THINGS TO COME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 11, Issue 261, 23 June 1944, Page 2

THINGS TO COME

A Run Through The Programmes

MONDAY NERO fiddled while Rome burned; another celebrated royal personage is believed to have called for fiddlers three, whereas Louis XIV., copied by Charles II. in England, had his "four and twenty fiddlers" at Court. Henry VIII. even wrote a motet, and his daughter Elizabeth, according to a nobleman of her time, played "excellently well ... not before men, but when she was solitary, to shun melancholy." Nowadays we hear none of the fruits of these royal dallyings with the art, but NBS stations have broadcast a motet by John IV. of Portugal, and a composition by Frederick the Great. And this is not by any means the end of the list. In 1935 Edward, Prince of Wales, had been taking lessons on the bagpipes, and he wrote a march called "Mallorca." The "Scottish Interlude" from 1YA at 10.0 p.m. on Monday, June 26, will open with this composition. Also worth notice: ee P-m:: Quartet in D by Mozart (s o). SYA, 9.25 p.m.: Quartet in D (Cesar Franck). 4YA, 8.0 p.m.: Royal Dunedin Male Choir. TUESDAY EORGE ANTHEIL, who is composer of a notorious "Ballet Mecanique" (1925), a professional endocrinologist, author of a prophetic book on global strategy (The Shape of the War to Come, 1940), honorary member of the Paris police force, and author of a syndicated agony column, "Boy Advises Girl," returned to the musical front recently with a symphony, his fourth. It was written between the last battle of Tobruk and the invasion of North Africa, and is said to express the composer’s reaction to the present world conflict. The orchestration reminded some music critics of Shostakovich, particularly in the extensive use of the xylophone in climaxes. The scoring was found to be richly textured, if not particularly original. Energy’ and enthusiasm were characteristic of the score, Antheil’s Fourth Symphony will be heard from 2YA between 8 p.m; and 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27. Also worth notice: 1YX, 8 p.m.: Violin Concerto in D (Prokofieff 2YA, 7.30 p.m.: Part Songs by VaughanWilliams (studio). 4YO, 9.0 p.m.: Piano Quintet (Bloch). WEDNESDAY PRISONERS of war learn to call a spade a spade, but they also learn to call a soup dixie a drum. The Stalag VIIILB Dance Band learned the lessons of ingenuity so well that it was able to rise from humble beginnings with kettles and pans and an old accordion to the important job of supplying dance music to thousands of fellow prisoners. When the members of the band were Tepatriated in October, 1943, they were able to broadcast over the BBC. Recordings of the Stalag VIIILB Dance Band will be heard from 2YA at 10.0 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26, conducted by L/Cpl. Jimmy Howe. The original drummer of the band will not be heard, however, for he was one of the few not repatriated. He is Fred Jones, of Poritua, New Zealand, but though he won’t be heard, he will be remembered. On the programme is an original composition by the band’s tenor-sax dedicated

— to the New Zealand drummer who was left behind. The composition is called "Strictly Bogus," from the habit the drummer had of applying these words to everyone he came in contact with. Also worth notice: 1YA, 8 p.m.: " Waldstein" Sonata by Beethoven (studio). 2¥YC, 8.0 p.m:: Violin Concerto No. 8 (Spohr). 4YO, 8.0 p.m.: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor (Beethoven), THURSDAY OR half an hour of entirely frivolous entertainment interspersed with light music, listen in to 2YA on Thursday, June 29, at 8.28 p.m. But you will not only be amused-you may also have your

mind improved; for this programme gives exclusive inside information about the workings of the Academy for Everyday Education (Principal: Professor Ronald Frankau). Listen.in and learn how to start and stop a conversation in a tram, how to visit a sick friend, how to say good-bye, how tO make and take proposals, and how to be the life and soul of the party, Professor Frankau has a serious message for all: "Have comradely feelings even towards your relations!" Also worth notice: 1YX, 8.0 p.m.: Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, 132 ). 3ZR, 8.0 p.m.: Triple Concerto (Beethoven). 4YA, 9.25 p.m.; Concerto No, 1 in C (Beet: hoven) FRIDAY | F you have noticed that eight concertos aré scattered through our "Also Worth Notice" lines this week, don’t imagine that The Listener has suddenly gone med about concertos. We are merely. trying to assist H, C. Luscombe, Lecturer in Music at Auckland Teachers’ Training College, with the talk he will give from 1YA at 8.0 p.m. on Friday, June 30. His subject is "The Concerto," and there seem to be plenty of examples in the week’s programmes to enable listeners to supplement the talk: all but one of Beethoven’s piano concertos, for instance, and the triple concerto as well, and violin concertos by Bach, sohn, Spohr, Tchaikovski, and Prokofieff. Even Handel is not missing-see 3YL, Saturday, for two by him. Also worth notice ie 3 ‘th act Trill" Sonata (Tar. m 3YA, 8.0 p.m.: Violin Music and Its Background (1700-1750). 4YA, 12 noon: Community Singing,

SATURDAY HEN he died in 1942 at the age of 60, John Barrymore, a member of the "royal family of Broadway," was appearing on Rudy Vallee’s radio programme in the United States. Thus he ended his career in a medium which was unknown when he began it, for he went on the stage at the age of 21, and thence proceeded through a series of roles which made him in his day one of the great figures of the theatre. Hollywood, of course, knew him too-probably as well as Broadway did-and so did the divorce courts. He married four times, divorcing his fourth wife in 1940. But if you want to know more about a man who was known as "The Great Profile," tune in to 3YA at 11.0 a.m. on Saturday, July 1. Also worth notice: 1YA, 8.0 p.m.: Auckland Ladies’ Choir, 2YC, 9.0 p,m.: Concerto No, 4 (Beethoven). 3YL, 8,0-9.0 p.m.: Music by Handel. SUNDAY ORE than ever now we are hearing the cry, ‘"‘we must win the peace as well as the war." All over the world, in fact, organisations with a sense of responsibility to the community are getting down to serious discussion on planning and reconstruction. We have even seen the churches combining in social reorganisation campaigns, and in that way ansvering those who maintain that the churches will never accomplish anything because they can’t agree among themselves, If you doubt this, listen to "Christian Thinking About Planning," a BBC talk that will be broadcast from 2YA;on Sunday, July 2. It was prepared by Dr. Nathaniel Micklem, Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford, and will be heard from 2YA at 4 p.m. Also worth notice: 1YA, 3.30 p.m.: Violin’ Concerto in: D (Tchaikovski ) a’ eis p-m.: Mass for Five Voices 4YA, 8.0 p.m.: Violin Concerto in D Minor (Bach).