THEY PLAY UNUSUAL MUSIC

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 4, 21 July 1939, Page 41

THEY PLAY UNUSUAL MUSIC

HREE young people and their mother crossed the Tasman Sea five years ago in search of success. They found it, and returned to New Zealand this year with profitable seasons behind them in Australia and rosy futures ahead of them. They are Nancye, Francis, and Clifford Bridges, of Wanganui, and Mrs. Bridges, whose residence in Wanganui had not made her forget a love of Australia where she was born. Since they were "so high" all three young Bridges have been musicians. In the words of their mother "they have lived for music," and now music and nothing else is their living. Especially since they have been away they have increased their versatility, until now they are almost a concentrated concert orchestra. Nancye plays violin and guitar, Francis plays harp and guitar, Clifford plays piano, ’cello, and guitar, and all three are experts on Francis’ specialty, the marimba, a Cuban instrument on the principle of the xylophone, but with a much more developed tone and wider range. All three sing, and have arranged Maori and Australian aboriginal songs for harmonising with the different instrumental combinations. The two girls dance to Clifford’s playing — old-time dances in costume, folk dances, national dances. . Clifford does most of the arranging, and their instrumental repertoire makes its possible for him to introduce many new effects. His work with Maori songs has been immensely popular in Australia and in New Zealand they have had something new to offer listeners with adaptations of Australian aboriginal music. Their Australian engagements included a two months’ season with Gladys Moncrieff, whom they met again in New Zealand recently. " There is no one quite like her," was their compliment *s the singer. a Most of their work has been in broadcasting. It has kept them so busy with studio work they have had no time for

recording, but plan to remedy this.when they return to Australia at the end. of this month. After a record long-term engagement to 4QG, Brisbane (where; after 18 months, they were still offered renewal) they joined Chang the Magician to tour over here. Clifford acted as musical director of the show, and between them the trio supplied all the incidentals and feature items for the tour. They were first introduced to the aboriginal music by the Australian, Dr. Lethbridge, who had made a study of it and prepared some for use on European instruments. The trio visited native camps to hear it for themselves, but had some difficulty in persuading one local musician to play it in preference to "swing" on his gum leaf. With their thick lips it seems that the aboriginals can play almost anything on these gum leaves. One or two of them have some faint idea of harmonising, but in the main they play and sing simple things with often repeated rhythmic cadences. The trio sang some examples for the Listener's representative, and explained that one of the songs contained only five words. They also give translations. _ Among their observations on New Zealand. as seen after five years were some pointed comments on Wellington’s cost of living. It takes £5 a week to get them a flat of a size so diminutive there was nothing in the N.B.S. building with which they could compare it except cupboards, However, they had been warned of this, Wellington’s infamous reputation extended to Australia. Otherwise they liked Wellington. "Things happen here," they said. Auckland did not seem to them to be so lively. They connected this impression with the climate. Wanganui, their home town, seemed to them to have been the only centre they visited in New Zealand which had not progressed to any marked extent. . An engagement from ‘the N.B.S. persuaded them to stay in New Zealand for a month (they played from 2YA on July 14, 18, 21 and 22) but this was only a postponement of their intention to get back to Australia as quickly as possible.