THE MELODIC LINE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 23, Issue 583, 25 August 1950, Page 11

THE MELODIC LINE

and gone; his playing here is now but a memory. What do those of us who heard him over the air find is the most lasting impression made on us? There were broadcasts of several piano recitals, and all the concertos (Brahms, Mozart, Ireland and Berkeley), the ‘latter two from both Auckland and Wellington. Every chance was given the radio listener to become Acquainted with the works and the player. ’ At least we must say that Mr. Horsley was one of the few visiting artists to play any large scale contemporary music. He remarked that New Zealand audiences "took to" these contemporary works very well, and that those who have grown up in the last two decades seem to have an instinctive liking for the Berkeley work, more so than for the Ireland. : It is of. Berkeley’s music in general HORSLEY has come that I wish to write. On the evening be-» fore he left Wellington, Colin Horsley gave a recital previously heard in the BBC Third Programme. This consisted entirely of Berkeley’s piano composi-tions--Six Preludes, Scherzo, Three Mazurkas, and Two Etudes. I felt it was a real misfortune that this broad- cast was not given before the concerto was played. The latter work may be of larger stature, but the piano music seemed to express Berkeley so typically, and gave many a clue to the concerto. Who could not like, even at first hearing, the Preludes and Etudes? Trying to analyse what made this music so immediately attractive, I came to the conclusion that Berkeley is never afraid of simple melody, and has a commanding sense of rhythm. The tunes often have dissonant accompaniment, but even in the dissonances one feels that he employs mostly those that satisfy, and does not attempt to hurt the ear for hurt’s sake. I maintain that any composition that is not basically melodious, and that continually annoys one with unmusical sounds is still-born; however technically adequate, it is just one of those clever things which ultimately no one will want to hear again. What is melody? There we have room for endless argument, but it is surely obvious that some composers have a greater melodic gift than others. Puccini, Verdi, Beethoven, Brahms, Strauss, hardly wrote anything unmelodious, although their musical stature is very different. True, much of Salome is deliberately ugly, to fit the revolting story; but often (as in the Prophet’s theme and Salome’s closing aria), melody | abounds, and page upon page of his songs and tone-poems carry the loveliest melodies. Many great tunes are simply variants of the natural scale, which in itself would hardly be called a melody. Play the notes EFGABC in that order, and the result is not melodic, but simply make the B a short note and melody results. EFGGFE gives rather a monotonous sound, which is hardly a tune; alter it to EFAGFE and it is better; make the last F a short note and a fine melody results. It is the instinctive feeling for these minutiae which the real melodists in music have --which Berkeley has, for example, in

common with Mozart, from whom he differs so enormously otherwiseand which is, alas, conspicuously absent in many of our dry-as-dust technical wizards of the present time.

H.J.

F.