MUSIC AND DRAMA.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIII, Issue XXIV, 10 December 1904, Page 24

MUSIC AND DRAMA.

“Curtain-raisers,” which went out of favour for a time, are being introduced again at the leading London playhouses. The Knight-Jeffries Company, now playing in Auckland, will furnish the Christmas attraction in Wellington. Air Arthur Garner (says the London correspondent of the “Argus”) is writing a book on “The Early History of the Australian Stage.” Miss Olga Nethersole has taken over the Shaftesbury from Mr George Musgrove, “The I’rinve of Pilsen” having been withdrawn.

Rudyard Kipling's story, “The Man Who Was,” has been translated, in its dramatised form, into German, ami is now being played at the Thalia Theatre, Hamburg.

Mr Watkin NJills and Mons. Parlovitz. sailed from Perth, W.A., for England recently, after a successful series of concerts in the West Australian capital.

Historical plays, which are very popular in London just now. have bad their number added to by “The -Master of King's Gift,” a restoration plot, at the Avenue Theatre, with Miss Lillah McCarthy in a leading part.

Mrs Brown Potter followed up her first experiment with “Forget Me Not” and “Cavalleria Rustieana.” Tile former was to be replaced by a drama by a deigyinan, the Rev Forbes Phillips, “For Church and Stage.”

Mark Ilambourg has been spending considerable time lately looking for new, good pianoforte work by British composers. He has been successful in his search, and at his forthcoming recitals both in England and the Continent he is going to include a group of each on his programmes.

A Vienna music-seller suggests that music should be printed in silver or gilt characters upon a dark ground similar to the lettering on the binding of books, as a preventive to the defective sight from which nearly all musicians suffer, and which probably arises from the over much reading of music as at present printed. There is a eute suspicion abroad that tlie man who looped flic loop at Melbourne Exhibition and missed his way once or twice in the beginning, was a more wily man than he got credit for. Tlie idea is that it was a great advt. to miss tlie track and take a dive into the net once or twice. Looping the loop requires nothing but gameness, a steady nerve, and a true eye; centrifugal force does the rest. Mr Edward Terry will shortly be married to Lady Harris, the widow of S2r Augustus Harris. Tlie marriage will take place before Christmas, and the bride will accompany her husband on his tour in America, which will commence in January. Lady Harris’s daughter, Miss .Florence Harris, lately went on the stage and has been appearing in the provinces in Mrs Miehatl Glinn's company. We shall wish Mr and -Mrs Terry every happiness. Madame Melba is supposed to be in Paris trying to recover from the shock to her nerves occasioned last month, by her motor running over and killing an old mail. The chauffeur has just been sentenced by the French Court to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of 200 francs. The diva meanwhile is really in London, and taking lessens from Signor Tosti every day. She has promised to sing, when in America, at Kansas City for Aliss Elizabeth Parkina, who is a native of that city, and who will have a farewell concert there before proceeding to tour Australia.

Air George Guldens, who recently returned from a long colonial tour, relates an instance of endurance by colonial playgoers. “One night—it was in New Zealand”—he says, “I was playing Mr Bloodgood, in “Are You a Afason’’ Just before the curtain rose my business manager came on to the stage. ‘Must have a chair,’ he said. ‘There’s a farmer come to the boxoffice. He’s ridden 45 miles to sec the piece, and he’s plastered with mud from head to foot. Wants a 5/ seat, and they're telling him he can’t sit on one in his present state if he pays £5.”

John Hollingshead, who has just died, was food of recalling the most wonderful tour de force of its kind on record—namely, the adaptation and production of Balzac's “ Alercadet ” in 60 hours at the Lyceum. This was done to checkmate Benjamin Webster at the -Adelphi, The book was got from Paris by the first mail on Saturday, and turned into English by George Henry Lewes, with the assistance of a staff of shorthand writers, as fast as he could dictate it. Tlie slips were sent on to the stage, and learned and rehearsed. Rehearsals were continued through Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and on Alomlay night the play was produced at the theatre perfect.

A new wind instrument from Hungary. called the ‘Tarogafo,” has been introduced into the Bayreuth orchestra by Richter. It was employed for the interpretation of the melody towards the end of the first scene of the third act of “ Tristan und Isohla,” which, announces the appearance of Tristan's ship on the horizon. It was written for the cor anglais, but is so unsuited to that instrument. that it is usually taken by the haul hois. The general opinion of the musicians was that the tarogato gave a better result than any instrument that has yet been tried for this theme. Air Auguste Van Biene, who has just arranged to make a tour of the world, under the management of Air George Afusgrove, tells an interesting little story of how he eaiue to compose the melody that lie has now played thousands of times in “The Broken Alelody. It suddenly came into his head as he was travelling in the train from Brighton to London, after many days of unsuccessful striving. He was talking with some friends at the time, bnt as the melody slowly shaped itself in his brain he could think of nothing else, and seized the first opportunity to write it down. “The Eternal City,” which, drew a big house for its last presentation in Auckland on Friday has been followed by a very successful revival of “ A. Royal Divorce,” in which Aliss Jeffries makes a satisfactory Josephine. “The Sign of the Cross” follows, and then “The Silver King” closes the season. As Wilfred Denver. Air Knight is slid to be partkul irly interesting, giving an entirely new impersonation of the part. The best Denver we have had in the colonies xvas unquestionably Walter Bentley, ami the worst, strange to say, Barrett, who, of course, originated the part. Tiflieradge was better than Bentley in certain seenies, and equalled

him in most, hut there were spots •• genius in Bentley’s earlier ►erlornsances of the drama which give him U»a JNllui.

Air AV. S. Gilbert, when acting aS chairman of the Edgware petty sessions reeentlv, found fa pit with the fact

that a man who was summoned for betting had been allowed to go on offending for - three days when one offence was sufficient. Recently at that court, lie said, a betting man had been fined £3O, the full penalty on six summonses, and thinking the penalty excessive he had written to tlie Home Secretary pointing out that if the police allowed a man to bet day after day, and the magistrates continued to impose the maximum penalty of £5 for each offence, the amount of the fine wonkl really rest with the action taken by the police, and they would become the judges. The Home Secretary replied that there was no need to permit a betting man to go on betting for several days, and added that the sum of £5 was the maximum penalty, ami if there were several summonses it would be a good reason for reducing the. penalty. The magistrates fined the defendant £3 on each summons. This reminds ns of Air Gilbert’s alleged reply to the High Sheriff when the great librettist waited upon him in connection with his—Air Gilbert’s—appointment as a Justice of the Peace. •’Yon have, I believe,” said the Sheriff, pleasantly, “studied the law in your barrister days, and have a sound knowledge of it ?” “ That is true,” said Air Gilbert; "but I hope, sir, you will not consider that as an impediment!”