THE MALLINSONS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 944, 11 October 1910, Page 9

THE MALLINSONS.

SUIiIMEE FESTIVAL AT STEATFORD- "•.'■' ON-AVON. , • ■" There may bo but slight connection between the songs of Mr. Albert Mallinson and Shakespeare,, but many lovers of music 'would, agree, that any excuse for. hearing Mr.. MaMinson's songs is good enough, and,"moreover, the promoters of. this summer festival ; Worked into it so mauy different, kiuds .of . beauty that scarcely anything, good could be out of place in their, scheme, says the Loudon "Times." . ' Instead of a'play the Memorial Theatre was given up to a concert,, which consisted of 26 songs composed by Mr. Jlallinson and sung'by Mrs. Mallinson and Mr. William Higley. Of the 26 only one was-now, a setting of Shakespeare's 109 th sonnet, "0 never say that I was false of heart." The good qualities of the composer all come out in this new work—his originality, his faculty for, melody, Ins beautiful and chiefly his caro for the ryth'm and structure of each poem ho sets. Here each line and each quatrain has-its due value. The music follows closely the nioodof each quatrain, and works up to a passionate climax in the'concluding couplet. We should have liked to hear it again, but' doubtless Mrs.Mallinsonwas sufficiently, tired at tlio end of a'trying evening's work to prefer peating Stevenson's ."Bed in summer, . an exquisite little thing, which, .with George Macdbhald's "Baby," Christina Bossetti's "Mother mine," and, best ,ot all, Muller's "O'darke nicht," shows one side of Mr. :Mallinson's talent. Besides these we had the delightful "Slow, horses, slow" and. Longfellow's "J?our-_Dy_the clock," .and many more , sung by Mrs. Mallinson, while Mr. Higley did best in the heartier .things, the f'Eldorado, , with its splendid refrain and the constant surprise of the concluding r.ote of each verse, Henioy's'''Wo flash across the level, two songs from Mr. Mallinscn's Sappho cycle, Motherwell's "Cavalier's Song," and several others." . .' ■'... ~, Seldom does so long a recital of the songs of a.single composer keep thenar and the mind so variously and delightfully occupied/ Mrs. Mallinson is a finished artist, who brings out the character, the beauty, and the meaning of all the original and charming things she has to sing,'and not the least part of the audience's pleasure was due. to ; Mr.-Mallin-son's. manner of -accompanying his own compositions. . '■„'.'- • ' On'.Augusts Mrs. Mallinson gave,a recital of songs in chronological.order ; from Scarlatti to her.. husband, and -later on Mr.-and Mrs. Mallinson will be assisted b'y Mme. Ada Crossley. : .-..•.: