It Happened In Egypt

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 124, 7 November 1941, Page 8

It Happened In Egypt

HIS is the story of a New Zealand soldier whose zeal for art was not appreciated. Perhaps he had better tell it in his own words: r "One of my good friends is very musical, and used to be somewhat of a conductor in New Zealand, He had been toying with the idea for some time of forming a male voice choir, and approached some of the fellows in the Maadi tent about it, The result was favourable, and there were soon thirty names on a list left in the tent. Music was procured and the first practice set down for Monday. My friend asked me to join, and I had little hesitation in doing so, thinking that the thing would be along the lines of the Mills Brothers or the Six Swingers, and practised my boop-boop-doops assiduously during the preceding days. On the fateful Monday night I went to Maadi rather early to collect my washing. The arrangement was to meet at the Maadi tent at 6.30 p.m. and repair to the schoolroom for the practice. I was not at the tent till a quarter to seven and had to find my own way, finally arriving at the classroom at approximately 7.30 p.m. "I knocked peremptorily at the door and entered, carelessly whistling an excellent rendition of ‘Sweet Sue,’ but was met with stony glances by a dozen or so very learned looking soldiers clustered round a piano. By the end of the evening I had discovered to my dismay that this choir was to sing high-class music, and that all its members abhorred swing. My rendering of ‘Sweet Sue’ came to a very tame finish and I was introduced to the choristers in a rather strained atmosphere. I apologised for my lateness, but they gave me the impression that so far as they were concerned, the later the better. "TI was seated with the 2nd basses and had some words and music placed before me. The words conveyed the fact that, we were to render King Arthur. The

a music conveyed nothing. Well, away we went, and informed a disinterested world that King Arthur had three sons at least fifty times. He must have lived on monkey glands and tiger’s milk. "There was only one other artist who could not read music. He was put in the second basses too, and was seated next to me, and was really a bit of a character. We kept the conductor very busy. "Would the second basses mind singing an octave lower!" "Would the second basses please enunciate their words!" "Would the second basses please hold that last note!" "Would the second basses please look at the conductor!" "Would the second basses please sing second bass!" "Would the second basses ????" " Poor old W.! How my heart bled for him. " Finally, old King Arthur reached his years of discretion, or perhaps his limits of endurance, and ceased having sons, and the rest of the evening was spent in ‘Oh, no! John!’ After it was all over the pianist played one or two magnificent symphonies or something, which the second basses did not blemish, except by making the wrong comments at the end, and off to the Maadi tent we went for supper, the second basses, it was to be noticed, walking in dual splendour behind. : " Everybody said ‘Oh, do come again, won't you,’ as if the future of the whole choir depended on it. And, to a large extent, it did. Rest assured! The second basses have not been again, and the future of the choir is assured. And they should have a very good future, for there are some magnificent trained voices there, and an outstanding pianist. I wouldn’t mind having my voice trained, but it would be impossible-they could never catch it to train it in the first place. So my little effort to dethrone the noble Caruso sinks into the dark abyss vf oblivion."