THE ENCORE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2337, 19 December 1914, Page 7

THE ENCORE

MR. ROBERT PARKER AGAIN DENOUNCES IT. At soma time in the veiled past Mr. Robert Parker, the doyen of our leaders of music, is said to lave given full and freo expression to his opinion regarding the encore, and with a steady persistence lie has frowned upon, the double portion, however anxious the artist concerned was to' accede and tho audience to recoive. On Thursday, after Mr. Charles . Clarkson's solo, "Marching Along,'' at the Liedortafel's concert, Mr, Parker, with a caustio humour altogether delightful, inveighed against that which is meat and drink to tho artist—great or small. He Bnid that the encore was a thing that ought to be abolished. In tho first place it was greediness on the part of the audience; who paid for a certain amount of music as per programme. What would tho grocer say if you paid him eigbteenpenoe for a pound of tea and then asked for another for nothing? Think, too, what the doctors or lawyers would say if encores were demanded of them. The effect encores had was a bad_ one. It increased the vanity of artists. (Laughter.) 'Twas sol And the more incompetent tho artist tho more he liked encores. A singer often asked him: "What shall I sing for,-an encore?" To which question he invariably replied: "What 1" (with good emphasis and an expression imI possible to misinterpret). The encore was usually the effort of a noisy minority. A vast number of people wh« really appreciated the music we're satisfied to remain silent. (Applause and laughter.) Mr, Parker omitted to reflect on the feelings of an artist whose efforts were consistently met with a stony silence from the audiences of his ideal, and the shattering effect such irresponsivencss would have on music cenexally.