MISS UNA BOURNE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 494, 29 April 1909, Page 3

MISS UNA BOURNE.

\ A WONDER-CHILD. _ Miss, Una Bourne, the young Australian pianist, who is travelling with Madamo Melba, tho fair delicate girl who looks like a silver birch, and plays like an oak in a hurricane, is cno of Melbourne's wonderchildren. Sho has been a pianist ever since she was a baby. ' . When: she was a tiny child with a, delicate :mother, her ..sister," who was- devoted ~to musicj-hadto take the baby in her care, and, in orders to go on with her practising and yet keep guard over the child, she used 'to strap! her ; in : a r chair and draw the chair close up -to thepiano, : when she; soon. found • tbat the'.': little oho. would be "as good as gold." In a ;very r short time, from b'stening, the child .began, to.; play,at the'treble end; of; the "piano, harmonising with, what .her sister played. As soon as ever she could ■ understand," she !was taught :te play ,_ and shcuse'd when', almost : a babyto improvise for herself,. and!spme of the simplest of these, little baby pieces were written' down by her sister and carefully cherished. '_';..''- '■;'.''■'!■■■■ By the. time she was, six or seven, just befope Madame Ada Crpssley went Homo for the first'time, little Una Bourne played with her- at the: Exhibition Hall, selecting as,her contribution to the programme Beethoven's :"Moonlight..Sonata.'• She. was nine years. old when, a musical, pianoforte-playing competition was! held 'in the Exhibition Building .with an; open:class", and one for children under fourteen.' She entered for both '6f these,- and won both, again playing . the "Moonlight Sonata," and a leading' paper .remarked'that it was to be) hoped, that her parents would not ;al'ow her to develop too rapidly, and die an early, death. -They,did not.:. She : went.back to;her school work;and her praotice, and for the.next four or five' years did not appear at any-concerts,- '. ; ; : All this time sho was being' taught by ,her older"sister,' who may well be: proud of; her work, and. from'; her, slid ,went to Herr Benno Scherek, tho only: other: teacher' she; has had. Four or five.years after her winning of the prizes, Mr. Scherek gave two series of orchestral concerts ;in- succeeding:'.years, and. at these Miss Bourne the orchestra, doing a Schumanu Concerto, Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodie, a Rubinstein's Concerto, and similar heavy, work/ !She afterr wards spent. two, years in Europe -■ and England, .■ hot with any master, .'but; hearing all, the best pianists and learning what she.could from each; Eight months were' spent in different Gorman 'towns, and a Ions; time in London.;- Sho'there gavo a recital in the Bechstein 'Hall, of which very favourable notices, were published : in all! the. :leading;papers. On her return to,Melboiirho she gave several recitals, and at. the'first introduced ■ a Bach Concerto. that had never before -been, played, in Australia. ; ' When'Madame Melba visited Australia on her last tour' Miss Bourne accompanied her, ,to_ all the cities in which she ! sang—Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, and various Victorian 'towns ; Since then Miss, Bourne, has been livinE; in Melbourne, toaching music, playing, taking solo work at the triore important concerts, and kept busy with a thousand and, one engagements. She hopes to ".o "back to Ensrland, but has no wish to live, anywhere but, in Melbourne, where she has h? r life, 1 -..and ■ where hundreds of people take the friendliest interest in their wonder-child.'