A Royal Musician.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 25, 21 June 1911, Page 16

A Royal Musician.

THE QUEEN MOTHER’S ACCOMPLISHMENT

UKEN ALEXANDRA as a mando- /' o j liuistt Here is an unwritten vZ page in 'the life of her Majesty, and but for the courtesy of Bignor Leopold Francia, who taught the Queen to play the instrument, this accomplishment of the Royal musician Would still be unrecorded.

Yet Queen Alexandra, when Princess of Wales, on several occasions appeared on tlu.' concert platform witli a mandoline or a guitar. Only a few ladies of the Court and her tutor were in the secret, and thus the public could never guess that they were actually being entertained by an artist of so exalted a rank. It was in 1895 that Signor Francia first met his Royal pupil. Queen Margherita of Italy, herself an expert player, had already set the fashion for mandoline playing, and from Rome, Naples, and Milan the craze spread to England. The opening of “Venice in London” at Olympia, where picturesquely-attired Neapolitans created a “furore” with their serenades and barcarolles, further popularised the instrument in England.

Signor Francia, who had already made his appearance at the Crystal Palace and been dubbed the “Paganini of the Mandoline” by Sir Augustus Manns, was appointed Director of the “Ladies’ Mandoline and Guitar Band Orchestra,” a remarkable organisation consisting of sixty of the highest born ladies in the land, including the Princess of Wales herself. Rare Musical Gifts. “For three years in succession,” relates Signor Francia, “I used to go every Bummer to Kensington Palace or to Bridgewater House, Lady Ellesmere’s residence in St. James’, to give lessons

to her Royal Highness. From the first 1 was delighted to see that the Princess had rare musical attainments. She played not only the piano, but the guitar with great skill and feeling, and her knowledge of harmony and counterpoint was most remarkable.

“You will perhaps be surprised to hear that Queen Alexandra has written several compositions of real beauty. One of these, ‘A Wedding March,’ for piano and mandoline, was played on the occasion of the marriage of Lady Beatrice Egerton and Mr Kemp, and delighted the whole company. ■ “When her Royal Highness appeared on the concert platform she wore a similar dress to that worn by the other members of the Ladies’ Orchestra —a black costume relieved by a sash of red, green, and white if she played the mandoline, and a sash of red, black and yellow if she played the guitar. No one could detect her identity, as she always appeared on the programme under the name of ‘Countess Gage.’ Lessons in French.

“At the lessons in Bridgewater House or Kensington Palace, one or two ladies-in-waiting were present, and the instruction was given in French, which the Queen, as is known, speaks with admirable fluency. “One felt the presence of a Queen,” he said in a graceful Italian metaphor, “but a Queen who carries her sceptre like a flower. Queen Margherita of Italy, before whom I played several times,” he continued, “impressed one differently. She conversed with great animation, and true Southern impulsiveness.”

Queen Alexandra’s favourite piece on the mandoline was a rhapsody of popular Neapolitan airs arranged by Signor

Francia. His Royal pupil was interested not only in playing the instrument, but in its history, from its origin in Spain to its introduction in Italy. The conversation with the Queen on this subject delighted her tutor, who, in addition to being the finest niandolinist known, is perhaps the first authority on the history of the instrument.