NEWSPAPER CRITIQUES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 511, 19 May 1909, Page 4

NEWSPAPER CRITIQUES.

'...Sir,—Now.that Mr. C..A"., Young, has finished his;articles on reporters' "failings as critics,.'l would like' to write"'about the failings of. thb unemployed critics for whom Mr. : Young is anxious to make'openings on newspapers. : -My opinion I hbld to 'be worthmore than Mr. Young's; and I "consider that criticisms made by people such as that gentleman yearns to see emplbyed would confound conlUsionixTho few criticisms'.of; singers' that have : appeared in' Wellington ! newspapers fonn.sucli.pens as.the musicians' advocato wishes to seogiven a monopoly: of such criticisms have been; weird, obscure, and sometimes almost drivelling. They set out to explain what the critic thinks thp right way to sing or play isomething; and the reader finds himself echoing Byron's words in regard to Coleridge's discburses upon■■'.niotaphysics; when ho; "wished he would, explain his explanation."; ';;•; ■'■";. . .It would be difficult to worsen the performances of .'some of these unemployable Critics svho label .themselves, as guides'tP good tasto. I havo'ono' of .them in my present'purview whose .labours I could identify,in, ten glances ;at his'long-column; he couldn't write'a critique, in. less space than a Column if to do so'would'gain liini tho prize- of a Bodleian p'oem^;'.'"Consider: bis rule-o'rthuml),' methods of making a'criticism.';;First:ho,tolls how.be heard David'sing before, Saul, and then he runs down tlio long gamut to Marchesi, AdelinaPatti, and other, notable ; ones, throws in a few. reminiscences.about, the.' soulful emanations' 'of ! top notes that soothed his feelings as he sat in company with'his tympanum in the Opera-House or .elsewhere'on the suchsuch-, day of pomo-a-ihontli in state-a-year; -wbenthat queen of --songj- Mrfdame Hughesteilbee 'burst - upon ;this fortunato-.city.:; Atthis point, in the critique' plaiu sailing ceases; and the pilot goes upon-attack which leads his vessel and crew of 'followers; through veritable gales of' "wooded winds" and inessential-accessories, with' particulars' about ''phrasing imperfections" that no oho;'.' but himself, identifies,-, and. trills that are criticised trilogically and otherwise exhaustively, until the' bowildered reader .who, has per-severed-to this point; mops his fevered brow —and, possibly,, flies: to -a- tea house for a tb.nicv.v.'V::'; ■■■:;-.' '' -' .'.'J''- .'■.. ". : .;..-;-.'

\ Qiifc of the'fesources-acquired in from■'. five to twenty or .-more years of pupilary experience; this, class of commentator, endeavours' to .tutor tho.general, public in" the 'way it think and.'judge upon • matters musi-' caL. Thoy would have us-"estimate; a violinist's ability : by the angle at which/he.holds : his;bow; and.when he plucks the.strings with his fingers- (always to be spoken,of as.!'pro;,ducihgi'pizzicato effects")..the'public 1 should see, 1 according to the samo; class-of'common-tators'j -itiak'. the violinist's little "finger points exactly oast by north-east, less oho'.degree of tho compass.. ;If a pianist,'play's; thq-casual reader is taught to montally .measure ,whc-'thcr.Uie'player's,hands-are. raised from the. keyboard 'when ■staccatb effects are desired.'- .Let mo put it to, you,- Mr. Editor, as.-a; man :of:;veracious • reputation/.whether ', theso ' instances, mere ' "exaggerations to emphasise," -do not.- rest on '.'a'; ;basis of. truth, v; ■~■,"•.';'.*..; .v'-''-.-",'-/ - ;: '--" : '.;- -:•'•■'", : i Tho ! process 'of decrying i understandable criticism.-:is-.part.of. a policy carried out by music teachers and their. friends, J to' the end that 1 a "aide-line" .emolument may';-he secured -for. tho .teachers.. ;;A.case..in;point is, the article'which has moved, mo to put down niy spado.and bulbVforklfor an hour, to tho end that I'may .contemn,.the assertions it contains; Really,; though, I think I should havo'gono; on loosening soil for'daffodils/"foi the .public is unlikely to be misled by the article-, which ,nioved : . me. 'Does ..Mr'. C, A'. Young'seriously think that the public is any more likely,to'.be deceived by thei contributed puff pars, at which he rails, than he hirasolf is? The average member of thepub-. lie knows :these : paragraphs are '. meant as mere stirrers-up of interest,. and; looks upon them in; much tho samo way as he does upon tho letters."Mns. Bac." or "PJan-Bash.".;' s.o M ; as something contributed or given by pa*rties desirous of impressing 'tho''public,.in' order to gain glory "or something more substantial. But-tho public—rand: I-claim .'to' understand its mind better than do, many -peoplo who think they know- "all"' about, ithas a practice of taking for its: guidance, as ; to;tho capacity'of musicians-forgiving pleasurahlo entertainment^(arid tho same; too,iiv regard to plays : and dramas', and comic' oporasVthe opinions of their neighbours Bill and Algernon. : For. my part, Iwouldsoonertakojthe opinions on melodrama, or music.'pf (say) Comrade Dowdall .than of tho profes:' 'sionally.: perfect -self-elected} unemployed, critics of such -matters, for.the.;.comrade's viewpoint on. theso questions'probably.'would be similar to mine and my neighbours. ;Ho would bo discoursing on something he un-: derstood which is more than ho does when>he tries to give guidanco on. military matters to' P. J. O'Regan and others' who are equally badly in.need;of .it./ The publicjudges songs as a'wholo, and doesn't want or need to bo; told, that.the singer went atriflo astray on tho eleventh note of. her second appoggiafcura* or, jihafc the construction of a dramatic character's speech did not follow Aristophane's models. They need' criticisms that are not unreasonably.altitudinal; criticisms that discuss the subjects on the level of average intelligence, .instead of in the euphuistical phrases and'on the impossible' standards which some misguided,apostles are trying, to s'et.np.— lam, etc., '■■■-: ..,.;; -,- '■■'■' '-; ;;:HENBT SAMUEL MTJNSON. May.14,U909. : - ';■ ;, , .r.