DRAWING-ROOM MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 517, 6 September 1871, Page 2

DRAWING-ROOM MUSIC.

I hough much behind continental countries in the excellence of our-musio, there is no land where its swny is more powerfully felt. The old English ditties, the Scottish songs, and tlie Irish melodies." move alike the dwellers in each of the.three kingdoms; and-tliouglvmuelY of this is due to old association and the,sentiment o f the words, still we are, continental opinions to the contrary, a musical nation. Our only fault is that music is not sufficiently euTtiyd.te.di;' and whereculWvaied, not understood." Set-' ting aside tneie prdfessiotVais, who follow music as a means of procuring their daily bread, and to-wbonV indeed'much of tUe ignorance that prevails in music is due fchroiijfu thbir bad teaching, most young people, and especially ladies, learn music at the present time. These are the amateurs of society, whether high, middle, or low. If the number who learn music is a criterion of (li> progress of musical art in the country, then has England made great strides. It is' very 'questionable however, if the perfect knowledge and execution of the jueseut day is equal iv . soundness of principle and detail to thc i: teaching of a Cramer, a Calcott, a Dance, or a (Jorri. The old" teachers were less showy and clap-trap, but more solid sndL, painstaking. At'the present day s,yerj-' one learns music, from the higheit fdaithe'' lowest. Among the higher classes itvf'as necessary an accomplishment as readily;; among tlie lower it is but a vulgar ap«ng of the habits of those above them. To the upper classes, to whom wealth a^id Station has brought rcpnfihenjf, and to whom the opera is an everyday trent, refilling their ru&gmvht ■!>>/ its excellence. music, indeed, is .-tudled i'lOin a love of (jrt, and a true per.-vr.tiou Jf iVe beauties <}f sound j but by tho groat msijority it is, we fear, looked, upon as a mere yentc'el accompli h'meat, hastily and qareldssly learnt, and as quickly cast aside when the husband is caught and the babies appear. The husbaud who has cal-' dulated music as one of his wife's assets

