MUSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 518, 22 November 1928, Page 14

MUSIC

(By

Elena Danieli, a young soprano with the Williamson-Melba Grand Opera in its recent tour of Australia, has been engaged to sing at Covent Garden, Loudon, next season. Miss Danieli is a protegee of Melba, through whom he received her introduction to Australia. Her only appearance with the opera company was as Nedda in “Pagliacci.” * * * Alfred Hill’s Maori music scored a splendid success at the Hollywood Bowl, America, recently. Madame Eileen O'Moore (Bessie Doyle), the eminent Sydney violinist, who was a fellow student at Leipzig, with Mr. Hill, stated that she heard his music played by M. Henri Verbrugghen's line orchestra with great success. It was the only item that the audience encored. The announcer, in allowing the “no encore” rule to be broken on this occasion, said; “Alfred Hill should write more. His work has given great pleasure to this vast audience.” Madame O’Moore says that she was delighted no less at the enthusiasm than the beauty of the work. * * * Signor Antonio Notariello, the celebiated operatic tenor, who toured New Zealand some years ago and settled in Christchurch, is still in Great Britain, where he has been engaged by Sir Dan Godfrey for an extensive concert tour of England and Scotland in conjunction with Godfrey's Symphony Orchestra. Signor Notariello has made several gramophone records since his arrival in England, and for the sale of his first half-dozen double-sided discs is said to have received a sum running into five figures. He is under the management of Wells and Sharps, London’s foremost concert agents, and is booked to appear at the Royal Albert Hall at the beginning of the next concert season. Carl Czerny, pupil of Beethoven and teacher of great virtuosi of the pianoforte, notably Liszt and Leschetizky, instructed his pupils thus:—“The fingers are to be so bent that the tips of them, together with that of the thumb, when extended outwards, may form one straight line, and so that the keys may always be struck with the fleshy tips of the fingers. Percussion on the keys is effected solely by the fingers, which, without any actual blow, must press each key down firmly. Neither the hand nor the arm should be allowed to make any unnecessary movements.” * * * Sir Edward Elgar has made a new departure as a composer by writing the whole of the incidental music for a new drama, “Beau Brummel,” which will be performed for the first time

at the Theatre Royal, Birmingham, on November 5 and will be produced in London in the New Year. The music includes an overture and a setting for a minuet which will be a feature of the play. In the past some of Sir Edward’s music has been adapted to stage performances. This is the first time he has attempted to create music especially suited to the period and the atmosphere of a drama. • * * There were 3.6Q0 bandsmen comprising 143 bauds taking part in the championship band contest held last month at Crystal Palace. A workingclass audience totalled 30,000. A plaintive appealing tune, the work of Mr. Gustave Holst, captured the hearts of the great audience. Mr. Holst had specially written the test piece, “A Moorside Suite,” and the 30,000 men and women who followed intently the chief of the six contests were obviously puzzled by the intricate harmony of the suite’s jolly opening scherzo. Instead of long tests and cadenzas for solo instruments, the parts were closely interwoven. In the following nocturne, however, came a broad, homely melody, beginning softly and swelling to a noble climax. Mr. Holst, who had never been to a national championship contest before, heard his suite played through nine times. He afterwards described the playing as “wonderful." The championship was won by the Black Dyke Mills with Harton Colliery second.