MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2781, 27 May 1916, Page 11

MUSIC.

4 — . r Ur Tsebh! Crar.l Two Tenors. The "Musical Courier" calls John M'Cormack "Ireland's greatest gift •to America." If that be the case, Canada'e greatest gift to New Zealand is Paul Dufault. Sly only worry in perverting the "Courier's" wheeze is die fact thai. Paul is only a loan after all, and is one on which t.hu interest is always increasing. We were lucky to hear John M'Cormack; we thank' God for- hearing Paul Dufault. John sings from his heart; Paul from his sou!, .lohn is un IrishAmerican, and has a pearline voice with "a touch o' tli'' blarney" in every tone. Paul is a French-Canadian with a voice of gold, whose every phrase is enhanced by the majesty of . a great intellect, John has tne lyric range, with a top 0 at his command; Paul has not a hfgti C in hi 3 range, but his art as a singer ballads cuts a deeper groove in the mind than does the genial John's. Personally I am entertained" by John, but Paul is intellectual meat and drink to : me; In my humble opinion, Paul Dufault is the finest male singer of ballads we | have heard, for a ■ generation. What, is Music? Piato said that ■ "Music i is the essence ox order, and leads to all that is Bvoci, just, and beautuul." 01 course, lie uvea a long time before .Wagner, and Urusceui, and Jioriigold. Indeeu, tiie-re is a good deal o£ music that would hardly bo described in the words o£ Plato—but is it musiu? .. Vernon Spenoe, in', the "Music Student." of April 16, says: "Music is cno light expressed by a schematic arrangement of sounds." Yes, perhaps a scheme of sounds is a. looser arrangement thaoi Plato's "essence of order." 1 enjoy the canary's tempo-less' cadenzas, and am Quite sure it is good mueic. "Music is that art which expresses in an - orderly manner the emotions of 'human beings collectively '.or individually, whether such emotions be combined with thought or not," sayn Herbert Antclilte. in the "Music Quarterly." ilay'oa, but 1 rather think that real musio is that with thought behind it. Pernaps the best aid most cryptic description of music is "Sound, with a soul." . . Think over it. ' James F, Itodgers, in the "Opera Magazine" for April, answered the question as to what- is music by saying "Music is turn, turn; turn,' turn,, turn."' He was probably influenced by the music of the dinner gong. Maud Allan. r Miss Maud Allen, tho famous dancer, who visited New Zealand two years ago, has recently undergone an operation for appendicitis, in .New i'or's, and the "Musical Courier" shows the close-to-na-ture dancer taking her first walk on tho Riverside Drive, supported by two male friends, with'' a nurse hovering round' in the middle distance. It -will interest New Zealand to learn that the dancor has taken on managerial anxieties, that is to say, sho.is still-going to dance, but has established a Maud Allen'Managerial. Agency, which, will manage any attractions through the States that they feel disposed to. The same piper announces, that Miss Allen intends to manage. the Cherniavskis' next season in America. So far most of tho activities of the. Russian trio have been confined to Canada, but this year they have plunged into tho States, and are oompeting with itll tho leading instrumental stars for a! place in tho sun. "San Toy." Eehearsals of "San Toy" by tho.'Wellington Amateur Operatic Socieiy'areprogressing very satisfactorily in ' the society's own rehoai'ial room in the Exchange Buildings. ..There the society has ,secured a large chamber,.capable of seating 150 people. Tho newly-papereil. Walla are hung with framed photographs of amatours, past and present, of soiiie prominent professionals, giving the 1 place quite a "dabby" aspect. The Savage Ciub has made an arrangement to use the room for its commifcteo meetings and rehearsals. The _ society lias' : its own piano and a serviceable wardrobe neatly packed away in wicker baskets. "San Toy" is a particularly bright and'melodious musical comedy, fall of that particular brand of "cheer up" element that is required at a time like the.present. It is expected that tho cast will shortly be announced. ' ■ ; Opera in Germany.

Grand .opera, both old', anil new, goes on in Germany, rain or shine, peace or war. The crop ,of now wjrka is plentiful and important;. WeingartnerV "Dime Kobold" hud a snccessrul preuiiuro at Darmstadt on February 23.. From 'tho same source our renders, may expect also a full report of 'iie premiere in Dresden of d'Alberfc's new work, "Die Totenaugen." Hugo Kaun has finished a three-act opera called "Sappho," bpsed on Grillparzer's tragedy of tho samo name.. The Hannover Opera, reports Arthur AI; Abell, is preparing tho premiere of Siegfried Wagner's opera, "Stcrncngebot," ' A't the' Berlin Royal Opera a "Strauss Week"' .took place recently. The first Strauss programme had "Salome," followed by "Tod und Verklaerung." Other bills offered performances of "Don .Tuan," "Elektra," and "Uosenkavalier," the cycle ending with "Ariadne of Nasos." ill these we'ro conducted by Strauss. The Eoyal Opera at Stuttgart also had a Richard Strauss "Week not long ago, at which tho composer did tho conducting.

Padei'ewski's Appeal. Paderewskf is out with another .newspaper appeal, in which ho asks Americans to help Poland, which, he says, is starving. He asserts also this: "Unfortunately, through a strange coincidence, whenever American generosity for- Poland has seemed to bo aroused, thero comes word irom some occult sourco to the offect that Poland needs no help. It has not failed now. In to-day's newspapers thero is ft ' wireless message to the effect that Poland lacks nothing, that perfoct contentment and absolute happiness reign over 'tho land. We wish it were true, lut it is not. The correspondents attached to the headquarters of tho belligerent amies, enjoying easily aoquired abundance, can sco but little, if any, of tho people's real distress." We havo not tho least desire to influence any one to refuse aid to a nation in distress (says the "Musical Courier"*, but the thought will not down that if tho correspondents in Poland cannot seo evidences of starvation, how is .it possible for Padercwski, 5000 miles away, and enjoying easily acquired abundanco at the sumptuous Hotel Gotham, to slirapse.so clearly what is going on in his nativ® country? Ho must be a roan o! phenomenal vision. Russian Music. In London a committee was recently formed to promote the use -of Russian music iu England. ' The functions of the committee will bo "to maintain watchful observation, to tender advice, to patronise suitable literature and undertakings, and to act generally as referee."Tliere is little doubt that such a controlling body has been needed for a long time. The haphazard way in which English music-lovers have had to make acquaintance with Russian musio ha 6 resulted in a curiously one-sided view of what as a whole it really is, Though this is as nothing to the still , more onesided view that tho average Australian concert-goer has of Russian music. This is, of course, not his fault. It is the fault of our performing musicians, who, with a curious perversity, have clung chiefly to Rubinstein (more a cosmopolitan musician than a true representative of Russia), and Rachmaninoff (with his over-done prelude). All tho vast mo6S of stuff written by Borodin, Moussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Serov, Cnesar Cue, Scriabin, and Dargomijsky haa been mostly neglected. Indeed, some of these composers appear to be quite unknown in. this part ,of tho world, save to a few students. Yet most of them have turned out much fine music—music, perhaps, lacking a little in higli intellectual interest, but so charged with strongly marked rhythms, unconventional idioms, and quaint echoes of the national folk-songs, that it makes'a desirable and refreshing citrast to the more sophisticated strains of the Western nations.