: n her total worth, finds himself, nUKOi to h" 8 regret, obliged to wrile it off as a bad l,b thereby curtailing a part of tbe exSd n atrfmoual eigoyraont-surely not £ least intellectual. Tlie cyme who LrscsdrawiiiS-roomafterdrawing-room S be painfully (if cynics ever do fee 3 struck with the small percentage of P to the stoutness of bud music that he U .4 As he enters the crowded apart- * t "he sees the same scene enacted, each / ling oter and over again -ay our, K lady VSno to the piano, and composedly imencinßtotote off her gloves. Let 3£, PP2ioD. riioV it l» iNon ever jXlii'«t»,or'.),.ly;itmni.v S not-thorc Will lUo same soulless interrelation o ' f«««ie Sometimes the voice and toipanMenU-'^dloudasto be podffvely Stressing; sometimes he voice h ioiJak as to be drowned by the piano ; A ?n feilher cbw wrong chords are ftjJjijG hterspevsed. Sometimes the plentii .tty nal .' llu lly nervous, and spoils youDßlady sp»ijiu y hcrg she ig aUf!f P onSy and exhibits a very bad moral senses. With the COnDdcuj pdrtt one would imagine U at it proceeded Sir from ignorance of what is jtood, or from a contempt of the appreciative capacity of her listeners. Again, as to the wordsoiWgs.thefflnjontyofyoungkdies suddenly freeze up.mlo the coldest decknation j the most burning and poetical images are uttered in the most lackadaisical and indifferent manner; and as to attemptingaclinias.oracrescendo, that is left to the professionals, you know. In fine, a song is sung through with about as much animation as is displayed by a iligh Church young curate intoning a long prayer. As an exception to this rule, a young lady with very little voice will bestow an emphasis on her hearts, I's, you's. and loves, which would be truly pathetic were it not tor the fact that it is quilo impossible for the two really good notes in her voice to do duty for all the rest. This young person is generally the flirt of the room; and the Adonis of tlie evening who has monopolised her- conversational powers the whule pciiod is nowbeing finished off, as she vainly supposes, with these tender flings at his individual heart. Of the super-virtuous class the writer remembers a young lady «hj could never more than ashamedly whisper out the words of 11-e iiussian duet, " I love tl,ee"-r-as if she feared the company would forthwith set her down as v most forward hussey. Such young lady had ns doubtful claims to be commended for her modesty as for her music. We' now come io by far the largest portion ot amateur musicians—young ladies who play the piano. With these the florid school is the most in vogue; that is, it teaches tliat particular class of music which is found most taking and sensational at social gatherings. Where one bar of the music is sufficient for thoritiltt hand to cover the whole key-board, that is precisely the piece she aims at " pel ting-up." -ft is sooth to say, rather difficult, but its very 1-ar-iditv offers a compensating advnntiifje, for amid such ft whirl of notes she thinks it very hard if she cannot leave a lot of them out, without the omission being ever detected. For is she far wrong in her estimate of her listeners, for there is not one in fifty of the company who will be able to detect her musical laches Amid much flutter and rustle of silk end turlatan thefloud pknis'c tikes her R-.-at at the piano, i.-ucj presents the earoo nevwns or non-no! vous aspect to the com pany us is displnyed by the vocalist. Some uniortunate young gentleman elects to turn over he/leaves, and what with the multitudinous folds of her skirl, which causes him to assume an attitude of body at right angle to legs, and the chance of singeing his whiskers, h? finds it extremely difficult to turn over. It strikeshim that she Rets very rapidly through each page, and in despair he makes an ill-advised turn, which sends Sjdney Smith's latest gem flying in loosened sheets all over keyboard, s-kirt. and floor. On hearing such a young lady it might be imagined that she was a most efficient musician and thoroughly understood what she was doing. Butqu te the contrary. A suddi-n question as to what k.-.y and lime she was playing in would find her quite unable to answer, even if a rapid glance enabled her to name by countiiiK the- numbers of flats or sharps, she would still be in ignorance as to what key they belonged. As to time, she plays as much by the look of the notes aj by any understanding of their real significance; nor is she aware of any diU'erenee of accent by difference of time —or where such accentshouldlie. X cither can one in a hundred translate into words the mystic figures of denoting time—time four stands lor crotchets and eight for quavers ; the lower figure denoting Ihe quality tuidlheuppe'r fheqmmtHyor number of such nott-s in n b ir. Possibly she has never learnt it, or having learnt it, has forgotten it. Thefactisyoungladiesplny more by n>!e than by underistaiidin-i —hence the absenceol'an inlellectunl reading. We can call to mind tlie performance ofayoung Jady in Thalberg's "Home, sweot Jionu-.' iN'o difficulty deterred her from making an attempt—a courage which uiiglil have been praiseworthy hud i 5 been cccoiupanicd by a disposition to thoroughly learn hoc piece. Uut.no, —error was engrafted on error, tiii Ul9 whole piece was no longer Thalberg's; her touch was something crashing, and the swaying of her hodj ivom bass to treble, and treble to bass, was nervously oioimus that she would sooner or Inter lose her balance, it ilt. marvellous to relate, this young lady was regarded by her fanuiy as a good player Even in the excciuiun of dance music thire if not one lady in a hundred who can pbiXii waltz in proper rhythm and timeJLfflw modei a long-noted singing waltajjjnnch lor many bsira will have but ll dcZii'd minim in each, there' y rendered chsv of execution, i* played with a rapidity which uturly destroys its grace and makes a irois t m.,8 imposmble. The apathy of men with rvsi net to music is singufar, and as nine* -pnllisol them simplj ilnn.it i".im ii hI all, the abovercrmiflcs do not so much apply to them ; though, we may observe, one or two of their more piiVSH-.ii BillU.-I'lHtlitS Illicit IP »'iy Well anil profitably substituted fur thu more ink-Ui-clu.il and pleasing one ot' music Occasionally an uncertain tenor or rough bass will give us his views on some nigger melody, unwittingly displaying a voice which, with training, would be capable of better thing*. This commonplace utterly

indifFeront style of music in our draw-ing-rooms is very lamentable —an infliction which, unless we are positive hermits, we must submit to, the more unendurable because amid the fuck of so many bad musicians we sometimes hear a sweet voice and artistic skill combined. The good musicians arc, we know, the exceptions in every drawing-room, and most glad are we to have any opportunity of hearing them ; but why, in the mime of goodness, should we be compelled to listen to the host of bad ones ? If young ladies wish to perform, let them perform at home, and thoroughly pet rid of their desire to execute before they come among their friends. Music is so absorbing a matter of domestic interest that it is purposed in a future paper to endeavour to point out some of the causes that lead to the uniuteresting character of our Drawing room Music. — Ladies' Own Journal