Music and Drama

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 7, 17 February 1909, Page 15

Music and Drama

AfU'r a short run. the "Taming of the Shrew” was taken off at His Majesty’s Theatre, Auckland, to make room for “The Silver King,” which is. at the time of writing, still running. "The Village Priest” is to eome next and, perhaps, ‘‘Twelfth Night.” Mueh interest will centre in the Jean Torquennie of Mr. Kolker, and a very tine interpretation of the part >« ’"uiced forward to. J* J* A particularly life-like pen picture of Mr. G. S. Titheradge has been drawn by Mr. A. G. Stephens, who was once the leading light of the "Sydney Bulletin” staff: "He waits, alert, smiling his gentle propitiatory smile, a young man of sixty. Oft the stage he plays his own part, not the part of age. but of youthful mid-age—slim, sunburnt, straw-hatted, neither short nor tali. With grey clothes, grey eyes, hair that turns grey, he yields a continuing impression of brown greyness. His old actor’s face, vividly modelled, mobile, grey shaved, with "strong nose above the full expressive mouth creases as he talks into innumerable smiles, always gentle, always propitiatory. Very courteously- he waits his cue.” Mr. Charles Berkeley, touring manager of the J. C. Williamson Musical Comedy Company, tells of a unique experience in the early- history of Madame Melba in Australia, when she was singing, unknown to fame, as Mrs. Armstrong. The company arrived at Orange, Mr. Berkeley being in advance, and opened to the magnificent. sum of 18/-. Whilst the company were debating as to whether sufficient inducement offered for the fuprima donna of the worl,d to sing, a gentleman in the audience offered to give £5 to the hospital if Mrs. Ann*strong would sing "Home, Sweet Home:” She,. Consented to do so, and then other offers were made of various -sums, with the result that £25 tvas collected in aid ef the funds of the local hospital. J* Lady Ritchie’s charming “Blaekstiek Papers” contain several essays and sketches of musical interest. The picture of the late great violinist, Joachim, is delightfully- drawn. One of the most striking paragraphs is that in which Lady Ritchie tells how Joachim took his violin and went to play- to a dying lady:— “In a dim, curtained baek room, looking across another garden, the dying mistress of the house sat, propped up with cushions, in a ehair. Joafehim stood with his back to the window-, holding his violin, and we waited in silence by- the doorwaywhile he played gravely and with exquisite beauty. The sad, solemn room was full of the blessing of Bach, coining like a gospel to the sufferer in need of rest.” Another- essay gives a dainty sketch of Haydn, "beating time to his own music, and unable to refrain from smiling at the approach of some passage with which he was pleased”; and we are also introduced to Gluck, “who had his harpsichord carried but into a flowering meadow-, and, placing a bottle of champagne at either end, there and then devised 'Che Faro,’ for the delight ot generations to eome?’ JS J* It used to be said l —and still is sometimes — that Wagner ruins the voice. Now the cry is raised against Strauss. Here, at all events, is the plaint of an American soprano. Miss Frances Rose, who has been invited to sing the part of "Elektra,” when that opera is staged in Berlin. "His music,” she is reported as saying in “Musical America,” "is death to the human voice. I have sung the role of ‘Salome’ half a hundred times, and feel that vocally it has done me more harm than good. I have gone over the part of 'Elektra* with the composer, and have the score at home now. It is a wonderful part, but| is two .Salomes in one, and I don’t want-to lose my legato. The., music is wonderful, and the. text more dramatic than that of ‘Salome,*.i bnt I can’t make up my mind to sing tba r ax;L”

The clergy, taken on t.he whole, are the most unmusical body of men upon the civilised or uncivilised globe, says Mr. Frederick Kitchener in a recent issue of the "Musical Standard.” J* People who would appear learned are often given to the practice of introducing an “i” to signify the plural of such words as soprano, concerto, solo, arpeggio, ami so forth. On concert programmes of all kinds "soli ’ is the accepted plural for solo, just as eontralti is made to do service for contraltos. This is merely a wild seeking after foreign endings—plain English being aparently too harsh to suit the artistic musical ear. These words have now become Anglicised. "< ontralti.” "soli,” and so on savour .if sheer affectation. it is seldom that a singer with anything like a reputation is eaught tripping over the words of a song, yet Ada Crossley erred in this direction while singing at a concert at Stawell (Vic.) last month. Her old favourite, "The Banks of Allan Water,” which she has sung hundreds of times, found a weak spot. She forgot the words, and had to stop twice. Tommy Burns, who was always a showman, is about to break out in a fresh place. The Bijou Theatre Melbourne, will be known as the Burns Theatre from March 1. and Thomas will figure as lessee and manager (says the "Bulletin’’). Also Thomas is going to act, he says. He intends to tour Australia in a drama, by George Darrell, entitled "Fame and Fortune,” unless Johnson is prepared to ‘’give him another chance” —in London. One may safely predict that Johnson will offer him another chance and if Burns accepts it the tour of “Fame and Fortune” will, presumably, be interrupted. But these are questions quite apart from the interesting announcement of what the new theatrical enterpreneur intends to do at his theatres —for he will want more than one of them, of course. He intends going in for a high-class kind of drama, and with that object in view will bring out from America some of the leading companies.” When he isn’t importing fust-rate talent from Amurka he will make a point of encouraging Australian actors, of whom he has a. good opinion, it seems. Therefore this country may look forward to the day when Mr. Burns’ specially selected Shakespearean companywill appeal- in “Hamlet,” with himself as the melancholy- Dane. J* J* There will be published in Brussels shortly- a new musical review, styled, “ La Musique Internationale,” which will be devoted to the interests of the great modern music school. Articles will appear in French, English, German, and Dutch. J* J* The Beyrouth authorities propose to make a rule that no purchaser of a ticket shall part with it without the consent of the management, and only on payment of a penalty of thirty marks. One of the German musical papers expresses the opinion that the condition could not be enforced in a court Of law. J* J* One of the principal attractions of Wirth’s Circus during it- present tour of the Dominion, its the giraffe which the Messrs. Wirth imported at a eost of over £lOOO. The giraffe requires the careful and undivided attention of an attendant who is always with it, even to occupying the same Huck in the course of its transportation by rail. When the animal is carried on the railway- it is placed in a telescopic eage in order t,O allow- of, its safe conveyance under bridges. The attendant lowers the roof of the adjustible cage, which reduces the height and compels the tall creature to bend its neck so that the cage may pass under bridges and through tunnels in complete safety-. Though the animal’is'considered to be very stupid, it has beeOinc used to thie method of

