MUSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 646, 24 April 1929, Page 16

MUSIC

(By

F.1.R.)

An interesting collaboration is announced in the Italian newspapers, Gabriele d’Annunzio having undertaken to write a libretto for Ildebrando Pizzetti. The association is not, however, new. In 1903 the composer made a choral setting of d’Annunzio’s drama, “La Nave,” and in 1915 the opera, “Fedra,” was produced at the Scala. He has also written incidental music to “La Pisanella” and to the cinema play, “Cabiria.” c * * Encouraging Support Sir Thomas Beecham has addressed 133 meetings in England and Scotland on behalf of the Imperial League of Opera in the past 18 months. The membership (at 10s a year) is now about 38,000. Sir Thomas wants 50,000 to 55,000 members. If he can bring in that number he has promises of substantial sums from well-to-do patrons of opera who are willing to give handsomely if they are convinced of the public demand. OPERA STAR’S RISE ROSA PONSELL.E IN “NORMA” One of the features of the forthcoming season of international opera at Covent Garden will be the revival of Beilin ’s “Norma,” which was last heard at Covent Garden on June 24, 1893. This year the part of “Norma” will be sung by Rosa Ponselle, the famous prima donna of the Metropolitan Opera Company. She was born in America (Meriden, Conn.), of poor but thrifty Italian immigrants. She made her debut ten years ago, when she was 21, and even for a prima donna it is no mean feat to be one of the world's great singers at 31. Miss Ponselle has been the heroine of 16 different Italian and French operas, and her appearance at Covent Garden will Jie anticipated with interest. "Norma” was produced in Auckland last year by the Gonsalez Opera Company.

AN AUSTRALIAN FIGURES IT OUT

The average listener never pauses to think of the gigantic task of Station 3LO, Melbourne, in supplying programmes to suit all tastes every day in the year, an Australian of a statistical turn of mind writes. "Do you know,” he said, “that in 1928 no less than 18.41 G songs were broadcast by 3LO—sopranos, tenors, baritones, contraltos, bassos and others vibrated the air we breathe with their songs of love and woe for a total of 53,248 minutes—equal to about 38 days. Classical orchestral and instrumental numbers occupied 36,000 minutes, or about 25 days, and for 31,515 minutes dancers aJJ over Australia stepped merrily ct> the tunes of modern jazz and old-time dance strains, of which more than 15,000 numbers were played? Scotty, ‘the man fra’ auld Reekie.’ who plays the sousaphone, puffed through his instrument sufficient air to inflate a small airship. “jEric Welch spoke for 7,920 minutes on race courses and at the stadium, while Agnes Fortune, the studio accompanist, touched the keys of the grand piano, which once belonged to Paderewski, more than 17,000,000 times. Church services claimed over 16,000 minutes, and about 9,750 miles of telephone trunk lines were used for outside transmissions. Talkers talked for over 20,000 minutes upon all manner of subjects from suet puddings to the ancient tombs of Egypt. *’lt took over 17,000 minutes to tell Australia the latest news, while 7.320 minutes were required to inform farm- ♦ rs of the price of pigs, onions and other produce and to acquaint investors of the latest stock reports, and men who go down to the sea in ships ot approaching storms, while real life • agedies and romances claimed the j attention of listeners for more than 1.000 minutes in the form of urgent i»olic% messages.” ■l

The Bohemians Fine Programme For Opening Concert EIGHTY PLAYERS A varied and interesting programme has been prepared by the Bohemian Orchestra to usher in its sixteenth season. This will be given by this welltrained orchestra of 80 performers under the direction of Mr. Colin Muston at the Town Hall on Thursday evening of next week. Weber’s “Jubilee” overture will be followed by an orchestral ballad "The Ship o’ the Fiend” (MacCunn). Mozart’s Symphony in G Minor, No. 40, a suite by Reiuecke, the “Karelia” of Sibelius, and finally, scenes from the musical play “Lilac Time,” written around the life of Schubert. The soloists will be Mr. Trevor de Clive Lowe, who will play the ’cello solo, “Sur le Lac (Godard), and Mr. Len Barnes, a fine baritone who has recently taken up his residence in Auckland. Mr. Barnes will sing “The Erl King,” by Schubert. The Bohemian Orchestra is one of the most popular of the city’s musical organisations and never fails to attract packed houses. Subscribers may enrol now for the forthcoming season with Mr. W. J. Caddell, c/o. E. and F. Piano Agency, Ltd. A subscription of 15s entitles subscribers to two tickets for each of four concerts.

Dr. Williams’s New Opera Dr. Vaughan Williams’s new Falstafflaii opera “Sir John in Love” is nearly ready for its production at the Royal College of Music. There is to be a private rehearsal on March 11, and four Invitation performances in the last week of the month. It is a full evening’s entertainment in four acts, aud the music is said to be very frank aud merry, with an abundance of 6-8 tunes. Dr. Malcolm Sargent will conduct. Dr. Vaughan Williams has a new work on hand, a ballet inspired by Blake’s Illustrations to the Book of Job.

NEW TYPE RECEIVER

NO BATTERY OR AERIAL | An interesting new “all electric” rei ceiver has recently been perfected by i a British firm, and will shortly be marketed. The set is striking, in that it requires neither battery nor aerial. It consists merely of a small cabi- | net, containing the receiving equipj meat and loud speaker, which when | plugged into any electric light or ; power socket will pick up all proi grammes within range. Two familiar principles have been combined to j produce this result. j The receiver proper is au ordinary I power-driven receiver fitted with the | now familiar alternating current valves, and a high-tension elimina- ' tor. In addition to supplying the power to operate the valves, the light mains also act as the aerial through one of the condenser plugs which are fairly widely used where the outdoor aerial cannot be erected. These plugs consist merely of two high quality and fairly high capacitj* condensers, one of which is connected to each of the lines in the house circuit, and connected also to a common terminal to which the aerial terminal on the set is connected. In combining the two principles special precautions were necessary in the design of the transformers for valve lighting aud plate supply. These transformers are of special type, having a low capacity between the primary and secondary windings. Unless this precaution were taken ; the transformers would virtually shortcircuit wireless impulses picked up on i the mains into the receiver, and prei vent the mains from being used efi'eci Lively as th» aerial for the receiver.