MUSIC IN SIAM

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 706, 4 July 1929, Page 14

MUSIC IN SIAM

MARVELLOUS ORCHESTRA OF NATIVES ENGLAND’S PRESTIGE IN CHINA A marvellous symphony orchestra it Bangkok, in Siam, will always be •emembered by Mr. William Heughan, ihe Scottish baritone. “It was one of the most lovely shings I have ever heard,” he said yesterday, on the Maheno. “There were 60 players, all Siamese, and they played classical music perfectly.

“One of the most extraordinary features of the orchestra is that they have never heard one themselves, except on the gramophone. The conductor was a half:aste German whose father went to Siam and married a Siamese woman. He started the orches-

tra, and the son has carried on.” Mr. Heughan says that the excellence of the orchestra is even more wonderful when one considers the native music of Siam, which has very little melody, according to our ears. The whole idea of music must have been changed when the players adapted themselves to the classical compositions of European composers. On his last tour of the East, which embraced Shanghai, Hong-Kong, and other cities in China, Japan, Siam, and many of the islands of the East Indies, he sang to the most cosmopolitan audiences. He found that English was spoken everywhere, which showed what a universal language it was. There were 18 different nationalities in his audience at Bangkok, in Siam, a city which also publishes three newspapers in English. Everywhere in the East Mr. Heughan found a great appreciation of England. This, he said, was particularly noticeable in China at the present time. China was thirsting for information on education, and business, and as far as he could see there had been a distinct swing of the pendulum of public opinion in favour of England. “The British soldiers did it,” said Mr. Heughan. “The Chinese were so surprised at the behaviour and appearance of the British soldiers who were sent there during the recent trouble that they have changed their views. When the troops arrived there, the Chinese said: ‘lf these are your soldiers, what a wonderful race you must be.’ ” Mr. Heughan will begin a tour of New Zealand shortly.