MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1240, 23 September 1911, Page 9

MUSIC.

1 £Br Treble Ci.ef.) "There's music in all things—if men had cars,— Their earth is but an echo ef the spheres." —Lord Byron. Mclba Opera Co. The following is the east of Puccini's ; opera "La Bohemo," with the Mclba 5 Opera Co. in' Sydney:—Mimi, Madame " Melba; Musetta, Mdlle. Axarinc; Rudolfo ' (a poet), Mr. John M'Cormack; Sehaiinard (a musician), Signor Cristiani; Mir- ' cello (a painter), Signor Scandiani; Col- : line (a philosopher), Signor Daminacco. Last week's programme was as follows:— Monday, "Samso.ii and Delilah;" Tuesday, J "Lb. Traviata"; Wednesday (matinee), 1 "Samson and Delilah"; Wednesday (even- " in<r), "I'aust"; Thursday, "Samson and | Delilah"; Friday, "La Boheme.' ■ A New Marguerite. , Madame Korolowicz-Wayda. whose Mar- , guerite has been so well received in Syd : ' liey, lias a repertoiro of about seventy j operas, and before coming to Au.slrolia [ had Just completed seasons in Paris and . Berlin. Prior to that she sang in most. , of the important cities in America—at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, . and in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Baltimore. Milwaukee, St. Paul and Minneapolis. While in America ' Mndamo Korolewicz-Wayda was offered , a twelve months' engagement to sing for ' the Edison Gramophone Company at XIS.OOO, but declined the offer. "Three years ego," she said, in answer '• to an interviewer, "I was engaged for a season at Covent Garden, and there sang before the late King Edward. It was at that time that I met Madame Melba, and soon afterwards made rrangements for roy trip to Auslrlia." What nro your impressions of Sydney and the people? "Well, tho bright sky, tho sun, tho flowers make mo envv you happy people, to live in sueli a paradise." Here she pointed to a bunch of Australian wild flowers 011 her table! "They are exquisite, and what a variety! They have bc-r.a picked for ine by a few-Australian girls who came to greet me 011 my arrival. The cordiality of the Australians, and the hospitality wo have already experienced, have impressed 1110 to tho highest degree. And the glorious surroundings of your city charm me. In ray travels I have always regarded Lisbon as the most beautiful spot I have seen, but since I came here I must confess that Sydney is unsurpassable." Tho Melba Chorus. One of the unseen -workers of the Melba grand opera season is Signor Sacerdote, the deputy-conductor, who also undertook all the work of preparing the chorus. This is t'lio musician's first time away from . Europe, where he is known both for his professional ability in this branch of art and his journalistic talent. Just now he spend his spare time reading tho Commonwealth Constitution and gleaning information on Australian conditions of life. Beforo signing 011 for the Melba season Signor Sacerdoto' was conductor and teacher of musical composition at the Royal Couversatoire, Athens. Ho has a high opinion of tho musical intelligenco of his chorus, whom ho has now prepared in ten operas. "Tho strange part of their work," ho says, "is that they sing tho difficult operas best. 'Samson and Delilah,' 'Otello,' and 'Lohengrin'—they are very good in these." Australia, he has concluded, is not a. climate ever likely to produce a superabundance of natural tenors. There will always be a good supply of naturally sweet soprano voices. "Your sopranos are the same in quality as tho Italian sopranos," lie says. "It is the natural voice of Australia." When you hear the voices in Italian you get their full ■swoeiies.-;. Italian is " spoken from the lips; English- from tlio throat. But the quality is remarkably fine. I will not bo surprised if in the future the sopranos for grand opera do not largely come from Australia. Only rarely will you get a good contralto' voico here." The imparlance of Signor .S'acerdote's part of the success of i'ho opera season is greatly appreciated by Madame Melba. He is a consistently hard worker, with a great gift, of imparting knowledge. It is nuite surprising, he says, what good Italian is sung by tho chorus. This is attributable to the perfcct "ear" of the. singers. Tho Seventh Heaven. Mr. John Philii) Sonsa, the admired of all Americans who enjoy stirring band music played as 110 other band "in the world plays it, must (says an American paper) have been surprised when 110 reached the railroad station at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, a tew months ago. Mr. Sousa has been making a tour of the world, but Sydney evidently planned to outdo tho world in the way of a reception. The best bands of tli'e city assembled at the railroad station and formed the vanguard of a parade. Mr. wa c escorted to a coaeh-and-four, with out-riders. His men were placcd in carriages and . tho procession started through the citv streets, which were thronged with people as though awaiting a royal progress. The daily paners devoted column after column, including editorial columns, to the fine playing of the band, and Mr. Sousa must hav6. an idea by this time that, tho seventh heaven is in Australia, if, indeed,-ho is not convinced that- it is in America. Svendsen Dead. The death occurred recently of the composer Jolniun Severin Svendsen. He was bo-rn in Christiania, IStO, and, like Grieg, was. musically educated at Leipsic. Ho was regarded as a coming violinist, but a temporary paralysis of 0110 of his hands forced him to become a composer. He had a great deal of experience as a composer and conductor, and visited America 1370-71. Fjnally he returned to Norway, though* he was frequently engaged elsewhere. Violinists are especially fond of his beautiful "Romance," though his symphony in D and other compositions are also very well liked by all musicians. The Huddcrsficld Bellringers. Tho Huddcrsficld Bellringers, who shortly commence a tour of New Zealand, aro remarkablo musicians. The team numbers about twelve, and tho number ■of bells under their control ranges from ICO up to 200. Tho treblo ringers have to watch from 20 to 30 bells, while the base ringers have to manipulate ten or a dozen, each of which may weigh anything from thirty to fifty pounds. The Bellringers, it should be stated, not merely produce church chimes and hymns, but, during l.lic performances. give selections from the works of Wagner, Rossini, Handel, and other masters. Vocal Whisper Test. Most voice pupils have heard of the. candle test for breath control, in which the student holds the flame of the candle a, short distance from tho lips and exhales a stream of breath against it so steadily that the flame does net flicker. Few have learned of the whisper test used by many Italian and French teachers of voice. It is very simple. The pupil tests the length which a breath can be retained by reading down a pago of printed matter, saying each word in a distinct audiblo whisper. As the ability to read further down the page with one breath increases it is evident that a better control is being obtained. Many of the European teachers have their pupils do this in front of a mirror, in order that thero may be none of those tell-tale facial distortions which indicate tenseness or too much effort. Motes. Now comes tho pianoviolinolomu. This is not the real name of (his new musical contraption, but it will do. It is a combination of tho piano-player with a set of violins, also operated by mech- , anieal means. It may be played from a keyboard or by means of tho perforated rolls. Let us not condemn or ridicule until we have heard this instrument, but. from tho nature of the violin wo cannot believe that tho instrument can produce .musical effects likely (<> startle the world. The new instruments aro manufactured by a linn in Germany, Mr. Boil Davies, the celebrated oratorical Webb t?iH>r, and Miss Esta D'Argo < (Miss lieftv Hnlro.vd) commenced a 'i concert tour of Australia at Sydney 011 1 Saturday last. They are to visit New ( Zealand towards the end of the year. I