VARIOUS ASPECTS OF MUSIC.

Shannon News, 15 June 1928, Page 3

VARIOUS ASPECTS OF MUSIC.

PIANO, ORGAN, AND VOICE * PRODUCTION.

Mr Edwin Dennis, A.R.C.M., tutor to tlie Lijgyin W.E.A. class in musical appreciation, prefaced his lecture , in the De Luxe Concert Hall on Monday evening with a gramophone reproduction of “ Variations Symphoniques’’ * (Cesar Franck), played by the Lon- 1 . don Symphony Orchestra under .the . baton of Alfred Cortot. Tlie lecturer explained that this was in the form of a concerto for the piano,' accompanied’ by an. orchestra. He drew attention to the somewhat liarsli tone of the piano " ill comparison with the other instruments, and said that this'was hot fully realised until a pianoforte concerto was heard. As' something out of the . beaten track, Mr Dennis then put on a record of the Wurlitzer organ playing “In a Persian Market” and “lii a Monastery Garden.” . Describing this recent addition to the family. ' > i of instruments, Mr Dennis said that tlie general principle of the Wurlijtzsr differentiating it from other. organs was high, pressure, amounting to 321bs . ' ; to the square inch. The ordinary pipe organ had three manuals —the great organ, the choir organ, and the swell. In the Wurlitzer there were only two manuals, but by the use of buttons combinations'.Were produced so that one manual would .play , two different types of organ. Thus there w r as the scope s of four manuals. In the pipe organ the effects were obtained by combinations of stops. Even with a solo stop, com--, r binations were working in other parts of the organ. The Wurlitzer aimed more for orchestral effects than combination; percussion effects were also produced, with mechanically operated drums, xylophones, castanets and other such instruments, all controlled from the keyboard. ■ Mr Dennis then continued the course of instruction given at - previous lectures in the use of the voice. Dealing again with consonants, he referred first to “ng,” and said it was often converted to “u” at the end of a word, , owing more, to carelessness than any other cause. The “ng” was properly pionounced with the lips parted and tlie tongue, raised, the sound -going through the nose. . This was a help towards resonance. “Y,” “w” and “wh” were called semi-vowels. “Y” : • was practically “e” as a half-vowel. “W” was similar to “u,” being formed in the same way With the 'lips. “Wh” was the aspirated form, fami- • liar to drivers of horses, who-frequent-ly practised it w T hen calling out “Whoa!”. “L,” as in “love,” was < a rippling sound; the tongue was placed against a hard palate, and the sound vibrated the sides as it passed over them. “R,,” as in“ruby, ’’ could be trilled, with the tip of the tongue striking the hard palate. It was a golden rule that “r” should never be trilled after' a vowel —due allowance being made for Scotchmen. In the ' ' average way the “r” should ibe rolled , , before a vowel if it was desired to ’• make an effect. “B” and “p” were a pair. The first was a voiced labial; it was produced by firmly but not rigidly closing the lips and holding the breath in the mouth, then letitng it go. The lecturer contrasted it with ‘/p,’ ’ showing the difference in degree between the voiced and the breath’d labial. In “d” and “t” the tongue . was raised against the palate to stop the breath prior to its release. For the, production of “dth” the tongue was used against the palate and teeth, ■, and for “th” against the teeth. “Z” and “s” were obtained with the'tip of the tongue curled upwards and the tongue indented down the centre. The tutor gave the class exercises for acquiring the correct pronunciation of a number of sounds; also exercises in facial movements to assist in acquiring resonance and distinctness. He explained that it was advisable to show the top teeth in singing or speaking. Learners should try to smile when singing “ah.” If they Covered the top teeth land showed thej bottom ones, they jarnbed the throat,muscles. Incidentally, Mr Dennis remarked that a smiling face would take a person a long way in life. From the smiling position, further exercises were developed for (lie use of the lips. The tutor advised members of the class to practise them before a mirror. The evening’s study concluded with the repetition of sound forms prescribed for the cultivation of resonance.

The gramophone and records were lent by His Master’s Voice Company, for which Mr K. Aitken is the local agent.