MUSIC

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2830, 22 July 1916, Page 6

MUSIC

(By "Treble-Clef.")

Coming Musicians. Alfred Mirovitch and Michael X'iastro, the, .Russian Inusicians, who have already appeared with success in Sydney and Melbourne, are arranging to make a comprehensive tour of New Zealand. Both are musicians of singular talent, and achieved many successes as students in Russia. Alfred-Mirovitch,.-tlio pianist, is a native of Petrograd, and studied under Professor Lulsch, and later, .had the guidance of the celebrated Annette Bssipoff at the Petrograd Conservatoire, where lie won the. gold medal, and capped - his .achievements by securing the coveted 1 Rubinstein prize., . .Michael' Piastre, 'the violinist, who is noted for his lovely tone and powers of interpretation, is an equally successful Russian musician. Like Mr. Mirovitch he spent profitable years as : a student at the Petrograd Conservatoire, receiving much of his instruction from the great Professor Auer. Ho left the Conservatoire in 1910 with-.first-class honours, his successes including the principal gold medal for tho violin and the 1000 rouble prize. A Creditable Performance. Mr. Bernard Page, tho City Organist, has not calculated hW many miles of music he has played on the big Town Hall organ, nor how many units of silent energy the bellows have consumed, but in the hundred recitals ho has given ■in Wellington he has established a re-, cord that no organist in the world would not be' proud tea emulate, and the souvenir programme issued in honour of "Century Recital" is a .prodigy of achievement in the higher flights of music. As' it is the fashionable thing to analyse everything nationally, it is most interesting to know that ovor 200 compositions Mr. Page has played in these hundred recitals, '81 were by Eng. lisli composers, far more indeed by English than by .the composers of any other nation, which is a very complete answer to rocei)t critics. Of the other works, played, 1G were by modern Russians, 41 by French, 4!i by German, and 11) by Belgian composers. Memorial to French Musicians. In the garden of the house on the Rue Henner, Paris,-where the home of the French, Society of Authors and Composers is situated, the members of tho society and their friends gathered, early in May, to attend the dedication of a monument erectly to the memory, oi those members of the society who have already perished in tho present war. The monument, sculptured by Bar.tholome, is in tho form of a broken column against which leans a female figure with head nowed in sorrow upon lior right arm. In her iiaml mere is a scroll on which the names of those who have already been killed are inscribed, and there is room tor additions, which, let us hope, will not have to be placed there. The ceremonies in the stillness and quiet of the littlo garden were very- impassive. President Poincare was present. The principal address was,made by Roman Coolns, president of tho society, who spoke most sympathetically ■ and ' with much feeling of the deceased fellow members, referring to eaoh one by name. The list is one that is already too long. One of the best known names » upon it is that of Alberic Jlagnard. Notes. The eminent English organist, Eegi-Goss-Custard, who purposes visiting Sydney to give recitals, has been over to the United States' for a short visit, and has given- one or tiro recitals in New York. He recently resigned his position as organist at St. Margaret's, Westminster. St. Margaret's has ■ always been a fashionable place at which to get married. During the fourteen years Goss-Custard was there he at GOO notable weddings. He is;. by the way, a grarid-nopheil- of Sir John Goss, a famous organist in his day, and composer of much excellent church music. Enrico Bossi lias succeeded the late Giovanni Sgamb'nti at the Royal Aoademy of St. Cecilia a't jßome, the oldest ■music school in tho world. Bossi is the foremost Italian organist, and is also a, distinguished composer: His most elaborate work is the oratorio ."le Para-' diso Perduto." , ' ' , • ' "

, Leopold Aur, the veteran 'Russian Violinist, 1 teacher of Piastre, Mischa Elman, an<l Selinsky; recently gave two concerts in Moscow, his accompanist being: a young girl of 15 years of age,

Reports from Trance (says the New York "Musical Courier") state that tho disease from which Claude Debussy is suffering, and of which he has been very seriously ill for some time past, is canoer. Grave fears are entoi'lained for his life. .