MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1651, 18 January 1913, Page 9

MUSIC.

P3t Treble Clef.t

Musical Taste in Germany,

"Musical taste is sinking,"' that is, in few words, what the most important statistics of the report of the Board of Investigation of the German Music Publishers' Association reveals. In a purely commercial, manner, the business of the publishers has' increased, but the aesthetic demands of the general public have not been any too high. Serious music as well as really good music for tho homo seem to. fare badly,'while frivolous niUsic becomes more and more successful. We can confirm' these observations from our own experiences, but it must not be,forgotten that no other art- has so manyopposing forces as that'of the music of tha people.—"Die Kunstwart" (Munich).,

A Poet by Necessity. .\ Mr.' Henry F. Gilbert, in the "Music Keview'' (New York), tells how Macdowell became a poet. He had composed three songs—all,on a summer morning—one of which was to a poem by Thomas, Bailey Aldrich, Ho was quite pleased witli them, and wished to publish them in his next set of songs. ■ But permission to use the words of the Aldrich sung was somewhat impolitely and rather firmly refused by Mr. Aldrich. MacDowell was certainly indignant enough, and after a few. picturesque but -uncomplimentary reference? to Aldrich, sat down then and there and wrote .a poem of his own' to fit his own music. Tho original words of Aldrich began: "The blackbird sings in the hazel brake" whereas the MacDowell words began: "The.lobin sings in the'applo tree" He chuckled over, this considerably. Tho song is No. 1 in tho collection of eight 6ongs Opns 47. Having gotten his hand' in, as.it were, he; frequently wrote both the words and music of his songs'thereafter. The Music Critic—According to Shaw, There are three main qualifications'for, a music il critic, besides the general qualification of good 'sense and '''.knowledge of . the world! Ho must havo a cultivated tasto-'for music (observes Mr. George Bernard.Shaw).- He must be a skilled writer; and he must be a practical critic. Any of these three may bo fouiid without tho others; but tho complete combination is indispensable to good work. Tako up 'any ■cf our .'musical papers—thoso which- aro taken in' by tho organist, as . "Tho Lancet" is taken in by the doctor— and you will find,plenty of articles written by,men of unquestionable- competence and even eminence as musicians. These gentlemen, may. write 'without, charm because they have not served their apprenticeship to literature; but they can at all events express themselves at their comparative leisure as well a? most' journalists db; in their feverish haste; and they ctin depend on tho interest Which can be commanded by any intelligent man who. has ordinary powers of expression, and who is dealing with a subject ho understands. Why, then, are tliey so utterly impossible as musical critics? Because they cannot criticise. They,set to work like schoolmasters to'proyo that this is "right" and that "wrong"; they refer disputed'points to school authorities' Who have.no more authority, in the.republic of art,than the-headmaster of Eton has in the House of Commons; they jealously defend their-pet• compositions'' and composers against-'rival, claims Hike ladies at a musical.at'ihbhio; they^shewrno senseof the ■'difference. between 'ca-' -professor teaching his class how /-to resolve tho chord of. the dominant seventh and that of a critic standing :in .the presence of the whole world and its art, and submitting his analysis of tho work of an artist' whose authority is at, least 'equal'to his own. . .';• . :,

Of Organists. . : Tho more tho player studies rrchestral music on the organ, the.moro will ho help to advnnoa artistic • organ playing and building, writes Mr. E. M. Lemare, Jn the"Etude.", This remark, ho says,' must apply to", tho fairly advanced player.Such study ; will : . broaden his conceptions tif rintofpretation.'and will creato -a striv-. ing for ,tho pprhaps'-unattainablcr-so -far M the': organ is"cc-ncernod.: : Hcwill no, longer be conttnt to look upon.the organ; as a machine-on which to piny charts andhymns, but he will, demand. fresd'om to. do as. he .wishes. • Ho will not accept tho: arbitrary stop-combinations, with . theirsupposed "suitable basses" and "accompaniments'' already prescribed for him by tho builder. He will realise that ho must bo unhampered in everything! Instead pf copying another man's - drawing, ho will paint his own picture. He will be not merely receptive but creative. Ho will no longer bo content to do the best ho can with a few left-footed pedal notes, while ho endeavours to ronnipulato a crescendo with his right foot at the otlier end of.the pedal' bohril:-,, Ho;, will wish', to;' maintain' a certain;' strength of tone .'for "severalbars -.perhaps, being; deorlved of tho'uso of either foot. He will'wish to playsoine psrlal notes with his right foot, artd tovnfy the Swell shutters by means of his left. He will not. tolerate the inconvenience nnd discomfort of having to lift his hands up above the* top manual jind resort to the inevitable rallentando while he endeavours to locate a suitable "stop-key"; or, if there are draw stops, he will discover that he must have , frequent changes on his. choir or orchestral Vrgan,'and will realise how awkward it is-to reach the .stops when placed on the right-hand side of-the keyboard. He will ,wonder whv his fingers acho in playing rapid music, whereas he can play the same passage over and over again without fatigue on tho pianoforte; and tho builder will exnlain to-him that he had to put thosfl "illusive," springs ._ into tho key action for the sake of repetition!

A Palatial Music-hall, Mr. J. C. Williamson, in whimsically suggesting some time ago on his return from London that Hammersteiu's Opera House would prove a splendid 'music-null, was merely looking ahead—and not so very far ■ ahead,. cither, for news: now comes that this fino theatre in Kingsway has-been acquired on-a ten years' lease by a vaudeville syndicate, and so, from its high destiny'of opera, the mammoth wliito building will pass to three'variety performances a day. Not that opera is to be entirely .neglected j it will be given, apparently jostling for place with variety and pantomime; in the spring. This in good old, London! Mr. Fernand Akoun, the ohief of. the syndicate, is of. French origin, but was reared in the United States, where he was' connected with theatrical enterprises Moro he established Luna Park in. Paris, which he now conducts. Luna Park is comparable to the amusement of the White City and Earl's' Court. The new programme was to have begun on.Boxing. Day. It is stated that the rent under the lease will be,.£12,000 a year.