Pageant of British Music

New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 743, 9 October 1953, Page 7

Pageant of British Music

(COMPILED by Bessie Pollard, of the * NZBS. Programmes Department, a comprehensive series of 33 programmes dealing with various forms of British music from Elizabethan times to the present is to be broadcast shortly from YC and YZ stations. Entitled A Survey of British Music, the series is in five sections, dealing with English song, and with keyboard, church, instrumental and chora] music. in that order. Contributions to the survey have been recorded in the four main centres, and in Hamilton and Napier, and with two exceptions the programmes are by New Zea land artists. The exceptions are an oratorio by the Handel Society of Eng: land, and a bracket of early English songs by Victoria Kingsley. Each section of the series will be introduced briefly by a New Zealand musician specialising in the particular kind of music. Molly Atkinson will introduce the section on song, which is to be broadcast first. An unusual programme in this section is a selection of English folk songs based on the old and allegedly prophetic chant: :Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, Rich Man, Poor

Man, Beggar Man, Thief There will be a song for each of these occupations. and a note on the historical background of each. The section dealing with keyboard music-introduced by Stanley Jackson -wil] introduce listeners to several little-known works some of them taken from the famed Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. Three of the programmes in this section will consist of harpsichord music by Layton Ring. The church music was recorded in churches of various denominations throughout the country. A ‘notable programme in this section is a performance by the choir of the Church of St Mary of the Angels, Wellington, of works by John Hilton, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd. This choir has specialised in early music. The section on instrumental music will be introduced by Ruth Pearl, and will include Nine Fantasias for Strings, by Orlando Gibbons, performed by the Alex. Lindsay String Quartet. Among the modern works wil] be one by Bernard Stevens, the "modern, but not ag-

gressively modern" Trio for _ Piano. Violin. and ‘Cello. This music was obtained specially for the series. In the chora)}. section listeners will hear, among others works by the con-

temporary composers Benjamin Britten, Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi, performed by the Auckland Choral Group. and Walford Davies's The Pied Piper, A Survey of British Music is to be the first of a number of series dealing with the music of various nations. It begins from 2YC and 4YC on Tuesday, October 13. From 2YC the introductory talk will be heard at 7.45 p.m., and the first programme of songs. at 10.0 p.m. From 4YC the talk will begin at 7.30 p.m. and will be followed immediate!y by the song programme. Other YC stations and the YZs will begin: broadcasting the series later,