MUSICAL JOTTINGS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19721, 11 December 1926, Page 17 (Supplement)

MUSICAL JOTTINGS

By

C. SHARP.

The Wanganui Society of Professional Musicians held their last meeting for the year on Tuesday evening of last week. The meeting took the form uf a recital of music for two pkinos by Miss A. J. Church and Miss N. K. Williams. This form of music has developed considerably of late years and various “pairs’’ of artists are giving special attention to it. The programme referred to consisted of Bach’s Concerto in C, the Saint-Sacns “Variations on a theme of Beethoven,’’ the Schumann “Variations,’’ Griegs “Romance,” and an intercs.ing ar.range’ment of the Rondo from Beethoven’s “Sonata Pathctique” by Dr. Haigh, who recently visited the city. The performance reached a very high level, the artistes ’ admirable technique enabling them to give free expression to an interpretative insight which, brought out the' full intellectual and emotional values of the works performed. Sympathy and unity of ideas produced a perfect ensemble'. and those present recognised and expressed their obligation to the two ladies for a spendid evening’s music.

I was surprised to learn a few days ago, that George' Robey, England’s great comedian, has adopted violinmaking as a hobby. A recent photograph in the “Daily Mirror” shews him presenting a specimen! of his workmanship to Krcisler who has promised to play the instrument at some of his concerts. Regarding a recent concert given by the great violinist, a Home paper writes: —“Every seat for the concert at the Albert Hall yesterday afternoon was sold weeks ago. Yet hours before the performance' hundreds of people besieged the box-office in the hope of getting a ticket. Queues began to form before mid-day for the unreserved part of the hall, and when th*' concert began there was not a vacant place. Fascinated by the music of th-s wonder violinist, there was not a movement among the vast audie'nee when Kreisler was on the platform. Tim*’ after time he was recalled and bowed his acknowledgements in response to thunderous applause. Returning to the platform eight times, at the end of the concert, the audience' persuaded him to play four encores, including his “Caprice Viennois.” —And yet I heard of a New Zealand violin student, who after going to Wellington to hear the great artist, said that it was a waste of time and money to go—“ho didn’t learn anything.”—Some people can’t! * =? * *

“If ever I be allowed to play in a celestial choir, I would surrender any harp, golden or otherwise, to have the privilege of playing one or two notes on the' Oboe.” So said the Bishop of Chester at the Conference of the British Association of Musical Festivals, attended by Sir Henry Hadow, Sir R. R. Terry, and Sir IL Walford Davies. There were villages famous for producing real masters of certain inst.ru meats, said the Bishop, who added: — “I was told that it was necessary for the performer (upon the oboe) to do something with his breath or lungs, but there is some quality about the oboe that I cannot help appreciating.”

The Wanganui Male Choir, at its second subscribers’ concert, proved itself tp bo in a healthy and vigorous condition. Critical listeners inclined to the opinion that the first tenors shewed a refinement of tone not always heard hitherto, and that the musical numbers were happily chosen. A lady with considerably English concert-go-ing experience expressed the opinion that she had rarely heard a singer so complete in her artistry as Madame Winnie Fraser. It is well that local singers should occasionally hear those from other centres, for something may always be learnt by comparison, and certainly a good deal may be' learnt from such an artist as Madame Winnie Fraser. The Male Choir, and its skilful painstaking conductor, Mr. Lance Craig, deserve well at the hands of the citizens of Wanganui for not only do they present, creditably a delightful form of music, to their subscribers and friends, but they are also most willing to assist every deserving cause. May they continue to prosper!

The local society of Professional Musicians has elected its president, Mr. Will Hutchens, to represent it at the Conference of Musicians to be held in Auckland in January next..

In the course of an article on Florence Austral, “Figaro” writes thus in “Musical Opinion”:—“After eight weeks of a prostrating illness she' went to Boston and (strange to say) was called upon to sing at one of the Wolfsohn series of symphony concerts in. place of Madame Hulda Lashanska, who in turn had succumbed to influenza. It was the last concert of the' season, and not only had Madame Austral not been heralded, but (according to Warren Storey Smith) she had to face the or deal of singing to an audience ‘not only unprepared to hear her, but probably previously unaware of her very existence.” The concert over, the American papers were mentioning her in company with Schumann —lieink, Sembrick,, Lehmann and Tcrnina! One critic wrote:—“There is more voice, in the throat of Florence Austral than you will find in almost any two other sopranos you can name, and particularly gorgeous voice at that Hers is the kind of voice that Heber and Wagner must have dreamed of when they were writing their music.”

Pavlova seems to figure in the columns of the musical journals almost- as extensively as in those devoted to the art of dancing. The following paragraph is taken from an article in the musical column of the “London Daily Telegraph”:—l have already given some account of Al me. Pavlova’s early reception in Australia. But since last I heard the' most popular of dancers has visited South Africa, where she proved as attractive through her art ns elsewhere. In New Zealand the Maori dances interested her vastly, just as in South Africa she “adored” the Zulu dances. Incidentally, is there not something quite out of the common in this unity of joy in the art of the ‘Dance. Wherever Mme. Pavlova seems to pitch her tent there her art is appro ciated in a very high degree, be the people among whom she' has taken up her temporary abode “savage” oi