An Unofficial Ambassador Returns Home

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 469, 18 June 1948, Page 18

An Unofficial Ambassador Returns Home

UBERT MILVERTONCARTA, New Zealand tenor and lecturer, has returned to his native country after 14 years abroad, during which time, he says, he has been acting as an "unofficial ambassador of New Zealand," singing our songs and lecturing about our country in Britain, Europe and America. In an interview with The Listener last week he spoke about his experiences during these excitementpacked years, and of his hopes for the future. "I originally left New Zealand in 1926," he said. "That was my first English tour." He returned home shortly afterwards and for the next eight years taught singing and sang himself with various choral societies. The Christchurch pianist Wainwright Morgan acted as accompanist at many of his concerts, and they left New Zealand together in 1934 for another English tour. "T only intended staying for one year," Mr. Milverton-Carta said, "but I stayed 14. This is the first time I have been back since, which just shows you that we never know what life has in store for us." ; And why had he returned? he was asked. "There were three reasons," he said. "First, I came out to contact Government Departments, to get some colour films to use to illustr&te my lectures in the United States and Britain. Secondly, -I have come back to introduce Hubert ~Milverton-Carta to the New Zealand public that has grown up in the 14 years I’ve been away. You see, when I'm abroad I always sing as ‘the New Zealand tenor,’ and the trouble is that many people back here in New Zealand don’t know me, and they may wonder, if they go abroad, who this New Zealand tenor is: So I am going to make my name familiar to them by doing a tour of the country. And thirdly, I have come back to meet old friends, old pupils, and relations." Stick Dances, Too We asked him if he would explain what aspects of New Zealand life he lectured on overseas. "IT have several repertoires," he explained. "‘First there is a series of three lectures on music, called Music’s Uhiversal Appeal, Music and Those Who Make It, and British Music Then and Now. I am going to give these in Scandinavia on my return to Europe next year. All my lectures are illustrated with songs-I sing both folk songs and classics. Then I have another series of four lectures about New Zealand. Two are about the Maoris, their history, life and customs, which I illustrate with songs and dances." "But you don’t do the dances too?" we interrupted. "Not on the stage by yourself?" "Oh, yes, I do all the Maori hakas and stick dances and so on in the course of the lectures." He showed us his lecture programme, illustrated with photographs of New Zealand scenery and

Maoris. in native costume, and a map of the country. The titles of the different lectures were there too: "The Maoris of New Zealand-in Song and Story," "New Zealand-Paradise of the Pacific," "The Maori Yesterday and Today,’ and "Romantic New ZealandLand of Wonders." Explanatory remarks accompany the programme items and there is also the encouragiyg footnote, "Re-bookings are Regular Occurrences." Some idea of the audiences whom Mr, Milverton-Carta has been addressing over the past 14 years may be gathered from his brochure: "These lectures are recommended for Lecture Societies, Institutions,’ Schools, Churches, Youth Movements, Luncheon Clubs, Women’s Organisations, and All Occasions where Unique and Entertaining Information is Required." At present, Mr. Milverton-Carta said, he: was preparing a new lecture on the subject "New Zealand, Your Land of Opportunity." "I’m an unofficial ambassador of New Zealand," he said, "I was the New Zealand tenor in the Coronation Choir, and everywhere I go I advertise New Zealand. Other New Zealand artists, like Oscar Natzka or Colin Horsley, just appear under their own names, but I never appear without being accompanied by the words ‘New Zealand.’ " No Titles, but a Hyphen In the course of the interview he explained how it came about that he changed his professional name from Hubert Carter to Hubert MilvertonCarta. : "It’s an old story," he said. "When I was engaged to sing at Glasgow one year I sent in my name and items beforehand, but the printer couldn’t read my writing. When you write ‘er,’ you know, it can look very like an ‘a,’ and the printer thought that was how my name was spelt. When we arrived at Glasgow there was one of those big calico banners hung across the street, (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) and there was my name in big letters: ‘Hubert Carta.’ ‘Well,’ I said to my fiancee, ‘What do you think of that?’ ‘Magnificent,’ she said, ‘It certainly looks more professional. So we decided to leave it like that." "Then the Milverton part is an old family name. I used always to be called that, but when I first appeared. on the concert platform with Tom Pollard’s Juvenile Opera Company in Palmerston North as a boy soprano-I was only eight-NMr. Pollard decided that Milver-ton-Carter was too big a name for such a small boy, and so I just appeared on. the billboard as Hubert Carter. Then last year when I was going to tour America, my New York agent wrote to my London agent asking if I had any titles or degrees to catch the public eye, because Americans love that’ sort of thing. When my agent told me this I laughed and said-just as a joke, of course-‘Well, I haven’t any titles or degrees, Dut I’ve got a hyphen,’ and it has stuck to me ever since. "Of course," he added, "to prevent any confusion, on my passport I put ‘Hubert Carter,’ and then in brackets ‘commonly known as Hubert MilvertonCarta.’ " Mr. Milverton-Carta said that he would be going to Vancouver after three or four months to start a lecture tour of Canada, before returning to England, where his wife is waiting for him. She was usually his accompanist, but had been unable to get away for this trip. He has a number of engagements to fulfil while he is here» and will also broadcast. "But of course, I won’t do my Maori and Romantic New Zealand lectures while I’m here," he concluded. "That would be bringing coals to Newcastle."