Around The Nationals

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 119, 3 October 1941, Page 24

Around The Nationals

ee Ts yea® 1941 marks the tercentenary of the death of Thomas Dekker, the poet who wrote the well known lullaby: "Golden slumbers kiss your eyes, Smiles await you when you rise." Despite their admittedly scanty knowledge of the births, marriages, and deaths of the Elizabethans, authorities generally agree that Dekker died 300 years ago | this year-in 1641. A contemporary of | Shakespeare, he left some neat verse and several plays. In one of these occurs the lullaby. From 2YA W. Roy Hill (tenor) will sing settings of this and of other poems by Dekker, on Monday, October 6, at 8.28 p.m. * % * HEN Colonel Britton inaugurated his "VY" campaign, he could scarcely have anticipated the tremendous response it would receive. Every means — both subtle and unsubtle-have been used by the people of Europe to spread the symbol of freedom. Rather unnecessarily, perhaps, its popularity has been almost as great in countries not occupied by the enemy. And, paradoxically, the "V" campaign has brought new distinction to a German- Ludwig van Beethoven, whose Fifth Symphony incorporates the succession of short and long notes that make up the Morse Code signal for V. Listeners who wish to hear the famous "V" symphony should tune in to 1YA on Sunday, October 5, when it will be played by Felix Weingartner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. * % * T is seldom that a piece of music assumes any political significance, but on rare occasions it does happen. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, mentioned above, is a case in point. Slightly different in associations is Tchaikovski’s "1812" Overture, which was written nearly 70 years after the event it commemorates — Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow. Originally intended to be played by a great orchestra in an open square in Moscow, with real cannon fired at appropriate points in the music, it was never actually performed in that way, although its first public performance in 1882 came as near as possible to it. 3YA will broadcast the Overture on Monday, October 6. ‘ * * x LL the world knows that Johann Strauss made the waltz famous. His "Blue Danube" is regarded as one of the classics of light music and he himself has been elevated to the select ranks of those celebrities who have had motion pictures made about them. Such, indeed, has been his fame that he has overshadowed all other composers bearing the name of Strauss -- Johann Strauss, St., his father, Joseph and Edouard, his brothers, Richard Strauss, a German, and Oscar Straus, of Vienna, composer of that celebrated light opera The Chocolate Soldier, Listeners to 1YA on Wednesday, October 8, will make the acquaintance of some Richard Strauss compositions which will be presented by Margaret Potter,