MADAME CLARA BUTT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1876, 9 October 1913, Page 2

MADAME CLARA BUTT.

FUTURIST MUSIC AND ITS AIMS. [BY IMOGEN.] It is nearly six years since Madamo Clara Butt and Mr. Kennerley llumford visited Wellington, and it is hardly necessary to say with what pleasure concert-lovers welcomo them back to this country. Recollections of the wonderful voico possessed by the great contralto and of the delightful singing of Mr. Kennerloy Rumford aro still vivid with them. Calling at her hotel yesterday afternoon, tho representative of I'm: Dominion was shown into, a sitting-room that was ablazo with flowers, tho vivid red of the rhododendrons, and tho rhododendrons thomselves seeming, curiously in harmony with tho singer and her appearance. Although she had only arrived in Wellington from Sydney that morning, Madamo appeared to bo as fresh as possible, and had enjoyed the trip across, which sho said was "as smooth as a mill-pond." Since last sho was in New Zealand, Madame has travelled greatly, and has extended her singing world considerably, finding much to intorest her in tho courso of her travels.. At tho present timo she and Mr. Konnerlev Rumford are engaged upon a tour that will extend over a period of eighteen months or so, and will involve constant changes, constant packing and unpacking, and many short-season visits. In travelling through America they visited several places they had not been to before, particularly in Canada, but the wholo tour was rather a hurried ono, and meant sovcral short-season visits.' No Elephant Riding—No Tiger Shooting. "The longest visits wo paid were to I San Francisco and Los Angeles," remarked tho singer, in a voico whoso depth and richness camo as a delightful realisation of tho anticipation of her interviewer as to her speaking voice.' Always tho thought comes uppermost when hearing a great singer delight an.audi- , enco with hor or his singing is—what is the speaking voico like? That of Madamo Clara Butt was hor singing voico subdued to tho compass of a room, and that sufficiently describes it. "It was owing to tho short time which we spent in America and > tho return journey that results from it that we had to givo 'up a visit to India, where wo wore to have been tho guests of tho Jam of Nawangar (Prince Ilanjitsinji). Ho had promised us all sorts of interesting things to do and see, and, instead, wo havo to return to America," continued Madame, with ovident regret in her voice. Upon being asked as to whether she had noticed any appreciable advance in .musical matters in Australia, a reply in the affirmatito was rocoivod. Australia, however, had not yet. produced any notable song writers, though there did not appear to be any lack of effort. Tho outstanding song-writers that they had como across wero Mr. Alf. Hill (from Now Zealand) and Mr. Kelly, but tlw,fc apparently was all. The laurels had yet to bo won. It is an incomplete family party that is visiting New, Zealand, for tho threo children have been loft behiud in their, temporary home in Melbourne, .where they havo been all tho time that tho various Australian concert tours havo been undertaken. They, hayo their tutors, and, as tho youngest is seven, they havo practically done with such guardian angels as nurses. Do they show signs of being particularly musical? Madamo was asked. "They are fond of music," was the reply, "and the youngest boy plays tho violin really, rather well, but unless they show marked ability and a decided inclination for tho life, I would not wish thorn to go iu for musical careers." "They are fond of sport," broko in Mr. Kennerloy Rumford, who happened to stroll into tho room at tho timo. "Just now that is all they seem to think of. and thoy certainly seem to know their way around. They remember all the places they havo been to, and for their ages, thoy aro experienced travellers, and aro really very good." Futurist Music and Arnold Schoenberg. i In tho courso of tho interview reference was made to tho subject of futurist music, and the opinion of both Madame and Mr. Kennorlo.y Rumford was sought. Both had heard some of Arnold Schoenberg's compositions in London, but had missed his performances in Berlin. For somo of them Madame expressed a decided liking; Her husband, on the contrary, did not, and condemned them for their lack of beauty. It was a very interesting discussion that followed for Madame," in spito of her husband's amused gibos, persisted in her opinion. "It is not safe to say what you dislike, because what you dislike "to-day you may como to liko intensely to-mor-row. Tho futurists aro throwing overboard all the things that havo been looked upon as fundamentals in music, and are making now combinations of sounds in trying to suggest what they wish to be understood by thoir hearers. They may fail, but it is some underlying and abstruse truth that they aro trying in another way to roveal and somo day they will succeed. Tako tho case of a thunderstorm which you may wish to represent, in music. You don't want every sound in detail—but you do leant the storm spirit and the storm atmosphere." What Wagner Faced. "Yes, but you want beauty," broke in Mr. Kennerloy. llumford. • I "Quito so," said Madamo quickly, | "but can you describe and pin beauty down to a single phase or point? What v.as looked upon as being hideous yesterday comcs to bo looked upon as being full of beauty to-day. Tako the case of Wagner. Look' at the storms of ridicule, criticism, and disapproval that his work met with for years. It. was ungrammatical, it was full of discord, it was everything that was impossible, and yet look at its placo today. Tako the case of Debussy. Ho has been fighting his way and people have thought his music perfectly mad and incomprehensible, and yet ho is now coming into his own. Is there anywhere to be found such exquisite music as that in 'Pelleas' and 'Melisando' ? Look at Strauss. Ho has had to fight against criticism. And so it is with tho futurist. The old has to givo way to tho now in all things, and iu time to como tho world will recognise that after all it has gained something worth gaining from tho futurists. "There is a stronger desire for reality in things," continued Madame, "and the operas that aro now being produced have less of artificiality. Those taking nart in them must, in addition to acting and singing, look as thoy ought to look and not, as has so often been tho case, be quite incongruous and unsuitable. Undoubtedly there are great changes happening in the musical world," ended Madame with a smile, "but it is the extremists who throw ridicule upon any new movement at> first."