ENGLISH MUSIC

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 130, 1 March 1928, Page 9

ENGLISH MUSIC

AMONGST THE WORLD’S - BEST INFLUENCE OF WIRELESS That the day has passed when German, French, Italian, and Russian composers dominated the musical world is the decided opinion of Mr. J. Bishop, the newly-appointed conductor of the Wellington Choral Society, who arrived from London by the Ruapehu yesterday. Mr. Bishop, who is a native of South Australia, but who has resided in England for some years past, informed a Dominion reporter that British composers to-dav can compare with any of the modern composers of European coun tries. He. instance such names as Elgar, Holst, Vaughan, Williams, Bantock, Ethel Smyth, John Ireland, Arnold Bax. and Herbert Howells, who were all-round composers in all classes of music. The coming of wireless had done a great deal for music in England, said Mr. Bishop. The ban had even been lifted at Queen’s Hall, from which the

microphone had been barred for years, and now the promenade concerts given by Sir Henry Wood’s magnificent orchestra, which had been going for 30 years, were being broadcast to all parts of Great Britain. Conductors in Great Demand. “Conductors are in great demand in England just now,” declared Mr. Bishop, “and English conductors rank with the best in the world. Amongst these may be mentioned Sir Henry Wood, Albert Coates, Malcolm Sargent, Arian Boult, Eugene Goosens (a specialist in Russian ballet work), and Landon Ronald. .Unfortunately, Covent Garden still thinks ir necessary ro bring over a German conductor, but this will soon be changed.” Competition in Choral Work. Mrs. Bishop, a native of Derbyshire, here broke in to explain that there was great competition at present in choral work m England. Competitions were held amongst small choirs in different centres, and at the close of the festivals all the choirs combine-d in one big work which they had been studying. “The aim in England just now/ said Mrs. Bishop, “is to decentralise music, a work in which Claude Powell has done so much.” As evidencing the high regard in which English singers are held, Mr. Bishop explained that a company of six English singers had. recently scored an enormous success with madrigals in Germany. These English singers had also gone to America last year, and had created such enthusiasm that they had been promptly rebooked. “I hope to introduce some new works here,” said Mr. Bishop, 'but the difficulty is that many of these new work, have'been written for enormous orchestras I also hope to do a lot in the wav of pianoforte recitals,” Mr. Bishop added. The new conductor of the Wellington Choral Society is. an accomplished pianist, and while m England gave numerous recitals in the provinces and in the smaller halls in London.