contraction, and immediately the att nd. ant coinineni-es to lower the roof of the cage the animal lies down. Careful attention must be given to its diet, which consists of porridge and milk, raw onions, salt, phosphates, oats, hay and chaff. It is given six meals a day. J* While in Adelaide the Julius Knight mummers enlisted the services of a local horse to add realism to the opening scene of "The Scarlet Pimpernel” (says the “Bulletin’’). It was hired for three nights from the owner one of the bottleoli brigade, and the rent of the beast was 30s. it was a sorry-looking steed, all bones and a handful of skin, but the proprietors said it would just do for the "Pimplenut,” as he would insist in calling the drama. The horse disputed honours with Julius for two nights, but on the third evening it did not appear, nor did it send a letter explaining its absence. The owner took it to the theatre as usual, tied it up outside the stage door, and went into an adjacent pub for a refresher. When he returned, the horse was gone. The company was in despair, ami played the "Pimpernel” as best it could, minus the horse. Next day was a holiday, and the local students’ saturnalia. Most of the Knight mummers were watching the foolishness fiom the windows of a leading hotel. Suddenly arose from them all a great shout of ‘ The Pimplenut.’’ There in the procession, garlanded with flowers, was the old gee-gee that ought to have drawn Julius safely through the painful streets of Paris the night before. Inquiries were subsequently made as to why the animal had accented a new engagement, and it transpired that some youngsters had “pinched” it from the theatre door, and hired it out for a bob to the mortarboards. The horse was never destined for histrionic honours again. When it was returned to the bottle oh man it died. Madame Melba sailed by- the s.s. Orontes, which left London on January 22, and is due in Melbourne on .yiafch 3. The first concert of the, tour will be given in Melbourne on March 9. Arrangements have been made for tw o’concerts at which -Madame Melba will sing, with a grand orchestra under the ebmluctpiship of Mr Marshall-Hall. The full set .of normal diapason instruments presented to the orchestra by Madame Melba will be used for the first time at these concerts. j* Advices to hand by a recent mail (says a .Melbourne paper) show- that Miss Amy Castles is steadily winning her way to fame and favour in the old Land. She is engaged for the best concerts in London and the provinces and on the Continent, and the Press criticisms of her voice and art are of a highly appreciative nature. The Royal Amateur Orchestral Society, a very select body, of which His Majesty the King is president, and the Prince of Wales vice-president, gave recently- a grand orchestral concert in the Queen’s Hall, and Miss Castles was the sole vocalist. The hall was packed and the artist got a most enthusiastic reception. The t hief Justice of England presented Miss Castles with a magnificent floral tribute. Miss Castles commences her Australian tour next September in Melbourne. A German instrument maker named Weber claims to have perfected a system for revolutionising stringed instruments. I'he principal object of his invention is to provide means for increasing the tone of stringed instruments by means of a second set of strings, which are placed on the supporting frame on the opposite side to that Occupied by the msnal set. This second set furnishes two series of sympathetic strings, one of them being of the same length as the corresponding strings of the inaiti set. J* J* The pllensive London, habit of smoking in theatres has leeeiveeba big impetus. Hitherto it has been the chief mark of music hall (of however high class) as opposed to the dramatic show (however low). But now the Lord Chamberlain, who has control of these matters, has let the managers of the '’regular” theatres know that they edit do jtist as their patrons wish; and apparently those who wish to smoke arc enough to carry the day in many houses.

C’yiil Kiigluh-y. the South XustiaLan, Is billed in X’ew York as “Billi. Binke'e ii<-w ‘English’ loading man!” < luu les Warm r. the famous actor, committed suicide in New York last week. His body was found hanging behind the door of his room in a hotel. He left an incoherent, hysterical note alleging that he had been jsnsecuted ly blackmailers. Mr. Harry Warner explains that his father had been suffering from a mental trouble and had not appeared on the stage for over a year. -Mr Warner left the neeessarv cash in his room to pay for his board and the funeral expenses. He hanged himsrit with a strap, and the marks on the neck show that two attempts wore made at strangulation. ( bar les Warner was born at Kensington in 1.8(54, hud was educated at Westbury College. Highgate. His first appearane? on the stag*? was in 18(51. when he appeared as a page in “Richelieu” at Windsor Castle, before the late Queen Victoria. For some years after that he played in stork companies and in the provinces, and made his first appearance in London in 18(54 as Benvolio in “Romeo and Juli t.” He filled a number of other London engagements after that, the most important being with the late Colonel Bateman at the Lyceum in 1872. suceeoding Irving at that theatre in “Pickwick’’ as .tingle. His most striking part, was Coupcaii in Zola's “Drink. ’’ which he played over 1000 times in different parts of the world. In 1887 he played a phenomenally successful season through Australia, afterwards returning to London, aml in 1!MH» left for America, where he remain <1 until the present.