MDLLE. EVA GAUTHEIR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2193, 4 July 1914, Page 10

MDLLE. EVA GAUTHEIR

_ MUSIC IN THE EAST ' ■ [By Imogen - .] Mdlle, E\ti Gautliicr, the thanrirg I'lcneh-Caindnm sjvjor who is ae present \ibii.i>iir Wellington L'li'an, is one 01 thoso fortun--alo beinps who arc born with the sp.rit. , of uaiiderinr; m tlicni, and ,are abio to let their star 'had them where it will Apparently there are few coun■tuoi b'ie iia? not wsited, and for tha past five or sk \ears she has made her headquarters in the East, 1.1 Java, one''A tho most delightful countries that aiyjouo cm stay in for a while, fo traveller* sa\. She is intensely interested in Hasten, peoples, their eusttma and particulai'y *l>cir nmsio; and,'indeed, of tho-latter she hpo made a particular - stutfj. _ Thoro is something cunotislj suggestive of Oriental coun« her—an ideal Madame But-> tcifly she \ r ov.ld :nal;e one cannot help thinking—perhaps because of the t'ma she has spent i morK Eastern pcoDle, a id iii Eastern countries. , Li tna end people generally becotro tinged with tho , atmosphere and shall we sry, perscnal--ty, ot the country, in flinch they stay. Wl ; lc living in Java, ATademoiselb G'.uthier learnt the native lai<qi:aKe9 to enable her to follow' cut her 'tUuies anj'to'gei into close touoh wMi tho natives, and every facility was placed b her v.r-y to enable I.cr to get the bc3 sesjl's. _ At ihe invitation of ono of the native sultans (of : tho Kcla province) she 6ta><.d at one of Lis palaces, and ;tho tourt. musicians tought her many of their soa~s and siych of their .li'usie. A rnoro artistic race than the bathes of tin's country A is :n;possibSa to find, was the opin.on expressed by Aldlle Gautiiior.

' Seme of their music it is irapossibla to transcribe," she- say, "because there is afcsolir.ely ro for the "quarter 1 tones m European music. -Nothing could'embody it. Their cadenzas aro wonderful. - Musicians of ail kinds' would gather together to play and singbeforo me, and one after another of "their instruments, or all to- ' aether, would be played, some that are familiar to Europeans, and oth&rs thai,' aro not Then-they would ask mo if I ivould not, iu the kindness of my hc.<rt., sing or play to them, and they* ' had only to hear, the air onco to completely seize it. Their theatres aro also I'itenwJ.v ' ir.terestii g, and tb? phjs which aro enacted ars cftea ■.aken from their mythology, '.he. characters being gods and goddesses, Jjinns, and various other curious pereons, acted usually b> inarionattos made of; leather, and sometime? the natives themselves, made to look like marionettes." ' ,

\atnrally her interest in .these matters has taken Mademo'solic G-*>i-thier :iitc most out-of-the-Tray plauoi, and into tho racL.t of tho most charming > moit gentle, and most courteous people that can bo found anywhere. It had been the. singer'-s intention to take a empany of native musicians and dancers to Linden. She had had them already engaged, and the timo fixed for goin£, when '■ortaim news was received that put an tnd io the venture for tha time liiii^.-* iS\VbKn a bijr undei taking, . and 'tho Malays would travel with no one clso, as they know her ard trusted her, arid she alon>) rould epeak \to them m their own langcaß". l 'JLheir dircing is ilso very wordorful, and thtv tako infinite pains to keep'cver'y musclo and f.ory joint as limbor as possibK

"From tho subject of irras'c araorg tho rcoplo of Java, the conversation turned to mo'lem mut ; c and composers. "People seem to like French sopgs Immensely," said tho singcr, v evcii thcuzlt i) ey mly not know ' tho words, and curiously onougli it is in some, of tho soi.gs in which the beauty lies particularly in themoanrag that thev finJ the greatest pleasure The English translations may possibly help them where they aro given, n"d ono can but try to maka the Interpretations as plain as possible in ono's sin^ng." In replv to a question .13 to whether she would, bo sinking anYthing of Charperticr's compositions, MdPo. Gauthiei said that sho had not thought of doing f<s. So much was needed to interprot him properly. It was impossible to sing the ono great ar'a from "Louise" without an orchesna ard a prelude-to giro the atmosphce. "You must haie an t-ichest-* to interpret the music, it 13 ,bo fuli cf orchestral effects that it would 'bo withox, ihcm."

Mdlle. Gauthier has sung in opera, but s""0 prefers the ccr.cert rlatform. "Ono is so much frcor nnd ran travel nhere\cr ono wishes. "Al-cady I have travelled all ovr tho voild, and then o»<* i>, si tied down *? role.-.," ?he liai phvo-l tho par. of Yn'cid 'in "P"l!eas and Mrlrsantie.'' "ITicy scoured Europe lo find a mezzo sonnno sinal' enough to tal.e the part of tho boy. and found me. Then I was tar.ght.it bv Debussy himself," she *old her lnWvVwer. .

Of tho composer himself Mdlle. Giulli'o"' snoV> with omr'ias.s "He .s a ucnde'rf.il man, and his music is very beautifii l , but, tremendously difficult to sing to. Tim best sincer to interpret him is Maicio Tevtcv who created tho part of M"ll*andc then it -iu>s proJrceJ. Curiovslv oni'i'h "ho is'.nr F.nslish g'fl,' miito jojing. unit* Debussy is a Frorchliiaii, nnd a Pniisian of Parisians. ?l:o 13 nontli-rfjl, l.ot so much in posicssins a T:\ar\eilous %oice, b.it In hor interpretptiou, her atmosphere, her grasp nf tiir- compn-.er's mind. Ore of tho best plavers I 'mu heard of his music is Mi.'Miirdvh, uh&m ror. must havo hoard in Wel!i.iat<-.n i>hen he ■■'imo ~ round n ith Mnd.ime Cl.ira Butt He is an Austrrlirn, and he plays it beauiifnllv."

It v. as a descent to turn from talk cf coranoscrs and tl.ei' compositions to the übiect of coloured "igs, but still it ji' done, enrinx to a b'jrr.ins uiriosity ManprnnrOlo was osVcl if s'.ip vcip ■50111" tr 'voir the _ fairons j n>iri>lo wh 'Weil, I'm not. o.iite sure. It *.iVp a feiTfvl amount of You '0?. it's rot oxa.-'tlv a ai it lias to lio all Pii\od ill) in -cno's hair. I nav •rear it. if I can irt if srftM. .ird voti 1-now tl.oy Ifted it in Svdnev," she said with a lau<:h. And so wo lni it at 'iir.t " '

I. The annual'dance ,o'fMKe.South ,\\VI--1 iijipton-I^ni'Tennis Club' is'to/be lield ". 'in .the-Oriental Tliurs,•'.'dav -Jiilv 23 .-.The cor'tnitffo is formed : . bv : Miss"s I-.'Buii. M'. il'l)dnaltl,'.X.-N"or; .'•r'is, .75." "\Vliito.. M: Caterer; TX'Hrndny '" Messrs.': A:,' I3eII, L._ RicliioivV.; 7lau?h r ' (on-j'iAYv- Crmv,' .and- the clnperniics are 'Mosdames Rpll.-CatCT.cr.'.FJus-^Tlendryi an'd.M'bonsW.,;' ,' , ',..".'v. , ,.r '.•:-•; •: