THE WORLD OF MUSIC

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20989, 16 December 1939, Page 15 (Supplement)

THE WORLD OF MUSIC

Joseph Crawford Studio of Singing Owing to seating accommodation for the recital by the students of the Joseph Crawford Studio of Singing (Mr and Mrs Crawford), to be held at the Waikato Lyceum Club on Monday night being fully taxed, it has been found necessary, in response to many requests, for the recital to be repeated on Tuesday, at the National Club, in Toorak Chambers . An outstanding programme has been arranged, including solos, duets, quartets and items by the studio choir. The accompanists will be Mrs Joseph Crawford and Mr Stanley James. Hamilton Singers at Wellington Members of the Hamilton Philharmonic Society, the Auckland Choral Society and the New Plymouth Choral Society assisted the Royal Wellington Choral Union in a performance of “The Messiah” on Saturday night. The chorus and orchestra numbered 450, Boy Soprano Becomes Baritone Lex Macdonald, formerly very popular as a boy soprano, has | matured into a baritone. He was one of the soloists at a concert given by Ernest Drake’s pupils at Dunedin this week. In its report of the concert a Dunedin paper said* Lex MacDonald faced a difficult task when he chose Wolfe’s “Glory Road,” but he passed the test in excellent style, and gave a strongly-coloured interpretation. “Bethlehem” in Hamilton The cantata “Bethlehem” (Maunder) will be sung at St. Paul’s Methodist Church tomorrow evening. The soloists will be Miss Mona Bradley, Messrs J. T. Battersby, W. B. L. Williams, Horton Arthur and Master Leonard Gilbert. Mr H. G. Cook will be choirmaster and organist. Career for Singing Busman The Singing Busman—Jack Famularo of the Woolloomooloo-Pyrmont ■t'un—who treats his passengers to excerpts from “Rigoletto” and other operas en route, has been persuaded to take up a musical career in earnest, and has made arrangements to have singing lessons with Walter Kingsley. Mr Kingsley, who, by the way, was a very popular baritone in New Zealand years ago in his brother’s (Humphrey Bishop) company, says that Mr Famularo will have a few more miles of singing on the highways before he abandons his bus, but that he certainly has a grand voice!

“The Messiah” In Auckland Two performances of “The Messiah” were set down for Auckland this week.

On Thursday night the Pitt Street Methodist Choir, under the baton of Albert Bryant, gave a performance. The soloists were Jean Baber, soprano; Helen Kersey, contralto; Leslie Russell, tenor; and Stewart Harvey, baritone. Tonight the Auckland Choral Society will give its 75th performance of the seasonable oratorio, with Dr. J. Frederick Staton, from England, as guest conductor. The soloists will be:—Soprano, Gwenda Weir; contralto, Phyllis Gribbin; tenor, Joseph Battersby; bass, James Leighton. He Said “Heil Hitler!” A music examiner visiting Tasmania entertained a Rotary audience with a description of the only occasion he had been obliged to say “Heil Hitler.” He was in Austria just after the German occupation. He went to a building he thought to be a restaurant, but which turned out to be a mess room for troops. A sentry with fixed bayonet and truculent demeanour looked him in the eye. “Heil Hitler.” he said. “I did the only thing possible,” said the speaker. “I said ‘Heil Hitler!’ ” 4