MR. ALFRED HILL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 24, 23 October 1917, Page 3

MR. ALFRED HILL

WELLINGTON COMPOSER'S LATEST SUCCESS. There wag a scene of great enthusiasm at tuD Conservatorium ou Wednesday evening (says the Sydney "Sunday Simes" of September at)) at the finisii ot tho performance by the Verbruggheu quartet of Air. Alfred Hill's quintet for piano and strings, when the com/joser, looking as bashful as a schoolgirl, was brought on to tho platform to receive the applause and cheers of the audience. In announcing the performance of this work, Mr. Verbruggheu said that it had boon included on the programme for that evening, not to please Mr. Hill, but simply because his quintet was a work of sheer intrinsic valuo.

Tli's composition is a brilliant work, each movement giving token of keen musical insight and originality. Particularly attractive is the scherzo, the Intricacies of rhythm and liarmonisation of which aro treated in a delicato and oharming manner. Tho introduction of eight voices into tlie last movement is an entirely new venture, and one which probably Mr. Hill was the first to undertake. Some months after this quintet was first produced (it was written in 1912) a letter was published in the London "Musical Times," written by the well-known composer, Rutland Boughton, pointing out the possibilities of voices in oTiamber music, and lamenting- the fact that with the exception of a few works by Walford Davies and himself Nie field was practically untouched. The effect at first of voices breaking in rather startles one, bnt gradually the charm of well-modulated voices blending with the instruments makes its appeal. The singers were screened Irom the audionce, and part of the time four of them left the platform aud sang from an outside room, so that a peculiar effeot of distance was obtained. Mr. Hill experienced great difficulty in arranging for voices to join with a quartet, and his real ambition is to evolve a scheme whereby the singers, instead of singing words, 'will sing notes on syllables and produce chords and intervals like an instrumentalist does; if it is possible to train singers to arrive at this pitch of musioal perfection, then it is Mr. Hill's idea to have them seated with the members of the quartet and let their voices blend with the instruments instead of, as now, make the voices a soparate part which detracts from rather than completes what 6hould be a perfect whole.