MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 86, 4 January 1908, Page 13

MUSIC.

-y— * (BT Trbdie CLEF.) , ,r Welsh Choral Blnglng. , Tho choir, of LlanaHf , aclno\odia great triumph when thoy sang t before tho Kaibor and Kaisorin at Windsor, 1 It was- tho firs| time; that, ; a representative Welsh choir received-tho Royal command, and -i'■ tho occasion 'is looked upon throughout v 'h tho Principality ; aa a ; recognition of ; ono'- Of • • • > 1 the greatest traits of Welsh character, the ] cultivation, of cboralsingmg. / All;tho male ■ members of tlw choir are tm-pldto workers, „ | while the women member: arc l their wivos. t sisters, and sweethearts Tho King arid ' his guests manifested tho greatest interest in tho singing, and thoir applause f was frequent. • Iho Kaiser; when many .ofi tho more. .i i -"3 lilting, items wero sung, swayed his head and r-V vsi hands m measure to the tune.;..> At thooonr - 91 elusion of tho programme tho King, the 1j Kaiser, : Queon-Alexandra, and; tho l Ivaisona » expressed their appreciation to tho conductor. Mi John Thomas "Tho voices sounded beautiful, in .this hall," His'Majesty,said. •»».-, v.A Tho Kaiser said "I liked tho music 1m- J] mensely, particularly . tho - Gorman , song,'Dcutschland über.- Alios,'- .land--thos Welsh - ,1--i/vd Natiorial . Anthem." Quoen . Alexandra - 1 walked along- tho-front -row of tho chorus, . ; wliero Iho lilies woro seated, asking them many questions as to their occupations, the timo they praitistd,, and tho length of.time /-..i-sw it, had taken thcin to reach their presonfe pitch of. excellence. "I ;am - quite ovor-i.; 1 whelmed with prido; and thankfulness,",; said .-.i tho conductor 1 . (Mr. Thomas) afterwards.. . "It. is not only a,groat.;compliment, but a•••. Royal recognition of tho work done iff WaJea v <■■', • 3j in choral singing" ( Clara Duttl ' " > 1

Madame Clara; Butt is\ paying tho penalty of. her popularity. Sho is being, i positively ; bombarded with! all fliannor of ; social functions. : Tho residents of Sydnoy who mado such a'popular stago idol of her, havo been eager-to make her- acquaintance -~i in her private capacity,1 and have; Soized on • tbo.opportunity afforded by her return there v; after nor trip to West Australia; to good purpose. - Sho- proposed spending tho; in- . terval between her arrival there and her do-•• part-tiro for. New- Zealand at her Woollalira : house, and. enjoying' a. good' old-fashioned ; 1 Christmas. But though she was; able to koep to her intentions, the insistence of hor friends that she should visit them has multi- - plied her social engagements to such an ex- • tent that tho day of departure has had to bo put forward until 1 January <3; . This will pro* . - vent her, visiting; llotonia,' though the -date ' of her first concert in Auckland still stands ; at January L 4. ■ Her vistt to tho Dominion's; , great show plaoo may,, however, take place ' later. '

McSba at Melbourne,, Mmo. Melba's' concerts at tho Melbourne' Exhibition Building on Saturday (December 21) and on Boxing Night havo afforded some ' interesting statistics .to the daily papers. .' It /. ■ Seoms that tho hall - Was crowded ;"trom .tlio' ■ tast ,door to tho foot, of the organ: gallery, 4nd' from the,, south entrance to tho north .- door,'.' tho number of peoplo' accommodated -~: at ss. and 25.. 6d. ; 'at ,tlio brst conwrt lxsiiig i; botwcon- 8000 and 9000. ■ Tho platform.,was erected in i tho south transept,; as when tho ■ ■ Duko of York opened the Federal Parlia- : mciht, arid a huge sounding board: wis placed > above, it., nThe marshalling of.itho immense . • audionco; was completely successful, and tho task was 110 light one, since 5000 scats were • ; . bookod. : The half-crown ■ reserve consisted largely of .floor-spaces, where the spectators. stood .Upon saw-dust' deeply laid to diminish the sounds, of "restless movement. Tho rent of the hall was '£100, tho. labour of moving ,; in extra chairs cost ; £25, tho hire of 1000 ; ohairs cost. £50, 1 arid: of 140! ushers £30.:' Thoro were also 15 police constables on duty. • Mmo, Molba and Sir. Andrew Black (the only Soloists) proved in I splendid , voice, and Herr Slapoffslti conducted a!fine orchestra.

