MUSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 772, 19 September 1929, Page 16

MUSIC

(By

F.1.R.)

Glancing Ahead —

Saturday.—Municipal Choir Concert. September 26.—Bohemian Orchestra. October s.—Citizens’ Concert (Municipal Band). October 22 and 24.—Dusolinl Giannini. November 7.—Auckland Choral Society Concert. November 19. —Aeolian Orchestra. Eugen Ysaye has been appointed director of a newly founded association aiming to foster works of Belgian composers. Under the headline “And Sang Like It,” the London “Daily Mirror” remarked of an opera company: “They advertised a chorus of seventy—and they looked it.” At the Municipal Choir concert on Saturday evening the choir will sing “Sing to the Lord” (Mendelssohn), “The Little Sandman” (West), “Let Me the Canakin Clink” (McEwen), “Orpheus With His Lute,” “Rolling Down To Rio” (Gfrman), “The Farmer’s Daughters” (Old English), and works by Bird and Atterbury. The assisting artists will be Mr. Maughan Barnett, city organist, Miss Mary McCormick (vocalist) and Miss Jean Alien (violinist). SONG-WRITING KEPT HIM YOUNG MR. WEATHERLY’S RECIPE The announcement received last week of the death of Mr. Frederic Weatherly, K.C., the ■well-known songwriter. in his 81st year, came to hand almost simultaneously with an article written by him for the “Daily Chronicle.” Curiously enough the article is headed “Song-writing Keeps Me Young.” “It may sound like a contradiction in terms, but it is nevertheless true, that it takes a happy man to write the most sentimental and doleful of duties!” wrote Mr. Weatherly. "When people ask me my recipe for a love song, the answer is easy. “To begin with, the author must be in love, or at least think-he is! Then he must liud a composer who is in love, or thinks he i 3. Next the composer must find a singer who is in love, or thinks he is. And when the song is sung, if the listeners are in love, or at least think they are. the better the song will ‘go’! "It was a fortunafb thing for me that I began writing songs when I did, for I had some fine models to guide me —models of songs of all sorts: ‘Simon the Cellarer,’ ‘Come Into the Garden, Maud,' ‘Tom Bowling,’ ‘Three Fishers,’ ‘The Sands of Dee,’ and many another. "I pity the young author who starts song-writing today. Such problems as ‘Why Is the bacon so tough?’ are quite beyond me! In my young days it was easy and quite natural to write songs such as ‘My Mother Bids Me Bind My Hair.’ But. as ‘Punch’ remarks, ‘the altered relations between mother and her shingled daughter’ make it difficult. “When my friends ask me what is my last song, my answer is: 'I haven’t written it yet!’ What is my latest? Well, my publishers will tell you,” he wrote. "Of one thing I feel certain. As long as I am happy I shall write songs—even sad ones. And as I am ret y happy, thank you, in spite of the usual anxieties of life, I think I shall continue to write songs. Whether people will like them —well, that is another story.” The late Mr. Frederic Edward Weatherly was born in Somerset in October, 1848, andtwas called to the Bar when he was 39 years old. He was made a K.C. in 1925. He has written about 3,000 songs, about half of which have been published.

Music Comes Back

ORCHESTRAS RE-ENGAGED IN MANY CITIES OF i AM ERICA. I I MELBOURNE ALSO “.After two years, the novelty of the invention has gradually worn off, and the chaos brought about in the ranks of the musicians, managers, producers and others is being adjusted. . . . Very little damage has been done to the musician, and from all appearances he will he in a better position than ever before. But he must be a musician in the full sense of the word.” Thus, in the “Strad” for July, 1929, Alvin C. White prefixes a series of reports from all part 3 of the United States of America, detailing the effect of the talkies on theatre orchestras and music generally. Since the United States has had the talkies longer than any other country, these reports are of special significance. A selection is given from the more important cities: Boston.—"lt is now clearly seen, after a trial in various theatres, that the ‘canned music' must take its rightful place—that of an adjunct to the equipment of the theatre rather than as a competitor to the theatre orchestra. Within the past three weeks, two theatres have been obliged to reinstate their orchestras, after having previously discharged them for the purpose of trying out mechanical music. Not only through complaints, but by non-attendance of patrons, has it become apparent . . . that an orchestra is still a necessity in the modern theatre. The Boston Musicians’ Union ... of 2,500 members has only eight orchestral musicians who are actually out of employment on account of the talkies. . . .” Chicago.—“ The Chicago Theatre stage band has been done away with, and the pit orchestra has been augmented to symphonic proportions. One thousand five hundred musicians were employed in picture houses at the opening of 1928. Since then only 65 have been thrown out of work by the talkies. . . .” Want Good Music Los Angeles.—" The Los Angeles Herald” sent out 249 questionnaires about the silent and talkie situation, with the following result: 145 voted in favour of the talkies as against 104 for the silent. . . In answer as to the preference, house orchestra or synchronised music, the vote was 192 to 57 in favour of the house orchestra. In answer to the all-important question as to the talkies being good enough to substitute plays, 223 declared they could never take the place of the spoken drama.” Other reports are given from Indianapolis. Seattle. Atlanta. Birmingham, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Baltimore, and New Orleans, mostly telling of the re-engagement of theatre orchestras to meet a popular demand. Mr. White’s article ends with this summary:—“After two years of the talkies, we in America find that they are no doubt here to stay, but have still a vast room for improvement; that the box office value in many cases cannot be considered owing to the high cost of installation and the high rentals; and that the musician is still with us, but must strive to be a better musician.” A newspaper report from Melbourne states that good orchestral music Is to take the place of stage presentations at Hoyt’s Regent Theatre. The orchestra of 30 will be directed in special operatic and symphonic programmes by a series of guest conductors, of whom the first is Mr. Gustave Slapoffski. The theatre manager explained that the public was tiring of stage presentations, and wanted good music instead.