A PRODIGY

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 274, 9 February 1928, Page 18

A PRODIGY

TEN-YEAR-OLD VIOLINIST IS TAKING AMERICA BY STORM YEHUDI MENUHIN’S SUCCESS American papers are loud in their praise of Yehudi Menuhin, the boy prodigy of the violin. Since his return from Europe he has proceeded from one triumph to another, and although only 10 years of age, a wonderful career is already predicted. On his visit to Sinai, Ernesco’s home in Rumania, Yehudi Menuhin, through his parents, received invitations to play for Queen Marie in her castle. None of these commands were accepted at the time, but the day before the Menuhin family left Sinai, Queen Marie, together with the Princess Cantacuzene and the Princess Helena, spent three hours with Yehudi while he was taking a lesson with Enesco. Invitations from the Queens of Belgium, Italy, Spain and Sweden to have Yehudi play for them were also received and declined, and letters offering special engagements from the Paris Conservatory, the Philharmonic of Paris, and Berlin and London orchestras brought the reply that Yehudi had gone to Europe for study. Child prodigies on the violin are not rare, but none of them has played the kind of music Menuhin performs. Nearly always they were versed chiefly In technique and in tricks of delivery and gave the major classics an understandably wide berth. Famous Prodigies Joachim appeared publicly at seven, but he played only a duet with his teacher. Vieuxtemps made his debut at eight, De Beriot was nine. Marteau, at 10, did a concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic. Sarasate, also 10, gave a recital before Queen Isabella, of Spain. At the same age two women, Marie Hall (English) and Camillo Urso (French), first faced the footlights, the latter in America. Paganini, perhaps the greatest of all violinists, had his entree at 11. Kreutzer, at 13, played a concert of his own. Viotti taught himself the violin when he was a mere tot. So did Mozart, most astounding of all prodigies. At seven he was a master of that instrument and of the harpsichord. When he was eight, and touring, his father wrote home: “He knows everything that one could require of a man of 40.” Kreisler was 14 when he first played in America. Heifetz made his Russian debut in the Mendelssohn concerto when he was six. Elman, at 12. Lichtenberg gave concerts at eight and at 12 appeared on the same stage with Wienawski. Menuhirt was born in America of Russian parents. DEAF COMPOSERS BEETHOVEN NOT ONLY ONE SMETANA DEAF AND INSANE Beethoven was not the only prominent composer who became deaf in the midst of his career, nor was Schumann unique among famous musicians in spending his last days in an insane asylum. Both these tragedies were combined in the life history of Friedrich Smetana, the! Czech composer. Smetana was born in Bohemia in 1824, several years before the death of Beethoven and Schubert. Like many another father, Friedrich's frowned on a musical career for his son. When he was six years old Smetana first appeared in public as a pianist and his father relented. Like many of his contemporaries, some of them such prime geniuses as Brahms and Wagner, Smetana visited Liszt, and was aided and encouraged by the genial Abbe. With his wife, a pianist. he rounded a music school in Prague, then he went to conduct in Sweden. Ten years later, in 1866, he returned to the Czech capital to become leader at the National Bohemian Theatre. Loses His Reason A gradual loss of hearing disturbed Mm. and finally caused him' to quit his position when he became completely deaf at the age of 50. Leading Bohemian music societies arranged a festival to celebrate his sixtieth birthday. but on that very day Smetana lost his reason and was removed to a luna--IBCB8 C 84 aSy Um ‘ Th6re h ® dled on May 12 ' His best known works are “The Bartered Bride. ' a comic opera that is still Played all oyer the world, and the autobiographieal string quartette. “From My Life. The latter is supposed to depict more or less literally the struggles and events of his career. In the last movement there are supposed h®. 1 . 01 ?® 1 indications of the persistent whistling sound he heard as he became more and more deaf. in^i^ tana 5 less known compositions include such operas as “Dalibor.” writ*enl”,!Bß,B, two years after “The Bart.ir® d Bride” “ T wo Widows” (1874), Tke „*fi ss (1876), “Libussa" (1881) and The Devil’s Wall” (1882). He '2! ?** Patriotic symphonic poems galled My Fatherland.” Of these rZn?Ji a iS T OB I played - Other instrumental music bears his signature. MUSIC IN SCHOOLS THE AMERICAN WAY DR. HIGHT IS IMPRESSED “I was most impressed with the amazing advance that has Seen made in the teaching of music in English and American schools.” remarked Dr. J Wight, who has returned from an extensive tour of Great Britain, Europe, and the United States. “In all the schools. Instruction in music is well to the fore, thereby showing up very ?i ea ?/, New Zealand’s deficiencies. In tho United States, students are allowed to specialise in music. Each school has a music room, and several practice rooms. Instruction is given in a variety of instruments, in music theory orchestration, and the appreciation of music. Moreover, each school has its own orchestra, school band, and chamber music party. “Music is the only art in which America excels. Nearly every city has a large civic orchestra, containing as a rule from 90 to 100 highly-paid musicians. Some of these orchestras re richly endowed by private people for the benefit of the city. They provide programmes of music of the highest class, and their concerts are attended by very large audiences. Concerts are held regularly every week, and the players are chiefly Poles, Slavs, Russians, and Germans. “The great New York Symphony Orchestra specialises in children’s concerts, one of which it gives every week.”