EMPEROR’S MUSICIANS HEARD BY ZIMBALIST

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 380, 14 June 1928, Page 14

EMPEROR’S MUSICIANS HEARD BY ZIMBALIST

MUSIC 2,000 YEARS OLD PLEASING CHINESE RHYTHMS Efrem Zimbalist, who returned recently from a 55,000-mile world tour, during which he gave 134 concerts, told of hearing Chinese music of 2,000 years ago played by the private orchestra of the Emperor of Japan. He is one of the few Europeans, he said, ever to have been invited to hear this Imperial body of 35 players, who never appear in public, and who constitute the sole means by which ancient Chinese music, introduced into Japan 700 years ago, is perpetuated. Contrary to popular belief, said Mr. Zimbalist, this authentic type of Oriental music is ex-

tremely pleasing even to Westerr ears. It is subduec. in volume, with strongly markei and varied rhythms j and exquisite in its j changing colour j “Gongs of a super- j latively beautifu i and delicate tone j vibrating for a? amazing length ot I time, together with small wind instruments, with a mul-

tiplicity of pipes capable of sounding the most complicated chords, and pungent reed instruments resembling miniature oboes, are combined to produce effects of extraordinary beauty. So far as I was able to determine, the musical scale is not unlike our own, except that it seemed to have eleven semi-tones instead of twelve. The music has definite harmonic laws and is written down in bars by means of figures.” The violinist also listened to music and instruments of similar type in Java, at a concert arranged in his honour by a native potentate. The latter gave Mr. Zimbalist a large album of coloured plates representing the court dancers and encased in a carved rosewood box.

A sudden attack of homesickness induced Mr. Zimbalist to cancel fifteen concerts scheduled for Spain and Poland and to sail from Cadiz the morning after his appearance there.

News has been received by Dame Nellie Melba that Mr. John Brownlee, the Geelong baritone, was recently offered £6,000 for a month’s engagement at the Colon Theatre, Buenos Aires. The young singer had previously agreed to return to Australia as one of the principals of the Wil-liamson-Melba Opera Company, and so declined this tempting proposition. The directors of the Colon Theatre attempted to induce him to break his Australian contract, but without success, as he felt in honour bound to keep it. After Mr. Brownlee had been given a two years’ contract at the Paris Opera he was asked to sing at Covent Garden, London, and various offers have since come to him. Already this baritone has been approached to appear at La Scala, Milan, and in the near future will be heard in that famous opera house. Mr. Brownlee is the first male singer of British birth to achieve the distinction of being placed on the regular roster of the Paris Opera. He has been given leave of absence to return to Australia and will be in the cast of “Aida” on the opening night of the Williamson-Melba Opera Company’s season- __