of Pesaro, whose destinies are presided over by Mascagni. \ irginia Mariani has two sisters who aie also distinguished musicians Fraulein Josephs Joachim, tin second daughter of the celebrated violinist, has just become engaged to a young professor of the University- of Berne. She has announced that she will never again appear on the stage, which is a loss to art, for her theatrical debut was most brilliant. A Southern exchange says: ‘lt is expected that Australian managters will find the stage of the Dunedin Princess’ Theatre, when the alterations have been completed, quite commodious enough to allow of productions on the same scale as pertains in Melbourne or Sydney. Theatre-goers will also find great improvements effected in the direction of securing greater comfort.’ The Southern press speaks well of Heller’s Mahatma Company, which comprises a iumiere biograph, an expose of spiritualistic business, necromantic novelties and a concert. The boycott, it would seem, is not confined to the butcher. It is finding its way into the music publishing business. A London firm has lately resorted to it in the most, barefaced form by laying down a rule that it will not sell to dealers pieces that are known to the trade as ‘stock pieces'— Beethoven’s Sonatas might be taken as an example—unless an equal number of their ‘novelties’ are taken. Just imagine the absurdity, not to say the impudence, of such a rule. What would you think of your music-seller i", when you asked for Chopin’s Waltzes, he was to say: ‘Oh, I can’t give it to you unless you take “The Washington Post?”’ If when you asked for ‘Don Giovanni’ you were infoimed you must invest in the new comic song, ‘Polly up the Plum Tree,’ your respect for your music-seller would probably undergo a change. Your grocer of whom you desired preserved prunes might just as well refuse to trade unless you bought the latest thing in fire-lighters or stove polish. Really, it is too funny. It is comforting to hear, however, that the trade is resolutely setting its face against such tactics. Last Saturday the examinations in musical knowledge, in connection with the Trinity College, London, were held in Auckland. The local candidates on the occasion was larger than in previous years, being as follows:—Senior division: Pass, 3; honours, 8. Intermediate division: Pass, 25; honours, I). Junior division: Pass 47; honours, 23. Total pass, 79; honours, 40. In connection with the annual examination in vocal and instrumental music, held in the colony under the auspices of Trinity College, London, the maximum marks are as follow; : — Studies, etc., 20; piece or solo, 40; scales, 20; grammar, 10; sight-reading, 10; total, 100. Blenheim is thinking of building a theatre. The Cowan Dramatic Company is booked to open in Dunedin on Saturday. Statistics have been gathered concerning the new symphonic works produced in London last year. It seems that there were 65 sympnonies which were due to 40 different composers. It goes without saying that on their native heath, so to speak, the Ihitish composers outnumber the others. Eighteen Britishers are responsible for 21 of the compositions. Then follow 9 Russians with 17 compositions. Ten Germans produced 13, 9 Frenchmen are responsible for 12 of the symphonic works, and finally a Bohemian and a Scandinavian each contributed 1 symphony to make up the total 65. Not a single American or Italian figures on the list.