AUTHOR MISSING

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 8, 18 August 1939, Page 7

AUTHOR MISSING

Story of Frederick Rosse HOUSANDS of people must have heard Frederick Rosse’s music to "The Merchant of Venice," and many more must have heard of the musician himself, but how many know how his best known composition came into being? One day Arthur Bouchier decided to produce a play, and commissioned Frederick Rosse to write the necessary incidental music. The composer, not unnaturally, expressed a desire to meet the author, but Bouchier kept putting him off with " Not yet; there’s no hurry." After some time had passed he wrote to Rosse asking him to come to the theatre to meet the others concerned in the production. At last, it seemed, Rosse was to meet the author; possibly, he thought, it would be Pinero, or Sutro, Henry Arthur Jones, or some other great playwright of the day. On arrival at the theatre he was ushered into Bouchier’s sanctum. With the great man were his wife, Violet Vanbrugh, the stage manager, and the producer-but still no sign of the author. When Rosse again said he would like to meet the author Bouchier replied that he had much better compose the music first, as it would not much matter when or where he met him. Thereupon Bouchier solemnly handed over a copy of Shakespeare’s " Merchant of Venice"! An interesting sequel attaches to the story. For a long time Rosse had wanted to write the music for one of Beerbohm Tree’s productions, and one day Tree’s manager, Henry Dana, informed the composer that at last his chance had arrived. Tree wanted him to compose the music for a new production. The welcome tidings were, however, spoilt when Rosse learnt that Tree had decided suddenly to produce "The Merchant" also, and within a few months of Bouchier’s presentation. So the golden opportunity was lost. Frederick Rosse and his young wife, Mary Lind, were living in Vienna one eventful day when Hitler’s Nazis walked into Austria. Miss Lind had been studying to sing in opera, had already made a successful appearance as Elsa in " Lohengrin," and was rehearsing for " Aida." The anschluss broke up all that, as it did so much else. Rosse has written that the "situation for a British artist was made impossible." His wife was under contract to the Second Opera House (Volks Oper), but the management was Jewish, and the contract immediately became void. A special programme about Frederick Rosse and his works will be heard on Sunday, August 27, at 3 p.m., from 2YA, Wellington,