THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 21750, 19 June 1934, Page 3

THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

[By L.D.A.] “Music gives tone to the universe: wings to the mind; flight to the imagination : a charm to sadness: gaiety and life to everything.”—Plato. livery week 1 live brings home to me more emphatically the fact of New Zealand’s musical isolation. Radio has certainly bridged the gulf, in some measure, but it has by no means placed us in direct touch with the actual core of the great musical world. There are three reasons for this. First, when music is broadcast, from abroad the meretricious clement seems to preponderate; the majority of radio stations labour under the delusion that the faraway listeners’ mentality cannot cope with any programmes of higher than third-grade quality. Second, the foremost artists do not broadcast regularly. Third, when really first-rate music, is put v directly on to the air from distant stations the hour for local reception is usually most inconvenient. Enthusiasts there are, of course, who will gladly sacrifice half their night’s sleep to the vagaries of the loud speaker, though methiuks sport rather than music claims the larger proportion of these nocturnal devotees. ♦ * * * So the sincere musician finds himself dependent in this remote country chiefly upon the gramophone as a medium of musical communion,; and here he is sadly hampered by that machine’s limitations. True, a large number of standard works have been recorded by eminent artists of numerous nationalities, and our debt of gratitude to the recording companies who have put such discs within our reach is almost inexpressible; yet the fact remains that some of the world’s leading instrumentalists and many of the finest modern compositions still remain unknown in outlying countries, because the former are too busy to travel. and seem reluctant to make recordings of their playing, and the gramophone companies—for some reason best known to themselves —turn a deaf ear to the latter. I would like to ask, for example, how many musicians there are'in New Zealand who arc conversant with the piano compositions of Leopold Godowsky and with the renderings thereof by that peerless Antipodean pianist, Paul Howard, of Adelaide. * * ' ♦ : ♦ The answer probably is that only those who tune in regularly to SCL. Adelaide, and have heard this superlative artist over the air, know Paul Howard even by name. Of his standing among contemporary pianists let me say this: The leading virtuosi who tour Australia are in the habit of visiting Mr Howard at his home, where they hear him play, much to their amazement, not only the . piece de resistance of their own repertory quite as well, if not better, than they themselves play them, but they are astounded to find that he knows by heart practically-the entire literature of the piano, including compositions undreamt of in their philosophy. There in a nutshell ’ you, have the status and achievement of. Paul Howard. But there is more to it than that. Mr Howard is a non-professional pianist—he is an amateur musician in the highest sense of that'elastic .definition. Apart from some little tuition at the hands of Oscar Beringer in London, he is completely self-taught, and has devoted to music only the Hours he could spare from his commercial life. * . •+ ♦ * - For, primarily, Paul Howard is a business man, so 1 am on perfectly safe ground in giving him a gratuitous advertisement here, since his interest in music arises but of motives purely altruistic, and dictated solely by the highest idealism. Let us at least pay a tribute of respect to a man who works at his office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the way of ordinary commercial routine, and then can find the time and energy required to master a repertory of piano music sufficiently extensive for the needs of half a dozen touring pianists. That this is no exaggeration may be gathered from the lists of programmes performed by Mr Howard in Adelaide. At St. Dominic’s Priory, North Adelaide, some years ago he gave a series of sixty-four recitals without repeating any items—sixtyfour separate programmes, _ mark you I —whereas the average'touring virtuoso contents himself with three or four, and even these usually consist of the same old hackneyed numbers. * * * • These recitals were, of course, semiprivate; but in 1922 .the- .prodigious Paul played a public Series "of fifteen different programmes, including over 200 works of major importance, by every known composer, i The man’s vitality is extraordinary. At the thirteenth recital of that series, not content with playing such trifles as Schumaim’s ‘ Carnaval ’ apd Liszt’s ‘ Rigoletto Paraphrase,’ he revelled in the intricacies and muscular demands of two concertos—Saint-Saens’s in G Minor and Liszt’s in E flat—without once leaving the platform, and at the end, we are told, - “ he was still quite fresh and could have gone on for hours.” His pianistic fame has spread abroad; the London ‘ Musical Times,’ in a long and most laudatory article, once declared the programmes of Paul Howard to be “ some of the finest we have ever seen,” adding: “The average London recital is a tame ‘ follow-my-leader ’ affair in comparison,” and concluding by wishing London pianists would copy Howard’s example. * * * * Not the least interesting, fact concerning Paul Howard is that, ou his mother’s side, be is a direct descendant of John Field—the famous Irish pianist and composer whose works arc known to have inspired Chopin. But it is as an exponent of Godowsky that the Adelaide virtuoso promises to go down in musical history. Paul Howard may be said to he the chief Godowsky authority in the pianistic world to-day; he is certainly the only one in the Southern Hemisphere; indeed, the relationship between the two musicians resembles that of Allah and Mohammed, Paul naturally playing the_ role of apostle to perfection. . 1 have' mentioned Leopold Godowsky many times in this column, of course, but mainly in his capacity of masterpianist. Years ago it was my good fortune to hear him in his prime—-an unforgettable - performer of the transcendental type. But I doubt whether Godowsky’s most ardent admirers then could have foreseen his present eminence as a composer. . * * * ♦ It is not my purpose here to discuss the position of Godowsky in this sphere. But this may be said: Leopold Godowsky is the oracle of super-pianism to-day, from whom even the greatest living pianists do not disdain to take lessons; while experts whoso judgment cannot be impugned rank him as a composer in the company of Bach, Beethoven,. and Brahms. This sounds like

a tall order, hut it is sober truth. A leading critic recently wrote: “ As the years progress, I am more than convinced that in our era there is no musician who can compare with Godow'sky. His output of exquisitely pianistic and masterfully contrapuntal works places him where he rightfully belongs—between Bach and Chopin. In musical intellect he towers above all contemporaries.” This emphatic pronouncement should serve to whet the expectations of heal musicians for what follows. * * * Negotiations of a preliminary nature aro now in train for Leopold Godowsky to visit this part of the world within the next_ six months or so. Mr Paul Howard is in communication with the master, 1 am reliably informed, regarding the possibility of inaugurating a series of master-classes in Australia: and tentative inquiries have r< ached me concerning the practicability of similar action in New Zealand. Briefly, the question is: Are there pianists in this country of sufficient number, ambition, and enterprise to make it worth while for Leopold Godowsky to hold master-classes here on his way to Australia early in 1935? The fees will be fairly high, of course; on the other band, the benefits derivable from such an experience are incalculable, and the opportunity is unique. I shall be pleased to give full details of the proposed scheme to all who are interested. If only Paul Howard could be persuaded to come, too, our cup of happiness would overflow. Meanwhile, hearken all who can to his rare broadcasts.