MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1002, 17 December 1910, Page 9

MUSIC.

(Bi Treble Clef.) A Russian Singer. Russian singers are rare ,in this part of the world, and the class of_ music they specialise in is consequently almost unknown. The Russian is the great human link between and connecting the civilisations of the West and East, and his temperament has something of the inscrutable subtlety of the East and the culture and romantic passions of the peoples, of Eastern Europe. This, is realised* in the treatment accorded to his songs, by M. Eugene Ossipoff, who is to sing in Wellington between Christmas and the New., tear. '. Thus the • Melbourne. "Age" writes of tlie Russian :—' .- "Without doubt the prologue' frorii ! Tagliacci;* as done'by M. Ossipoff, iias rarely been heard to better the Toreador's song fronr Carmen, if, differing'' somewhat radically. from the traditional reading—.tlie singer . inter-' polated some ,calls, high notes, ' and sundry changes not'marked in the scorch-was a rather brilliant piece' of work.': ■ After the Pagliacci item an imperative encore was demanded, and this, the 'Calf.of Gold' ('Faust'),,.pro;voking another, outburst, . M. Ossipoff added a charming serenade,.. 'Lucialli,' by Pizzi. He followed'the Toreador's soil", from .'Carman'• with. a Barcarolle by Naloff," showing that, if a baritone,' he can take a high. A . with power and ease that many a firsts-class tenor might envy." Opera in Paris. 11. Andre Mcssager, the Director of the Paris Opera, says that tho English and the Americans are his best, clients. September is the best month m the year for the Paris Opera, a fact i which is entirely due to the tourists. I'll. Mossager- cannot get a sufficiency.of Parisians to fill the house, and receipts 'are always worst in November, December, and January. Then tho figures begin to improve, May, June, July, August, and September being excellent months. Parisians seem to regard the opera as too high-priced, and they appear to dislike the trouble of dressing, which English and Americans do not jniiul. 11. Messagcr is o£ opinion that -Englishlaudience's..are '.more, serious and more demonstrative, ..than Parisians, and'that the Loiidon opera-goer is more unprejudiced.-

:,.M. ;\le'ssager, whose '"Veronique" was so ; well''received in : Australia three 'yoars ago, is .writing the'.score to ail pperetta for tho Opera Comiquc, on the tlienio of the "Bon Roi Dagobert," the delightful play, in verse .given at the, Comedie; Francaise last year, and tho work of Andre Rivoire.

Clara Schumann on Ear Training, ■ .Fanny Davies, line of the most celebrated of English pianists, was a pupil of-Clara Schumann.. Some of the advice which the wife of the great musical romanticist gave- to - the British virtuoso has'-been printed in an English magazine. —So worthy was this that it lias » been widely reprinted. The following is a selection from this article: ... . . "At first, wo must, attempt to determine,not only tho .dynamic character of the. tone, but also its quality. That is, we must know just the right gradation of tone quantity, as well as the peculiar tone-colour ■„ desired. . This must be studied .frith tho greatest pains, because, it develops in us the _ very N necessary power of selfcriticism. We should address the following questions to ourselves: Do wo bilievo and understand all that wo do from the standpoint of true tonal perception? Do we play in tho manner in which the composer. would desiro us to play were. ho present in the room, listening to us? These are really ex-' trcmclv-important-question's, and much depends upon the. way in which tho por- , former is able to answer them. . ; "It is. my desire to have my pupils produce'at cacli ■'performance what might'be/called; a. new Creation, or regeneration p£- tlie thought , of the com.posera in, order that' the . power, beauty, and pootrj- that fired the mind of tho creator should bring .the composition to now life, under.'the fingers of tho player. ; It is only by the. attention to the minutest tonal details that tho performer, is, ablo to; give the correct interpretation of the .work as a whole. Unless -wo,have formed an 'aural.'measure" of .'the tonal beauties of;,tho.piece, our/intellectual measure: will.-prove worthless. Sincerity, and simplicity should; be tho .main characteristics of tile.public performances.' Ostentation, show, anil a quest of- bizarro effects can never, enter, the doors of true art."Sigismuhd' Thalbsrg. Thalberg, the. mos't ; powerful rival of both Liszt and Chopin- could not 'endure the- hitter's "Pianiesimos," 'both -in his compositions and playing, and always wanted- -to shout. after having' heard .him play 'in order to'relieve his nerves. Oil the.other hand, the-lat-ter epitomised Thalbcrg'.s.-.stylo. in Ill's description: "Thalberg plays piano and forte with the. pedals; and not with the hands, takes tenths as easily as 1 dooctaves arid wears " diamond ' studs."' Thalberg's fame, as dazzling as that of Liszt and Chopin during . his life-time, lias left 110 enduring proof of his gift as a composer because -lie. sacrificed whatever talent lie possessed as a composer to the display ;of his technique, as exploited in his paraphrases, 110 longer heard. 011 the contrary, Liszt, admitted by all at . that'timo'to bo a great virtuoso, ■ was scolYcd at as. a composer, -bub . has . left, nevertheless, an original art forni'. in .lii's symphonic poems, and left transcriptions one or .•other of which appear upon almost every programme, of a modern piano recital.-