The True Sir John

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 438, 14 November 1947, Page 10

The True Sir John

N his series Masterpieces of Music, Professor V. E. Galway, Mus.D,, recently presented listeners with Elgar’s symphonic study, Falstaff. Coming in close proximity to the talks on the Revival of English Music, this orchestral masterpiece was welcome as a further illustration of what speakers in this series have been telling us-namely, that the "land without music" is so no longer, and that at the beginning of the

modern renaissance of English music the grand name of Edward Elgar stands as one of the main stems of the eyerbranching tree of musical evolution. As Dr. Galway pointed out, the average; person’s mental picture of Falstaff is the caricatured buffoon of the Merry Wives of Windsor, whereas the Sir John portrayed by Elgar is the Falstaff of the historical plays, of whose fascinating character listeners who don’t read their Shakespeare will have caught a glimpse in the fim Henry V. In the symphonic study, the full orchestra paints as vivid and varied a picture as the genius of Elgar could conceive; all the incidents of Falstaff’s troubled career, from tetmpestuous beginning to grim and stricker,, ending, are here portrayed as to the life: As Dr. Galway said, Falstaff is not the kind of music we can appreciate at first hearing, and much careful listening is necessary before its full’ beauties are revealed; here is an opportunity for 4YA or 4YO to repeat the work before this performance, and Dr, Galway’s explanatory notes (including his fine reading of Shakespeare’s "death of Falstaff" lines) have faded from _ listeners’ memories.

Footnote to an Anniversary

BETWEEN 7.0 and 8.0 am., Station 4ZB, as well as giving me the time and the weather forecast, provides an interesting spot in an hour of otherwise nondescript music. This is the celebrity artist who is chosen each morning to give one item, and for those who are in the mood for early morning concentration this few minutes provides a wide variety of good music. The announcer, in putting on a Solomon record one morning, told us that there was a growing volume of requests for classical piano records. If this is so, it is merely one CP pipet of that hunger for good music which Boyd Neel found in New Zealand audiences, This hunger is evidently a steadily-increasing quantity and corresponds, perhaps, with that surge of interest in music which is said to have been evident lately in England. But what efforts have the stations made to encourage it? In 4ZB’s 10th birthday celebrations, mention was made of former programmes, including a joke about a music teacher who rang up to congtatulate the Station on a concerto, without mentioning that two of the movements had been played out of order! Apart from revealing the musical ignorance of .one who ought to have known better, this reminiscence recalled the fact that there must have been a time when 4ZB did not scorn to play us whole concertos, from first movement to last! I recall, too, the programmes of good poetry and music skilfully mingled by Alec MacDowell, and- wonder why they haven’t been replaced by anything as good since. I recall the number of people who have told me that they have stopped sending requests for classical music to the ZB’s, because ‘either the requests are "too long" or else politely ignored; and in any case, what lover of good music wants his one item sandwiched between two sentimental or faucous popular songs? In the 10 years of 4ZB’s functioning, it seems to have catered less and less for a public which grows more and more.

HESE notes. are not written by the staff of "The Listener" or by any member of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service, They are indendent comments for which "The "Listener" pays. outside contributors.