MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1872, 4 October 1913, Page 9

MUSIC.

' fßx Tbzblb Clhf.l Clara Butt and Kcnnorloy Rumford. On Thursday evening next Wellington i 3 to onjoy once moro tlie singing of Aladamo Clara Butt and lier artiatio husband Air. liennerley Rumford. 'i'lieso artists arc too well known in New Zealand to need formal introduction. When hero live years ago they attracted enormous audiences in every city and town visited, and gained general approbation for tlio high standard of voualism which they gave us. Madame Butt's contralto is said to be the most wonderful in the world. It is certainly the producer of profoundly capacious tones.

Since her last tour of Australasia, Madame and her husband have toured the Continent of Europe twice and Amorica once with great success. Travel in intensely musical countrios such as Germany and Italy .combined with study is said to havo improved Madame Butt's voice and stylo. Bo that as it may, blio is singing songs of a higher grade artistically than was tlio caso fivo years agOj and pleasing her audiences with them. ilr. Rumford is always acceptable. Whilst his baritone voice is not sensational, his every effort is invested with an artistic finish that compels admiration.

The Butt-Rumfords are assisted by Mr. Win. Murdoch, the brilliant Australian pianist (who plays Debussy so delightfully)'; Mr. Mowat Carter, violinist; and Mr. Harold Craxton, -accompanist. John M'Cormack's Success, The popularity of John M'Cormack, the famous Irish tenor, is shown by the success of his season,in Sydney. Though the smallpox had alfccted other entertainments, it mado no difference to the singer, for his concerts were crowded oil every occasion, and it) iB estimated that fully 10,000 people were unable to obtain admission, about 3000 people being turned away on his last concert in the capital. Naturally this enthusiasm was extremely gratifying to the visitor, though ho was far from feeling his rooust self. In order to comply with the quarantine regulations, ho had been vaccinated on his way out to Australia, and 011 his arrival in-Sydney was feeling tilt} effects. In fact, ho was so ill that he had to go to a private hos-» pital, and was in that institution right up to the day before his first appearance. The Reason Why. "Why don't tliey revive Gilbert and Sullivan?" 'asked a patron of "The Quaker Girl" of his friends at tho Opera House tha other night. "My dear, fellow," said one of tlioso addressed, "musical comedy has bred a tjpe of player who is only possible in musical comedy, and would never be able to touch Gilbert and Sullivan vocally, oven if they were ablo to do so in any other way. There are lots of managements at Homo who would liko to venture a throw at tho highest form of comic opera, but who find it difficult to get the artists to handle the parts satisfactorily. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., aro having tho same trouble in Australia. At one time tho Royal Comic Opera Company was constituted ta stand tbo artistic straiu of Gilbert and Sullivan operas, but now —well, you've beard 'Tho Quaker Girl'!" Declina in Musical Comedy. , An interesting explanation of the apparent decline in tlio popularity of musical comedy was given by Mr. George Dance at tho annual general meeting of tlio Gaiety Theatre Company on August 16, when a 10 per . cent, dividend was declared.

Presiding in the absence of Mr. George Edwardes, Mr. Dance remarked that it ivas one of tlio very lew Gaiety lean years, for they wero not going to pay 20 per cent, dividend, as they had been accustomed to do, though they could liavo done so by drawing on their resoi-ves. There were two reasons to account for the falling off, and one of these was tho Balkan "War, for that was a serious matter to the Gaiety Company. It seemed strange to put that forward as a reason, but it should be remembered that their patrons wero largely drawn from tho members of tho Stock Exchango and its associates, and with tho high bank rato their thoughts naturally turned away from tlie theatre.

Another reason was that music balls had lately been putting on revues, a form of ■ entertainment which ho described as a musical comedy with smoking in the auditorium, but he had reason to believe that the revucS had reached their high-water mark, or had even got beyond it, and thereforo ho thought that the Gaiety would soon come to its own.

Mr. Dance then referred to tho plays produced at tho Gaiety Theatre, and said the present production, "The Girl on tho Film," was a great success, and although they would not have to trouble about a successor for a long time, Mr. Gcorgo Edwardcs had arranged for a new play by Mr. Paul Rubens and Mr. Wimperis.

A stago version of Oscar Wilde's novel "Tho Picturo of Dorian Gray" was put on at tho' Vaudeville Theatre, London, last month. Any dramatist who tries to forco people to cat bread and meat when tliev aro crying for sugar plums may as well pre|iarc to starve •until tho public begins to suffer from acute indigestion. Then if lie isn't dead—or, perhaps, if he is—his liour will come, and he will ge>t his reward cither here or in heaven. -—"Virginia," by Ellon Glasgow.