Auckland’s Music

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 926, 20 March 1930, Page 14

Auckland’s Music

(By F.1.R.)

MID-VICTORIAN ATMOSPHERE Dre:Etry Halls and Oratorio IX the annusS outcry against the decline of musical appreciation on the part of the Auckland public—an outcry that makes its appearance at about the same time as Auckland musical socks ies present their shrinking balance-sheets to their membe A —there is very little that is new. Probably the customary tirade against “canned” music and the tall lias (last year it was silent pictures) may be accepted as a satisfactory explanation for poor houses, but it does not grit the societies concerned any further ahead. Musicians in Mew Zealand have sat for a long time over the corpse of Mr (sic, but the variety of verdicts, however, interesting, has n pit helped to bring about a revival.

Picture theatr »3. broadcasting, gramophones and {bridge can all be blamed, but the s imple fact of the matter is that whcjre everything else in the world has cjianged in keeping with modern cond Cl ions and requirements, music has jsttayed very much where it was in the days before June 2S', 1914, when a mladman’s bullet set lhe world aflame, r Following the s tress of war years people have lookeil more and more for lighter and mi ire exciting relaxations, and the de a land has promptly been catered various ways. Competition betwe en the various forms of entertainlment is becoming keener every year,.' and each year the standard is gradually being forced up, if not in the actual! merit of the performances, at least; in the comfort and conveniences offer Bd to patrons. But the music? world with its orthodox methods of presenting programmes, its dreary halls, biasing lights, hard seats alnd bare stages, remains today precis sly where it stood in the days of Victoria, except that some of the iKaen performers now wear white even hig-dress waistcoats instead of black aoid side whiskers have been abolishisd. In regard to cisoral societies the music remains thei same . . . still the eternal cycle nit “Elijah,” “The Creation” and “M«ssiah.” Even people who really enjoy ioratorio, and there are quite a few, mu st some day weary of it, and the ifesult is a falling off in subscribers . and attendances. BLAZING HOUSE LIGHTS Very few of the Auckland societies make any attempt, to study the comfort of their pa trots 3. They are compelled to endure ’the discomfort of

blazing house lights that tire the eyes and eventually dull the senses. Last year The Sun published in these columns a symposium of opinions on this subject gathered from leading artists. All but one strongly voted for dimmed lights in the auditorium. At the same time a plea was made for stage decorations, but this also was ignored. Music above all things, needs a pleasing and appropriate background. it is alsp essential that there should be no annoying distractions, which when people are gathered together are sometimes hard to avoid, and which blazing house lights readily reveal.

The decision of the Choral Society to present a miscellaneous programme | at one concert this season instead of i one complete work will probably prove a wise move. It will certainly be a welcome change from the eternal cycle of oratorio. In the matter of programmes the choral societies are certainly on the horns of a dilemma. The constant repetition of oratorios is not calculated to attract people who have heard them time and again, and it is extremely doubtful whether popular music, while alienating the patronage of the musicians, will attract those who are content to hear it in the more comfortable surroundings and amid the greater variety that the modern theatres can offer.

To decry the musical tastes of the people is useless. Years ago when there was nothing else to do they went to concerts. Now, as then, most people like to hear music occasionally, but now they can get it sandwiched between other items at the talkies, and in their own way they enjoy it. The position at tho present moment appears to be defining itself : On the one hand is the big mass of the public

whose musical appetite is being readily catered for by the theatres, and another section, naturally interested in good music, whose reaction to the universal overdose of popular music is taking the form of a growing interest in classical music. Of this latter development there are already indications. There is no doubt but that the situation is lending itself to the successful establishment of chamber music societies throughout the Dominion. These societies are not only in the happy position of being able to operate at a smaller outlay, but they are able to perform in the more intimate and artistic atmosphere of the smaller halls. There is a growing feeling abroad that these societies are going to meet the requirements of the musical section of the public, and, what is of considerable importance from the point of view of success, suit the conditions of the age. For the orchestras there appears to be a better chance of ultimate success. Orchestral combinations undoubtedly possess a greater appeal to the man in the street than choral concerts. In London recently Sir Henry Wood conducted the rather daring experiment of presenting several classical items, including Bach’s “Air On the G String,” “Prelude to Act 111. from Lohengrin” and Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” at a vaudeville entertainment. They were, enthusiastically received, particularly the last number, which was greeted with thunderous applause. Finally, there is also an urgent need in Auckland for a greater spirit of cooperation among the members of the societies. Each has its small band of workers, but a hard working president and a few officials is not enough. For this reason the holding of Music Week this year will come at a particularly opportune time in Auckland. If it can only succeed in creating renewed interest on the part of musicians themselves and a spirit of greater enterprise, much will have been done.