MUSIC NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8355, 15 February 1913, Page 10

MUSIC NOTES

THE 81-CENTENARY OF THE PIANO. It was exactly two hundred years ago ou December 30th last that n maker of spinets in Paris, called Marius, addressed a .preliminary note to the Koyal Academy of Science, concerning “a project for an instrument, with hammers striking the cords directly instead of moving them by friction.-” The preliminary note of 1713 was followed by a more detailed communication in 1715 containing a description and an engraving of four instruments in which the wooden tongues called sautereaux (which produced the sound in the spinet by friction ou the strings) were replaced by percussion hammers set in motion by pressure on the keys. Thus the principle on which all modern developments of the piano are based was discovered, Of Marius practically nothing is known. He is supposed to have died in poverty about 1730; and his invention met with no genuine success. Moreover its originality was disputed: for it is maintained that it was several months before Marius's first communication to the Academy that a Florentine, Bartolemoo Christofori. submitted a plan for a similar instrument to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Tne instrument ho called Clavicembalo a markletti col piano e forte, whence the name pianoforte is obviously derived. However, since Christofori’s discovery “ ot published till some years subsequently, tne honour oi simultaneous discovery at least remains tvicn tno obscure Manus. TEADE 'UNION MUSIC.

The Washington correspondent of the “lioiuischa /.eicung” gives an account of an amusing debtue wnicn took place a; a meeting of tne Cmcago iius.cians Union, wuioh is affiliated. to the Spcac American Workers' Union. Ihe Chicago union recently passed a resolution by wnicn musicians belonging to me union may only play upon violins bearing the muon mark and made ’by makers who are members ot the workers Union. Unfortunately, the old masters pi violinmaking, Stradivurius, Amati, Bergonzi, Testore, Uranciuo, Guainen. and Jvloiz, were precluded by an accident of birth from enrolling them reiver in trade unions. Hence an amusing dispute, since it transpired that several ot the musicians in Chicago orchestras possessed violins by the masters. At the meeting in question the discussion became hea.ed, tuough no final spinturn of the impaseo was reached. IhQ dilemma is best stated in the actual words of two of the chief disputants. Mr Dillon and Mr Ward. I play an Instrument,” said Mr Dillon, which cost me ,£150,. a St rad warms, and 1 woHd not paH with it for union violins or a wagon load of fiddles with the union mark upon them. Air Ware, summed up the discussion with the words: “1 am sick to death of this talk about art. Music on a tm-can sounds sweet to a true union man, it the can ■has only got the union mark upon .it. 4nd it appears that victory remained with the ultia-uniomsts. Indeed, trade unionism seems to have almost swamped music in America. Anton beidel and Walter Damrosch were compelled to be come members of the New I ’ sl ' clans' Union before they could conduct in New York. Mascagni was forced to ir 8 t their permission before his intermezzo was produced. There may be some reason in these acts, but to prevent a musician from using his own btradlvarius seems a stupid piece ot intolerance. A MUSICAL CHILD. A Loudon paper had the following on December 21tn: ‘‘About six months ago it was recorded that Miss Joan D*°yd, of Hounslow, had acliieved at the ripe age of four years, the triumph ot deteatmg tho body of examiners of the Associated Board of the K.A.M. and B.C.M. m the tif.st examination. fir ,V ar , ne A; AP teacher, states that Miss Lloyd has now passed the second examination ot the same board with distinction. p ul ? wonderful seems to be the vecord of her mams, for out of a possible loOUe child obtained no less than 113. Inis mite should now* be allowed to rest Horn the terrors of musical examination. SONGS OF CHILDREN. Madams Clara Butt, in * "Message'' to the “Teacher’s World, PO.nts out that the songs selected tor children are very unsuitable. She suggests C’af the good old English. Scotch Irish and -Welsh folksongs should ho used more freely. “They are so quaint, so simple, and yet require such careful s'udv/’ Many of them, she adds, could be adapted quite easily for Part s'ng.ng, and any musical teacher who would take some of them In hand and treat them in this waj* would be conferring a very great benefit upon her profession. Ihere aro al“ the P old English ballads, “Barbara » 11 OT , » By» and couQtlßaS others. “Let us be British,” Madame Clara Butt concludes, ‘and lot our songs be ‘old-fashioned’ rather than mere S. w bich defy all musical rules, set which are still more worthless.” -