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New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 134, 16 January 1942, Page 4

Sir,-The cry of your two excellent correspondents " Tolanthe " and " Philomathes,"’ "Where are Gilbert and Sullivan?" caught me practically in the act of writing myself with that. object. Until quite recently, one station or other throughout the country was in the practice of broadcasting an hour of this unique entertainment every week-this hour, as it were, "went the rounds." If at times there was an exasperatingly unnecessary quantity of announcer’s script. or an unaccountably poor selection of tunes, at least "Tolanthe" and I were gratified, and our jaded musical palates gladdened. This practice is now discontinued. Why? Surely not to give it a rest-Savoy Opera is one thing that never, never stales. Certainly, the Wagner situation has improved-it is pleasant to have something to commend, instead of disparage. As the " Giant of Bayreuth" was a fine poet, the cleverest musician, technically, who ever lived, and before all, a great dramatic genius, so Sir Arthur Sullivan was an "absolute" musician as ever was-like Brahms, or Grieg; and Music-drama is to Comic Opera as a star to a candle. But any attempt at a comparison, as your musical correspondents must realise, would be not only absurd, and an admission of ignorance, but really wrong. Put Wagner aside for a moment. The Savoy Operas are so English-let me stress it. There has been no other expression (perhaps "exposure" is better) of the national character to beat them. Isn’t that what we

want? Or is it more patriotic to endure hours of American Negro trash, and propaganda songs by German Jews? Must we forge our humour and leisure from the miserable alloy, in preference to the clean, true metal? " Philomathes " is quite right, England can produce composers as great in their own way as Wagnerbut not in his way; that is the point. But the old English composers exist all right, and we do need them. The madrigal-singing is a splendid idea, and merits immediate support. What we must realise is that Wagner and Sullivan and Morley and Bryd, etc., do not clash-they help one another, and we need them all to help us.

DAVID

ALTON

(Auckland).