MUSIC NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1452, 21 February 1918, Page 34

MUSIC NOTES.

(By

“G” String.)

Although no very remarkable results have so far been achieved, possibly something significant will before long be gained by the school of English composers who are engaged in exploiting the possibilities that lie in a new system of making scales from certain chordal combinations. The movement seems to have originated in the experiments made by the recently deceased Scriabin. Pos-

.sibly also Debussy’s brilliant achievements with the whole tone scale have had some influence. The use of scale modes is, of course, as old as music itself, in its artistic form at all events. The ancient Greek music was, in fact, largely scale-like in character, and many different scales were consequently employed to permit of variety. The growth of counterpoint and harmony gradually caused the use of the numerous Greek scales to be more and more limited, until, in modern times, practically only the major and minor diatonic scales (with the occasional use of the ancient Doric scale) were the chief scale material of the composer. The experiments of the present day composers mean really, therefore, a return to old-time methods, with this difference —that, whereas the ancients fixed their scales by hard-and-fast laws, and had no harmony by way of accompaniment, modern musicians appear to be aiming for absolute freedom in the construction of scales and for all that can achieved concurrently in using all the resources of harmony. Puccini’s new opera, “La Rondine,” appears to have met with only fair success so far in Italy. The critics treat the work respectfully, but without any enthusiasm, whilst the public has been rather indifferent. One writer sums up the general impression by saying that “La Rondine,” which means the swallow, will not have a very long or happy flight; it is also possible that it will tire on the wing, or get shot down.