THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 23381, 26 September 1939, Page 3

THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

[By L.D.A.]

Music gives lorn; to (lie universe; wings to tin; mind; lliglit, to llio imagination ; a elianu to sadness; gaiety and life to everything.—Plato. The age of musical miracles is not past; the royal line of infant prodigies in music did not become extinct after Mozart, Liszt, Crotch, and one or two others. Of course, there have been myriads of outstandingly clever musical children since Mozart’s day, besides the luminaries mentioned; phenomenal young pianists and violinists of seven years old and upwards' have been, and still are, so common that one' almost ceases to regard them as anything much out of the ordinary. But amongst all these precocious youngsters only a single example' is accepted by connoisseurs to-day as being in the class ot the illustrious forerunners to above. His name is Andre Mathieu. He was born at Montreal in 1930, his father being director of the Canadian Institute of Music in that city, while his mother is a well-known violinist there. Such parentage might, at first sight, tend to account in large degree for unusual musical aptitude. Experience shows, however, that apparently favourable eugenic conditions have little influence upon the production of genius.

A careful examination of genealogical records does not, explain the births of musical masters such as Bach, Beethoven, Schubert. Schumann, Wagner, Mendelssohn, Brahms, etc., etc. Indeed, in some of these cases it can be shown that the parents, if not actually unmusical, were certainly not particularly fond of music. The same line of. reasoning applies equally to other branches of human achievement; some of the world’s greatest men have sprung from the most unlikely and unpromising parentage and environment —take Shakespeare, for instance, whose father was a corn merchant, and his mother a farmer’s daughter, neither of them persons of more than average intellect in a period of general ignorance and mental inferiority. * ♦ * * Mozart’s father, it is true, brought intensive forcing methods to bear upon his son’s musical education, but that did not account for the inborn genius, nor for the fact that little Wolfgang Amadeus started composing at the age. of five. But this boy Andre Mathieu, now only nine years old, has established, in one respect, a new precedent in infantile precocity. When he was three lie began to improvise quite confidently on the piano keyboard; a. year later be composed and wrote three Etudes, calling them, respectively, ‘ Study the Black Keys.’ ‘ Study on the White Keys,’ ‘ Study on Black and White It" is especially remarkable that this extraordinary child put these early compositions upon paper, without any previous instruction in writing music whatsoever. A few months afterwaids he wrote three more pieces—‘ In the Night,’ ‘ Savage Dance, and The Stinging Bees.’ The titles are entirely his own—no prompting, or suggestion, or help of any kind having been offered by his parents, or anyone else. And now, at nine years of age, young Mathieu has made gramophone recordings of his earliest works, which will enable us to make comparisons between them and the first works of Mozart.

According to a leading European critic, the Canadian boy s compositions are far superior to Mozart’s initial attempts, which, as we all know, though wonderful for a child of five, are transparently obvious and absolutely lacking in the‘element of surprise. In other words, little Mozart wrote m the prevailing conventional style of Hajdn and other contemporaries. Listening to his childish efforts—and even to many ot Ids later ones—the musician, hearing them .for the first time, always knows what’s coming next. . . . I don’t think any music is easier to read at first sight than the sonatas of Haydn and Mozart; if you happen to turn over two or three pages at once it doesn’t much matter—you know instinctively what should follow, because this kind of inusic adheres consistently to fixed patterns, as it were: it seems to run in preordained grooves that lead always in a fore-known direction. * I * * * But Baby Mathieu didn’t compose like that—not in the least. Me are told that the productions of his infantile mind show “ touches of real poetic fantasy, astonishing powers of observe tion, musical understanding, and unexpected development, combined with a distinct sense of form. Moreover he to compose a year earlier than Mozart, so from every angle except one he would seem to be unique in musical history. The exception relates to public performances, in which respect be must give place to William Crotch, presented organ recitata at tho age o four. But creative genius is tar more wonderful than executive power at so early an age, and when 1 have tola the whole tale about, Andre Mathieu it will. I think, he conceded that, so tar, he has no parallel. * The recordings made by this marvellous child have not yet arrived m New Zealand, and war conditions may delay them for some time to come. I cannot, therefore, speak at first hand concei fling them, but the critic previously quoted writes thus: . , “The piece called ‘ Stinging Bees conveys with astounding vividness the impression of an actual and very unpleasant experience, little Andre having been chased and rather severely stung by a swarm of tho insects whilst walkinn- in the country.- The music is not in Hie least like-the conventional beestuff that we associate with Mendelssohn and Rimsky-Korsakov : there is no honey in tho story, though an unmistakable sting in the tale. “ The ‘ Savage Dance ’ is a remarkably intense musical picture of a d auc " ing Indian troupe, seen by the child at a country fair. Perhaps the most arresting piece, and that which contains most promise, is the third etude, * Study on Black and White Keys.’ So genuinely original is it, so impulsive and strangely passionate, that one finds it almost incredible as not the work of a mature artist but of a mere baby of four! Whew!—Here is this Canadian lad. with a command of rhythm, melodv, harmony, and invention, and a power of writing true piano inusic which may give us another Chopin. Who can predict what such a miraculous boy may become? Moreover, in these recordings he plays with an assurance, authority, and executive mastery that presage another Liszt. Nor is this by any means the full extent of bis accomplishments. Ho has already given over 20 recitals in Canada : and at one of these, when only six years old, he played a concerto of his own for piano and orchestra. This work ho himself wrote originally for two pianos, and someone else transcribed the orchestral part; but, oven so. it was an unbelievable feat. 'lbis boy has stirred the musical world to a,

greater degree than any child in living memory.' What the future holds for him time alone can tell, but the auguries were never more _ favourable for an outstanding addition to the august line of musical succession.”

New Zealand brass bands are, seemingly, to have the time of their lives during the next few months—provided that the Centennial Exhibition in Wellington runs its normal course as scheduled. The war having put out of question the projected visit of the Welsh Guards’ Band, it has been decided to wive our local instrumentalists a chance to show their ability. I understand that every band of real merit in this country prill have an opportunity of performing ; it is not intended to engage any particular body for the entire season: ail will take turns. So, bandsmen, what of the night? We can only hope that the best players will not all have enlisted, for much of the Exhibition s success will depend upon its music. No doubt considerable recourse will be bad to recorded band music, per medium of loud speakers in the grounds, and this will nofe make the task of local bands any easier, for band recordings to-day are of very high standard. Personally, I am exceedingly disappointed that there is to he no orchestra at the Exhibition. Even the best brass band is apt to pall bn some ears after a while, but nobody ever tires of a good orchestra. New Zealand suffers from the lack of a military band, the next substitute for orchestral music. Perhaps when Hitler is smashed we may find leisure to repair this deficiency in our cultural life.