Tho First Vocalist l<n!ght. . Sir. Charles;, Santley, ! on making his first appearance a f t Manchester 'after being created . a. knight, obtained/ift.i magnificent reception at Cottonopolis. ' (Speaking of' his Knight - ' hood in Londoh the;r other;: day, Sir Charles said"When I wall first communicated with on tho subject by |;tho Prime Minister, I . thought whether' -I 1 was ? entitled to aocept—but I . didl.' so; wrth' tho knowledge that His-Majesty was honouring the wholo musical profession as much as myself. 1 ,am simply overwhelmed' with tho way In which tli-o news has boon received. Is there , any golden rulo for singing? None. I only say emphatically to thoso thousands who aro being crowded into the musical profession: .'Learn to.sing properly before:at- / tempting to sing publicly.' And to many I' say' Don't sing :at. all.! . Many try to sing, and fail for'want of; tho necessary, training, and then they try to teach; that is where tho mischief .:comes ' in." Over,a thousand congratulatory, messages havo boon received by Sir.-'. Charles, among them a i particularly interesting'ono from the pre- , ' sident of tho Provision.Merchants' Exchange at Liverpool—tho business with which Sir . Charles Santley,was connected before ho began his vocal career. Ono of tho leading singers in England recently said to a repro- • sontativo of: tho London "Tribune": "If the' 1 musical profession had .been asked to nomi- : nato ono of their number through whom the ; wholo profossion could bo honoured they would by common consent have chosen Sant-. ley—tho very embodiment of all that is noble in his art." ; .' The Paris Opera Season. Tho total receipts of the Pans Oporsi ; House during the year amounted to £125,550, ; and tho ' average, takings _at each V of the 187. performances given during the ■ year was £671. Tho opera which attracted tho largest audiences was ( "Ariano," of which 20 porTormancos were given, producing on,' an avorage more than £800, each. . "Faust," of which 26 performances' were given, brought in on an average £765. Tho average receipts of "Salummbo" were about £759, those of "Samson and Delilah" £696, and those of "Los Maitres Chanteurs" £694. Tho opera of which the performance was tho. least . : successful was "L'Etranger," for which the, averago takings were less - than £498, .per performance. According to M. Buyat's-re-port, tho oarnings of tho leading artiste's ,at tho Opera were last season: Mile. Breya), £320 a month; Mile. Grandjean, £2400.'per annum; Mmo. Heglon, £1i23 per annum'; Miles. Ilatto, Demougeot, Verlet, arid Lindsay, each £720 per annum; Mile. Fiart, £500 per annum; Mile. Borgo, £400; M. Alrarez, £320 per month; MM. Delmas and Aifro, £3360 ]>or annum;. M. Scaramberg, £2280 per annum: M. Note, £2200 per annum; M.. Grease, £1200 per annum; and MM. Murar ' tore and Bartet,, £9CO por annum. Notes. A corrosjiondent has been amusuig him-' self by compiling a list of tho vocalists who havo married men of title, as did Madame Sophio Curvelli, vvhoso death was aunounced tho other day, and ho has boon surprised at ' the number. I'atti's first'husband was the Marquis do Caux, hor second Count Ceder- ' stroni. Paulino Lucca'married Count von Wallhofon, Christine Nillson bocamo Countess ' Casa Sfiranda, Jladamo Bolska is Countess Brocboki, Miss Paulino Joran is tho wife of Baron do Busch, and Mario Renard aud her sister, Ilka von Palnmy, who apj>earcd at tho Savoy in tho "Grand Duke," married two brothers, Counts Rudolf and Eugcno Kinsky. Madame Malibraii hecamo' Countess do Merljn, Marcel to Alboni was tho Countess do Popolo, Guillia Grisi married the Count do Melcy,. Clara Novello was Countess Gigliucci, and Pepoli, tho daughter ot Balfo, bocamo tho Dnchess do Frias. Adelaide Ristori was the Marchosa' Capranica dol Grillo, Madamo Ella Rnssell is tho Countess do Rhigini, and the list could bo longtlioned. For "Tho Tea Girl," tho now musical oomcdy to bo produced in Auckland by tho sooiety established to exploit the work of 1 Australasians, an offort is to bo mado to secure 150 chorus singors, and a ballet 1 of 50.

Miss Irono Ainsloy, tho Auckland contralto, lias met with very encouraging success in tho Old Country since sho entered on tho strenuous caroer of tho concert platform. During tho past summer Miss Ainsloy toured with- Backhaus. Sho joined Bnsom, another eminent pianist, oil part of his tour, and then was ongaged by Madame Donaldn, tho Canadian sonrano of Covent Garden, to go with her on lier recent tour of Scotland and through Ireland. Miss Aiusloy has mot with consistent success. Dublin and Belfast papers spoko enthusiastically of the xowi Now. and method.